Wal-Mart to sell Straight Talk, not that big a deal
Something strange was afoot. My RSS reader, filled to the brim with cell phone blogs and various keyword alerts, showed an inordinately high number of unread items. In a normal day I’ll see about 60 unread items between when I empty my reader at 9 a.m. and when I check it again at 2. Yesterday that number was closer to 100. It turns out that there was some pretty big news in prepaid: Wal-Mart will begin distributing Straight Talk cell phone service. I’m not quite sure I understand the overhype, but it is news nonetheless.
In our Straight Talk user reviews, I’ve seen a number of people mention purchasing the device at Wal-Mart. But if the deal was announced today, how can that be? Apparently those users are from Dallas or Atlanta, where Wal-Mart stores featured a trial run of Straight Talk. The experiment has gone well enough for Wal-Mart to expand it nationwide. This was inevitable; cost-conscious consumers are naturally attracted to Straight Talk’s low-cost, high-capacity service plans. Look for Straight Talk at Wal-Mart locations nationwide starting October 18.
Perhaps the most affected carrier in this is Cricket wireless, which recently announced a big box retail strategy. Cricket currently has distribution deals with Target and Best Buy, and they have said that more announcements will come. After yesterday’s Straight Talk announcement, Lund commented that the company planned to announce a distribution deal with Wal-Mart within a week. It sounds odd to hear an official spokesperson — Lund is the Director of Corporate Communications — announce a deal unofficially, but it seemed of necessity in this situation.
Still, Cricket could find trouble. Straight Talk operates on the Verizon Wireless network, which provides nationwide coverage. Cricket, while it does have roaming deals, only provides regional coverage. The advantage the hold is that their $40 plan is about as comprehensive as Straight Talk’s $45 plan. Cricket also has a $45 PAYGo plan that includes unlimited Web.
If you plan to buy either a Cricket or a Straight Talk phone from Wal-Mart, remember that Wal-Mart will only sell you two prepaid phones. Sad, but true in most instances.
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Yeah, they make it sound like the prepaid second coming when we have known about it since June, a full four months.
In a way, it is important in that it will keep the prepaid unlimited price wars burning at full throttle. With Tmobile and their new move, it will be a full scale war on both prepaid and postpaid fronts. At least between Tmobile and Sprint.
I see Cricket and Metro finally merging amidst all this. Buy the stock on the rebound when they announce the merger.
Straight Talk will have a strong impact on the whole industry. My own concern comes from how the rest of the industry will react and when do they finally hit bottom on pricing?
Posted on October 20th, 2009 at 4:58 am
I’ve had the Straight Talk unlimited for a few months now and it certainly is a great plan.
I think the hype is quite well deserved – the mighty distribution channel that is Wal-Mart will mean more people will realize it’s a here-to-stay deal. Also, Targeting the price-conscious consumers of Wal-Mart means ST will perfectly reach their target market. It’s a genius move from ST. I think I can hear a lot of whimpering from their competitors.
Posted on October 20th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I’m glad I can now add airtime by buying cards at the WalMart near my house. Before, it was just available online and in other areas not here.
It’s really a great thing but 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.
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I have Straight Talk. I previously had Verizon then switched to AT&T but the bills were CRAZY!.
When I heard about Straight Talk I couldn’t believe it but got it from Walmart and have had it now for 2 months and it is just sick! I’d heard that it was on Verizon and the coverage is rock steady, so yeah!
Posted on December 27th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
The one thing that really concerns me, is that it states that this is a joint effort between Walmart, Verizon and Tracfone, with Tracfone providing the software and Customer Service. I’ve had Tracfones and a SafeLink phone through Tracfone, and their Customer Service is the absolute worst in the industry. Their service centers are not in the USA but mostly Central America, Belize and Panama, and I will tell you, I have had numerous nightmares trying to very simple issues resolved, mainly due to very poor line connections with static and dropped calls, and of course the language barriers, where although English is spoken, it is not always understood. Some calls to their CSR’s have taken up to 45 minutes(at 25 cents a minute) where I have to keep repeating myself over and over, being put on hold while “they update their system”, and they still got the information wrong! And never a supervisor available. Thanks but No Thanks; I’ll deal with a company whose Customer Service is located in the USA.
Posted on January 6th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Straight Talk is great! I switched from my monthly contract to this prepaid plan and will be saving me over $500 a year with the $30 plan for 1,000 minutes and texts. With it being on the Verizon network, I get the best coverage as well. I’m impressed with Walmart finally taking this plan exclusively nationwide. The savings with Straight Talk are just too perfect!
Posted on January 12th, 2010 at 4:58 pm