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Straight Talk How Do You Know Which Carrier Is Going to Have When You Buy a Phone

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You may be able to bring your own phone to this upkeep provider (and save some serious cash), but make sure it works beginning.

Pile of 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 splendid rates.

In the by, these providers were often distinguished from the big brands due to the fact that they offered prepaid, no-contract phones. While such carriers didn't necessarily offering service for the latest smartphones, in that location was a lot of entreatment to their budget-friendly prices. Just every bit the big carriers take started to step away from contracts themselves, the differentiation betwixt the ii types of carriers has grown more vague.

Same Networks, Different Rates

So merely what is the difference from the brand-name carriers and Directly Talk Wireless, a upkeep brand run past a partnership between Walmart and TracFone? Surprisingly little, especially as the mobile network is a MVNO (or "mobile virtual network operator"), pregnant TracFone has agreements with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile to use their networks to provide service.

This means making a switch from your current carrier to Straight Talk'due south $45-a-calendar month unlimited plan (with unlimited talk and text likewise equally up to 5GB of 4G LTE data) is unlikely to fifty-fifty alter your service.

(It'southward worth noting that many of our readers would disagree that the networks are equivalent. When we previously asked for feedback on Directly Talk Wireless, we received dozens of comments describing terrible customer service. However, if you lot don't run into problems, this may be worth the cost savings.)

But is your current phone eligible to make the switch to Straight Talk? That's where this gets a bit more complicated.

Bring Your Own Phone

Direct Talk advertises itself as a "bring your own telephone" carrier, suggesting that you can take whatever telephone you're using on a major carrier and swap it to a Straight Talk program to save cash. If you're bringing an existing phone over, there are still a few caveats:

  • Y'all demand to ain your phone. More and more providers are moving to charter-style programs in which you don't actually own your phone. If you lot're on such a plan, your phone may not be yours to move to another carrier.
  • You demand to exist off-contract. If you bought a telephone through a carrier on a two-year contract, you're locked in with them until the end of your contract period. Cancelling early on may cost you a hefty fee.
  • Your phone needs to be carrier unlocked. Most phones are locked so they only work with that carrier. This doesn't mean you tin can't use them with other carriers — specially 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.

What If I Desire a New Phone?

If you lot want a brand new phone, Direct Talk lets you buy select — only not all — models directly and will back up most new-model GSM or CDMA phones (more on those in a infinitesimal) you bring to the service. Withal, if yous can buy a phone on one of the networks Straight Talk supports, you should be able to run it on Straight Talk too — including the latest iPhone and Android models.

SEE ALSO: Walmart Directly Talk Review: Is the Wireless Service Whatsoever Good?

Just be enlightened that in order to run this phone on Straight Talk information technology volition need to be a carrier-unlocked model, significant you'll either pay total retail cost up front end or accept to use Straight Talk's financing options — both of which may exist less highly-seasoned than what major carriers have to offer. If you don't typically buy unlocked phones, be warned: There may exist some sticker shock, as major carriers will either subsidize your purchase or permit you pay in installments over 12 to 24 months.

Do I Take a GSM or CDMA Phone?

If yous've started the process to sign upward for Direct Talk, the beginning snag you lot've probable encountered is the question of whether y'all have a GSM or CDMA phone. You probably haven't run into this terminology if yous've been using a phone from one of the major carriers, but information technology's important information if you're thinking almost switching networks.

It comes down to the fact that different carriers use different types of technology to communicate. In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM while Verizon and Sprint utilise CDMA — and the technology your phone was congenital to work with limits the networks it will piece of work on. Though this isn't make-or-break for an MVNO network like Directly Talk, you'll need to figure out what kind of phone you take to go appropriately set up.

GSM phones and LTE-capable CDMA phones are (typically) as simple to prepare as swapping SIM cards from your current carrier'south to a Straight Talk SIM (which can be purchased for 99 cents) — but some CDMA phones that don't use SIM cards volition just demand to exist set up on the new network.

Which Phones Can I Utilize?

Straight Talk supports most GSM and CDMA phones and offers nano, micro, and standard SIM cards for use with a variety of telephone models. Yet, what's available in your area will depend on the networks available to you. For case, if you accept a Sprint telephone but have moved to an expanse that doesn't offer Sprint coverage, your existing phone may not work. To check whether your electric current phone volition work, just head to Directly Talk'south website and provide data on your current phone and location. CDMA (Sprint and Verizon) phones require some additional verification to ensure they'll work on the network by entering a device identification number.

Straight Talk will straight sell these models — including both smartphones and feature phones — though you may find the specific models available in your surface area vary:

  • Alcatel Onetouch Pop Icon
  • Alcatel Onetouch Popular Nova LTE
  • Alcatel Onetouch Pop Star LTE
  • Alcatel Onetouch Sonic LTE
  • Huawei Arise II
  • Huawei H215G
  • Huawei Inspira
  • Huawei Pronto LTE
  • Huawei Raven LTE
  • iPhone 6
  • iPhone six Plus
  • LG 441G
  • LG Admission LTE
  • LG Lucky
  • LG Optimus Dynamic 2
  • LG Optimus Fuel
  • LG Sunset LTE
  • LG Ultimate 2
  • Moto E
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace Style
  • Samsung Galaxy Centura
  • Samsung Galaxy Notice
  • Samsung Galaxy Southward III
  • Samsung Milky way S4
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
  • Samsung R375C
  • Samsung S336C
  • ZTE Majesty
  • ZTE Merit
  • ZTE Midnight
  • ZTE Paragon
  • ZTE Rapido LTE
  • ZTE Solar
  • ZTE Unico LTE
  • ZTE Whirl
  • ZTE Valet

You'll notice that none of the latest smartphones are on that list — but they're notwithstanding probable to work on Straight Talk. Any AT&T- or T-Mobile-uniform GSM phone that can use nano, micro, and standard SIM cards should work on the network without trouble, which covers a huge range of modern smartphones.

Readers, what have your experiences been with Straight Talk Wireless? Take you switched whatever of your jail cell phones to the carrier? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this characteristic were bachelor at the everyman full price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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