Comparing Verizon Wireless with Straight Talk Cell Phone Plans

Dawn Hawkins
Verizon Wireless has long been one of the top selling cell phone companies to ever hit the market. They don't often have high competition but that may all be changing now. Verizon Wireless is well-known for great coverage so that customers don't drop calls. Many people dropped their old plans like hot potatoes when Verizon began offering some of the best service that you could find in a cell phone. Straight Talk cell phones are going to give Verizon a run for their money though.

Comparing Verizon Wireless to Straight Talk Cell Phone Plans

Verizon Wireless

Coverage- Verizon Wireless offers coverage nearly any place you may go. If you live in the United States and travel anywhere in the United States, you can make and receive calls from nearly every location because of the many cell towers that Verizon has added to it's network. This is great for those who have Verizon Wireless service because you don't have to worry about dropped calls. You are not charged roaming charges or out of area calls for any calls that you make either.

Plans- Verizon Wireless offers many phone plans to suit nearly every need. The rate is a bit high but you can connect nearly everywhere and that is why so many people have the service in the first place. The plans can include unlimited texting, calls to anyone in the network without being charged minutes, web browsing and a limited number of minutes to talk to people outside the network.

Price- Verizon charges anywhere from $59.99 to $89.99 per month depending on the plan that you get. This price includes calls and texting, web browsing is another monthly charge if you decide to get it. This is rather high considering that you have to also pay taxes and other hidden charges once the bill comes due. The cost is never really what it appears to be on the surface. Data charges (web browsing) can cost an additional $9.99 a month to $29.99 a month and again comes with a few hidden charges.

Customer Service- Customer service appears to be based in the United States for Verizon Wireless phones. That makes it much easier to talk to someone with whom you can understand what they are saying. This is a huge plus because many customer service centers for many companies around the United States are now based in foreign countries such as India. The only problem is that Verizon Wireless customer service can sometimes be very rude when you are talking to them. Verizon Wireless customers often complain about this problem but to no avail.

Straight Talk

Coverage- The coverage for Straight Talk is the exact same coverage that you get with Verizon Wireless phone service. That is because Straight Talk uses Verizon Wireless towers. That means that you will be able to connect to as many people as you can on a Verizon phone and probably for much less money monthly.

Plans- Straight Talk has two plans to choose from. There are no contracts to sign, no credit checks required and no limits. Straight Talk is a prepaid phone plan without the major expense of other prepaid phones. For instance, you can have the money taken out of your debit card every month so you don't have to worry about cards. If you choose not to do that, you can always purchase the cards at Walmart every month.

Price- The all you need plan is $30 a month and come with a thousand minutes of talk time, a thousand text messages and 30 MB of web browsing. If you truly don't want to be limited you can pay $45 a month. This will give you unlimited access for 30 days. For Verizon, you have to spend $89.99 per month to get unlimited phone calls and texting without web browsing and you have to spend another $29.99 to get unlimited web browsing. In other words, Straight Talk offers the best possible deal when it comes to calling, texting and web browsing. There are also no extra or hidden fees that you will have to pay. You pay for everything when you get the card.

Customer Service- Customer service is based in a foreign country which is one of the biggest drawbacks. You may be on the phone for long periods of time trying to get anything resolved. The biggest issue appears to be switching to the phone. The suggestion is that when changing over phone services, you do so online because it is easier. This may mean that you won't be able to keep your current number and switch it over, but the service will be started much faster.

You can save a lot of money using the Straight Talk phone service. Verizon Wireless does offer a variety of ways in order to connect to family and friends, however, it can be extremely expensive. You can sometimes be very surprised at the amount of money that you end up spending per month as compared to the total that you thought you were going to pay. The Straight Talk phone is pretty straight forward. You pay for the plan, you can't go over your minutes and you get exactly what you pay for. Many people are making the switch from traditional phone services like Verizon Wireless and opting for the much cheaper prepaid type phone system that you get with Straight Talk. It is worth considering the options that you have in order to save, possibly, hundreds of dollars per year.

Published by Dawn Hawkins

I am a freelance writer who has been working from home for two years writing for online communities. I previously worked in the accounting department in a corporate office. It was a very long commute and the...  View profile

6 Comments

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  • Stephanie1/29/2011

    I understand that some people have experienced bad customer service, but patience is a virtue, you'll get it working. It's not as bad as some make it out to be, and if it is, i think it's worth at least giving it a try because there is no contract and there is no other plan with more affordable prices offering what StraightTalk does. I pay $45 a month and unlimited talk, text, and web. I have no problems btw. I love my Nokia E71 combined with Straight Talk. I say people should give a chance, you won't regret it.

  • Brainiac Jr.1/29/2011

    Those in the know discovered that the best way to deal with Straight Talk customer service is to do it through their Facebook page. They have fulltime support there and they know their stuff, seriously, Check it out!!

  • Julia Jones12/29/2010

    I've had a really good experience with Straight Talk. Their prices are unbeatable, service is pretty decent and I now have a Smartphone that can do pretty much everything I want on my unlimited $45 plan. It's the way to go!

  • Terry12/15/2010

    I am back with Straight Talk for the second time. I dropped Sprint for them and got their Samsung R355c because it ran on Verizon network and Verizon had WAY better coverage than Sprint in my area. I found the Samsung didn't offer what I needed in a phone for my business but the nework was great so I signed a contract with Verizon.....bad idea. My cell phone bill went through the roof. Then, Straight Talk started offering the Nokia E71 with full smartphone capabilities and I bought one and ditched my contratct with Verizon. Cost me $350 etf with Verizon and $200 to pay for the E71 but in reality that is only the price of 4 months worth of service if I would have stayed with Verizon. The E71 uses the ATT network which is good in my area too and it does everything....and I mean everything that my BB Storm II did with Verizon. Its a no brainer for me. I'll totally be with Straight Talk as long as they offer this type of service!!

  • James9/26/2010

    If Verizon was a smart company then they would do the free mobile to mobile with Straight Talk since there on the same network...Do they know if they that they could get a higher percentage out of Straight talks phone sells and Straight Talk would do way better too cause people would start buying the crap out of there phones. Man people go to collage and crap to run there own business but they hardly ever know what the smart move would be.... If you agree with me people then let me... I mean really Verizon I didnt even graduate high school...

  • Matthew Austin9/6/2010

    You get what you pay for. Straight Talk is a nightmare. If one of your refills goes bad you can give up any chance of resolution. I know. My girlfriend and I just spent two days trying to fix a problem with them. Save a headache and do not use Straight Talk!

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