Posted on 10/22/2009 12:34:38 PM PDT by Abathar
Walmart plans to extend its near-monopoly status on many things with new cell phone plans. It's Straight Talk cell phone plans will start at 30 dollars per month and will have no contracts coming with it.
Walmart cell phone plans will be exclusively available nationwide in its more than 3200 stores this Sunday. The new cell phone plans are very attractive and the giant retailer, that has already entered into other non-traditional areas of retailing, promises a harsh competition toward the other local and national wireless service providers.
The new Straight Talk cell phone plans from Wal-Mart will drive down the prices.
The company said yesterday that its $30 dollar monthly cell phone plan includes many goodies. It will have 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts, 30MB of mobile Web access, nationwide coverage and 411 calls at no extra charge. For these types of services we are all paying an average of $78 dollars a month. The New Walmart cell phone plans are designed to say the consumer nearly 500 dollars a year.
Another plan that Walmart will provide is for $45 dollars.
The company says that its $45 dollar cell phone plan will give the consumer the following services. It will have unlimited services such as minutes, text and mobile web. The Walmart 45 dollar plan will also have a nationwide coverage and 411 Information calls at no extra charge.
The only one thing that was not understood about the Walmart's Straight Talk cell phone plans is the speed of the unlimited mobile web that the consumers will get. At this time we could not reach officials at Walmart to find that out.
These cheaper prices will take away the market share from the other major cell phone service providers. However, the consumer will gain from it. There is no reason one should be locked in an expensive cell phone service plan in the 21st century. In fact, I am looking forward to this new price drop in cell phone services and commend Walmart with this new bold step of Straight Talk cell phone plan.
Walmart says TracFone Wireless, Inc. has helped to develop its cell phone plan Straight Talk. It is an exclusive Walmart service.
I wonder if they consulted John McCain on the name of the plan.
Give me iWal-mart. Can’t be worse than AT&T.
All the other wireless providers have milked us for far too long. Costs have come down, yet they use predatory methods to make sure they find ways to increase your bill. There are many swmaller companies offering $50/month plans with unlimited minutes.
Hope it works out better for them than it did for John...
I’m once again trapped in a two-year contract...I hate being pushed around by my telephone...if I could keep my number it might be worth switching - I’ve thought about it.
Walmart begins cell phone plans — prepaid plans with no contracts ... (with crap phones). Let me use my quality smartphone on their network with their plan and then we’re getting somewhere.
I wonder how much taxes, federal “fees” (more taxes), access charges, ect. will add to the bill?
I went with Net10 for that exact reason, no contract.
Strait $.10 a minute and I don’t use it often enough to worry about an expensive plan like most people have.
That $45 plan is almost worth paying the cancellation fee on my current plan. I wonder if it’s compatible with my unlocked blackjack II or if I have to buy a new phone. That would hold me back from switching.
This is a good deal but for the time being my Tracfone is a better deal. Just be sure to get a good phone, however. The quality of the one I have is equal to a land based unit. Some of the later units are crap.
I have go phone, it is $27.09 for 3 months of service ( I don not use my phone much). My daughter adds unlimited text to her plan for $20 per month.
Net 10 is tracphone, and I had a terrible experience when I “tried” this service. Never again.
Unlimited minutes and mobile web , text for &45.00 is a great deal. The only concern is coverage dead spots , etc .
You might want to research this online. You should be able to do it.
“Walmart plans to extend its near-monopoly status on many things”
I don’t get this at all. If they have a near-monopoly on anything, it’s in retail sales. That’s one monopoly, not many.
By the way, if this is monopoly, what’s wrong with monopolies?
Indeed
The plan won’t be for everyone, but what it will do is force the other carriers to drop their prices to match all the soccer moms and teen kids who will switch to it, and that’s their bread and butter in the profit areas.
If I'm at work, I use the work phone.
If I'm home, I use the home phone.
If I'm between the two, I really don't need to waste my time jabbering with or texting my "BFF" about the days sports scores.
I want $500 cash on hand, not said!
I pay $49/month for unlimited minutes plus $24 for unlimited web/text with T-Mobile.
I expect the web/ text charge to go away within the next year if they want to keep my business if this Wal-Mart service is good.
The $45 dollar plan is a pretty good deal, I wonder how long before ATT, Verizon, and Sprint will be forced to match this offer.
At some point the may well have to. I have a plan with Sprint that I’ve had for many years which is no longer available. They try every which way to get me out of it and to sign up for new plan. The $45 Walmart plan with unlimited minutes, nationwide calling, etc will certainly force their hands.
I only use it in the car, and that rarely. I bought a $100 card and a $40 phone, it’s good for a year and I still have plenty of minutes left over when I buy a new card. Comes in handy when I need to find a kid or ask the wife what brand tomato sauce I should get, but other than that I never use it.
I got my elderly mom to go with that plan. Saves her at least $30/month.
Take a look at
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
No contract plans
We have what you might consider stand by phones, not heavy talkers.
We pay $20.00 every three months for each phone. This normally covers our minute use The phone choices range from free to @ $100.00
That’s nothing, I pay a goose egg for a cell phone service!
I don’t use Net 10 so I don’t know what your “terrible experience” is and it has nothing to do with my Tracfone experience which I have used for about three years. We dumped our contract phone services long ago as a huge rip-off. The Tracfones use the same towers as the big boys and the reception is perfect. I have talked to people in Europe and the conversation is crystal clear.
I don’t know what your beef is with Tracfone nor what kind of phone you have. I only have my own experience to draw on. I’m spending about $10 a month, as is my wife.
My stepfather-in-law is on the $30/month Straight Talk plan right now. It’s on the Verizon network (at least in Atlanta) so coverage is excellent. He had to buy the phone, a Motorola Razr V3a, for $119 up front. He didn’t do his through Wal-Mart obviously since they haven’t started theirs up yet, but he’s definitely on Straight Talk and it’s the $30/month plan mentioned in this article. So far he says he’s quite pleased with it over his old T-Mobile plan.
}:-)4
I’ll check out Net10. I had a plan with mego-minutes on it, then found out the minutes roll over but then they do drop off after a period of time - that was nice to know - I’ve been reducing my phone features (texting, for example - I never do that) but the bill is still too high. Ugh.
I’m already getting unlimited minutes and texts for $42 per month incl.tax. from Cricket with no contract. I never text.
The coverage is spotty in some areas but the cost is right.
All of these low cost no contract providers will force price cuts in the other providers to stay competitive.
You got an free Obamaphone?!?
(Okay, them are fighting words...)
Free Obamaphone? Wow, that’s even a better deal for my free no cell phone service!
Do you get internet service with that plan? This is the first one I have seen with free unlimited web access also.
Thanks! I think I chose a phone too quickly last time and didn’t shop like I should have. This looks good. It might be a good idea to keep my current phone (the number most people have for reaching me) but keep the minimum plan, then have a second noncontract one - or buy out my current contract....owning a phone shouldn’t be this complex.
I just had to have "a talk" with hubby about our T-Mobile, he went over the monthly allotted minutes using it for local calls all the time and we got hit for it big time. What you do is the exact advice I gave him. I rarely ever use my phone except to call my Mom long distance twice a week and my daughter once a week and those conversations usually don't last more than 15 minutes max.
I'm || this close to canceling my T-Mobile service and going prepaid. We had to get a landline because we just moved to a new apartment where my wife and I get no signal. I get no signal at work so my cell is useless there as well. Yet I still pay over $100/month to have two cell phones!
When I got my landline, I just placed my new number on the info page of my Facebook where only my friends could see it. Solved that problem.
I would like to give up my landline altogether but have kept it because I use DSL.
Does anyone know if you can hook up a phone (with unlimited internet) to your desktop computer (router) and use it as a modem to power your home network?
TIA
I have been very happy with my TracPhone as well. I buy minutes once a year, and usually get a free double of minutes. I don’t use it very much, which makes it super cheap. I spend around $100/year, I think. I’m not a cellphone ‘user.’ It’s for work and emergencies. But it works great where contract phones in my area have dropouts and low coverage areas.
I don’t know...
We might need to appoint a cell-phone Czar to run this by. It could lead to bailouts for the major cell providers too.
“When I got my landline, I just placed my new number on the info page of my Facebook where only my friends could see it. Solved that problem.”
That’s a good idea. I have a landline too, because my signal at home is sometimes weak. I know many people give up the landline, but I’m afraid to do that. So seems like I have the landline just so the unsolicited callers can get in touch with me. (good thing we all have caller ID!) :)
Me too!
Just signed up for a plan with ConsumerCellular (through AAA and on the AT & T network). One of the phones offered is free, $35 activation, no contract, and plans start at $20/month. $10 to add on a person.
The Wal-mart plan sounds better. May send my new phone back without even opening the box. Major cellular company was killing our budget and we had to get out.
My wife and I saved about five hundred bucks a year by dropping our contract cell-phone provider. I went with the Tracfone, and she gets hers free by partnering with her daughter. I make about two or three cell-phone calls a month. If that.
You have limited phone selection but it runs on the Verizon 3G service.
Sprint will have to move their Boost Mobile to completely 3G to compete with the Walmart plan. But then again they purchased the other half of VIRGIN MOBILE just in order to do this and has been doing the ALL YOU CAN EAT with unlimited since may on Boost.
My son is on pageplus mobile which is a $39.95 unlimited service on Verizon’s network. Its an all you can eat program with talk and text.
http://www.pagepluswireless.com/
You might look into Skype.
You may be able to port your old number to your new one.
My tracfone works great! It's dirt cheap, has a camera, the game Tetris (highly addicting), the ability to text. I haven't set up anything for internet capability; I just use everything else. It's the perfect emergency phone.
No, but I have an idea that they offer some sort of wireless internet.
I have the old fashiond notion that I can use a phone but not a tiny keyboard for internet messages or whateverr. All these whistles and bells aren’t for me.
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