Net10 institutes 1.5GB cap for AT&T SIM cards

SIM card fiasco that erupted at Tracfone brands Net10 and Straight Talk. To recap, last month the listing for AT&T SIM cards on both the Straight Talk and Net10 sites were removed, with no explanation. Speculation abounded, but no one got a firm answer. Over on Howard Forums, though, someone did come up with the right answer. It was just one forum poster, though, so it was prudent to not run with it. But he was right nonetheless: it turned out AT&T SIM users were hogging data. Just before the AT&T SIM cards were removed from Straight Talk and Net10 websites, we saw an interview wherein a Straight Talk rep said there was no set data cap for iPhone users. Instead Straight Talk managed it on a floating basis. If someone used 500MB of data in a day, for instance, they got their data speeds throttled for the rest of the month. It was a precautionary measure aimed to stop slowdowns on a given day. Still, a hard cap seemed to make more sense. Starting today, March 1, Net10 has instituted a hard cap of 1.5GB for all AT&T SIM customers. They’ve laid out this policy at Net10Data.com, and are even offering to switch disgruntled customers to a T-Mobile SIM, which still offers “unlimited” data (presumably with the floating cap still in place). It is unclear if Straight Talk will enforce the same policy, but it seems likely. [Update: Straight Talk will not be affected at this time.] At this time, AT&T SIM cards still do not appear on the Net10 website or the Straight Talk website. ]]>

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5 Comments

  1. Stacy on March 1, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    FYI Net10 does sell the ATT sim cards again on their site. Best I can tell though is that you have to be in a service area that cannot use Tmobile..ex: 28677



  2. Jared Lawson on March 7, 2013 at 6:21 pm

    I don’t get it. Contract companies used no offer unlimited and no longer do for same reasons. If the demand is there why don’t they just upgrade their towers and equipment to handle it?



  3. Jared Lawson on March 7, 2013 at 6:23 pm

    I JUST today bought a net ten att sim from a local retail store for the sake of this plan and my first new smart phone. I won’t be activating if for a week or two, and now may decide to just activate with straight talk instead and their att sim. We will see. FYI peeps if you but a sim kit from a retail store you can still get the att sim if you still want it.
    http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/02/02/psa-straight-talk-and-net10-sold-out-of-att-sim-cards-online-dont-panic/



  4. Jamie Lincoln on March 30, 2013 at 12:39 am

    Net 10 Payment (http://www.net10payment.com) has also confirmed regarding the cap for Net 10 wireless customers for AT&T based services under Net 10 brand.



  5. robert murphy on June 10, 2013 at 10:55 pm

    I’ve been with Straight Talk for almost a year and haven’t had any issues. On June 4 I noticed my data plan get shut off. I haven’t been using excessive amounts of data. After calling the Straight Talk customer service….which is the worst I’ve ever enountered, they will try to transfer you to their (data department) which is a pre recording of how not to use excessive data. It basicly tells you to use wifi everywhere you go. After charging me for a new month on June 4th, I’ve found out that my data will not come back until July 4th. This is unacceptable and I really feel cheated. If I was disconnected for a violation of unlimited data, why charge me for another month and keep me disconnected? I want to switch to another provider just out of spite.