Run the numbers

According to the most recent studies, Americans are overpaying for their phone plans.

No surprise there. You might expect, however, that most people pay extra for calls not included in their cell plans.

While it's certainly true of some, surprisingly, a new study says the average wireless consumer uses around 760 minutes and sends over 400 text messages a month. The same study showed that the average monthly cell phone bill is about $50.

While it's commendable to pump extra money into the economy, as a consumer, it's usually a bad idea to overpay for anything.

With Straight Talk's All You Need plan, you're getting 1,000 nationwide anytime minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of data (about 350 web pages) for $30... which is 40% less than $50.

And if you're a frequent talker and mad texter, for another $15 you get Unlimited talk and text for 10% less than the $50 monthly average... only $45 every 30 days.

Really, in this day and age, there's no reason to overpay for your phone.

Just run the numbers and you'll see!

Unlimited! Or All You Need!

The rumors and reports are true.

In addition to the original $30 ALL YOU NEED plan, Straight Talk now offers UNLIMITED.

Thirty days of unlimited anytime minutes and texts for $45.

No contract. No bills.

Simple!

Straight Talk.

The superior value of Straight Talk

Recently, CTIA, the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers, issued a response to a report on international phone usage.

They confirmed that Straight Talk is leading the way in providing superior value.

"(A) number of unlimited voice and text message plans have been introduced by U.S. wireless companies providing U.S. consumers with even greater value. For example, TracFone offers its 'Straight Talk' plan of unlimited minutes and text, nationwide, any time, for $45 a month."

It's official: Straight Talk is your best choice for saving money with unlimited nationwide anytime talk and text!

Average. Or above average?

How much do you spend on your cellphone every month?

Do you know? If not, never mind. Here's a better question: how many minutes do you talk? How many texts do you send and receive?

According to the cellphone industry's trade group CTIA, the average minutes used per month is around 760 and the average number of texts is 400.

If you sign up for Straight Talk's $30 ALL YOU NEED plan with 1,000 nationwide anytime minutes and 1,000 texts, you're good!

If you're paying more than that... not so good!

But if your talking and texting are ABOVE average, throw in another 15 bucks and you get UNLIMITED nationwide anytime minutes and texts. $45 for 30 days of Unlimited nationwide anytime minutes and texts? Yes!

The cellphone industry group cites the “'Straight Talk plan of unlimited minutes and text, nationwide, any time, for $45 a month" for "providing U.S. consumers with even greater value."

For more into and links to purchase Straight Talk phones and airtime, click here.

This is not a test

If you heard or read that the fantastic Straight Talk prepaid phone service is a test or a trial, I'd like to state unequivocally that it is not!

Anyone who says otherwise is full of... baloney!

The "trial" is a small issue regarding the use of the Verizon name in the Straight Talk packaging. It really has nothing to do with anything. It's just a business thing.

So if you're interested in getting a great deal on your phone service, listen to the Straight Talk -- not the baloney.

Genuine Straight Talk

I was doing an online search on the term "straight talk" a few weeks ago and I came upon a bunch of stories about a new cell phone service called... "Straight Talk."

Imagine that!

I was trying to find the origin of the term and how it had been subverted by the media but this was far more interesting: a no-contract phone that offered 30 days of service for either $30 or $45 with 1,000 minutes of talk and 1,000 texts, or unlimited talk and text.

To have unlimited phone service for $45 a month seemed like a great deal to me but apparently the phone industry was freaking out over it, if you believed the online reports (like here, here and here.)

But my AT&T contract had just expired and I was thinking about dumping it for another company with better coverage. I just about freaked when I read that Straight Talk runs on Verizon's network! I asked around and my friends told me that they loved the Verizon coverage; no dropped calls, dead spots etc.

So when I dug into it a bit and saw the phones that Straight Talk offered, I was a little disappointed -- at first.

But when I thought about how I used my phone -- to talk and text and maybe check out a website here and there -- the Moto RAZR was more than fine! And the 30MB of included data was fine, too; it's the equivalent of 350 typical web pages, I learned. Works for me!

The only thing was that Straight talk was available in some "select" Walmart stores -- none near me. But that wasn't an obstacle. I ordered it online here and had it delivered to my local Wally Mart for pickup.

Easy!

I'll post a more later about what I think of it and how it works but so far so good!