Straight Talk Wireless is piloting the sale of pre-activated phones through vending machines at select Walmart locations, according to Wave7 Research’s latest prepaid report, which cites a story from Fast Company. David Kim, Chief Revenue Officer of Verizon Value, said the goal is to simplify phone activation for customers who may find the at-home process confusing. “A lot of our customers, they get confused with what to do at home. It drives calls to care. It drives customer dissatisfaction,” Kim stated.

The vending machines handle the entire activation process internally, including identifying, tracking, and activating each device. They require an internet connection to function.

Pre-activated phones work immediately out of the box, removing the need for customers to manually activate them or add credit. Verizon appears to be aiming to reduce support calls, shorten customer wait times, and potentially cut staffing costs by using these vending machines.

Even customers who aren’t ready to make a purchase can use the machines to browse available phone and plan options without waiting for a sales associate. Kim noted that for those who do need help, shorter wait times could result as others complete transactions through the machines.

Currently, the pilot includes just five Walmart locations, including one in Athens, Texas, where the machines have already sold hundreds of phones. Verizon plans to expand to about 50 additional Walmart stores by the end of the year. The machines currently accept credit and debit cards, with support for cash expected to be tested soon.

Straight Talk Wireless, a Verizon Value brand, is sold exclusively at Walmart. Verizon also offers other prepaid brands in stores, such as Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Tracfone, Verizon Prepaid, and Walmart Family Mobile. The company is considering expanding vending machine availability to other retail partners and potentially including more of its brands.

Straight Talk Has Offered Vending Machines Before

This isn’t the first time a wireless provider has attempted to offer sales through vending machines. In fact, it’s not even the first time Straight Talk Wireless has used them. Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research recalls seeing one in a Las Vegas airport over a decade ago. A 2013 YouTube video also shows one outside a former K-Mart store.

According to this Reddit post and article from 9to5Google, Google Fi and other brands have sold SIM cards in vending machines before. However, none of those brands have offered phones like Straight Talk.

Customers will be able to choose from a range of phones from brands such as Apple, Samsung, TCL, and others, with various price points available.

“This is a fascinating experiment.  If successful, there could be reduced need for interaction with wireless reps.  However, there is no guarantee that consumers will react positively to this process.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research

Straight Talk Wireless updated its plans today with multiple new features. The updates target Straight Talk’s $55/month Gold and $65/month Platinum unlimited plans. Upgrade highlights include:

• 5G Ultrawide band support – you now get the fastest data speeds possible on Verizon’s network
• Unlimited priority data – data access is now prioritized over other users on the Verizon network. Data speeds won’t slow down compared to other customers on the network when the network is busy.
• Increased hotspot – The $55 plan now includes 30GB hotspot data up from 10GB, the $65 Gold plan now includes unlimited hotspot data. However, hotspot data speeds are limited to 5Mbps
• 1080p video streaming – 1080p video streaming when connected to Verizon’s 5G UW network. 720p streaming when on their 5G or 4G LTE networks. By default, videos will stream at 480p on 5G/LTE and 720p on 5G UW. Customers will have to turn on full speed streaming to get the fastest speeds.
• Annual device credits – subscribers will receive $100 in device rewards credits every year.
• Home internet discount – subscribers will be able to add Straight Talk’s home internet plan for $35/month instead of $45/month

The plans are available online immediately. They’ll be available in Walmart stores starting on January 20. Existing customers will be upgraded to the new features automatically.

“We gathered insights into what our consumers are looking for, and that is blazing-fast connectivity, unlimited premium data, device credits, and more hotspot capabilities – so we are excited to bring those offerings to them with Straight Talk’s enhanced plans,” said David Kim, SVP & CRO of Verizon Value. “Our goal is to provide unparalleled value and connectivity to our customers, ensuring they have the best possible experience with Straight Talk. These new plans are a testament to our commitment to meeting our customers where they are and exceeding their expectations.”

Below is a feature comparison of Straight Talk’s updated plans.

Both plans also include discounts for customers with multiple lines. Taxes and fees are extra.

Straight Talk Plans Now Inline With Other Verizon Value Brands

The plan changes were necessary to bring Straight Talk’s offerings more inline with offerings from its sister brands that include Total Wireless and Visible by Verizon among others. Many of these same plan improvements like the addition of reward credits, unlimited priority data and 5G UW network access were brought to the Total Wireless brand in July 2024, as reported by BestMVNO. More recently, Visible by Verizon updated video streaming on its flagship plan from 480p to 720p.

Straight Talk’s flagship unlimited plans are priced the same as Total Wireless. However, unless the Walmart+ subscription is important to you, Total Wireless’s two comparable flagship unlimited plans offer a better value in my opinion for the following reasons:

• Higher reward credit – You get a $100 reward credit after 6 months and another after an additional 6 months instead of having to wait for a year for just $100
• International roaming – You get international roaming in 15+ countries including Canada and Mexico.
• Calling and texting to international numbers – text to over 200 destinations, call over 85
• 4th line free – if you have 4 lines you’ll get your 4th free
• Taxes and fees included in the price
• 5 year price lock – Total Wireless plans include a five year price lock guarantee

A couple of other differences to point out is Total Wireless’s plans include a Disney+ subscription, and Straight Talk’s base Gold unlimited flagship plan includes 30GB of hotspot data instead of the 15GB included in Total Wireless’s comparable plan. Total Wireless is also offering 50% off their plans to BYOD customers, a promo Straight Talk doesn’t have.

Verizon is home to many prepaid wireless brands. One of their other big brands, Simple Mobile has yet to get these additional service feature improvements. So that is a brand to keep an eye on.

What do you think of Straight Talk’s updated plans? Are they something you’ll consider switching to? Comment below.

Thanks to a tip from Dennis Bournique from prepaidcompare.net, BestMVNO has learned that Straight Talk Wireless has introduced a new unlimited data plan for $25/month. This plan is exclusively available at Walmart, both online and in stores (Update: it’s also now available on the Straight Talk website). It is only for “bring your own phone” customers who are new to Straight Talk. The cost of the SIM kit and plan is $29.88 plus tax. The plan comes with unlimited talk, text, and high-speed 5G data. It does have a few things to be aware of. Customers on the plan will not be allowed to switch to another phone during the year (Update 08/12/2024: customers can switch phones, they just can’t switch to a phone that’s been active on Straight Talk within the past year). They also have to have autopay billing setup and be a part of Straight Talk’s loyalty rewards program. After a year of service, customers will be eligible for a $200 credit to upgrade their phone. The $25 BYOP unlimited plan does not include hotspot data and it does not have 5G Ultra-Wideband connectivity. Without 5G Ultra-Wideband (5G UW) support, you will be unable to have the fastest data speeds possible on Verizon’s network. Given a lack of 5G UW connectivity, the plan is almost certainly deprioritized. A deprioritized plan means that during times of network congestion, other customers on the Verizon network who have a plan with premium priority data will have faster data speeds than you. Video streaming is highly likely to be capped at 480p.

Straight Talk has a new $25 BYOP plan loading for new customers. byu/PerfectJarrett inStraightTalk

$25 Unlimited Plan Offering In Retail Is A Big Deal

This plan is a big deal for Straight Talk and it is an important price point between carrier-owned prepaid brands. Every carrier-owned prepaid brand is now offering at least one unlimited plan for $25/month for single lines. This is also the first $25 unlimited plan from a Verizon-owned brand to have a national retail physical store presence. It offers some competition to Metro by T-Mobile who also offers a $25 BYOP unlimited plan in stores, albeit through Metro dealers. BestMVNO is unaware of the offer being marketed at Walmart. Some of you reading this are likely asking, what’s the point of this plan when you can get a very similar plan from Visible by Verizon? To start, this is a plan marketed towards in-store shoppers. Someone who will walk by a display and see it, and someone who may have a retail associate pitch it to them. It also offers a physical location for someone to go to if they need help. Visible is not sold in stores giving it less exposure to the public and there are no physical locations to go for help. Informed shoppers though, will recognize that Visible offers a better unlimited plan deal for most. Visible’s plan includes taxes and fees making it a cheaper offering than Straight Talk’s. Visible’s plan also includes calling and texting to Mexico and Canada, something that Straight Talk’s offering appears to lack. Visible base unlimited plan is also currently available at a discount. Customers can get the plan for $20/month for two years when they signup using the promo code CHAMP.

Straight Talk Wireless is the first carrier-owned prepaid brand to introduce a home internet plan. Straight Talk, owned by Verizon Wireless, formally announced the plan today. Hints of the plan’s launch were leaked a couple of weeks ago when displays started popping up in some Walmart stores. Straight Talk’s home internet plan will cost $45/month for unlimited data and requires the one-time purchase of a $99 router. The plan does seem to be tax inclusive. Straight Talk is advertising that there are no contracts or hidden fees, “the price is what you pay,” their website reads. Depending on their locations, customers will receive either 4G LTE or 5G network service. Download speeds are advertised as being anywhere between 25-100 Mbps. Typical upload speeds will be in the range of 3-10Mbps. The router, made by Arcadyan Technology, has two ethernet ports, supports WiFi 6, and can connect up to 130 devices. The new service plan can now be purchased online through the Straight Talk wireless website. It is also available online at Walmart and in nearly 2,000 Walmart stores. The service plan will not be available to use everywhere, but you can use this location checker to see if it’s available in your area. Fixed wireless access (FWA), such as the new home internet offering from Straight Talk, has been dubbed 5G’s killer app by some analysts across several industries. Indeed, FWA providers have been primarily coming online over the last year, with T-Mobile-based providers taking the lead. Last year, T-Mobile announced its commercial launch of 5G home internet. And earlier this year it was introduced in Metro by T-Mobile stores. However, Metro by T-Mobile does not sell its own branded home internet plan like Straight Talk is now doing for Verizon. T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet plan, which is sold in both Metro and T-Mobile stores, costs $50/month with autopay. Last October, BestMVNO reported on the launch of Earthlink’s fixed wireless plans, which now start at $64.95/month for 50GB of data. And earlier this year, BestMVNO reported that Ultra Mobile launched its own fixed wireless plans. Ultra’s plans start at $54.99/month for 25GB of data. Both providers use the T-Mobile network for coverage. Other carrier owned prepaid brands including DISH’s Boost Mobile, AT&T’s Cricket Wireless, and T-Mobile’s Metro by T-Mobile have yet to launch any branded home internet plans.

T-Mobile is the only other brand to at least try and push home internet through one of its prepaid brands, but it is still a T-Mobile-branded service, not Metro-branded home internet.

Straight Talk’s home internet plan is eligible for an ACP discount. Persons and households who qualify for the benefit will receive a $30 monthly discount on the plan. Those living on tribal lands can get it for free. Verizon has also released a video filmed within a Walmart store that showcases and talks about Straight Talk’s Walmart partnership and the new home internet plan. You can watch the video below.

Straight Talk Wireless has made its first plan changes under Verizon’s ownership. Leading the way with change is the $45 plan which now includes unlimited data. Verizon formally announced the closing of its acquisition of Tracfone and its associated brands on November 23. BestMVNO learned of this particular plan change through a Reddit user. Straight Talk’s $45 plan previously included 25GB of high-speed data before throttling to go along with unlimited talk and text. It also came with 10GB of mobile hotspot data. However, the hotspot feature has now been downgraded. With the plan update, the $45 plan now only has 5GB of hotspot data. Like all of Straight Talk’s other unlimited plans, it may not be truly unlimited. The plan comes with the disclaimer from Straight Talk that “we reserve the right to review your account at 60GB.” Furthermore, Straight Talk’s terms and conditions state:

“In our sole discretion, we will presume you are engaging in an unauthorized use in violation of these Terms and Conditions if, during a 30-day period, you are using more than 60 GB of data, calling for 43,200 voice minutes, or sending over 30,000 text messages (or 3,000 over a 24-hour period), placing calls of an unusually long duration, or if your data, talk or text usage is otherwise harmful or disruptive to the Carrier’s network or to our customer service levels. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you are using your Service in violation of these Terms and Conditions or in any other manner that we deem to be unreasonable or excessive, we may interrupt, suspend, cancel, or terminate your Service.”

However, this 60GB cap, may be more of a soft cap. BestMVNO has heard several reports of customers using well in excess of that data limit without having their service interrupted. The cap may be network or location-dependent. For the time being, Straight Talk Wireless can still be used on the customer’s choice of either the AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon network. Straight Talk Wireless does offer a new customer autopay discount on the plan. Customers who enable autopay billing will pay just $42.50/month for their first 3-months of service.

Straight Talk Has Also Adjusted Several Other Phone Plans

The $45 plan isn’t the only plan to get updated. Straight Talk’s $60/month “Unlimited International” plan also got updated from 25GB of data to “unlimited.” Another plan change is that Straight Talk’s $55 Ultimate Unlimited plan now includes 100GB of cloud storage. It previously had none. There’s also an unconfirmed change with the $35 plan. For months Straight Talk’s $35 plan had a double data offer running on it. Straight Talk’s homepage still lists the plan as having double data. However, the plan details page no longer shows the $35 plan as having double data, an it no longer shows an end date for a double data offer. Instead, the $35 plan just shows as coming with 10GB of high-speed data before throttling, and 5GB of mobile hotspot. Previously, the plan included 5GB of high-speed data, with the double data offer increasing it to 10GB. It is unclear at this time if the double data offer has been made into a permanent plan, or if the double data fine print was accidentally removed from the plan. With the plan changes, Straight Talk Wireless now offers four different unlimited plans. They differ in price by the amount of hotspot data included with each plan, HD video streaming vs SD streaming, cloud storage, international calling, and device insurance.

Straight Talk Wireless has released a new TV commercial. The new ad touts Straight Talk’s rollout of 5G coverage and an offer for a Samsung Galaxy A32 5G smartphone. Notably though, as far as I’m aware for the first time in years, the ad does not feature actor Ed O’Neil doing the read over. O’Neil is most famous for his roles in the TV sitcoms Modern Family and Married With Children. It’s also the first ad that I’m aware of in a few years to not start off with Straight Talk’s featured phrase “it’s time for some Straight Talk.” The new TV ad was recently detailed in a prepaid report issued by the firm Wave7 Research. The full ad, which you can watch below, informs viewers that “5G is here, but the big carriers want you to sign a pricey long term contract to get in on it.” The read over continues with the narrator saying “not anymore,” with a mention of Straight Talk Wireless now having nationwide 5g coverage. The ad continues with a mention that customers can now pick up a Samsung Galaxy A32 5G smartphone for $299. A radio variant of the ad launched just days ago.  

  Straight Talk Wireless primarily uses Verizon’s network for coverage and the mention of nationwide 5G coverage is specific to Verizon’s network which most of its customers use. The brand is sold in stores exclusively at Walmart, and at most stores, Verizon compatible Straight Talk phones are what’s carried. However, BYOD customers can use whichever network they’d like with Straight Talk. T-Mobile Straight Talk BYOD customers should have had 5G access for quite some time. Straight Talk Wireless is a Tracfone brand currently owned by América Móvil. The conglomerate of brands had a rough second quarter of 2021 as a total of 549,000 subscribers were lost. A majority though were due to a loss of SafeLink Lifeline subscribers accounting for 378,000 subs out the door. Straight Talk did however lose 106,000 customers during the quarter. Verizon Wireless continues to pursue closing its acquisition of Tracfone and all its associated brands. The acquisition is currently under regulatory review. If Straight Talk is to reverse course in quarter 3, they’ll need to come out with better offers than a $299 Samsung Galaxy A32 5g. Cricket Wireless for instance currently offers the same phone for $99.99 to switchers. Boost Mobile was offering the phone for $199 online although it is currently listed as out of stock. Metro by T-Mobile is offering the phone for $289.99 but switchers receive a $290 virtual prepaid Mastercard after 3-months of service to offset the cost of the device.

“There is a summer trend of top MVNOs touting 5G. Straight Talk is trumpeting is, while H2O Wireless launched 5G on July 1. Red Pocket Mobile launched 5G not long ago.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research