Straight Talk’s Ultimate Unlimited Review

Performance

Straight Talk doesn't have any cell towers of its own, but it leases towers from the Big Three wireless carriers -- Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile  -- to deliver nationwide coverage to its customers. This enables them to offer affordable wireless service without the expense of building and maintaining a huge infrastructure of towers. But the downside to these plans is that they usually don't have access to the same speeds that the companies that actually own the towers are able to offer.

Straight Talk, like many wireless carriers offering an unlimited plan, throttle data speeds after a certain point. But unlike the other major carriers, Straight Talk does not specify what its "high speeds" are, so it's unclear whether it is the same 4G LTE that has become the standard for much of the country today. Once you exceed your monthly high-speed data limits, Straight Talk reduces your data speeds to 2G speeds, which may affect your ability to stream or access the web from your mobile device.

Price

Straight Talk offers a wider variety of cell phone plans than many of its competitors do. All Striaght Talk plans are prepaid. That's one of the reasons that the company's plan are lower-cost than competitors' plans. There are three unlimited nationwide plans ranging from $35 per month per line to $55 per line. These plans vary in their available high-speed data and whether or not there's hotspot data included. There's also an Unlimited International plan for $60 per month. All plans are month-to-month, but you can save even more by purchasing several months of service at a time. Straight Talk's unlimited plans are more affordable than the unlimited plans you'll find with the Big Three, so it's worth considering if you're on a budget.

Straight Talk is also one of the few cell phone providers that still enables you to purchase smaller data plans. Its Basic plan includes 1,500 calling minutes and 100 MB of data for $30 per month. There's also the option to purchase additional high-speed data if you burn through all of yours in one month. This kind of flexibility also makes it suitable for individuals who want a cell phone but don't use it often enough to justify an unlimited plan.

Another way that Straight Talk helps keep costs low for users is by allowing them to bring their own phone from another carrier. You may need to purchase a new SIM card when you switch, but this is much cheaper than paying for a brand-new phone.

Trustworthiness

We weren't able to track down any security issues with Straight Talk. Unlike the Big Three wireless carriers, Straight Talk hasn't been a victim of hacking in recent years and no customer personal information has been stolen.

As for what customers have to say about Straight Talk, their reviews were lukewarm. In the 2019 J.D. Power U.S. Wireless Customer Care Study, Straight Talk received an average rating of three out of five in the Non-Contract Value category. This does not mean that you will have a bad experience with Straight Talk, but you should understand what you're getting. While it uses the same networks as the Big Three, at present, the company is unable to offer the same speeds as the largest providers. Again, this is one way Straight Talk keeps costs low. If you don't stream a ton and price is a major factor in choosing your cell phone provider, Straight Talk could still be a great fit.