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Straight Talk is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) here in the US. It’s a decent option to consider when looking for an affordable phone plan. If in a deep financial crisis, you can even get a Straight Talk free phone offer on service or devices.
Of course, the Straight Talk freebies aren’t much. But the few available are still amazing considering not many premium MVNOs have free phone deals.
On the other hand, Straight Talk free phone service is more than amazing as you can get up to unlimited talk, text, and data at no cost. I have seen some subscribers of the premium Straight Talk unlimited plans use over 100GB of high-speed data without getting throttled.
A Summary of the Straight Talk Phone Service
In this guide, the focus will be on the Straight Talk free phone deals on service plans and devices. The article covers how to apply, what you need to qualify, and all the perks you get.
But before we come to the free deals, let’s briefly go through a summary of the overall Straight Talk phone.
| Straight Talk | |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Parent Company | Verizon |
| Carrier Network | Verizon |
| eSIM Support | YES |
| 5G Data Speeds | 100+Mbps |
| Free Phone plan | YES |
| Free Smartphone Deals | YES |
| Cheapest Regular Phone Plan | $30 |
| Family Discount | YES |
| WiFi Calling | YES |
| Free Mexico/ Canada Call | YES |
| Mobile Hotspot | YES |
| Video Streaming | YES |
| Extra Perks | Walmart+ Membership, Cloud Storage, Mobile Protect protection |
In the chart, you can see Straight Talk has pretty decent perks, just like I mentioned in the beginning. The cell phone provider operates as a trademark of Tracfone, which Verizon now owns.
Verizon is also the carrier network of Straight Talk. The MVNO used to have a network deal with all three major carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. However, after acquiring Tracfone and its brands, Verizon has decided to not pay its Airtime fees to its rivals.
As an MVNO, Straight Talk operates in the category of prepaid phones. The cheapest phone plan is the Basic tier that retails at $30/ month. Then, the most expensive subscription is the $65 Platinum plan with unlimited talk, text, and data.
The pricing of Straight Talk phone plans no doubt is slightly higher than its rivals like Red Pocket and Mint Mobile. But you do get to enjoy some lovely international perks most MVNOs lack.
What’s a Straight Talk Free Phone?
Straight Talk is primarily a prepaid phone provider. It’s not an eligible telecommunication carrier (ETC) with a Lifeline license. Thus, won’t benefit from the Universal Service Fund (USF) from the government, as with Safelink Wireless free phone – its sister brand.
However, Straight Talk is participating in the recently released Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In the new program, the government aims to help consumers from low-income families afford broadband service.
The ACP program offers eligible individuals a broadband discount of $30/ month (up to $75 on federally recognized tribal lands). In that case, you can get a Straight Talk phone plan and the ACP subsidy covers the full amount.
One of the easiest Straight Talk free phone plans to get is the Basic tier that already retails at $30/ month. However, there are almost a dozen phone plans you can choose if interested and qualify.
Quick Note:
The government supports the ACP program with the Affordable Connectivity Program fund, which is separate from the USF.
As some of us may know, the government set aside $14.2 billion for the ACP fund. The amount would provide eligible consumers discounts on broadband service and connected devices.
While the term broadband is commonly used to refer to internet service, it’s not that limited under ACP. When you apply ACP with a mobile broadband provider like Straight Talk, the service subsidy covers not only mobile data. It will also have talk minutes and text messages if the chosen service plan includes them.
Do I Get a Smartphone with the Straight Talk Free Phone Deal?
In the ACP program, the subsidy you get is often for the monthly service and a one-time discount on an internet-enabled device. Unfortunately, the one-time device discount is only limited to the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, and tablet PC.
So, NO, the Straight Talk free phone deal through the ACP program doesn’t include a smartphone. Lifeline phone providers are the only ones I’ve seen give applicants of the ACP discounts a free smartphone.
Nonetheless, Straight Talk is still one of the companies that give free phones when you switch. The device deals are on a different program, which, sadly, is hard to combine with the ACP discount. Straight Talk has even stated on its website the free phone offer “cannot be combined with other promos”.
Also, to get the Straight Talk free phones, the requirement is to purchase an eligible prepaid plan. Like right now, the phone plan eligible for the offer is Straight Talk Extended Silver Unlimited. Then, you must purchase this phone plan on a 90-day, 180-day, or Annual bundle. The single monthly subscription isn’t eligible.
As for the deal, the Straight Talk free smartphone currently available is the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G Android. It’s an entry-level phone, albeit with some lovely features like:
- It has a decent Dimensity 700 (7nm) processor
- Has an extra-wide 6.6-inch, 90Hz display
- Supports up to 5G Midband connectivity
- Compatible with up to WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
- Includes an NFC chip for digital payments
- It has 64GB internal storage & MicroSD slot
How to Get a Straight Talk Free Phone Plan
To get a Straight Talk free phone through the ACP program requires meeting the necessary low-income requirements. The two main low-income requirements are:
Get A Straight Talk Free Phone With Income-Based Requirement
In this option, the idea is to get a Straight Talk free phone with ACP using your low income. The low-income eligibility is that your total amount should be at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
Don’t worry, the “total income” required here isn’t just for you. It’s the total amount of all the working adults in your entire household. Hence, the reason when applying you get a prompt to enter the number of adults living in your household.
Make sure the total amount of income and number of adults in your household you enter while enrolling is accurate. The National Verifier, a system of USAC that verifies ACP enrollments, will require your proof of eligibility.
Some of the documents you can use as proof of eligibility for ACP with low income are:
- State/ federal/ Tribal tax return
- Divorce Decree or child support award
- Annual income statement from your job
- Statement of your Social Security benefits.
- An unemployment or worker’s compensation statement
- Paystubs or any other official document that shows your most recent income
Get Straight Talk Free Phone With Program-Based Requirement
The second way to get Straight Talk free phone service through the ACP program is with government-funded assistance programs. All these assistance benefits are usually available to individuals with a low income or limited resources.
However, not all government-funded assistance programs are eligible for the ACP. The few programs I’ve been able to confirm you can get the Straight Talk free phone with ACP are:
- Lifeline program
- Medicaid or Medi-Cal program
- Federal Public Housing Assistance Program
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Cal-Fresh or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
- Veterans’ Pension or Survivors benefits
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), such as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers), Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811, Public Housing, and Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives, etc
- Tribal-based assistance Programs, such as Head Start, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations ( FDPIR)
Like the income-based requirement, you’ll need proof of participating in an assistance program when applying Straight Talk free phone. The various documents you can use as proof of participating in assistance programs include:
- Award letter of the assistance program
- A statement of the assistance program
- Verification letter of the assistance program
- Screenshot of the online portal of your assistance program
How to Apply Straight Talk Free Phone Service
In a nutshell, it’s so easy to apply Straight Talk free phone service online. All you need is to:
- Gather everything you need for the process. That includes a working internet-enabled phone/ tablet/ laptop/ desktop computer, plus document copies of proof of eligibility and identity
- Grab the internet-enabled device and visit https://www.straighttalk.com/acp. Then, click the bold “Apply Now” button
- Straight Talk will open the ACP enrollment form. Get started by entering your Name, ZIP code, and email.
- Next, select “I have a Straight Talk phone/device that I want to use with ACP” or “I want to use my own phone/device to enroll in Straight Talk ACP”. Then, hit the “Continue” button
- Finally, use the on-screen instructions to enter your other personal information and select an ACP-eligible phone plan. Then, submit your application and wait for the FCC/USAC approval.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish enrolling for the Straight Talk free phone with ACP program. In step 4, you get a prompt to enter a Straight Talk phone serial number/ SIM card number or an IMEI of a phone compatible with the service. I have neither, prompting me to cut short my enrollment trial as Straight Talk is “currently unable to process ACP for new customers who need a new device”.
In any case, you can try applying on your end if you or someone in your household has a Straight Talk SIM card or compatible phone.
If you really want to get the free phone service with Straight Talk but encounter problems when enrolling, contact customer support at 1-877-430-2355.
What You Get on Straight Talk Free Phone Service with ACP
If you manage to proceed enrolling for the ACP program with Straight Talk, you’ll get a prompt to choose an ACP-eligible service plan.
Straight Talk has up to a dozen service plans eligible for ACP discounts. The service plans consist of cell phones, Home Internet, Home phones, and Mobile hotspot.
I’m just going to focus on the Straight Talk discount on cell phone plans for now, and they include:
| Features | Basic Plan | Bronze Plan | Silver Unlimited | Gold Unlimited | International Unlimited | Platinum Unlimited |
| Regular Price | $30/ mo. | $35/ mo. | $45/ mo. | $55/ mo. | $60/ mo. | $65/ mo. |
| Price with $30 ACP Discount | $0 | $5/ mo. | $15/ mo. | $25/ mo. | $30/ mo. | $35 |
| Price with $75 ACP Discount | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Talk Allowance | 1500 Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Texts Allowance | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| High-Speed Data Allowance | 100MB (then 2G) | 10GB (then 2G) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium Data | N/A | N/A | ||||
| Mobile Hotspot | N/A | 5GB | 10GB | 15GB | 5GB | 20GB |
| Canada & Mexico Calls | N/A | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Unlimited International calls | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | YES | YES |
| Other Extra Perks | N/A | N/A | N/A | Walmart+ Membership | N/A | Walmart+ Membership, Mobile Protect, Cloud Storage |
Sadly, the Straight Talk free phone deal through the ACP program doesn’t have the best deals for most people. In the non-tribal lands, it’s only the Straight Talk Basic plan qualifies for a full discount with the $30 subsidy.
The Basic plan doesn’t have the most appealing perks. It has only 1500 minutes for talk, unlimited text messages, and 100MB of high-speed data. I’m not sure why Straight Talk still hasn’t improved the allowances of this Basic plan. But it used to be a phone plan exclusively for the basic flip phones.
In the other Straight Talk mobile phone plans, the $30 ACP discount can only afford you partial savings. It’s still not a bad deal, considering you can get the Bronze plan with 10GB of high-speed data for five bucks. The Silver Unlimited plan is also only $15/ month.
If on the federal tribal reserves, though, Straight Talk offers free service on all the plan tiers. Even Straight Talk Platinum Unlimited, the highest plan tier with all the perks from the carrier, is “Free cost with ACP Tribal Discount”.
Some of the best perks you can enjoy with the Straight Talk free Platinum phone plan are:
- Unlimited talk minutes
- Unlimited text messages
- Unlimited high-speed data
- 20 GB of hotspot data cap
- 100 GB of Cloud Storage
- Mobile Handset Protection
- Unlimited international long distance
- Walmart+ Membership: Provides free deliveries/ shipping, Paramount+ subscription, Auto care service, discounts on fuel, etc.
Key Takeaway: The FCC has Closed New Enrollments of ACP
Sadly, yes, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has closed new enrollments in the ACP program. The consumers receiving the connectivity discount are those who enrolled by February 7th and got approved.
So, the Straight Talk free phone plan is only available to the existing customers who also enrolled with the carrier before the 7th. If applying as a new customer, you must be already approved for ACP with another provider and you’re now transferring your service.
The reason behind the FCC closing new enrollments of ACP is that the funds the government alloted the program are drying up. The FCC is projecting the remaining monies can only run the program until April 2024.
But don’t worry, this is just an estimate and the funds may last longer. Various groups have also come forward to fight for the extension of the ACP program. It started with the current Administration asking Congress for an extra $6 billion in funding to extend the broadband program through December 2024.
You can also join the millions of other Americans fighting to have Congress keep the ACP program. Visit www.ustechfuture.org/saveacp/ or www.nalalifeline.org/save-acp and tell your representatives in Congress how important it is to keep the broadband benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How can I qualify for Straight Talk free phone
The only way to qualify for Straight Talk free phone service is to meet the ACP eligibility requirements. One of the ways to qualify for ACP is to have a low income of less/ equal to 200% of poverty guidelines. Or you can apply with proof of participating in an eligible government-funded assistance benefit.
When is the Straight Talk free phone deal ending?
The Straight Talk free phone deal through ACP is ending when the affordable connectivity program funds wind down. Unfortunately, the ACP funds are winding down, and the FCC estimates the currently enrolled subscribers will continue to receive their free phone plan discount until April 2024.
Does Straight Talk give a free tablet with ACP?
No, Straight Talk does not give a free tablet with ACP. It has only registered with the government to offer the monthly broadband discount without the one-time device offer.
Only One Straight Talk Free Phone Per Household
If on a low income or participate in a government assistance benefit, that’s how you can get Straight free phone service per month. The perks are certainly not the best for the consumers on the non-tribal land. But for those on federally recognized tribal lands, you can enjoy the most premium Straight Talk Platinum Unlimited phone plan.
As I wind up, a crucial point to remember is that the government limits the ACP benefit to only one enrollment per household. A household is not just people living together under the same roof. It (a household) is where people are living together under the same roof on a shared income and expenses.