Are Straight Talk and Net10 just sold out of AT&T SIM cards?

Straight Talk, Tracfone, and Net10 have removed AT&T SIM cards from their offerings. These MVNOs allow you to bring your own phone from each of the four major networks, but as of last week they ceased offering SIM cards for AT&T phones. This creates a number of issues for potential customers. Could the answer be as simple as them being sold out? The Android blog Android Police says they have “confirmed the AT&T cards are simply sold out in the online stores, so the sites don’t offer AT&T as a signup option at all.” There are still parties disputing this claim, saying that the agreement between AT&T and Tracfone is near expiration and that this is a negotiating ploy. Given the complete removal of the AT&T SIM option, rather than a notation of it being sold out, this explanation makes a bit more sense than them being sold out. Still, Android Police is a source I’ve grown to trust, so I don’t take lightly their confirmation. Perhaps the greatest effect of the AT&T SIM situation could come for GameStop, which recently announced that it will sell Net10 SIM cards. For about a year now GameStop has sold used Apple devices, including iPhones. The idea is to pair a used iPhone with a Net10 SIM card — one from AT&T. If this really is a contract situation, GameStop will find their Net10 deal in serious trouble not long after launch. In order to make it work they would likely have to unlock all of their iPhone stock and then offer it on T-Mobile-based SIM cards, which will provide users with EDGE speeds only. Not ideal. We’re still awaiting word from any of the involved parties. One would think that if they were sold out, they would have just said it at this point. ]]>

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6 Comments

  1. deathtrip on February 4, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Yes, They are completely out of stock on the AT&T version of their SIMs. They are on backorder and a rep with Movil told me she didn’t have a date when the SIMs would be available. I’ve been waiting to order more SIMs for about a week now.



  2. Chuck on February 4, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    I just ordered 2 at&t sims from Walmart web last week and got them on 1/29/13 so Walmart still has some in stock.



  3. Eddie on February 4, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    Strange that in the internet age this much time can go by and we still can’t find out what is really going on with Straight Talk and AT&T. You would think someone with some inside knowledge would spill the beans.



  4. deathtrip on February 5, 2013 at 10:28 am

    The problem with buying the ST ATT cards from Walmart or Amazon is the outrageous price difference. I bought 10 Net10 AT&T cards from Amazon for $2.50 each, just to have on stock, but the ST ones are the ones I really need.



  5. Eddie on February 6, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    Today I received the same stock email reply that everyone been getting..
    My name is Shannon and I’m with Straight Talk. Thanks for your interest on our Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program. We are not selling SIM cards which are compatible with AT&T devices at this time. We’ll bring them back as soon as we can and will work to keep you up to date on this issue. You may also check on your nearby participating Walmart stores for the availability of Straight Talk SIM cards. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at ST.CorpResolutionTeam@straighttalk.com. Thank you!
    Best regards,
    Shannon
    Thank you for your patience, while we respond to your inquiry.
    Shannon
    At least it sounds like ST and AT&T will still be in business.



  6. Malissa on February 16, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    I just connected a used ATT iphone to ST and had some issues. They sent me the Tmobile card which was not micro. I was very confused with the ordering process as it didn’t really ask many questions. My husband found a template to cut the sim down and it worked. I got connected and saw my buddy today he’s been with ST since the summer and has an ATT sim. He’s getting way better signal than me. We were sitting next to each other and he was pulling 3G and I was not. I also have not figured out how to enable MMS at this pint and have not had much luck finding anything. My buddy suggests I get the ATT sim and swap it. ST did tell me Walmart was the only place to get them. I was yelling at the chick because the whole thing seemed like such a scam…send me a card that doesn’t fit and you keep my $16 because it’s non refundable! That’s the bigger picture….they are sending shit out that doesn’t work to people who don’t know what they are getting….and they don’t care!