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Straight Talk iPhone: AT&T SIM Returns In Time for iPhone 5S

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A Straight Talk iPhone is once again a tempting option for many users now that the company is selling AT&T Straight Talk SIM cards for $15, just in time for the iPhone 5S release and a flood of used iPhones.

The Straight Talk iPhone became less attractive without an AT&T option after the AT&T compatible SIM cards disappeared in early 2013, leaving users of GSM iPhones to rely on T-Mobile’s network for connectivity.

Starting this week the Straight Talk Bring Your Own Phone website is now selling AT&T Sim Cards that can work with the iPhone and Android devices, though users may need a SIM card cutter if they plan to use it with the Apple iPhone 5.

Read: iPhone 5 Straight Talk: 7 Facts to Know Before Buying

The AT&T Straight Talk SIM is back, making a Straight Talk iPhone more attractive.

The AT&T Straight Talk SIM is back, making a Straight Talk iPhone more attractive.

With either of these new AT&T Straight Talk Sim cards users can use AT&T smartphones to connect to AT&T towers. While they will not get LTE, most devices will connect to AT&T’s speedy 4G HSPA+ network.

Straight Talk is a pre-paid carrier that offers the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, but also allows users to bring their own iPhone or Android device. The ability to use an AT&T iPhone on Straight Talk without unlocking the iPhone or buying direct from Straight Talk makes it much more affordable to get an iPhone without a contract.

Look for cheaper options to get a Straight Talk iPhone with AT&T service as the iPhone 5S release arrives.

Look for cheaper options to get a Straight Talk iPhone with AT&T service as the iPhone 5S release arrives.

With the return of the AT&T Straight Talk SIM, it’s a good time to look at Straight Talk again as a cheap iPhone carrier that doesn’t ask users to deal with the lack of coverage like the $30 T-Mobile plan available at Walmart.

What does a Straight Talk AT&T Sim card have to do with the iPhone 5S release? In addition to offering a fast way to get a Straight Talk iPhone 5S that runs on AT&T, it means that it could be a good time to buy a used iPhone for Straight Talk.

Read: Straight Talk Review

AT&T iPhones will work on Straight Talk without the need to do anything but change a few settings, which means picking up a used iPhone 4S or iPhone 4S on Craigslist is a good option.

When the iPhone 5S release arrives, likely in mid-to late September we should see a lot of used iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S units up for sale online. It is also a good time to look at buying an old iPhone from that co-worker or friend that always needs the latest iPhone model.

If you are thinking of switching to a Straight Talk iPhone keep in mind that some users report Straight Talk cutting them off for using more than 2GB of data on an unlimited data plan. This is because Straight Talk prohibits video streaming, so plan on using WiFi for Netflix and YouTube. These services work on Straight Talk, but could lead to the company dropping a user. There is no hotspot access, so you can’t share the data with other devices.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Freebase House

    08/10/2013 at 8:41 am

    my at&t factory unlocked iPhone 4 is not working on straighttalk…it gives “no service” and i can only make calls in certain places in my house. i live in atlanta 30309 all this after an hour with customer service.

  2. rilespro

    08/16/2013 at 6:57 am

    good article thanks for staying on top of this topic

    a HOW TO with an att iPhone that is stock (not unlocked or jailbroken) would be really useful – this sort of thing changes from time to time as you know

    Since Apple probably wont’ start selling truly unlocked iPhone 5S until a month or more after launch it would be great to know where you stand with Straighttalk ATT Sim and a new ATT iPhone 5S – ya know with cutting down the sim, apn settings, iMessage proper function and activation, FaceTime, text messaging, data working

    The above WOULD BE A REALLY AWESOME REVIEW !!!

    Thanks again

  3. Josh Smith

    08/16/2013 at 7:25 am

    Hmm I have a Verizon iPhone right now, But I will see what I can do once it comes out. And if i can get my hands on the AT&T version.

    • Gigi

      08/18/2013 at 8:11 am

      I have an iPhone 4S w/AT&T right now. I’m considering switching to straight talk. I’m hearing +/- from both sides. Any suggestions/advice?

      • Michael Wiggins

        08/19/2013 at 11:53 am

        Will I be able to send out wifi to power my home computer.

      • Dave

        09/13/2013 at 6:12 am

        You will need a t-mobile sim if you want to do mms pic messaging to non apple phones. My 4S works well on ST. You have to reset apn setting every now and then. i have resigned myself to emailing pics to non apple users. Great price per month, $48 with tax, same service coverage with AT&T. Make sure you get AT&T sim.

    • Dustin

      10/09/2013 at 3:37 pm

      As long as the phone is not under contract straight talk can put it on CDMA. I have iphone 5 on straight talk CDMA

  4. Gigi

    08/18/2013 at 8:16 am

    Also, what is considered excessive data use by straight talk?

  5. Linda

    09/10/2013 at 6:09 pm

    I am running my AT&T Iphone 5 on Straight Talk without problems. I have everything except MMS to non-apple devices working. I could get that by doing a T-Mobile sim swap method to bring up the apn settings. But to be honest I really don’t care that much. If I need to send a MMS message out to an Android then I use one of the many free apps that allow me to do that. If I need to receive a picture message, I just have them email me the pic. I don’t have LTE coverage but very fast 4G and that is fine with me. I really don’t have a problem with the data caps due to having Wifi at work and at home.

  6. TheGooch

    09/11/2013 at 9:55 pm

    Linda – Thank for sharing that information!

  7. Prey

    09/15/2013 at 9:28 am

    I have been using Straight Talk on my AT&T iPhone 4S for about a year now with little to no problems. When my contract with AT&T expired I went to straighttalk and purchased the sim card from them. It took awhile to activate and you do need to do some setting changes in order to receive text messages and internet access. It took me a few hours of researching and troubleshooting before I got it all to work. Beyond that, it is unlimited talk, text, and data for $45 a month by paying for prepaid cards. However, I purchase the cards on ebay at intervals of either 3 months or a year, and it saves me alot of money. I am paying around $30-$35 a month depending on what kind of deal I can get. I am on my phone frequently and have not gotten past the 2GB “unlimited” data limit, but then again I do have WiFi at home. There are some drawbacks. For one, it takes awhile to get everything working, and you will need to do some research. Second, is you need a non contract phone, so if I wanted the new iPhone 5c it would cost me $550 as opposed to the $99 contract price (remember you are saving money in the long run). Also, I cannot receive picture messages with my iPhone 4s (I think this only applies to certain iPhone versions) and I do not have visual voicemail. My contract with AT&T was costing me somewhere around $100-$125 a month which amounts to $1,200 – $1,500 a year. I now pay $360-$420 a year. Its worth some small sacrifices. I just have my friends facebook message me pics, and I never really needed visual voicemail. It still uses AT&T’s network so no change in speed and coverage.

    • Steve

      09/28/2013 at 4:35 pm

      I’ve been using straight talk for well over a year now and I can say is the best thing on the market. I have an iPhone 4 but it is jailbroken so I can use the app Tetherme to change the APN settings. But I understand it works very well on non-jailbroken iPhones as well. The AT&T coverage is adequate to very good in most places I have traveled too.

      Take it for me if you consider switching your iPhone to straight talk I would do it. You’ll save big bucks in the long run.

      But I have a question to anyone who is out there reading this. Does straight talk support the nano Sim cards.? Are they selling them yet? It was my understanding that iPhone 5 and 5s had to use NanoSim cards. But when I go to straight talk website I do not see them available. All that’s can find there are regular Sim and MicroSim cards.

      And does straight talk support 4G speeds on the iPhone five and 5S?
      Thanks
      Steve

  8. Chris

    09/30/2013 at 5:44 pm

    Hello. I am having difficulty finding an answer and hope someone here can give it to me.
    I purchased a straight talk iphone 5 from walmart and didn’t realize till I activated that it works off of TFW (tracfone wireless) network. It has a nano sim slot. My galaxy s2 from straight talk worked off of AT&T towers and I need that service where I work at. What will work for getting AT&T service on this walmart st iphone 5? Can I cut the sim from the galaxy s2 and have it work?

  9. Petproject

    10/02/2014 at 5:55 am

    Your can find APN and MMS settings on the web, but this usually works for the 5s just enter them manually in the phone Settings — cellular data network after inserting the ST sim then reboot the phone
    Apn: wap.tracfone
    Mmsc: https://mms-tf.com
    MmsProxy: mms3.tracfone.net
    Size: 1048576

  10. Petproject

    10/02/2014 at 5:57 am

    Oops one correction

    Mmsc: https://mms-tf.net
    Not dot come

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