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iPhone 5 Straight Talk: 7 Facts to Know Before Buying

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The Straight Talk iPhone 5 is a tempting choice for smartphone owners looking to save money on their monthly bill, but it’s not all unlimited data and cheap monthly bills on Straight Talk.

Straight Talk advertises unlimited data plans and cheap prices, but be ready for below average customer service, data caps and a more expensive iPhone purchase price.

For all that Straight Talk offers, it isn’t the cheapest iPhone 5 plan on the market, but it will save you hundreds over going with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.

Read: Straight Talk Review

Here’s what you need to know about the Straight Talk plan before buying the Phone 5 at Walmart.

Not Unlimited Data

The pre-paid carrier market needs to join the major carriers in defining the amount of data customers can use. Straight Talk advertises unlimited everything with the iPhone 5, but Walmart and Straight Talk tuck a huge set of restrictions on the plan. That’s why anytime you see the word unlimited, it’s followed by a “†”. This tells you it’s not really unlimited.

Straight Talk Unlimited Data Truth

Note the asterisk next to unlimited.

Many users report data caps at 2GB per month or 100 MB per day. For some users this won’t be a problem, but for heavy media users looking to get an iPhone 5 cheap and use it to stream Netflix, watch Hulu Plus, download music, stream music and download apps up to 50MB in size, it could be a big problem.

When Straight Talk decides a user has used too much data, the company can cut them off with no recourse. Because the company doesn’t advertise what it believes too much use of unlimited data is, users are left guessing.

Payment Plan Available

The up front cost of the iPhone 5 on Straight Talk is $649, that’s $450 more expensive than buying the iPhone 5 on contract at any of the major carriers.

Straight Talk iPhone 5 payment plan

Walmart offers a payment plan for the iPhone 5.

Walmart offers a payment plan for the iPhone 5 to bring the cost down and make it easier to get the iPhone 5 today. The plan charges $25 a month with no interest on a Walmart credit card. This is a good deal for users who never miss a payment, don’t plan to put anything else on the card and will pay it off by the end of the special promo.

The downside is that this is as good as signing a two-year contract with Straight Talk. Yes, you can leave at any time, but you’ll still need to pay off the phone and 26 months is a long time to keep a smartphone.

Bad Customer Service

There’s a reason Verizon consistently ranks #1 in JD Power customer service. Even if the call center agent can’t give you what you want on every call they aren’t stuck on scripts like old Dell call center agents from 2002. Call reps and twitter support reps for the big name carriers are much more helpful than you will find on Straight Talk.

After the website failed to reactivate our SIM we called Straight Talk to get help and the call rep wouldn’t believe we had a SIM for a smartphone, repeating that the system said it was a Tracfone and there was nothing else they could do about it. This mirrors similar calls for help in the past.

Same Towers as the Big Names

Straight Talk is not a household name yet, but it uses the same towers as major carriers. In this case the iPhone 5 on Straight Talk is a CDMA iPhone like those sold on Verizon and Sprint.

Straight Talk iPhone 5 Coverage Map

Straight Talk uses Verizon (left) and Sprint (right) towers.

Straight Talk doesn’t announce what carrier’s towers the iPhone 5 on their service users. In the past the Straight Talk phones have connected to AT&T and Sprint towers, but the iPhone 4S is reportedly using Sprint towers so that may be the case.

The good news is you’ll be able to get the same coverage as friends on Sprint or Verizon.

Confusing Terms of Service

On top of fake unlimited data plans, Straight Talk features a confusing terms of service that state users cannot use the service to download apps or stream music or video.

The Straight Talk Unlimited Plans MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation, the following: (i) continuous mobile to mobile or mobile to landline voice calls; (ii) automated text or picture messaging to another mobile device or e-mail address; (iii) uploading, downloading or streaming of audio or video programming or games;

This is in stark contrast to the Straight Talk commercials which show music streaming with Pandora, and doesn’t match up with how people user their phones.

https://youtu.be/33BKQQuZRbM

Still Saves You Hundreds

Even with these limitations, the Straight Talk iPhone 5 plan will save you hundreds over the cheapest iPhone 5 plans at AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. That’s including the purchase price of the iPhone 5 on all carriers.

Here are the cheapest iPhone 5 plans that we could recommend to users on each of the major carriers and on other pre-paid carriers.

  1. C-Spire – $1,639
  2. Straight Talk – $1,729
  3. Cricket – $1,969
  4. Sprint – $2,118.76
  5. Verizon – $2,119
  6. AT&T – $2,095

It’s important to keep coverage, speeds and other factors in mind when picking an iPhone 5 carrier.

No 4G LTE or Tethering

The iPhone 5 features 4G LTE for fast uploading and downloading, but the Straight Talk iPhone 5 is limited to 3G. That means more waiting for downloads and occasional buffering while streaming music. This is actually a blessing as it’s easier to go through 2GB of data on 4G LTE than on a 3G network.

Personal Hotspot ON

No Personal hotspot on Straight Talk.

Straight Talk also prohibits tethering or using the iPhone 5 as a personal hotspot. This means no connecting a WiFi only iPad or notebook to the Internet while traveling. Savvy users can likely find workarounds, but these would put them up against data usage limits and could cause service to be cut off.

226 Comments

226 Comments

  1. jarid

    01/19/2013 at 10:46 pm

    Well I do see one issues with you reports that even you should have seen. The little cross you see after the word unlimited is not a sign that they are lying. it means that the phone will only with the unlimited 45 dollar card and not with the 30 dollar card. that is all it means. As far as the 2gb cap I cant say but I will do some research on it and post back what I have found.

    • Tony

      02/19/2013 at 2:53 pm

      I have had straight talk for 2 years now. I have a galaxy precedent never have reached a cap. Stream and downloading music and video daily. Also able to hook my ps3 to my phone with the occasionally lag. The s2 however is advertised as 4g.

    • DR

      03/03/2013 at 2:57 pm

      Jarid, I have the $45 dollar card and my data plan was turned off for over two weeks until my next months billing because I was in “violation of my data plan agreeement, using more than teh average user”. There was nothing I could do about it. Their was no helping me at all. You need to read the very long agreement you have with Straight Talk before commenting on this. A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with a theory.

      • Stephanie

        03/30/2013 at 11:33 am

        Same thing happened to me. Very inconvient when i went on vacation and was trying to pay employees via the PayPal app I had on my previous phone. Because of this and irate employees 3 days before Christmas I opted to go back to a contract phone that was more reliable and would not mess up my payroll.

        • joe

          04/09/2013 at 8:29 pm

          good idea when you run a business you can’t afford to be a cheap ass!

      • Eddie

        07/26/2013 at 11:49 pm

        Very true!! This happen with a friend of mine as well so he no longer uses straight talk for service.

      • Jeff

        11/07/2013 at 9:21 am

        I too had my service turned off after watching Netflix for a few days. The asterisk may mean something differently but they definitely have a cap. I am almost around wifi though so it has never been a problem for me again. I also turn off my data when not using just to make sure. Its inconvenient but something I can work with considering its only $50.

      • Darren

        01/31/2014 at 9:11 am

        I have had ST for over two years also and currently use Galaxy S3. I use to watch Netflix 3-4 every single day and have never once been cut off from data. I have also never met anyone in real life that has been cut off by ST. The only people I have ever even heard of being throttled are using the phone to tether, which is forbidden in the TOS…and of course AT&T charges you addition for that feature also. I live in TX and travel to OK,LA, and AR. Proof is in the pudding.

        • theresa

          07/30/2014 at 8:32 am

          I have used straight talk for 3 yrs now and never been capped They say its not capped it will just be slower, I have noticed this. I use my phone for everything I have an htc one x an unlocked at&t phone. I wish I new how to tether my phone to use my notebook with it.

    • Lerone

      03/05/2013 at 2:35 pm

      I have a GSM factory unlocked iPhone 5 with straight talk and I have 4G.

      • Swan

        03/06/2013 at 11:09 am

        where do you get one of those. I want to use FaceTime. but it seems with data restrictions that may not be possible. might be better off with iPad mini if FaceTime is my goal. my Samsung phone works fine. any info appreciated.

      • Bryce

        03/24/2013 at 1:54 pm

        Are you using the straight talk sim that is with AT&T or T-Mobile?

      • Elizabeth

        03/25/2013 at 10:34 am

        How’d you get 4g to work?

        • yo mama

          04/25/2013 at 9:01 am

          I doubt it was real 4G. it is probably just hsdupa….which is 3G at “4g” speeds, note LTE

          • Josh Anderson

            05/11/2013 at 8:59 am

            “4G” is called HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul, which means that it downloads at CLOSE to 4G speeds, but only 3G upload speeds. “4G” is basically a “3G+”.

      • ellen

        03/28/2013 at 10:13 am

        how are you using the iphone 5 on straight talk? I ordered an unlocked iphone5 from apple and found out it takes a nano sim not a micro and called straight talk only to be told they dont have a nano sim yet and the iphone5 cannot currently be used with staight talk? I am using AT & T.

        • Kelly

          03/29/2013 at 10:53 am

          I advise you to go to walmart.com and buy a nano sim from there. Calling straight talk and asking them questions is a bad option because 1. They do not understand you and you wont understand them. 2. No matter whhat question you ask them you will get the same answer.

          • complimentsfromsarah

            04/06/2013 at 3:30 am

            They don’t sell a nano sim at walmart or online. Thats the catch… you have to buy the unlocked iphone5 through straight talk in order to get it to work on their network.
            They only sell micro sims for the iphone4.
            If you know of a way to buy the nano sim from straight talk PLEASE let me know. Their customer service is a nightmare!

        • Chris

          04/26/2013 at 8:55 pm

          You don’t need to waste your time looking to get a nano sim card if you already have a micro sim that works. All you have to do is trim is down to fit into the Iphone5 slot. Its really easy as I had to do it for my phone, watch this video as it explains how to do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuCGvokdzsA (might have to copy and paste the link to the address bar. Trust me this works and is easy!!!

        • Debra

          05/02/2013 at 4:23 am

          I purchased an unlocked iPhone 5 from Apple not knowing about the Nano sized SIM card … much to my surprise after I purchased Straighttalk’s SIM. After researching online I decided to “alter” the Straighttalk SIM to fit in to the Nano-size tray on the iPhone 5. It was very simple … used a fine grade sand paper to make the plastic SIM “thinner” and sharp scissors to cut around the “metal” on the SIM. I have been getting 4G and LTE on AT&T via Straighttalk for 2 months now. Only issue now is I haven’t been able to attach picture files to text or email messages.

          • Eduardo

            08/24/2013 at 12:50 am

            To get picture measaging working on your phone you need a t mobile SIM card once you instal it you can change the settings for it to work. YouTube it and their will be videos on how to do it and by the way you don’t need and unlocked iphone AT&T and tmobile iPhones work with out unlocks and I have 4G on my iphone 5 :)

        • Jamie

          06/12/2013 at 5:51 am

          You have to cut it down r get a SIM card cuter for the nano SIM card

        • Basya Wolkenfeld (@neshamale770)

          07/17/2013 at 3:41 am

          There are nano sim cutters you can buy on ebay. Works like a charm. You also have to buy a straight talk att SIM card off eBay because straight talk no longer sells them on their site.

        • Eddie

          07/26/2013 at 11:54 pm

          I have an At&t iPhone 5 that I unlocked and initially attempted to use with straight talk. I got the micro sim and cut it down to nano size. After getting it turned on and all that good stuff I realized that I had a choice. I could either utilize mms on my phone or the internet but not both. Found it not to be worth the hassle. If anyone knows of how to fix this issue it would be greatly appreciated as I’m now using Tmobile with my phone which is even worse. Customer service for both SUCKS!!!

        • jon

          11/12/2013 at 7:47 pm

          you have to cut the sim card go to a location where phones are sold and thell do it for you

      • XxiKarlosxX

        04/03/2013 at 5:47 pm

        There’s no 4G dude, what are it speeds? There’s no 4G LTE companility so idk where u are getting ur 4G lol. Mayb u should read the difference between 4G LTE and 3G HSPA+ if u know between them then u know iPhone 5 doesn’t support it on straight talk haha. Good joke though

        • Cody

          04/04/2013 at 8:37 pm

          You’re absolutely embarrasing yourself. he has 4g because it is a FACTORY UNLOCKED iphone 5. ans he has a straight talk sim card in it. NOT THE IPHONE 5 Straight talk provides you. when they provide it, they cut off the 4g ability. when you buy the bare iphone from sprint for example, it has 4g built into it so its available and when they unlocked it, it stays on.

      • Ahmad

        04/12/2013 at 5:48 am

        How, I have the same phone you have and I never get more the Edge for data and they counld not help at all and finally they recomend me to change my phone to another one, my phone is brand new from apple factory unlocked
        What SIM card you are using

      • Steve

        08/14/2013 at 6:57 am

        How do I activate a Tmobile IPhone 5 on straight talk? Can I do it myself. Read where tmobile or unlocked gsm iPhone 5s can be used on straight talk. Any help is appreciated… ;)

      • Martha Payne

        05/14/2014 at 1:41 am

        Can I unlock my iPhone 5s verizon to a straight talk plan?

    • [email protected]

      03/14/2013 at 10:26 pm

      Yeah dude. And Jarid, please proof read before you post. I could barely understand ya.

      • Jason

        05/22/2013 at 11:59 am

        yeah dude you should do the same. Proper english: we never start a sentence off with the word and.

    • Roger Rodriguez

      04/03/2013 at 4:03 pm

      Straighttalk will shut off and disable your phone with no written explanation or proof why and has the worst customer service every encountered. Smartphone nightmare company BUYERS BEWARE there is a reason for all the fine print on the contract agreement they will make you sorry you wasted your money on their phone and plan.

      • cujo1911

        06/18/2013 at 1:47 am

        Ok, I don’t understand how you can say that straight talk will deactivate the phone if you use to much of something. I been with ST for 6 months. In those 6 months I have used well over 22GB of data downloading, surfing, and watching videos and apps. Well over 400MB use worth of apps. My first month I spent 6GB of data and never a problem. So, I don’t understand how a cap for data is in play when I have went well over that cap and never had a problem.

      • Dennis

        08/23/2013 at 6:59 am

        Yepper, y’all just pay the baby sitter and have peace of mine, but instead y’all want to have cake and frosting without paying for it, just pay the extra 300-400 over a 2 yr period and get on with your lives, it will be the best present to yourself ever, and freedom is priceless, love Verizon, so just pay it and fly like a bird, amen, just trying to help all of yall

      • engionoly-1

        04/20/2014 at 8:26 am

        Hey guys why do you put up with all this abuse?stop doing business with the company all together,and put them out of business.if every body stops doing business with them just for 3 months it will be all over for those thieving wireless providers.of course this is only possible if you could live with out having a phone glue to your hands.What did people do before having the convenience of allowing phone company to rip you off?you get it?

    • tom

      09/12/2013 at 12:28 pm

      Ok! ALL U UNEDUCated IDIOTS OUT THERE! STRAIGHT TALK IS FOR REAL AND IS ALL UNLIMITED_ THEY DO NOT AND CANNOT SINGLE OUT A SINGLE DEVICE AND SLOW YOUR SERVICE DOWN AFTER U USE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DATA! THIS IS COMPLETE HORSESHIT- IT DEPENDS ON THE DEVICE YOUr HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AND THE REASON STRAIGHTTALK IS SOOOOOO CHEAP AND CAN BEAT EVeRYONES PRICES IS THAT THEY DONT OWN THERE OWN EQUIPMENT-THEY LEASE THE TOWERS From THE BIG BOYS-ATT&T SPRINT, ETC ETC_ WAKE UP- THIS IS FOR REAL AND IS THE REASON THEY WENT FROM 12 MILLION CUSTOMERS IN 2011 TO OVER 27 MILLION CUSTOMERS TODAY! SO EVERYONE STOP WITH YOUR NERD OR YOUR CAP BULLSHIT OR DATA USAGE AND THEN SLOWED DOWN! ITS FOR REAL AND IF YOUR NOT UNDERSTADING WHAT AND HOW THEY DO THEN THAT IS ON YOU! GOOD LUCK
      Thomas
      St Louis, Mo

  2. stephanie

    01/20/2013 at 9:12 pm

    how are they going to let you use an iphone but not download apps? yet on the straight talk android plans you can download apps with no problem…….

  3. Robert

    01/21/2013 at 9:20 am

    Here is my experience with Straight Talk:
    -Purchased micro SIM card and $45 airtime card from Straight Talk to use on my unlocked iPhone 4
    -On 1/16/2013 received SIM card and airtime card & called Straight Talk to request porting over my existing number from AT&T and activation
    -Also, immediately getting off the phone with Straight Talk, called AT&T and inquired about my line being suspended per my request for the 30-day vacation I took. I specifically asked if anyone would prevent successful porting over to Straight Talk. AT&T female rep told me everything would be fine.
    -1/18/13: Called Straight Talk to report that porting was not done and phone not activated. Was told by Straight Talk rep that it would be completed by 11 pm on 1/18. Also told by the rep that original request on 1/16 was cancelled out
    -1/19/13: Woke up to a voicemail message from Straight Talk rep. Rep spoke extremely fast and soft, making most of the message and callback number useless. Nevertheless, called Straight Talk, whose representative stated the porting could not be done as scheduled due to my phone line being either “suspended or inactive.” Straight Talk rep advised me to speak with AT&T to resolve this.
    -1/19/13 approximately 1:00 pm, spoke to AT&T Porting Department representative, who stated my line was suspended (still do not why because call made to them on 1/16/13 stated number would be ported over to Straight Talk). AT&T further went on to state that my line could be temporarily unsuspended to allow porting if Straight Talk would have contacted them directly. Instead, it seems that Straight Talk sent in an electronic request and once it was denied (1/16 & 1/18), they simply went back to me and reported the reason(s) why porting request was not successful.
    -1/19/13 (approximately 1:30 pm):” AT&T Porting Department Rep offered to called Straight Talk to remedy the problem with regards to porting and activation. For the next 2.5 hours, despite having AT&T Porting Department Rep on the phone with me the entire time, I was passed along to three (3) Straight Talk Reps, who not only would not stay on the line to transfer the details of the problem to the new rep, but also did NOT solve the problem.
    -1/19/13 (approximately 4pm): After being on the phone with BOTH AT&T Porting Department Rep and 3 Straight Talk Rep for over 2.5 hours, the final Straight Talk Rep (Pablo from Escalation Department) stating that another porting request (this would be the 3rd) would have to be sent in, I could NOT have my existing number, but instead a new one, and the process would take ANOTHER 48-72 hours. I told Pablo NO WAY this is acceptable and said I would seek refunds for both my Sim Card and airtime card.
    -1/19 & 1/20/13: Sent multiple Twitter messages to Straight Talk. Straight Talk gave me an email address to provide details of my complaint. Sent complain to email address telling them of my frustrating experience and requesting refund at a MINIMUM the $45 airtime card I did NOT use or PREFERBLE, the $15 micro-SIM card I ALSO DID NOT USE.
    -1/21/13: Received the following e-mail response from Straight Talk representative Dominick ([email protected]):
    “Robert sbmedlg,
    We truly understand how frustrating it is not to complete the port process, and activate the phone. We have checked your account, and the case number you provided. It’s shown that the port cannot be completed. We can only transfer your phone number if it stays active with your current service provider until the port process is completed. As per policy, we’re sorry to say that we can’t create a refund for your airtime, and SIM card you purchased. You are left with two options. First, you can call your current service provider and make sure that your phone number is active so that we can complete the port process. Or, you can activate the phone with the new phone number. We will wait for your response.”
    Dominick
    Straight Talk Wireless

    The short of the TERRIBLE experience is to NOT waste your hard earned $$ and valuable time with Straight Talk! They are STRAIGHT-UP FRAUDS!!!!

    • Jason Campanella

      01/21/2013 at 1:30 pm

      Except that is a rule of any carrier that you must be active to port a number.

      • Robert

        01/21/2013 at 9:21 pm

        I didn’t know of that “rule.” Of course, Straight Talk didn’t explain that to me at the time the request was made. I still don’t know why Straight Talk couldn’t have communicated directly with someone from AT&T’s Port Department to request temporary unsuspension of my line…

        • duh

          01/29/2013 at 12:00 pm

          Uh, what? So you expected a third party to modify the terms of your agreement with AT&T on your behalf? At the time of the porting request, your line was suspended. It’s done electronically. Noone is going to manually call AT&T this entire thing is your own fault.

          • Robert

            01/29/2013 at 6:08 pm

            “duh”-How is Straight Talk considered a third party in their the interested party responsible for porting in according to my request. I did not know at the time that AT&T still had my line suspended despite speaking to a rep on 1/16 who assured me that everything would be fine with Straight Talk porting my number in. How am I to know the process is electronic? I’m sorry but I don’t know the “in and outs” of the telecom industry as it relates to porting as well as you do! “this entire thing” is my fault huh?

            1) How was to assume that my line was suspended despite AT&T’s assurance that everything was fine on 1/16 (initial date of my porting request)?

            2) If you read my long post above, Straight Talk was on the line with me and an AT&T Rep for OVER 2.5 hours on 1/19-Don’t you think they SHOULD have been able to successfully port in my number during this time?

            3) How much trouble in the name of “customer service” would it be for Straight Talk to make a call to AT&T Port Department to remedy this?

            4) Are you an apologist who trolls customers negative experiences with telecom companies and/or representative or family member/friend of Straight Talk?

            5) After spending over 2.5 hours on the phone on 1/19 with both AT&T and 3 Straight Talk representatives, my line was UNSUSPENDED. This means the line was “active.” Straight Talk informed me on Monday, January 28th that they finally ported in and activated my number. THAT’S 9 CALENDAR DAYS IT TOOK STRAIGHT TALK TO PORT IN AND ACTIVE AN ACTIVE NUMBER. Even so, I asked them about that delay and they proceeded to blame it on me and AT&T, never minding the fact the line was active on 1/19. What do you think of that “duh”?

          • Kenny

            02/03/2013 at 5:49 pm

            +1

          • JonW

            02/11/2013 at 6:13 am

            Took me a couple seconds to find the info on Straight Talk’s website about porting a number…here it is:

            “What are the Portability requirements?
            To port in your existing telephone number to your Straight Talk phone and obtain wireless service provided by Straight Talk, you (the Subscriber) must agree to the following:

            The number you are porting must be active with your current service provider. The port-in process could take up to seven days. If your Straight Talk service remains inactive over 30 days, you will lose your telephone number.”

            There it is: MUST BE ACTIVE.

            NO CS rep is going to cover every possible problem with you before porting your number…it is your responsibility to be informed of the rules. All carriers require the number to be active, and it’s considered common knowledge by this time anyway. Anyone with any common sense would read the FAQ on the carriers website, or at least call them and ask questions before making a switch to see what they need in order to port your number to them. If they took the time to explain all the possible issues a person might have with a number port and how to avoid them, the wait times on hold would be hours. You made the request to port the number, so obviously the CS rep more than likely assumed you knew what you were doing. I agree, this entire thing was your own fault, and it is quite nice of ST to spend so much time with you on the phone trying to help you resolve the situation with AT&T. All you had to do was activate your number with AT&T and it could have been ported.

          • jgm1937

            04/15/2013 at 8:35 pm

            @complimentsfromsarah: So, I have a similar experience.. I purchased an Apple iPhone 5 directly from AT&T and got the unlock initiated over the phone since I was “out of my contract for the phone only.” It took them about 20 minutes to initiate the carrier unlock, which I then completed via backup/restore of the phone on iTunes. Anyway, I received a ST sim (T-Mobile version, as I was told that ST is no longer offering AT&T version sims due to AT&T “unofficially” backing out of contract/agreement with Tracfone/StraightTalk – something about oversaturation of the data network, and probably why everyone is getting “data capped” or “cut off” after exceeding 2GB data use monthly or whatever the cap seems to be – T-Mobile apparently does not do this, since T-Mobile’s prepaid plan is basically what you are now getting with ST Unlimited), which was in the “mini sim” size (standard size that some of the older Nokia, etc. phones used). I Googled how to make a sim to a nano sim and got a nice template with easy instructions (even YouTube videos) on how to cut it down. An alternative is that you could just go on Amazon ($7.99) and order a nano sim card cutter.. Nevertheless, I cut mine down to nano size and it fit perfectly in the sim card tray of the iPhone 5. Keep in mind that the nano sim is about 15% thinner than the normal micro or mini sims. Toget around this, you can sand it down with some sand paper or nail file, though I didn’t need to do it to mine.

            As far as 4G, T-Mobile uses the HSPA network, which is actually 3G, but they call it “4G.” For their “real 4G,” certain cities have 4G LTE, also known as HSPA+, which A LOT faster. I have gotten this, though I’m not sure if I am actually getting regular 4G or actual 4G LTE, as my d/l speeds are about 13 mbps and u/l about 3 mbps. I am consistently in Edge (2G) coverage at any given time, but it also goes in and out of 3G and 4G coverage, all while saying “HOME” as my wireless provider..

            As for the “sour grapes” customer experience from Robert, it seems that you are looking for a “something for nothing” type experience from StraightTalk and Wal-Mart. You need to sit down, relax, and realize that you are getting the same service delivered from either AT&T (legacy ST users), T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon, that costs users of their prepaid service at least $60 monthly! So, you shouldn’t expect customer service to be a “walk in the park,” when you understand that the majority of customer service calls for wireless providers relate to billing and money matters. ST has simplified this for us by offering a great price and minimizing their customer service interaction, unless absolutely necessary. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to check out the FCC rules on wireless number portability, as well as refresh yourself with ST’s (and every other wireless providers’) porting rules/policy. I mean, after all, when you purchase a vehicle, do you expect the dealership to tell you that you must 1). change your oil; 2). notify you when you need your oil changed; 3). find a competent oil change service provider for you when it is time; 4). schedule an oil change at your convenience; 5). when you don’t make the appointment, contact the oil change service provider and let them know your regards or excuses or why you weren’t able to make it, followed by a re-appointment???! The point I am making is there are often “hidden” policies, though the porting policy is fairly explicit. If you are looking for a good deal, you need to be willing to send the time and not complain about it.. Otherwise there’s a great service that exists for $19.99 per month for unlimited everything (Republic Wireless), you just need to buy their phone.. Check it out.. But READ and familiarize yourself with everything before you cast judgement, and THEN (only after this) you can gripe, bitch, moan, complain, etc. Just remember that after all, it’s Wal-Mart you’re dealing with, and one of the ways that they became the behemoth they are today is not because the “customer is always correct.” However, they own and offer commodities that Americans “need” everyday, so the average American returns, even if they are treated like dog $h!t by customer service.. Chances are you’ll return too! Cheers!

        • Zac G

          02/04/2013 at 10:00 pm

          This “rule” is explained to you by a Walmart Connection Center Associate and if by chance they forget to mention it to you, when you go through the process of porting your number, the automated system informs you that the number must be active at the time of the port. Having your account “suspended” by the current service provider is not “active”. Yes, Straight Talk is in fact a third party in this because your account is not with them which means they are pulling your number from your current service provider per your request, not theirs. Since at the time your request was sent and your account on a “Suspended” status, the port was denied by the Service Provider’s database because of it. When a customer wants their Account that is on Contract changed for any reason and you are not physically at a Corporate or Branch store there are verification processes that need to be taken into account to ensure there isn’t an identity/security breach with that specific Customer’s Account and that the Account Holder is authorizing these changes.
          It should be easy to understand that this process is done electronically, how else would your phone number be transferred to Straight Talk without the use of computers exchanging information?
          You were fully aware that your AT&T Account was suspended, as you have already stated previously, then claiming “How was [I] to assume that my line was suspended…” If the Sales Rep from AT&T specifically told you “Your Account is no longer Suspended and is now Active” then it would be AT&T’s fault for not having the account properly addressed for you at the time of the port.
          As per your paragraph labeled “5)” it took you 2.5 hours to get your line unsuspended, which means your line was still on a Suspended status, that also means that your line was not active therefore there was nothing Straight Talk can do if your Account is barred from porting. Straight Talk was correct about it being You and AT&T’s fault for not having the line ready. It did not take the 9 calendar days to port an active number since your argument is invalid.
          Learn about how things work before you jump into it, then declare negligence as an excuse and blame other people for your lack of knowledge.

          And that’s what I think of that.

          • STuser

            02/04/2013 at 10:42 pm

            +1 took the words right out of my mouth.

            I’ve been using ST for almost 3 yrs now. Haven’t had any major problems with my service. Most of my problems had to do with the phone itself not the service.

            Even with the 2GB cap, $45 is still a great deal. If you deal with AT&T you end up spending close to $120 ($69.99mins+$30data+$20msg). If you’re worried about the 2GB just use wifi to download apps, stream movies, etc.

          • James B

            03/09/2013 at 4:48 pm

            Boom.

          • Zac

            03/09/2013 at 11:51 pm

            For those of you who have legitimate questions about Straight Talk I’ll be glad to answer them. Just leave a reply to this comment and I will answer as soon as I’m available. Just to clear the air no I am not employed or a Representative of Straight Talk, I work with this service provider and others on an almost daily basis.

          • complimentsfromsarah

            04/06/2013 at 3:44 am

            Zac,
            Thanks for your offer of support… Having a horrible time with Straight Talk customer service + Walmart’s employees. I get contradicting information from every party involved.
            So, I purchased an unlocked iphone5 from apple directly. I went to Walmart, purchased the $45 unlimited plan. I brought it home, tried to set it up online, realized I needed a sim card, but didn’t know that I specifically needed a Straight Talk nano sim… so I cut down a micro sim I had on hand…. Tried to activated my phone, no luck… called customer service, they informed me that I needed a Straight Talk nano sim. One rep told me I could go back to Walmart to buy a nano sim, so I did… Walmart employee said I could only order it online. Couldn’t find it on their website, so I called ST back… ST employee informed me that I could only get a Nano Sim if I purchased my iphone5 through straight talk and they do NOT sell them anywhere on their own.

            So now I have an unlocked iphone5 and no nano sim to use the service. In my opinion if ST is forcing you to buy their iphone5 and to be able to use their service, they are no better than the ATT’s & Verizon’s who lock you into a 2 year contract.
            What now?

        • Vferrari

          06/07/2013 at 8:34 am

          Why does everyone expect others to wipe their asses after they take a crap. Do your own research and take care of your own problems.

    • Nexus 4g 32gigga

      02/03/2013 at 9:16 pm

      First off TMI.. SECOND you could of saved yourself all the trouble by looking up how to port a number. You would of learned when you port a number once the process is complete the service it was originally connected to will be terminated. Boom done. Yeah straight talk CSR’S Suck but no one can beat $45 even if it aint truly unlimited…

    • Sarah

      02/05/2013 at 8:25 am

      Google is your friend. I’m sorry you had such difficulties. I was able to port my number from AT&T within about 5 minutes. But what I did beforehand was check up on the straight talk forums and read up on the process. Then I used their site to port over. It sounds like AT&T wasn’t trying very hard to help you out, either.

    • Annom123456

      02/07/2013 at 5:10 am

      Straight Talk or AKA Tracfone, has a special deptment called the Executive resolutions Dept, a deptment for handling the extreme cases such as yours. Not publicly heard of that much because Im guessing they save this dept for only the hard to handle cases… Believe me if anyone can get things done for you ITS THEM! Say if your a Tracfone user if your missing a custom amount of minutes they can generate a custom code for your phone that will give you your missing minutes…. Or now day likely they’ll just send the minutes directly to your phone from the cell towers, since the days of entering codes is going obsolete.

      My suggestion to you would be try talking or requesting someone from the Executive Resolutions Dept to call you…

    • Joe

      02/25/2013 at 5:32 pm

      What the hell is “porting” ? and why can’t you just have your phone turned on?..sounds like what you asked is simple to you but obviously you stumbled upon a cell phone black hole from which their is no escape except to start from scratch and take your lumps and you will have learned a bitter lesson…sorry for the grief that was befallen upon you.

    • Roy

      03/08/2013 at 5:58 am

      Wow u have no life

  4. Oldugly

    01/21/2013 at 11:08 am

    Customer service? There isn’t any. None. I have tried at least 15 times to reach someone to answer a simple question about voice mail. Even when they have an automated callback–there isn’t any one there! All of the money you might save will be spent on upset stomach medication.

    • Gayle Bond

      02/18/2013 at 9:48 am

      There consumer services is next to none or nonexexistant. It took st 3 days to correct an issue they caused. Seems someone at st switched my telephone number and my phone serial number. It took them 3 days to return and activate my orignal number and countless hrs of telephone contact with st.

  5. Christine

    01/21/2013 at 11:32 am

    I & my family have used Straight talk.for almost 3 years. prior to them we used.sprint/nextel we have never had an issues of any kind..
    We love it,
    glad they have added iphones

    • alex

      04/04/2013 at 9:00 am

      I bought the I phone 5 at wal-mart for $650. Using the straight talk plan. I had an issue with data, so I went in to Wal-mart and they fixed it. I used to have verizon but felt it was too expensive. I do not recommend calling straight talk with problems or questions, they do not speak English very well. Overall I am very happy with the I 5 and straight talk

      • Jen

        04/09/2013 at 8:56 pm

        Question, I just bought an Iphone 5 12 days ago from walmart and paid for the unlimited call/text/web for a year. I am not able to send txt pictures to anyone other than other iphone users. Do you have this same problem ? And where I live I should have full reception and I only get 2 bars with my phone. Called ST and was on the phone for over 2 hrs. Got told I should have perfect reception and that they didn’t understand why I didn’t. I was put on hold several times bc they don’t have information on the Iphone 5 !!! You would think they would have information considering they sell the phone ! I’m extremely frustrated, and am contemplating calling Apple to see if they can help me. Do you have any other ideas ?? Thanks so much !!

        • alex

          04/11/2013 at 12:10 am

          Jen, I had the same problem with picture text messages. Went to settings, then general, then reset. Erase all content and settings. The phone then rebooted. Then everything worked perfect. Not sure about your 2 bars reception. I would go to wal mart and let them call straight talk. If 2 bars really affects your ability to use the phone. Make sure you save your pictures to your computer before you do the reset. You will lose them on the phone. Hope this helps you.

        • Elizabeth

          04/12/2013 at 4:55 pm

          If ANYONE needs their MMS to work on straight talk look me up on eBay my username is elizabethbrate I can solve your MMS not wanting to work.

          • Tom Ewing

            09/12/2013 at 9:00 am

            Please tell me what is MMS?
            Thanks

          • Elizabeth

            09/12/2013 at 10:00 am

            Mms is your picture messaging to send and receive pictures

  6. Ro

    01/21/2013 at 3:40 pm

    Does MMS and internet work? Will I also have to buy a sim card?

  7. Alsx

    01/21/2013 at 5:36 pm

    Been with straight talk for several months n have absolutely no issues! I have an iPhone 4 unlocked n it works even faster then atts data speed. I avg about 5.8mbs n plus if u buy 6 months prepaid from Walmart it costs about 42 bucks. No one can beat this yet n it’s the best move I done by switching.

  8. Paul

    01/21/2013 at 8:38 pm

    eBay sells 45 dollar cards for 38 dollars no tax

    • Jamie

      02/06/2013 at 1:46 pm

      Have successfully did this? I have fears!

      • Whistles

        02/06/2013 at 2:18 pm

        Yes i have, it’s not been a problem at all! i would advise checking out the seller’s feedback, as long as that’s positive you don’t have much to worry about! I get mine for $35, no tax.

  9. e

    01/22/2013 at 8:20 am

    1 year and no problems with straight talk. just don’t abuse the service you’ll be fine. if you follow the instructions and take the time to lookup your answers online (google), you wont need to contact customer service.

    • Dorje

      03/31/2013 at 5:53 pm

      Agree. My ported service from Sprint to Straight Talk on my iPhone 4s has been flawless. It’s fast, 4G many places, and super wide ATT coverage area and no problems. And yes, Google is your friend when there is a issue or question. Don’t abuse the service, mask when possible with Cydia and PDA net.

  10. John Ramsay

    01/22/2013 at 8:31 am

    Here is a question. I have a Nokia Lumia 900 phone. I spoke to AT&T yesterday and told them I was going to jump to straight talk and they offered me their Go Phone service for $50.00 a month. I decided to take that deal. I now have learned that the Go Phone service will not support internet or email for my phone because, according to the CS representative, it is a 4G phone and is not currently supported for data. So the question is, if I switch to Straight Talk, will it support internet and email on my phone?

    • Paul

      01/22/2013 at 9:15 am

      Yes you have to order the SIM card from straighttalk.com it will be 45 dollars for unlimited talking unlimited text they say unlimited data but they cap it at about 2gb

      • Jamie

        02/06/2013 at 1:48 pm

        I use an iphone 4s and have not yet been capped…

    • dustin

      01/29/2013 at 6:05 pm

      It will work just fine. The reason fkr the nokia phone not working is because the phone is being read by att kn there system as a smart phone because theu have the ckding for it since it is a us released phone and on gophone a smart phone u have to purxhase a additonal data plan so yhey miss informed u as i know because i use only unlocked pgones both us and non is released phones

  11. Colt

    01/28/2013 at 2:26 am

    Have had no issues whatsoever with my iphone 5, no data caps, faster service than sprint, awesome customer service, port took less than 30 min to complete, best/cheapest decision i ever made!

    • Shawna

      03/29/2013 at 8:13 pm

      I have a iphone 4 on Verizon network but my contract is up in May. Jumping ship to ST. Wanting to get the Iphone 5 but I hear that the phone is different on each network (the actual phone itself). Debating whether to actually buy an iphone 5 from Walmart on the ST network OR just buy an unlocked at&t iphone 5 and order the ST sim. Suggestions?? Thanks in advance!

      • Dustin

        10/09/2013 at 7:58 am

        Just buy the factory unlock iphone 5, won’t need SIM card they will activate it on CDMA network and you only get 3G

  12. Wayne

    01/28/2013 at 4:43 pm

    Well,,,,, still my ? Is will my service be better than what I have now through Sprint ! How do I know that my service won’t be the same if not worst

    • Wayne

      01/28/2013 at 11:12 pm

      The information I recieved via email from Straightalk tells me that the I phones work off the Verizon network !

      • Dustin

        10/09/2013 at 8:01 am

        If you take out the SIM card it will be on Verizon’s CDMA network 3G only. If you use SIM card you can get gsm network service which would be AT&T. Sprint, tmobile

    • Tanya

      02/20/2013 at 3:10 pm

      I went from Sprint to Straight Talk because my signal was SO horrible with Sprint. In a nut shell, depending on where you live depends on which carrier you will get the best service from. Call straight talk and ask them which phones run off of which network. I’m in IN and my Nokia phone runs off of AT&T but if I got the iPhone it will run off of Verizon. If you get a good employee at Walmart they will be able to tell you which phones work which way. Good luck!!

      • Dustin

        10/09/2013 at 8:04 am

        It’s simple, if it has a sim it’s on gsm, no SIM card =cdma(Verizon)

  13. duh

    01/29/2013 at 12:40 pm

    Some of the complaints in this article are either unfair or lack basic common sense. To wit:

    “Payment Plan Available
    The up front cost of the iPhone 5 on Straight Talk is $649, that’s $450 more expensive than buying the iPhone 5 on contract at any of the major carriers.”

    Uh, no, it’s not. How do you figure this? The iPhone 5 on Verizon is $649. You only get it for $199 if you sign up for a 2 year contract. If you leave your contract, not only will you owe Verizon $449 (or possibly more) for the value of the phone, you’ll probably face some pretty hefty contract termination fees.

    Do you really think a Verizon iPhone 5 plan with 300mb of data is worth $80? No, it’s not, it’s called a hardware subsidization.

    Verizon suckers just paid $200 up front, call it $50 per month for a crappy low data plan, and subsidized their phone at an extra $30 per month. $200 + 30*24 = $920 cost to hold an iphone.

    Straight Talk kids paid $649 for the same phone. Duh.

  14. Rinaa_mae

    01/30/2013 at 6:51 am

    I’m 19 and have the Straight Talk LG Optimus Q and I was thinking about switching to the iphone. Im not real big on the fact they have no keyboard and break so easily but ireaaally need a new phone and I can afford the iphone so why not? Does anyone have any opinions on possibly another choice in phone type or pros in the iphone? Also.. are there any other carriers with the pre-pay service that might be a better option? I was thinking about going through T-Mobile because they have the Galaxy Note on a pre-pay plan and have a plan $30 a month for unlimited data with limited calling, that would be fine for me but I don’t know anything about T-Mobile… can anyone help me please??????

    • Mick

      02/02/2013 at 1:11 pm

      The iPhone is a good phone but at the same time apple is very paranoid <very if you drop any smartphone from 2-3 ft. On the face it will crack, there made of GLASS if you bring a phone it must be ATT or unlocked GSM , not a CDMA ,GSM is a SIM card phone android phone do more out of the box than iPhone but if you jailbreak iPhone you can make it do what android ph. Do. It's personal preference
      I had i4 that I got sim for from st took an hour to port over your number must be in use. I would recommend buy S2 from ST use wifi as much as possible and I don't think you'll have any issue's Use GOOGLE TO ASK ? Not straight Talk as they are known for POOR SERVICE CALLS If you add up what other carriers charge you'll find that this is as good as it gets ,, Read forums for device you want or have you'll get better info. As for people with huge problem with ST seems to be that they didn't research enough. Thinking you'll get unlimited data from any carrier is really not going to happen read the TOS

      • Jamie

        02/06/2013 at 1:55 pm

        OTTER BOX!! I have an iPhone 4s that I jailbroke from Verizon (and unlocked with a gevey card) and am purchasing an iPhone from straight talk so I don’t have to do all that … I keep my phone in an otterbox.. drop it a lot..(hence, why I have it in an otterbox) and I’ve had this phone for several months… OTTERBOX! android or iphone it’s highly recommended…

        • Pamela

          02/11/2013 at 3:37 pm

          Question: does the iPhone 5 that Walmart sells is it unlocked or can it be unlocked?

    • Shawna

      03/29/2013 at 8:16 pm

      Go with iphone. Best. Decision. Ever.

    • Dustin

      10/09/2013 at 8:09 am

      Aiosmobile.com

  15. YOU KIDDING ME

    01/30/2013 at 10:34 am

    Don’t get straight talk, service sucks along with the non-english speaking customer service,

  16. KPP

    01/30/2013 at 2:11 pm

    Just for straight talk 45 plan and it works great! data works but no MMS as I don’t want to jailbreak. they will tell you to do so if you need mms but it’s a pain, better go with separate apps for MMS. everything else works great as long as you have an unlocked phone. I don’t deal with service reps, I just do live chat. stresses you out much less.

    • elizabeth

      02/08/2013 at 4:07 pm

      use a random sim card like cinci bell or t mobile to get your apn settings it worked for me so i could use my mms then jus typed in my apn setting took out the sim and voila! ive been with straight talk for 5 years now.

    • Cindy

      02/19/2013 at 7:12 pm

      U dont have to jail break to get mms go to unlockit.com and read about sim swap… I did this with my iphone 3 and iphone 4 works great

  17. Jr's Mommie

    01/30/2013 at 7:18 pm

    I’ve had straight talk for 3 years now & I’ve never had any problems…

  18. Whistles

    01/31/2013 at 9:02 am

    If you’re porting a number, i would definitely do it online, at straighttalk.com. (And do not cancel your service first!) They ported my number from AT&T for my iPhone 4S within one minute and it worked great!

  19. Kaycee

    01/31/2013 at 11:04 am

    On January 15th, they turned off my data, but I have wifi so I didn’t call until a week later. 3 phone calls and 2 days later, I was informed that I went over my data limit. I asked what the limit was and they said 30 MB at first even though I have the $45 plan. I told them that and they read me the statement above about data restrictions. I said, “So, you cut me off because I used too much data even though I have UNLIMITED?” He politely answered, “Yes Ma’am, but your data will restart at the beginning of the next cycle.” I have a Galaxy S II and as previously stated, I have wifi at home and at the time, I was unemployed, so I still don’t understand how I used THAT much data within 2 weeks time. My cycle starts on the 1st every month.

  20. SJ

    02/02/2013 at 7:30 am

    so on the new iphones with straight talk, not the ones you bring to them and get a sims card, but the new ones they sell for 650…they dont get mms? or am i just confused. ive been with straight talk for 3 yrs and upgraded to the galaxy s and currently have no probs with capping but im not sure exactly how much i use. i surf alittle, dl songs and apps but have never had my svc suspended. but im not even sure to ck to see how much data ive used, never really cared. but if i upgrade to the iphone i wonder if they will cap u? can u really not dl apps from itunes either with the new iphones?

    • elizabeth

      02/08/2013 at 4:12 pm

      i have the new iphone 5 and download stuff all the time ive been with them for 5 yrs now and never had a problem they couldnt fix for me or what not. and my mms is working on it everything is working on it fine.

      • Rob

        02/22/2013 at 9:36 am

        I was thinking of getting the i5 too does yours have a sim card or it’s CDMA

        • Elizabeth

          03/18/2013 at 4:56 pm

          Mine I was told is CDMA from straight talk BUT it has a sim slot so honestly idk cause I can use a sim in it but they tell me not to?

        • SK

          04/25/2013 at 9:26 pm

          its CDMA with a sim card slot as well . When you activate it — the message shows on the screen that international travelers will need a sim card. So I am assuming it USA its CDMA and overseen you can use a sim as well.

          • SK

            04/25/2013 at 9:29 pm

            to be exact: Device is activated on CDMA US network. Internatinal roaming requires a SIM”

    • Dustin

      10/09/2013 at 8:20 am

      I have add iPhone five for about five months now on straight talk. It is a factory unlocked one from Apple and it is on CDMA(no SIM card) through straight talk my service has never been capped that I know of. Other than that the phone works great and everything works on it the only thing is you only get 3G

  21. John

    02/03/2013 at 12:20 pm

    i have an iPhone 4s with straight talk and i’m very happy to say that it works great, the internet service is amazing, MMS is working fine, i’m able to send messages with pictures, basically every thing works great with straight talk.

    • Whistles

      02/03/2013 at 12:54 pm

      @ John, did you jailbreak to get your MMS working?

    • 12 john

      02/14/2013 at 11:24 pm

      Did you buy your iphone through straight talk? Or did you buy it from somewhere else?

  22. Liza

    02/05/2013 at 6:42 pm

    took my att htc phone over to Straight Talk three months ago, and the only issue I’ve had is with MMS. Everyhing else works great. Customer Service has tried to help me and I have also checked on the internet and none of the suggestions work. If I need to send pics I use email. I figured it is a small price to pay for not being under contract.

  23. Jon

    02/05/2013 at 7:48 pm

    I read all the comments, and I didn’t find anyone who confirmed that the iPhone 5 on ST has accessible MMS, streaming music, and app downloading? I’m a little confused because I’ve heard St iPhone users can, I’ve heard you can’t. Does anyone kno this answer?

    • elizabeth

      02/08/2013 at 4:15 pm

      yes its accessable you jus have to do the sim swap thing to get your mms apn setting in it then take out the sim and it should be a go cause thats what i did and mine WORKS i know i have the straight talk iphone 5 and you can download everything from app store and music etc i know ive done it on a daily basis and still am. ive been with straight talk for 5 yrs now.

    • Jonnyohio

      02/11/2013 at 5:20 am

      If you buy a GSM (AT&T) iPhone and get a straight talk sim card (note: ST does not sell nano sims so u have to cut a micro down to fit if u want iPhone 5.), you would have to use a work around method like jail breaking to get MMS working. If you buy a straight talk iPhone 5 the MMS will work without the need to jailbreak or do a sim swap. The new ST iPhone 5 operates on Verizon towers and there is no need to do anything complex with it…the confusion u r experiencing is because, previously, ST didn’t officially support or offer an iPhone option so you will see articles and comments talking about it not supporting mms, but these apply only to the GSM iPhones using a straight talk SIM card, not the official ST iPhones being sold at Walmart.

      • Pamela

        02/11/2013 at 3:42 pm

        Hey does ST iPhone 5 work as gsm too?

      • Rob

        02/22/2013 at 9:44 am

        I was wondering how you know ST i5 is on Verizon’s towers & not sprints a wal mart rep told me ST doesnt use Verizon towers n e more Only sprint. Im gonna buy an i5 but not sure if I should get ST version or an AT&T one w/ a. ST SIM

        • Dustin

          10/09/2013 at 9:24 am

          If it has a SIM card it’s gsm, no sim it’s on cdma(Verizon)

      • Shawna

        03/29/2013 at 8:22 pm

        Is the actual ST iphone 5 you buy at Walmart ANY different than an iphone 5 from say At&T or Verizon?? I’ve heard they are different and some apps are not compatible on the ST phones. For instance, I use the app “IBOTTA” constantly. I’ve heard it’s not compatible on ST phones. Can anyone check for me that has a ST iphone 5 from Walmart? Thanks

    • Mzbeka

      02/23/2013 at 9:52 pm

      I have the iphone5 from st and I stream, download and mms with no problems.

    • Daniel

      04/02/2013 at 3:47 pm

      Yes the iPhone 5 from st does mms. At least mine does anyhow. I’ve been with at for 3 years now and haven’t had any problems that st couldn’t EVENTUALLY fix. I will admit that activating my st i5 was a nightmare but in the end they straightened it out and I’ve been tickled pink ever since. I’ve also never gotten the cap but my wife has. It’s no bigge. You just get slower net service the rest of the month and a generated call or 2 about it.

  24. Redfox

    02/06/2013 at 5:55 pm

    I have been with Straight Talk for about three years now and I’ve never had an issue.

    The Straight Talk customer service staff are no different than anyone else’s customer service reps these days as they are all from some other country and in most cases don’t speak english very well.

    I kicked Verizon to the curb three years ago and because of that I have saved my wife and I around $1500 a year by switching to Straight Talk. A no brainer for me and it shouldn’t be for you.

    To hell with contracts and being locked into a service or a service provider and being pissed all the time at how my bill would never be consistant.

    With Straight Talk you will either be on the AT&T network or the Verizon network depending on which phone you purchase so make sure you read and know what and who you are getting before buying the phone you think you like. There is generally a map located next to the phone our looking at and if it is blue it is the AT&T network and if it is red it is the Verizon network.

    I have the Galaxy SII and I’m very, very happy with everything I can do on my phone which I use for both work and personal.

    My total bill each month including taxes is $48.19 a month versus $178.00 to $190.00 per month when I was with Verizon and under contract.

    Trust me all the big carriers are loosing allot of customers to no contract phone providers like Straight Talk and Straight Talk is currently the largest.

    Go on fools, keep your contracts and pay all that money. I’ll be traveling and having a good time with the money I have saved.

    • Annie Luster

      04/03/2013 at 12:37 am

      How can you get from under the contract. If you have a att 2- year contract, can you still get straight talk?

  25. Lisa

    02/06/2013 at 7:29 pm

    Does anyone know if the iphone 5 that they sell can text & talk at same time? I know right now you can with At&t but not verizon

    • elizabeth

      02/08/2013 at 4:16 pm

      yes you can i do this too all the time lol.

    • Rene

      02/09/2013 at 11:48 pm

      I have Verizon iPhone and I can talk and text at same time, an use data while on phone. I have to have my wifi on though.

    • greennnnnn

      02/19/2013 at 3:23 pm

      My daughter has verizon and can text and talk at the same time.

    • Shawna

      03/29/2013 at 8:23 pm

      Yes you can with Verizon. I do it all the time on my iphone

  26. Mony Time

    02/07/2013 at 9:06 pm

    My question is, does anyone know what service the iP5 is using and the iP4 is using for straight talk? Where i live Verizon is the best and At&t is second. Sprint can go to hell for all i care. they suck period. I used to have them years ago but ive been with straight talk since. like the one guy said earlier, i havent had any problems with the service but with the phone itself. im happy with this service but im trying to go with my best option. which ever iphone is using Verizon, i’ll go with that one.

  27. elizabeth

    02/08/2013 at 4:19 pm

    my straight talk iphone 5 runs off the verizon netowrk.

    • Mac

      03/01/2013 at 7:47 am

      Elisabeth – can you comment on the speed for data on your iphone 5? I too have bought the Walmart straightalk iphone 5 and everything works well except the data speeds.

      • Elizabeth

        03/18/2013 at 5:03 pm

        They are actually working on this apple is its something that happened with updates so its not actually our data doing anything it’s them (apple)

        • Shawna

          03/29/2013 at 8:24 pm

          So if I go to Walmart and buy the iphone 5 for ST, will it not be a 4G phone?

  28. MPM

    02/09/2013 at 1:23 pm

    Been researching as I consider switch to Smart Talk. I am currently have AT&T as provider for 4S. I depend on the tethering/hotspot to connect my laptop. Is there anyway to tether with ST?

    • Jonnyohio

      02/11/2013 at 4:46 am

      No, tethering is not allowed on strait talk…they will cut u off if they detect u r doing that.

      • MPM

        02/11/2013 at 6:10 am

        Jonnyohio, as my teen-aged son would say since he isn’t allowed to curse…That’s some BUUUULL! Thanks for the info.

      • becky

        03/24/2013 at 3:48 pm

        What tethering? I think straight talks sux!

  29. FuzzyOne

    02/14/2013 at 9:32 am

    Pretty interesting posts. Anyone have any info about S/Talk & T-mobile ? I”m with S/Talk & am using a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G. I had to get a “pink” S/Talk SIM from them to use their service. Question I have is… What towers will this use ? I’m in northeast where phone reception is compromised most of the time. Any input appreciated. :-)

    • keeyop

      03/10/2013 at 12:59 pm

      PINK sims connect to T-Mobile’s network, BLUE use AT&T… (no longer offered by S/T, still available for $$$ on secondary market)

      -yes, it’s an old post; info is timely-

  30. 12johnc

    02/14/2013 at 10:41 pm

    Can you I buy an unlocked iphone 4s GSM from the Apple store and still qualify for the straight talk service? I know I probably wouldnt get “unlimited” data, and thats okay, but basically straight talk gives people the ability to get unlimited talking, texting, and 2gb of data/month. What features have people had issues using that others on verizon/sprint/att would not have any problems with? MMS for example…

  31. Savoy

    02/15/2013 at 8:06 am

    How fast is the internet On iPhone 5 on S.T. And who is best. Metro or S.t

  32. Lady

    02/15/2013 at 6:06 pm

    Can I Tango, Skype and Whatsup on Straight Talk? Reading about ST not being able to use a simple MMS scares me to switch. Please advise. Thanks!

  33. Dani

    02/16/2013 at 10:22 pm

    My question is…Do I need some sort of sim card for my iPhone 5 when I get it? I plan on purchasing it with straight talk (I’m already with them) and I also plan on purchasing the plan for unlimited talk, text, and web for 90 days. What else will I need from them?

  34. john

    02/18/2013 at 7:14 am

    You said you couldnt play music such as pandora for long periods of time might b true for you however I play pandora for hours (4-7) and have no problem with anything going wrong.. I use my phone as my radio to listen to music each and every day.

  35. William Rios

    02/20/2013 at 5:40 am

    now that’s crazy savings Boo….-Ya !!

  36. Ken Hall

    02/20/2013 at 2:09 pm

    thinking of switching to st iphone 5 but that 2gb limit scares me. im a trucker and usually average 6gb a month. at&t sends me messages all the time saying theyre going to cut me off but never do

  37. Tamara

    02/22/2013 at 1:48 pm

    Save yourself the headache and avoid this deal at all costs. Aware of the dangers of crappy customer service, I went for this Walmart/StraightTalk arrangement. The data didn’t work from day one of purchase. Apparently the majority of their iphone users were having this same issue.

    Luckily I was able to return the phone to Walmart, but am out $45 as the StraightTalk pre-paid cards are non-refundable. Walmart refused to give me credit for the $45 “unlimited” service card I purchased in exchange for “30 service days of unlimited minutes, texts & data nationwide anytime.”

    After Walmart refused to credit me $45 for services that were never provided, I contacted StraightTalk. Thirty minutes into the call with a StraightTalk representative, she continued to hold the position of no refund. After I mentioned reporting them to the Better Business Bureau for charging customers for services they were unable to provide she told me she was transferring my call to a supervisor. My call then went to a automated system informing me that they were unable to take my call due to a large call volume and to call back.

    This Walmart/StraightTalk deal is like those eating one of cheap nasty santa chocolates. You know better, hold out for some Green & Black’s.

    I have a new iphone5 now with Verizon as my provider. It works great.

    • Zac

      02/26/2013 at 2:56 pm

      These cards are non-refundable. Your issue is with Straight Talk not Walmart. It’s like getting mad at your bank after paying your bill to Verizon and your phone isn’t working. I’ve seen this issue several times and more recently. This actually happened to my mom not to long ago. If the issue had persisted ST would have credited your the extra days to the account. Example: Issue took you 8 days to be resolved because of issues with the phone, your new end date would have started the day is was fixed.

      • Johnny

        04/05/2013 at 11:00 am

        Hey, Zac. Looking at the iPhone 5, would it be better to buy one new at Walmart or used/new on Ebay or privately? Details much appreciated as I am unfamiliar with SIm Cards, unlocked and other terms. I just want the best phone at the best price and if possible, have a phone that I can use on another carrier if I decide not to use Straight Talk. Thank you in-advance.

  38. Anthony

    02/26/2013 at 7:55 pm

    im thinking about buying the iphone 5 in a few days and i want to finance it . How much do i have to pay at the register if i do finance it? is it only $25 plus the $45 and the sim Card ? or do i have to pay the full $650 ? its A bit confusing to me how much i actually have to pay AT the register inside the store. i know its $25/month plus $45 but im confused because some people have said you NEED to put the whole $650 on your walmart card even if your Financing it . which makes no sense because i would thnk if your financing it you would only pay about $90 at te register ($25 + $45 plan + SIM card) HELP PLEASE!

    • Pamela

      02/27/2013 at 3:19 am

      They finance the entire $650 plus taxes! You just have to pay the 25 monthly for 26 mths. However, you have to purchase the 45 credit on your own.

      • anthony

        02/27/2013 at 9:25 am

        Okay so I would only pay $25 at the register of I finance it right? THANK YOU :)

        • Pamela

          02/27/2013 at 9:37 am

          If you already have a wal mart CC, u just pay the 45 for credit. You will pay the 25.00 when your bill Is due. But if you don’t have a Walmart CC, you will need ID and an existing CC. Technically you may purchase the phone and don’t sign up for ST service. Once u buy the iphone5 it can work with Tmobile or AT&T(smartchips) it’s already unlocked. So it’s both CDMA and gsm.

  39. anthony

    02/27/2013 at 6:55 pm

    Okay Thank you !!

  40. Rodney Kent Wilcox Jr.

    03/03/2013 at 4:29 pm

    stop hating you are making half of this stuff up

  41. Fox

    03/04/2013 at 9:28 am

    So I work in a night club. Someone Lost their Iphone5 (Verizon). after 3 weeks, it was never claimed. So now I have it. Figured I would use it as Ipod touch. I have an iphone 4 on ATT. In any case, I learned that the verizon IP5 has an unlocked sim cad tray.

    I called ST and asked if I could use this IP5 (i did not explain the found was lost/found) the rep told me that I could not use a verizon Iphone on ST, however, I see it being used in all sorts of net forms. Does anyone know.

    Can I use this phone or not? I know the sim would have to be cut down. but can I use it on ST?

    • Elizabeth

      03/20/2013 at 5:43 am

      I know a guy who can flash any Verizon iphone 4 or 5 to straight talk just email him and yes everything will work on it his email is [email protected] he can get it done for you

    • Ricardo

      06/08/2013 at 1:10 am

      Yes but only if you get a ST sim. Verizon’s I5 is gsm factory unlocked.

  42. alex

    03/07/2013 at 7:54 pm

    I hate when people write/say i4 or i5… Its iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 and not other way around. I live in California/Sacramento and been using ST for half a year now and haven’t had any problems with the service or ST rep. When I was finishing my 2 year contract with att I decided ill try out ST because it was cheap…
    . Bough myself a GSM phone(Galaxy Nexus) for $330 from eBay and purchased a $45 activation card and a sim card. Called ST customer service and they immediately transferred my att
    number. Within 10min I was able to make calls using my old number… It took me another half an hour to set my APN setting so that I could send MMS and use data. Now for those people that complain about 2GB data cap… I use Internet all the time… My phone automatically uploads my pictures to the cloud every day, I listen to Pandora, i read my emails, i watch youtube and surf the web thru out the day and i do all this when im at work or just at the bar. Never had any problems with ST calling me that ive reached the data cap… Those people that complain most likely tether to their laptop so thats why you all getting throthled down or in worse case scenarion they turn of your service. When I’m home i use my wifi… I download apps ,music and watch Netflix only when I’m home. common sense people… Its mobile data and don’t abuse it. For people that had problems with ST representative’s… You are morons… Please do the research and don’t blame the ST or ST reps. BTW my brother got a contract with sprint and he bought iPhone 4s. his internet speed is slower then mine on ST.

  43. Fred Ladrach

    03/10/2013 at 1:18 pm

    I’ve been with Straight talk for five years. Until now have had no issues. I tried to port my wife’s number to a new phone and the representative ported my number to her new phone and deactivated my phone instead. Now after 5 days and hours , yes hours on the phone and with escalation I still lost my number. I got another sim card sent to me and that one did not work. I don’t blame the reps for having a protocol just that the first one made a mistake and they gave out my number to someone else that should not have happened since I pay with auto renewal. I just have to notify all my contacts that I have a new number with a text message and email that I sent with just one note on each and propagated.
    I have an Iphone 4s and have not had any problems with it getting MMS, data or any other problems. My Iphone is factory unlocked and using ATT towers.
    There is a web site for settings in howardforums to set up your phone to Straight Talk for Iphone and Android as well as other prepaid phone companies for MMS etc.
    I’m not happy about the situation but for the savings I’m going to stay with them. The one thing the new number did for me was to stop 90 percent of the calls from vendors as I used to advertise on Google for business and Linkedin with this phone and since retired.

  44. Jon C

    03/18/2013 at 3:36 pm

    Hi,

    So I can either buy an unlocked Iphone 5 from ST and use it on CDMA or buy an unlocked Iphone 5 from Apple and buy a sim card from ST to use GSM. So what is the better way to go?

    • Elizabeth

      03/18/2013 at 4:58 pm

      I think it depends honestly a lot of people like CDMA cause of what I read “better coverage” and less dropped calls but a lot of people like gsm too cause you can change out sims etc so it’s personally up to and your coverage you want

    • AJ

      03/29/2013 at 9:21 am

      i’d def get the unlocked AT&T one. I have had way too much hassle out of straight talks CDMA one and am returning it.

    • Ricardo

      06/08/2013 at 1:15 am

      GSM unlocked its better. You’ll have more options of connecting with another carrier if you don’t like ST down the road or you decide to switch for any reason.

  45. Isidro

    03/18/2013 at 7:22 pm

    the main problem i have had from my iphone from straighttalk is the fact that it is a at&t phone so i have to use their towers. At&t supposedly has the best internet speed but it is harder for me to find a signal than any problem i have had. It seems like there are more places where i dont get signal than their are places i do get signal. But that’s mainly a problem with at&t not straight talk. They do limit your data but i have never ran out. If you use your smart phone like you would use a computer then yes of course you can use to much data. But if you use the iphones internet very little while not connected to a router than you should be fine. Sure they have their problems with customer service but its $45 a month so its worth it. Plus i hardly ever have to call them. I went to verizon to hook up an iphone that i had already purchased and it was gonna be well over $100 a month just for one phone. It was ridiculous. So there may be a few problems with this plan, but its a great price and its good for anyone who needs cheaper service.

  46. Rocketman

    03/19/2013 at 6:45 pm

    This forum has been really interesting, but can someone tell me how to unlock my iphone 4 because Verizon doesn’t to enthused about loosing another customer. Think we are going to leave the contracts behind. Or maybe I should go Youtubing…

  47. G.Black

    03/20/2013 at 1:30 pm

    I had similar problems porting my number over from an alltell cell phone a couple of months after they were bought out…by Verizon…(Who owns Tracphone, who owns straight talk). After getting my number successfully ported (Took 3 weeks) I had no problems for about two years. Now to current conditions:
    Every month I buy a card, follow the directions, and receive confirmation that the airtime was added. so far, so good. The next morning I go to work, whip out my cell phone to call work to clock in…and receive a message: YOUR CELL PHONE HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED. I then have to find another phone to call in on, and call out on.
    When I get home, I head straight to the land line, and dial up customer support. After being guided through the same unhelpful steps and elevated to higher levels of customer service, my cell is found to be only partially activated. “PARTIALLY ACTIVATED!?!?” What the…??? (Remember I have been using this same phone with no problem for about two years.) Ok…phone works, problem solved. NOPE!!!!! NOT EVEN CLOSE! after about 2 and 1/2 HOURS each time, this HAS RECURRED every time I add airtime FOR THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. This IS an original Straight Talk phone bought at WalMart.

    • Maria

      03/21/2013 at 3:45 pm

      I have been with the company for years myself. No prob’s really until recently myself. First, just an FYI u can dial 611 from ur straighttalk phone and that way u don’t have to run 4 the home phone just to re-activate…Second, I have been doing as u have monthly, I re-sign up each month, and for some reason these last 2 months all of the sudden EVERY SINGLE ONE of my incoming calls are coming in now as “unknown”!!!!!!!
      I’ve called 3 times so far w no resolution..I don’t know what’s going on with them lately,but I Never used to have these kinds of problems with Straight-talk!

  48. G.Black

    03/20/2013 at 1:49 pm

    my bad…I typed verizon, which is the contract carrier in my area instead of Amèrica Móvil, which is the owning company.

  49. anthony

    03/21/2013 at 10:23 am

    is there any way to track your data usage as the month goes on

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  51. Meeka

    03/24/2013 at 12:47 pm

    I have the iPhone 5 thru straight talk. WORST decision I’ve ever made in buying this phone. Since the day I got the damn thing I have been having problems. When I bought the phone I was so sure “unlimited” means UNLIMITED!!! No not with straight talk. They cut my Internet completely off because they said I was tethering! Idk how to tether! I use my phone to get on the Internet to check my damn fb! So I call straight talk and they said my speed has been reduced. I said ok whatever I can still get on the Internet. And NO… INTERNET… STILL. I call back and tell them that they reduced my speed but I can’t get on safari. They tell me I have to wait and reload a new card. Ok I waited loaded a new card and I STILL don’t have Internet call them back and they went thru troubleshooting told me to call back within an hr. called back and they were closed. Called the next day and they tell me since I didn’t call back within the hr (they were closed) there was nothin they could do about my Internet. If u buy the phone from Walmart u have 15 days to return it. If its after 15 days u have to talk to straight talk. Story told…. I’m stuck with this phone and I hate it. Don’t b dumb and get this phone!

    • Elizabeth

      03/24/2013 at 2:33 pm

      I have this phone and I love it I’ve never had problems period with them and I’ve been with them for 5 years.

  52. Elizabeth

    03/25/2013 at 10:43 am

    How to get 4g working?

  53. R

    03/28/2013 at 10:51 am

    Will iphone 5 on Verizon Network work on StraightTalk network. Is it straightforward like to know your experience and/or thoughts

  54. JohnDoe

    03/28/2013 at 9:29 pm

    Wow, I’ve had my Iphone 5 from Straight Talk for almost 3 months now and haven’t really had any problems. I’ll admit there were a few problems getting my data activated the first week but after that I’ve had no problems. I use the internet and apps a lot on my phone including downloading apps and still had no problem. The 3G through Verizon loads pretty fast, about the same speed if not faster than my 4G T-Mobile phone. I’m really pleased with it. :)

    • Mac

      03/30/2013 at 8:12 am

      Could you show the results of a speedtest? My wife has one also and she loves it but I think the data speed is pretty slow..

  55. AJ

    03/29/2013 at 9:15 am

    Has anyone tried using a straight talk sim card in the straight talk iphone 5? The reason i ask is because I wasn’t aware that the phone would run on verizon only no roaming to local carriers where verizon isn’t available. I was curious if anyone had tried and had any luck using a straight talk sim card in it to see if you could use the att side of straight talk. The customer service people say it can’t be done, but they’re full of shit and don’t know what they’re talking about.

  56. When I’m on the T-Mobile sim I have never been suspended. HOWEVER this is my THIRD suspension with my AT&T sim. I’m done. EDGE is at least useable for messaging. I feel it’s false advertising. They can’t even tell me what I did to violate thier TOS. I have 3g Watchdog installed and use it to track daily no more than 100mb HAD IT switching to T-Mobile next month. Thank god for google voice or I’d have to change my number every five minutes

  57. Darrell

    03/30/2013 at 1:05 pm

    I am a current Straight Talk customer. My question is if I go to Verizon and purchase an Iphone 5, will it work with Straight Talk and will it have 4G speed where it is available? Verizon has better service in my area I am currently using a ZTE Merit on AT&T Network. I called Straight Talk technical support last night and a woman told me that the Iphone4 or 4S would be no problem,even the Z10 but the Iphone5 wouldn’t work. I asked when it would be available to be activated and she said she couldn’t tell me that information. Verizon tells me it is no problem but if you buy prepaid service through Verizon it is not 4G speed.

  58. Cany

    04/02/2013 at 7:12 pm

    I have a iPhone 4 that works great everywhere but my house, could anyone tell me if something in house could be interfering with it, and if so what could it be? The person I am talking with can hear me fine, but I can’t understand a word they are saying ,
    it is all muffled. Any advise would be great. Seems to be everyone phone even people under contract. Worked great first couple days, my girlfriend has had version for 2years and lives with me and has worked fine until the last week having same problem as me very strange.

  59. Johnnyb

    04/04/2013 at 1:37 pm

    Does FaceTime work once ST iPhone? Via wifi that is.

  60. Cody

    04/04/2013 at 8:52 pm

    I’m here to solve everyone’s problems, i was recently employed with straight talk and i wont lie, i was one of the only Americans to work for them, starting March 1st, 2013, the data cap was put on all unlocked phones. Verizon, and AT&T towers have been used through straight talk, and Net10 alone, have consumed over 1 trillion GB of data over the course of 1 year. Thus being unacceptable through the eyes of Verizon and AT&T, they forced a cap to not their own service and phones, but to the (UNLOCKED) phones that run off of their towers to provide better for their customers rather than somebody else’s customers. I’ll be the first to admit they are a hard company to work with, but they aren’t fraudacious in any way. they have been strictly told by Verizon and AT&T that they must have a cap on their unlocked phones to still be allowed on their towers.

    Hope this Helps!

    • Jen

      04/09/2013 at 9:31 pm

      I just bought an Iphone 5 at walmart 12 days ago. I love the phone, but am not able to send text pictures to anyone other than other iphone users. I’m really upset about this bc I wasn’t able to send a picture of my son to my husband’s phone (which is also a straight talk phone that he bought the same day I got my Iphone 5). The other issue I’m having is the reception. Talked to a ST tech support rep. and was told I should have perfect reception where I live ! I get 2 bars on my phone and my husband does as well with his Samsung SCH-S720C. Anyway we can fix either of the problems ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated !! Thanks so much !

    • Linda Ingraham

      05/28/2013 at 1:47 pm

      Hi Cody, I have had an unlocked iphone 4 and used T-mobile for a couple of years and I am on their prepaid service. In and around my house the reception is absolutely horrible so I was thinking of changing to ST because it might use AT&T Towers but I heard that At&T backed out of the contract and it is just T-mobile for GSM phones now? Is that true? If so I guess I shouldn’t change since it will be the same coverage as I have now?

  61. LuAnn

    04/12/2013 at 9:19 pm

    In your opinion, if I wanted to try Straight Talk-what phone should I buy? I want a smart phone, I dont talk much, I do text-and would like to have access to email.

    • Patrick

      04/16/2013 at 6:12 pm

      I would suggest checking out the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim. Straight Talk’s web site currently has one for just $60 if you don’t mind the fact that it’s reconditioned. I’ve bought several reconditioned phones from Straight Talk or it’s sister companies TracFone and Net10 over the years and I always got “like new” quality devices, with NO visible wear and tear.

      The Proclaim runs an older version of android, but it can do just about all the apps that are available now in the play store and will be perfectly fine for email and texting. In fact, I have a proclaim and an iPhone, and I prefer the proclaim for composing text because of the how well the “swype” keyboard works. (google it for a demo video – really speeds up typing).

      One thing worth noting is the size of the proclaim – if I remember correctly it’s a 3.3 inch screen, or just slightly smaller than every iphone up to and including the 4s, which were all 3.5″ screens. I like how compact it is.

      Even if you want a brand new device rather than refurbished, $150 for a new proclaim isn’t that bad. It will be on the Verizon network for $45 a month – not too bad.

  62. John Mikols

    04/15/2013 at 2:50 am

    I am on ST with a GSM iPhone 4. I live in a bad coverage area, at my house I barely get one bar, and the phone has to sit perfectly still or the call drops. Will an ATT Iphone 5 make any difference with voice call strength? And please, what is the real deal on LTE with Unlocked GSM iPhone 5? If I take my ST AT&T Sim , and cut it down to nano sim, and put in the GSM iPhone 5, can I get LTE?
    Verizon signal may be better here, can I use my own Verizon or Sprint iPhone 5 with ST?

    • aK

      04/19/2013 at 9:17 am

      if you have att sim, then buy a att micro cell tower. My house get 0 bar for some reason and the micro cell tower solve that issue.

      • aK

        04/19/2013 at 9:19 am

        I had st boyp att sim with iphone 4 for over a years and have been using the att micro cell tower trick all along. Ebay sell its for 50-150. You will need a friend/relative who has att contract plan to set up tho, the service is free.

    • aK

      04/19/2013 at 9:21 am

      and no iphone 5 att will not be any better. no, you must purchase iphone 5 at walmart from ST or ST.com

    • aK

      04/19/2013 at 9:22 am

      n NO LTE period.

    • XxiKarlosxX

      04/19/2013 at 10:14 am

      Just save yourself a headache n unlock ur iPhone 4 and get T mobile. They upgraded their 3G to work w all iPhones now n even the iPhone 5 has LTE. They even sell iPhone 4, 4S and 5 through their website though its expensive but u will get HSPA+ support. I have run speed tests I get around 2-4mbps around where I live (Chicago) and about 4-6mbps where I work which is close to downtown. I have the $30 unlimited data and msgs n 100mins which is perfect cause I don’t talk much n have a few apps which offer free mins. I have 5GB of up to 4G data but since I have 3G cause iPhone 4 doesn’t support 4G I have used around 7.5GB of data n still have 3G speeds still. Idk mayb cause I have 3G and they only check 4G speeds but I’m very happy oh n I only been with them for like 3 weeks and I’m so happy. MMS, sms, data all unlimited n 100mins for $30 no one can truly beat that. I feel like I went to a thrift shop n found Armani Exchange stuff for $5 n they still have the tags on them lol. Everyone forget this crap network that is Straight Talk and come to T mobile. No I don’t work w T mobile but I’m just so happy w them that I feel like spreading the word. Mayb I should work for them lol. Btw I had T mobile before w my old iPhone 3G and 3GS n only had edge speeds so this is amazin. Hope they stay non-contract for good it’s a good move for them.

      • Eddie

        07/27/2013 at 1:29 am

        I presently have AT&T factory unlocked iPhone 5 using the T-mobile prepaid plan and it SUCKS!! I have both the IPhone 5 and 4. The 5 only gets edge which in this day and time should be obsolete if you ask me and the data does not work unless on wifi. The 4 will allow the data to work but once again at edge speed. I simply don’t understand why that is. I couldn’t even get the 5 to bring up the internet and I was standing in the T-mobile office… Contemplating on wasting money on their Iphone 5 and trading the one I have in.

  63. Joseph Kreifels II

    04/27/2013 at 10:24 pm

    Using ST on Google’s LG Nexus 4. 3 months now and no problem. Follow the rules “No Live streaming and no tethering. YouTube isn’t live FYI, Nether is Pandora. so you can use Pandora and YouTube on ST

  64. Mike H.

    05/08/2013 at 10:59 pm

    They completely cut off your data service and will not restore it. I’ve been out of data for 2 weeks already. I called their customer service numerous times, but they don’t seem to care. I’m switching over to another carrier. Straight Talk doesn’t have a decency to throttle your speed. They just shut off your data service. It’s not worth it.

  65. MattY

    05/17/2013 at 9:06 pm

    Joseph, I wish it were that simple, but in my experience it’s the quantity, not type of data. If you stream youtube for hours on end, you’ll get the same end result as Mike H. That’s not to say I don’t like Straight Talk’s offering. I think it’s a great value, I just for the life of me can’t understand why they aren’t honest and up front about what you will get for your $45 a month.

  66. cwilson

    06/15/2013 at 5:48 pm

    I do not have a iPhone :-( that’s going to be my next phone upgrade (hopefully). Anyways I have been a ST customer for about roughly 6yrs now. I have went through only 4 phones not because of the service or phone not working just because I wanted something better. I was able to resale the 1st two which still work (family has them) and I still have my 3rd as back up in case my new one messes up. Anyways I have a Samsung proclaim (android) with ST. I have not had any issues on data caps or anything ever with using the phone including running apps sometimes for hours. I literally use it all day for bunch of things and so do my kids. Without any issues, that being said my only complaint is when I have had call customer service I can’t understand a word they are saying! I get so mad and refuse to talk to anyone who doesn’t speak reasonable English. The only issues I had call with was phone card pin not going through and website not working to buy a card. Anyways I might be lucky one of their customers, but so far my husband and I have had great service for many years!

  67. JoAnne

    06/21/2013 at 8:56 am

    Did anyone buy the iphone5 from straight talk and get it connected? If so, are there any data caps or app problems or picture messaging problems? What are the problems if any?

    • cujo1911

      06/21/2013 at 9:21 am

      You can get it from Walmart. Ranging from $650 16GB, $750 32GB, and $850 64GB. Some say the internet is hard to get connected at first. But Walmart will help you. Now, people say there is a cap on data. I have spent over 3-6 GB a month and never had a problem. Even had a little tether to my ps3 and 360 before a update banned the app. But, no problems. IM waiting on the iPhone 5S,, if not soon, then I’ll get iPhone 5 later this year.

  68. Timmy

    06/28/2013 at 11:38 am

    I have been with straighttalk for about 5 years, with one phone I had my data was capped twice so I called up told the person my problem and they fixed it. My only problem is I’m a hard core internet user I need faster speeds…

  69. [email protected]

    06/29/2013 at 9:33 am

    I hated straight talk customer service. I have a samsung galaxy proclaim that when I talk to my girlfriend, she always tells me that the phone is digitizing, and sounds horrible. It don’t matter what part of the country I’m in, or how many times I dial *22890 for programming. I graduated college and went back on the road, and she still has another year to go for a very intense degree path, straight talk wanted us both to call in and take 3-4 hours out of our day (atleast) to “trouble shoot the phone”. However this was not necessary, if the proclaim is cdma it’s just flat out CRAP. I’ve bought three of these phones, and they all do the same thing. Well I took mine to verizon, and ported it over to them (as an illusion), and it works wonderfully, it don’t always have the chirping issue, but it still does it occasionally. For anyone else that has a CDMA-V samsung galaxy proclaim, is having chirping, digitizing, or other issues, port your phone to verizon with the MEID on the back of the phone, It’s a heck of a lot better speaking to american customer service. After porting to verizon your phone will roam continuously, just go to settings, wireless & networks, mobile networks, and check the box that says data roaming. Voila, you have verizon service, on a straight talk samsung galaxy proclaim (verizon samsung illusion.)

  70. Justan

    07/01/2013 at 9:49 pm

    does the ST iphone 4s or 5 run off of the verizon towers?

  71. blake hunter

    07/14/2013 at 3:26 pm

    i have a iphone 5 for straight talk and ive been using it non stop in the internet and apps, and it dont go slow at all and ive been with my iphone 5 for 4 months already and it never goes slow, it probably go slow on your area, remember not everywhere is covered also some buildings,houses or apartments have signal block so it wont work

    • John

      07/14/2013 at 3:53 pm

      Blake my the wife has one for past 6 months or so..the only thing she doesn’t like is the slow data speed about 1.5 down and 1 up..can you share your data speed? I think her setting must to screwed up.

  72. shilpa

    07/28/2013 at 5:38 am

    I want to buy ST iphone 5. Will it work in India with local carriers

  73. Mary Finch Reed

    08/05/2013 at 7:41 am

    I just bought the iPhone 5 from Walmart/ Straight Talk and was impressed w/ it until I could not text, email or download apps. Called Straight Talk customer service and they were rude and not helpful at all. I understand (now) that I reached some kind of cap but was not aware there was a cap on anything until it happened. I asked about the service and limitations by using Straight Talk vs Contract before purchasing and was told the only difference is I would have 3g instead of the 4g available to me. This is such a misrepresentation on the service received to service promoted. If anyone out there knows an Attorney starting a class action suit I am willing to join in. You can not plaster ‘unlimited text, data and web’ [put a symbol behind it] and expect the average consumer to know what that means. You do not get that information until after you purchase the phone. Walmart and Straight Talk need to live up to what is promoted in order to get money from the consumer. If they can not do that then they should not promote it as such.

  74. gfdgfd

    09/10/2013 at 6:01 pm

    I have used straight talk with using at least 2GB of data if not more each month, some slow times but I have never ever been cut off. Cheapest plan you will find.

  75. Sharri

    09/18/2013 at 4:26 am

    Buyer beware!!! When mother went into the hospital and my phone bill (Verizon) showed bal. of over 600.00 I knew I had to do something else considering she’s 90 yrs. old. Bought a straight talk phone huawei (don’t waste your money) within 3 months I had to buy a new memory card. Did that and within another few months and several trips to wal mart trying to get another problem with the phone fixed and no satisfaction from employees I just bought another phone, this time a Samsung. I get home get it all lined out and the crazy thing won’t pick up internet in the house….. I have to take the freakin’ thing outside and then sometimes won’t pick up out side. By now I’m tired of messing with them. I decide to buy a tablet and I’m going to cancel data on my phone and keep just phone service. (I had auto refill) No contract, cancel anytime…. right? Ohhh boy did they give me trouble. (Non American naturally). She wanted someone to call me back and figure out why the internet wouldn’t work inside. I told her that would be fine I’d answer all their questions after they took data off. Then she informs me they can’t do that. Her solution (as God is my witness) leave it like it is just don’t use data…….are you kidding me? Even Donald Trump doesn’t want to pay for some thing he doesn’t get!! I told her to terminate the whole damn thing. She still didn’t want to, I told her listen it will get terminated one way or another, she could do it or I could go to the bank. B – wipes

  76. Alan

    09/20/2013 at 3:00 am

    Elizabeth: my daughter fixed the MMS issue on the 4 IPhone 4S’ we have in the house with the Mobile sim card. She could not do it with my IPhone 4. Any suggestions ? Thanks.

    • Elizabeth

      09/20/2013 at 6:42 am

      What is your carrier first off? I can probably help you you said it’s an iphone 4 you have?

  77. fok str8talk

    09/26/2013 at 11:57 pm

    Straight talk is a rip off!! Unlimited my ass and their agents aren’t polite X[

  78. Craig

    10/03/2013 at 11:10 pm

    If I buy an iphone 5c and unlock it, what card do I need to buy and modify to use it on straight talk, ATT? does it matter?

  79. iPhone 6 price

    10/06/2013 at 10:50 am

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  80. Jared

    10/16/2013 at 10:54 am

    diretctly from the striaght talk website, not hidden or confusing at all—–
    *30 day Unlimited Plans include 2.5 GB of high speed data per 30 day cycle. After 2.5 GB, your data speed will be reduced for the remainder of the 30 day cycle. High speed data is restored once a new 30 day service plan is redeemed at the end of the 30 day plan cycle. Other limitations, terms and conditions of service apply. Straight Talk reserves the right to terminate your service for unauthorized or abnormal usage. Please refer always to the latest Terms and Conditions of Service at straighttalk.com.

    • Tammy

      10/27/2013 at 12:07 pm

      Ok my daughter wants a straight talk iphone 4or 5. Any suggestions would be great and do they hold alot of music, numbers, ect. I have asked people at wal-mart but get different answers and I do not know much about them. Thanks

  81. michelle

    11/20/2013 at 11:15 am

    I currently have a iphone 3gs with at&t thinking bout switching to ST from the research I been doing I see that I can use this iphone with them (ST) and yes went to the website and checked by putting in the numbers..i have been seeing diff responses bout the MMS and I seen that I will lose my visual voicemail..is this true? I am willing to get another that will work but my budget is no more then $200.00 wont spend more than that for a phone. so what is my best route any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated..THX!!!

  82. Ann

    01/05/2014 at 11:30 am

    I have had my Samsung Galaxy Proclaim with Straight Talk for over a year now. I have the $45 unlimited plan. It runs off Verizon towers. I have never had an issue with my data being slowed or shut off. I am however hooked to my work wifi and home wifi when ever I am downloading anything or watching Netflix. I am now looking to get an iPhone through Straight Talk and was trying to figure out how I can determine which ones work on Verizon towers since AT&T service is spotty where I live. When I bought my Galaxy I had to buy the one that said CDMA on the box and not the one that said GSM. If your phone is a CDMA it works on Verizon towers (also known as phones without sim cards) If you buy a GSM phone it works on AT&T towers (phones with sim cards) After doing a bunch of research today it appears that Straight Talk and Walmart only sell CDMA iPhones at this time. And even though they have commercials that say you can now use the phones you previously had with other carriers I imagine like everything else with Straight Talk it will take up to 6 months to work out all the kinks that will come with that. If they are only selling CDMA iPhones at this time it will probably be a pain in the butt to hook up a GSM iPhone with Straight Talk until they work out all the bugs. I am going to price a plan and iPhone through Verizon first as the iPhone 5s on Straight Talk is $600. But I imagine as stated in this article it will be cheaper in the long run to stay on Straight Talk especially since I am ok with having a phone for a few years and not interested in getting the newest one every year.

  83. Junior savoy

    01/05/2014 at 1:42 pm

    I have an iPhone five recondition from thstraight talk and I never had an issue with this work perfect to me.

  84. K. Green

    01/05/2014 at 9:29 pm

    OK. I read thru almost this entire thread and have what I hope is a simple question that can be answered in language I understand. I am NOT technically savvy so….
    I currently have an LG Optima on ST and except for the times I was desperate enuff to call their customer service, which I will NEVEr do again, I have been reasonably happy with it but…..
    I am 65 yr olds with arthritis and bad eyesight. This means the teeny tiny virtual keypad on this phone is impossible for me to use and the dictation option is awkward requiring much editing AND the screen is simply too small for me to read….I carry a magnifying glass.
    The other problem is I live in the sticks and the ONLY carrier with coverage in my area is Verizon. No AT&T, Sprint, T Mobile towers in this area. They truly have no signal here. Verizon is fair but not good. Only game in town. My LG is using Verizon towers and gets 1-2 bars if near a window.
    I want to know:
    Can I get an iPhone 4 (I can’t afford and don’t want a 5) that will be on Verizon towers so I get some service? It appears to have the largest screen of any phone and I hope a larger screen will help me with larger virtual keys and larger font?
    I want an iPhone 4, on straight talk, running on Verizon towers. I don’t understand locked/unlocked, micro/nano, CDMA or any of that stuff. I want to know if I can get this and if so, how?
    If anyone can/will be able to help me in language I can understand I would be very grateful. AND please, don’t take time telling me how dumb I am. I am very intelligent, I simply have no technical knowledge. I need the phone cause I can’t afford satellite internet access and that is all that is available in my area for Internet so the phone is my only option.
    Thank you.

    • vickie

      04/15/2014 at 7:36 am

      DO any of the iphone 5’s from ST use verison towers??? I have one and it uses at&t and I don’t have service

  85. Abraham

    04/30/2014 at 5:08 am

    Why don’t you people just buy a at card from Ebay for the respected carrier you want. It’s like 10-20$. iPhones just work now on ST. Wipe the phone if it was already being used with another carrier. Reset network setting without a sim in the tray. Them only put in ST sim when you the phone asks you during initial start up. Log into wifi. IOS7 update should be on your phone. Once you get to wifi screen connect wifi. Then go on google search “straight talk byop configuration mobile site” you will find “https://m.straighttalkbyop.com/view/page/p/113846/straighttalksim-data-apn-settings” can give you their ApN settings with two clicks and installs it self. After that restart phone. Bite you nails for a few mins because it will just be searching for network and you will get worried but don’t. And all of a sudden POW “TFW LTE” popped up on my AT&T iPhone 5. “TFW 4G” came up on my old iPhone 4s and “TFW 3G” on my iPhone 4. The 4s was in my opinion the best phone on ST. All my iPhones are AT&T phones that have been upgraded via contract for my lady. I use her old devices. I wouldn’t put her on ST because I am afraid of random disconnect when she is using GPS somewhere. But for me, I love ST. I can get around the quirks, and if the data does I can make it home following the North Star and sunrise/set. Although I’m getting 13-20mbps download on LTE, there is a slight initial load lag on the iPhone 5. Also the upgrade to iOS 7.1.1 made the iPhone 4’s a delight to use.

  86. Jedi

    07/08/2014 at 2:18 pm

    After I used the allowed amount of “Unlimited” data, I received a sms from straight talk stating that I used all of my fast data?? and now I’m left with slow data. I also bought the 45 unlimited card. However, I’m not complaining. ST is the best thing since white bread!!! HAHA

    • Iarry;pie

      05/24/2015 at 9:31 pm

      I believe so. It’s also important to note that if you are a BYOP customer you now get 5gb each month

  87. j

    07/12/2014 at 1:43 pm

    im confused does the iphone five have hspa 3g when you buy it from straight talk

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  89. Danny Reddog

    05/24/2015 at 11:22 am

    i have a iPhone 4 from Verizon.connected to straight talk works great on Verizon towers.Only problem it will not tether and I do not know how to make it work

  90. Kris

    02/03/2016 at 12:19 pm

    I have an Iphone 5 and my service is horrible!!! I can make calls and send texts but that is about it. yes, I can get online, but it takes about 10 min or more to load any page, if it does. I cannot send pics or videos. I cannot even post pics to my facebook account or even email them. When I try to get online on the app store or iTunes or anything with game/video data, it may take hrs, if I feel like waiting. Most of the time I don’t and just simply turn it off. I cant get my amazon music to download to my phone bc every time I try to sign in, it times out. Most of the apps I have wont open, so I have deleted all but Candy Crush, Words with Friends, and my ebay app. I cant get the ebay app to even open but having it on there sends me notifications on stuff I may be watching or bidding on. I don’t keep the data on for Candy crush, and with words, it may take a day, or 5, to register that the other person has played. It is ok service for texting and calls, but horrible internet and data. I am swapping to someone else. I could spend a lot less than $53 a month to just text and occasionally call someone.

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