This doesn't mean you can't use them with other carriers - especially a network like Straight Talk, which is only using major carriers' networks - but you're likely to have to talk to your carrier to unlock your device. Most phones are locked so they only work with that carrier. Your phone needs to be carrier unlocked.Cancelling early may cost you a hefty fee. If you bought a phone through a carrier on a two-year contract, you're locked in with them until the end of your contract period. If you're on such a plan, your phone may not be yours to move to another carrier. More and more providers are moving to lease-style programs in which you don't actually own your phone. If you're bringing an existing phone over, there are still a few caveats: Straight Talk advertises itself as a "bring your own phone" carrier, suggesting that you can take whatever phone you're using on a major carrier and swap it to a Straight Talk plan to save cash.
However, if you don't run into issues, this may be worth the cost savings.)īut is your current phone eligible to make the switch to Straight Talk? That's where this gets a bit more complicated. When we previously asked for feedback on Straight Talk Wireless, we received dozens of comments describing terrible customer service. (It's worth noting that many of our readers would disagree that the networks are equivalent. This means making a switch from your current carrier to Straight Talk's $45-a-month unlimited plan (with unlimited talk and text as well as up to 5GB of 4G LTE data) is unlikely to even alter your service. So just what is the difference from the brand-name carriers and Straight Talk Wireless, a budget brand run by a partnership between Walmart and TracFone? Surprisingly little, especially as the mobile network is a MVNO (or "mobile virtual network operator"), meaning TracFone has agreements with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile to use their networks to provide service.
But as the big carriers have started to step away from contracts themselves, the differentiation between the two types of carriers has grown more vague. While such carriers didn't necessarily offer service for the latest smartphones, there was a lot of appeal to their budget-friendly prices. In the past, these providers were often distinguished from the big brands due to the fact that they offered prepaid, no-contract phones. Though you're probably familiar with the major smartphone carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, there are a lot of smaller providers offering reasonable service at excellent rates.