Spectrum Mobile™ vs Straight Talk

It sounds a little strange when we hear that cell phones were considered a luxury twenty years ago. Today, nearly 307 million Americans (92.4 percent of the US population) own a mobile phone and on average we check our phones 334 times a day. The advent of smartphones and our heavy reliance on them to stay informed has compelled us to look for mobile plans that support high data connectivity at affordable rates.

In this blog, we will discuss Spectrum Mobile™ vs. Straight Talk cellphone plans to help you decide on the best cellphone carrier for your mobile device.

Spectrum Mobile™

Charter Communications rebranded itself for its residential customers in 2014. In present times, Spectrum is an American telecommunications giant that offers internet, telephone, cable TV, home security, and mobile phone services in 41 states of the country. In June 2018, Spectrum announced that it would offer cellular coverage of a 4G LTE network for mobile phone users across its footprint. Spectrum became a mobile virtual network provider (MVNO) by launching Spectrum Mobile™ service on Verizon’s fixed wireless network.

The three biggest mobile phone network providers in the USA: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile lease their network data and traffic to smaller cellular network operators, called the MVNOs. Instead of investing a huge amount of time and money in building an entire mobile network from scratch, these small operators purchase services from the Big 3 that have an existing infrastructure of wireless LTE towers throughout the country. MVNOs can offer the same mobile plans at lower rates by saving costs on the construction and maintenance of 4G and 5G LTE towers.

Verizon is the largest carrier of wireless communications for cell phones and its footprint spreads over 70 percent of the country. In August 2022, Verizon had around 142.8 million customers, whereas its competitors, T-Mobile and AT&T, had 110.0 million and 101.8 million customers, respectively.

Spectrum Mobile™ service is available for all Spectrum Internet customers. When you subscribe to any one of the three Spectrum Internet® plans, you get one free Spectrum Mobile™ line with unlimited calls, texts, and data for a year. You can continue with the Spectrum Mobile™ service after 12 months by picking one of the two mobile plans or walking away without paying a single penny. Spectrum is a no-contract service provider, meaning all services can be terminated anytime you wish.

You can activate Spectrum Mobile™ service on your current mobile phone through the Spectrum Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) offer or exchange your old phone with a new one from the Spectrum Mobile™ store by signing up for the Spectrum Mobile™ Trade-In deal.

As of today, Spectrum Mobile™ has 4.3 million subscribers on its network and it continues to be a popular choice of cellular connectivity for Americans.

Pros

• Unlimited plans at affordable rates
• Spectrum BYOD & Trade-in Deals
• Phones for sale at discounted prices
• Strong Network Coverage
• Free access to Spectrum WiFi hotspots
• Excellent Customer Service

Cons

• Is available only for existing Spectrum Internet subscribers.

Straight Talk

In 2009, TracFone Wireless, Inc. (now a subsidiary of Verizon Communications) launched another one of its subsidiaries by the name of Straight Talk. The wireless communications service provider is based in Miami, Florida, and uses the Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint LTE networks to offer its customers mobile phone coverage. Straight Talk’s MVNO journey is relatively straightforward.

In October 2009, Straight Talk launched its cellular services on the Verizon wireless network. In July 2010, the company partnered with AT&T Mobility and purchased data traffic from its GSM network. To expand its coverage area around the country, a month later, it bought bandwidth from T-Mobile for its prepaid mobile plans. By 2011, it has added Sprint Corporation to its list of mobile network operators. As a result, Straight Talk’s 4G prepaid plans were available for Android phone users in 90 percent of the country.

Straight Talk is a no-contract mobile phone service that can be bought either through the brand’s official website or from Walmart (physical and online stores). Customers can choose between six fixed and unlimited plans that start from $30 per month.

Like Spectrum Mobile, Straight Talk customers can purchase new cell phones from the company in easy monthly installments. As a Straight Talk customer, you can benefit from deals like BYOD, device trade-in, and number porting to get the best user experience.

Currently, 9.5 million mobile users are subscribed to Straight Talk and as the company plans to expand its Home Internet availability around the country, the number is forecasted to increase.

Pros

• Fixed and unlimited plans
• Trade in Deals
• New Phones Available for Sale

Cons

• Costly Plans
• Internet Data is Slow
• Family Plans are not available
• Poor Customer Service
• Data Caps on Unlimited Plans

Mobile Service Comparison – Spectrum Mobile™ vs Straight Talk

Mobile Data Plans

Spectrum Mobile™ and Straight Talk offer multiple fixed and unlimited mobile data plans at varying prices. Spectrum Mobile™ data plans are twice as cheap as Straight Talk plans, and you get double the perks with the service.

Let’s look at Spectrum Mobile™ & Straight Talk cellular data plans.

Spectrum Mobile™ Data Plans

Spectrum Mobile™ has three monthly data plans for its customers. Spectrum Mobile™ By the Gig plan is one of the most affordable mobile phone plans. You can get 1 GB of internet with unlimited calls and texts to any network in the USA for just $14 per month. You are allowed to send texts to international numbers for free. However, standard charges apply to all international calls. You can add up to 10 mobile lines to this plan.

Once you have exceeded the 1 GB data limit, your 5G internet service will be halted, but you can continue to send and receive texts and make calls. You can buy an additional 1 GB of data for $14 within the same month.

For By the Gig plan, you can only use up to 5 GB of data per month. After consuming 5GB, you will encounter speed reductions until the next billing cycle. 

Spectrum Mobile™ Unlimited data plan comes free with the first 12 months of Spectrum Internet service. For just $29.99/line per month, you get unlimited mobile data, calls, and texts to any network within the country. Users can add up to 10 mobile lines on their unlimited plans.

After using 20 GB of mobile data within a month, you will experience speed reductions. The speed will be restored in the next billing cycle. You can switch to Spectrum Mobile’s™ Unlimited Plus plan if your data usage is high. In the Unlimited Plus plan, you get an additional 10 GB, and your download and upload speed will become sluggish after exceeding 30 GB of data usage.

All the Spectrum Mobile™ plans include free access to Spectrum’s nationwide 530,000 out-of-home, WiFi hotspots. You can save your mobile data by signing into the free WiFi networks and enjoying connectivity on the go.

Straight Talk Mobile Data Plans

Straight Talk offers six monthly plans with fixed and unlimited mobile data. The cheapest plan costs $30 per month and comes with a 100 MB data cap and just 1500 minutes of nationwide calls.

When you sign up for the same plans on a bi-annual payment option (meaning you pay for 6 months instead of paying a monthly fee), you can save around $15 on your phone bills. The price of the Silver Unlimited plan for 6 months is $255, but when you make monthly payments of $45 for the same plan, you will end up paying a total of $270 in 6 months. Subscribers can also pay upfront for the whole year to get further discounts on their mobile plans.

In the past, Straight Talk has earned a bad reputation for its misleading advertisements. None of the Straight Talk unlimited mobile data plans are unlimited because after you have used up 25 GB of mobile data, your internet speed will automatically get reduced to 2G. Therefore, all the Straight Talk mobile data plans come with a 25 GB data cap.

Moreover, your connectivity will be limited on the roads because there is a data cap for using your device as a hotspot. So, imagine you are on the road and you want to send an urgent file from your laptop, you will not be able to perform the task if you have surpassed your monthly hotspot data limit.

Even though Straight Talk promises free calls and texts to Canada and Mexico in five of its plans, user reviews indicate that several times they have been charged for these exchanges.

All the Straight Talk plans are twice as expensive as Spectrum Mobile™ plans even though both MVNOs use Verizon’s wireless network for their services.

Mobile Phones Deals

Spectrum Mobile™ and Straight Talk’s online device stores feature a wide collection of the latest cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches. Subscribers can either opt to activate Spectrum and Straight Talk mobile data plans on their current devices through the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) deal or purchase a brand new phone from their service provider at discounted rates and on easy monthly installments.

Let’s say that you want to upgrade to the latest iPhone 14 but are running low on cash. Through the Mobile Trade-in Offer, you can sell your phone to your carrier (Spectrum or Straight Talk) and gradually pay off your new phone by making small monthly payments on top of your monthly mobile bill.

Spectrum Mobile™ Trade-In Offer

When you trade your old phone with a Spectrum Mobile™, you get an instant $100 credit along with the trade-in value of your old phone. Spectrum Mobile™ users who upgrade to Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold get $300 and $500 discounts, respectively.

You can pay off your new Spectrum Mobile™ phones for as low as $14 per month.

Spectrum Bring Your Own Device Deal

All Android and iPhones that are compatible with Spectrum Mobile’s™ 5G network are eligible for free activation. You will be asked to take your phone to your nearest Spectrum store where the Spectrum staff will give you a free Spectrum Mobile™ SIM card, activate it for you, and subscribe you to the monthly mobile plan of your choice.

Spectrum Mobile™ also allows you to continue using your old cell number through its free-of-charge number porting service.

Although similar discounts and promo deals are offered by Straight Talk, the overall cost of service is still pricier than Spectrum Mobile™. Moreover, customers have complained that Straight Talk does not follow through with these deals. As a result, users incur heavy monetary losses. Some users didn’t get the phone they ordered and paid for and some were unable to unlock their Straight Talk phones.

Coverage Area – Spectrum Mobile™ vs Straight Talk

Spectrum Mobile™ relies only on Verizon’s wireless LTE network to provide cellular coverage to its customers across its footprint. Verizon’s 4G and 5G wireless network coverage is limited to 70 percent of the country. Hence, Spectrum Mobile™ service is only available in those states and cities that are within Verizon’s coverage area.

Spectrum Mobile™ service is available in all the US states except Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Maine. Some states like Vermont, New Hampshire, and Missouri have spotty coverage, limited to the city centers.

Compared to that, Straight Talk relies on four mobile phone carriers- AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, to deliver network connectivity throughout the country. Straight Talk’s 4G and 5G signals are available in 90 percent of the country, including most rural areas because users can switch between the four wireless network providers to avail connectivity on the go. You can easily switch from Verizon to AT&T or AT&T to T-Mobile if you feel that one carrier’s coverage in your area is better than the other.

Customer Service – Spectrum Mobile™ vs Straight Talk

It must be an industry-specific thing that all telecommunications companies rank low on their customer satisfaction evaluation. Spectrum and Straight Talk both have thousands of angry customers across the nation, but in comparison, Spectrum fares better than Straight Talk. Subscribers of Spectrum Mobile™ have rated customer service as 3.8 stars.

In the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Wireless Purchase Experience Mobile Virtual Network Operator Performance Study, Spectrum Mobile’s™ representatives were ranked highest for a positive in-store experience. Spectrum Mobile™ staff was up-voted for their:

• Knowledge
• Concern
• Courtesy
• The high clarity of information provided
• Professionalism

In contrast, Straight Talk mobile plan subscribers have rated the company’s customer service as 3.7 stars and several user complaints indicate that the staff does not help solve problems related to the service.

Final Verdict

An in-depth analysis of the Spectrum Mobile™ vs. Straight Talk comparison leads us to the conclusion that Spectrum Mobile™ is better than Straight Talk.  Spectrum Mobile’s™ monthly data plans are twice as cheap as Straight Talk plans and for half the price, you get unlimited data, calls, and texts. As a Spectrum Mobile™ customer, you can enjoy free access to thousands of out-of-home WiFi hotspots, a chance to avail of discounts up to $500 on the purchase of your Spectrum Mobile™, and 24/7 customer service for resolving issues related to your account, device, and service.