I am so glad Wal-Mart decided to launch the Straight Talk plans. I am one of the Wal-Mart customers who bought it shortly after the trial started and have been happy with the service ever since. Now, knowing that the ST plans will continue to be available, I am grateful for the money saved on cell expenses every month. Keep it up Wal-Mart & Tracfone!

Rene - I am glad that you like the service and thank you for your comment.  We will continue to look for ways to save you money so that you can live better.

Russell

I am very interested in this service.  I have a question that I have not been able to find an answer.  What charges will be to the person I call/text on other plans?   I am currently on att /verizon and the people I call are too.  We cannot afford higher charges to talk to these people.  Can you help me?  I am very interested.  Do these phones use sim cards or are they just phones.  Can you carry insurance on the more expensive phones?

A great blog here with excellent info. I just added to my favorites. All the best.

The best thing about Straight Talk is its simplicity. I am so tired of wading through funky phone bills with mysterious charges and fees.

I really appreciate the savings, of course, but not having those awful and undecipherable bills has been a great stress-reducer.

Plus having it on Verizon is a big plus!

Shirley - Thank you for your questions.  Regarding your contacts that are on other service plans the cost of your calls for them depends upon their plan.  However, the most likely case would have your calls fall into the "anytime minutes" bucket during the day or into the "nights & weekends" bucket beginning around 9PM on most plans.  Most plans have a set number of "anytime minutes" included in the price that Straight Talk calls would use for your friends.  Your only cost for these calls would only be minutes, which the $30 plan includes 1,000 and the $45 plan is truly unlimited.

As far as your remaining questions regarding the phones themselves: these phones are CDMA phones so they do not have a SIM card.  Additionally, the available handsets are specifically made for the Straight Talk service, no other devices have access to the plans currently.  Also, there is not currently an insurance plan for any of these phones.  Unlike contract phones where a replacement phone is very expensive, if your Straight Talk phone is damanged you may purchase a new one for the same retail price as the first.

I hope this answers your questions.  Please let me know if I can help in any other way.

I am shopping for an alternative to my present land line that has too many additional fees, taxes, etc. tacked on.  Thus far I see only positive comments on the Straight Talk plans.  I do not find warranty information on the TracPhones.  It would be helpful to know about the warranty, considering that there is no insurance on the plans. 

What a great blog! I recently switched to Straight Talk from my monthly cell phone contract and it has saved me wonders. I am so glad Walmart launched this prepaid plan. Being a full time college student, moving-saving deals like this really help me out. Straight Talk has great coverage and I absolutely love it :)

Thanks Jean!  I love the feedback and glad you like the service.

Gail - I wanted to provide information to you regarding the phone's warranty.  You do have a 90 day return policy with Walmart if something does go wrong within the first 3 months.  In addition, each phone has a one year manufacturer's warranty.  All the information you would need as well as contacts are available in the box with purchase.

Thanks for your question and let me know if I can answer any other questions.

It's an amazing deal.

I had Verizon, then switched to Metro. It was awful!

I'm very happy with Straight Talk and am impressed with their coverage on Verizon.

To me, the $30 - 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts deal is unbeatable. I travel and have never had a problem.

When I had Metro, it worked fine in town but as soon as I got outside the city, fuhgeddaboutit!

You get what you pay for, or in the case of Straight Talk, MORE than you pay for!

I love my straight talk phone.  Not just because of the deal i get, but because it is on the Verizon network.  My phone converstations are always clear and my calls are never dropped.

Chase and Eddy,

Thanks for your comments and glad the service is working well.  One of the keys was to provide an outstanding offer on minutes and text messages, on an unbelievable network.  Having both is extremely important for our customers, and I am very glad it is working out well for both of you.

I have done a lot of reasearch on the straight talk phones but cannot find anything out about the kind of web service you can get on the phones are the plans limited on what web sights you can go to?

i myself has had st a little over a month a i am very impress with the sevice and coverage my contract end with t-mobile and i deceide to try st letme tell you what a suprise and the my monthly bill is 48.62 that including tx for unlimited talk,text,and 411 i was so impress i got my 12yr old daughter one for xmas with both phones and the bill we is still under 100.00 a month now who can beat that

I switched from Cricket to Straight Talk about a month ago. I really like Straight Talk because I have nationwide coverage and I don't have to pay extra for it like I did at Cricket. I just wish straight Talk had more of a selection on phones. The selection in my area is very limited. If they do get more phones available I hope they don't cost a fortune like all the other prepaid companies charge.

I had Verizon then switched to AT&T but the bills were CRAZY!.

When I heard about Straight Talk I couldn't believe it but got it from Walmart and have had it now for 2 months and it is just sick! I'd heard that it was on Verizon and the coverage is rock steady, so yeah!

I've had an ATT family plan with three phones for over three years and my contract is expired. I'm considering switching to Straight Talk with two lines on the "all you need" plan and on line on the "unlimited" plan.  I live in Tucson, AZ and would like to know what the approximate total bill would be for both of the plans with all the taxes and fees included.  I called customer service, which is overseas, and they wouldn't/couldn't tell me what a typical total bill would be with all the taxes and fees included.  Can anyone tell me what their total bill is with each plan?  Much Appreciated!

We just got a straight talk phone to get rid of the high fees for little minutes. The only problem i have found is you have to make a call before you can recieve any everyday. 

Straight Talk is really wonderful.  I got  the the Samsung Finesse and it is almost the exact same thing as an Iphone! And I pay 45 dollars a month now for unlimited texting, minutes, and data.  I was paying almost 100 bucks am month with my iphone and the AT&T service was just going in and out. I couldn't even use my phone at my work place.It just is a no -brainer to me and I wish I switched earlier. I have been saving soooo much money!! Plus the service is on the verizon network ( which we all know has the best coverage) so I never have to worry about my service going in and out.  The phone is great and their customer service is amazing. Any time I have needed anything they were more than willing to speak with me.

I have Straight Talk on the Verizon network. Bought it at Walmart and it's an amazing deal. The Samsung Finesse is a very cool smartphone and paying only $45 a month for unlimited everything is the best deal going!

I never considered Walmart the place I would find a great deal on a cell phone, but Straight Talk has proven me wrong. The deal is just too good to pass up! I am currently on their $45 unlimited use plan and its helping me save over $50 a month - that's $600 a year and double that in two years. In addition, the ST Verizon network really can't be beaten in terms of dependability and reach - I have coverage everywhere and have yet to drop a call. I was even able to carry over my phone number from my previous carrier so its even easier for me to stay in touch with loved ones. A lot of negative comments point out the lack of phone options, poor internet surfing capabilities, or general dis-satisfaction - I found it totally untrue for myself. I think Straight Talk is a new company that has plenty of time to prove itself and has already coverted me to the prepaid side. A great buy!

Jeff stated that his problem with ST is that he has found that he has to make a call before you can receiving any every day.  What does that mean?  We are looking to switch from Verizon.  Thank you.

Do straight talk phones have a phone insurance option? Or can people purchase extended warranties on the phones?