If you’re like many people, your monthly cell phone bill has been creeping higher and higher over time. The addition of second and third lines, family plans, text and data messaging has provided big leaps in functionality at the cost of just modest additional fees … but those fees do add up.
Today, just in time for the recession, the average monthly cell phone bill for Americans, at nearly $80, is as high as it’s ever been. So it’s no wonder that new suppliers have been nosing around this market for awhile now, including those offering VoIP phone services over the web at a fraction of the cost.
And now Wal-Mart has gotten into the fray. On course to become the low-price leader in seemingly every imaginable consumer product and service, Wal-Mart has decided to roll out a new wireless cell phone service called Straight Talk.
Instead of the plethora of “complicated, convoluted and confusing” contracts that seem to be so common in the industry, Wal-Mart’s Straight Talk is offering just two plans – and neither of them requires a signed contract.
One plan offers unlimited minutes, texting and mobile web user for $45 per month. A cheaper, $30 monthly plan allows for 1,000 voice minutes, 1,000 text messages and 30 megabytes of web usage. Consumers may refill their monthly balances by buying refill cards at Wal-Mart stores or by registering online.
And what about those irritating “add on” charges that always seem to add $10 or $15 extra to your monthly bill? Wal-Mart’s aiming to limit those as well. For example, 411 directory assistance calls are free.
A pilot program, conducted this summer partnership with TracFone Wireless at 234 stores, was so successful that Wal-Mart has decided to introduce the program nationally in time for the holiday shopping season. In fact, the rollout begins this week at 3,200 Wal-Mart stores across the country. Wal-Mart is promoting the service as one that will save consumers ~$500 a year.
Considering how cost-conscious people are at the present time, the promise of savings like that are enough to encourage even those families saddled with early termination penalty clauses in their service contracts to ditch their current suppliers.
Here’s a prediction: It won’t be long before Verizon and AT&T begin to offer similarly discounted and/or no-contract services to their customers. Now, if only they had done so before … they might actually have higher customer satisfaction scores than their current mediocre (or worse) ratings.
Nones Notes 
I have one of these plans. They’re great! Can recommend them to anyone. The coverage is far superior to anything else I’ve tried so far.
I am a recent StraightTalk customer and loving the savings!! The reception is also great since it runs on Verizon’s network. Two thumbs up!
It’s an excellent deal. And it’s a quality product. Good phone, great coverage.
But for me, 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.
$30. dollar for the phonecard and $30. for the phone? If that’s right, it sounds real GOOD.
It looks great, but can’t find anywhere if comes with voicemail?
Great post!
I have Straight Talk, which is just an amazing deal. I was skeptical at first, but everything good I’d heard about it is true. No more crappy coverage from AT+T. The Verizon network is solid and I haven’t dropped a call yet.
I think $45 a month is fantastic and I got a very nice Samsung phone with a qwerty keyboard, so texting and web surfing is easy, too. I’m saving hundreds of dollars a year now so it’s pretty awesome.
I’m not the only one who thinks so, either.
I have Straight Talk on the Verizon network. I bought it at Wal-Mart 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 have to agree – great post! I just got Straight Talk at the beginning of the year and I couldn’t be happier. Straight Talk exceeded my expectations of a prepaid company. The $45-a-month unlimited plan is wonderful and I don’t have to worry about overage fees anymore. The phones are well priced and I was able to finally purchase a new phone and not worry about incurring a contract I didn’t want.
Straight Talk’s Verizon network is very dependable and so much better than my previous carrier’s. I’m saving money and paying only for what I need the phone for.
Straight Talk is just a great deal.
What i need to know is right now is this: On Verizon, anyone with Verizon can call me and it costs them nothing. DOES THIS CARRY OVER ON THIS PLAN SINCE IT’S VERIZON? Because if not, it’s not a good deal for me because it would cost my kids a lot to call me. Someone please answer this, as this is my only holdback.