This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission. Thanks.
In November last year, Verizon completed the TracFone Wireless acquisition deal, whereby it promised: “enhanced services” on all its products. Straight Talk is one of the mentioned TracFone products. And in this review, we’re going to compare Straight Talk vs Verizon wireless to see which service’s more worthwhile.
Right before the acquisition, we did a comparison of TracFone and Straight Talk, whereby we saw the daughter brand a bit more expensive. But, on the other hand, it had a much better experience, including more high-speed data, mobile hotspot, HD streaming, and free cloud storage.
Anyway, the mobile virtual network operator (or MVNO) didn’t have a desirable 5G support at the time. So, those are some of the things I’ll be discussing in this Verizon vs Straight Talk article as we have seen how crucial the ultra-fast network can be during deprioritization.
Straight Talk vs Verizon: a Summary on the Features & Perks of the Cell Phone Services
| Feature | Straight Talk | Verizon |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 | 2000 |
| Carrier Network | Verizon/ T-Mobile/ AT&T | Verizon |
| eSIM Support | NO | YES |
| Free 5G | YES | YES |
| 5G Data Speeds | <100Mbps | 4000+Mbps |
| Lowest Phone Plan | $30 | $30 |
| Unlimited Minutes | YES | YES |
| Unlimited data | YES | YES |
| Family Discount | NO | YES |
| WiFi Calling | YES | YES |
| Free Mexico/ Canada Call | YES | YES |
| Mobile Hotspot | YES | YES |
| Video Streaming | YES | YES |
| Phone Unlock Period | After 60 Days or 12 Months | After 60 Days |
| Extra Perks | Free 100GB Cloud Storage & Mobile Protect | Free Hulu/ Disney+/ ESPN+/ Discovery+, Free Apple Music, Free Apple Arcade, 600GB Cloud Storage, Free Google Play Pass, & Free Travel Pass |
About Straight Talk
Until now, Straight Talk has been one of the best MVNOs as you get to join its service with the network that works in your area. But now that Verizon has acquired its parent company, TracFone, the customers on the GSM service (AT&T or T-Mobile) will soon be transitioned to the CDMA carrier.
Even so, the Straight Talk-Verizon is what a lot of users have been using, especially from the extended network coverage. And following the new partnership, the high-speed data allowance of the unlimited plans is now 60GB- not the previous 25GB. Thus, surpassing T-Mobile’s Tello and Mint, which have their priority data capped at 25GB and 35GB respectively.
See More: How to Deactivate Straight Talk Phone Online
Other pros and cons of Straight Talk phone service include:
Pros:
- It has a mobile hotspot feature
- Has WiFi Calling on capable devices
- Supports up to 4K UHD video streaming
- Supports domestic roaming at no charges
- Includes free calling to Mexico & Canada
- Has a retail department for phones & accessories
- Supports device financing through SMART PAY
Cons:
- It doesn’t support eSIM
- Have deprioritization issues
- Doesn’t have international roaming
- It also doesn’t have multi-line discounts
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon is one of the best phone services to join if you do a lot of gaming, streaming, and other online stuff. It not only offers access to the high-band 5G network but also you can enjoy the ultra-fast browsing speeds with “truly” unlimited data (with no caps).
In our previous T-Mobile vs Verizon data speed test, the CDMA phone could reach 3-4+Gbps (3000-4000+Mbps) on the Ultra-Wideband spectrum. Or at least 90Mbps when on the low-band 5G (Nationwide), which usually uses the LTE infrastructure.
Other Pros and Cons of Verizon phone service include:
Pros:
- It has multi-line discounts
- Has unlimited mobile hotspot
- Offers free calling to Mexico & Canada
- Also, has free unlimited international texting
- Supports up to 4K Ultra-HD video streaming
- Includes free subscriptions to streaming service
- Supports both domestic & international roaming
- It has free phone deals and other promotional offers
Cons:
- It’s relatively pricey (on postpaid)
- Has limited major LTE bands
Straight Talk vs Verizon: Comparing the six Crucial Features of the Cell Phone Providers
Network Coverage
Straight Talk would have been a better choice here since it has been running on all the major carrier networks. But following the recent acquisition, the Straight Talk support has said they’ll soon be transitioning the customers on the other networks to Verizon.
So, both Verizon and Straight Talk take the points here since the coverage is pretty much the same. That includes both in the urban and in the rural areas.
Winner: a Tie as both providers runs on the Verizon cellular towers
Free Phone Deals & Discounts
While Straight Talk has a retail section, it hardly offers free phone deals. Instead, it has partial discounts on select Apple and Android devices, whereby you can save $20-$150 on the brand-new options.
On the other hand, you can get an absolutely free Apple iPhone 11 and other Verizon iPhone deals, saving over $600 with no trade-in required. If you have an eligible trade-in, you can also get the latest iPhone 13 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22+, or any other featured high-end devices for free.
Winner: Verizon as ithas many free phone options, plus Trade-in and BOGO deals
Free 5G Access & Speeds
Verizon is no doubt the winner here. It offers the users of the Unlimited Plus prepaid and all the postpaid plans free access to the high-band 5G (Ultra-Wideband) network. Thus, allowing browsing at ultra-fast speeds of up to 4000Mbps or at least 90+Mbps.
The Verizon LTE speeds are also pretty impressive, peaking up to 150+Mbps in the urban or at least 20Mbps in remote areas like Honolulu. And if I’m to be fair, this is pretty better than Straight Talk, whereby a lot of users have claimed to hit as high as 80+Mbps on 5G. Then, up to 15-40Mbps on the LTE network.
Winner: Verizon since it has faster data speeds on both the LTE and 5G networks.
Network Roaming
Yet again, Verizon is a much better option than Straight Talk when you’re out of the dedicated coverage map. It not only has both domestic and international roaming, but also offers free unlimited calls, text, and data from Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.
Even better, Verizon has recently introduced a Travel Pass for the postpaid customers on the Unlimited Do More or Get More plans. In this Travel Pass, you’ll get to enjoy unlimited talk, text, and data from more than 185 countries.
On its end, Straight Talk doesn’t support international roaming. However, your phone might be able to connect to the U.S. network partners (domestic roaming) for free when outside its coverage zone.
Winner: Verizon as it has domestic & international roaming, and no charges in some situations
Phone Plans & Pricing
Similar to other phone carriers, the main difference between Straight Talk vs Verizon is on the rate plans. In the following charts, you’ll notice the latter is a little expensive but with better offerings, whereas the TracFone brand is slightly cheaper but limited on perks.
Chart 2.1 Straight Talk phone plan structure
| Features | Basic Phone | Bronze Unlimited | Silver Unlimited | Gold Unlimited | Platinum Unlimited | Two Line Unlimited |
| Regular Price | $30/ mo. | $35/ mo. | $45/ mo. | $55/ mo. | $65/ mo. | $90/ mo. |
| Plan Discounts | N/A | $1 (Auto-Refill) | $2.50 (Auto-Refill) | $5 (Auto-Refill) | $5 (Auto-Refill) | N/A |
| Free 5G Access | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) |
| Talk Minutes | 1500 Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data Allotment | 100MB | 10GB (then 2G) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium Data | N/A | N/A | 60GB (then 2G) | 60GB (then 2G) | 60GB (then 2G) | 60GB (then 2G) |
| Mobile Hotspot | N/A | 5GB | 5GB | 15GB | 20GB | 15GB |
| Default Video Streaming | N/A | SD Quality (480p) | SD Quality (480p) | SD Quality (480p) | HD Quality (1080p) | SD Quality (480p) |
| Canada & Mexico Calls | N/A | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE (International) | FREE |
| Free Extra Perks | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100GB Cloud Storage | 100GB Cloud, Mobile Protect | 100GB Cloud Storage |
Chart 2.2 Verizon wireless Phone plan Structure
| Features | 5GB (prepaid) | 15GB (prepaid) | Unlimited (prepaid) | Unlimited+ (prepaid) | Do More (postpaid) | Get More (postpaid) |
| Regular Price | $40/ mo. | $50/ mo. | $65/ mo. | $75/ mo. | $80/ mo. | $90/ mo. |
| Plan Discounts | $5 – $15 (loyalty tip) | $5 – $15 (loyalty tip) | $5- $15 (loyalty tip) | $5 – $15 (loyalty tip) | $10 – $40 (2+ lines) | $10 – $40 (2+ lines) |
| Free 5G Access | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Nationwide) | YES (Both) | YES (Both) | YES (Both) |
| Talk Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data Allotment | 5GB (then 2G) | 15GB (then 2G) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium Data | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 50GB | Unlimited |
| Mobile Hotspot | N/A | N/A | 10GB (At $5/ mo.) | 10GB (then 3G) | 25GB (then 3G) | 50GB (then 3G) |
| Video Stream Quality | Up to 480p | Up to 480p | Up to 480p | Up to 4K UHD | Up to 4K UHD | Up to 4K UHD |
| International Texting | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Canada/ Mexico Calls | $5/mo. | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Canada/ Mexico Data | N/A | N/A | 0.5GB / Day (then 2G) | 0.5GB / Day (then 2G) | 0.5GB / Day (then 2G) | 0.5GB / Day (then 2G) |
Well, honestly, the Straight Talk phone plans with unlimited data allotment are relatively cheaper than Verizon. From as low as $45/ month, you can start your monthly cycle with 60GB of premium data, then unlimited slower (2G) speeds.
However, the carrier doesn’t have family/ multi-line discounts. Thus, the only way to save some bucks will be by enabling auto-fill or checking out with the three-month, six-month, or one-Year plan of the Silver Unlimited.
But even then, the Verizon prepaid phone plans with the 5GB and 15GB are a bit cheaper than Straight Talk Basic and Bronze after the loyalty discount. Then, the postpaid plans have a multi-line discount, saving you $10-$40 depending on the number of lines added.
Winner: Straight Talk as it’s relatively cheaper on single accounts for Silver/ Gold/ Platinum Unlimited plan
Deprioritization & Throttling
Verizon’s the clear winner as it’s the major network operator and usually prioritizes its customers when the network is very busy. Of course, the prepaid customers also do get deprioritized data, but the speeds are still better than MVNOs, including our Straight Talk.
Furthermore, Verizon Get More now has “truly” unlimited data. So, you can browse, game, or stream at high speeds as much as you want without throttling (reduced data speed based on usage).
As for Straight Talk, all the cell phone plans have capped high-speed data, thereby will get throttled after reaching the limit. Then, you’ll experience deprioritization like with US Mobile or Visible when the carrier network’s very busy in your location. Hence, the reason you should try to have a 5G-capable phone- the speeds after deprioritization are still usable
Winner: Verizon as it has prioritized data and no throttling on some phone plans
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Verizon better than Straight Talk?
Technically, either of the two services might be good for you as it depends on what you’d like to achieve. However, Verizon is better than Straight Talk on phone deals, data allotments, mobile hotspot allowance, and roaming. Oh, don’t forget Verizon also does offer various entertainment perks, such as a free subscription to Apple Music, Arcade Games, Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+.
Does Straight Talk have the same service as Verizon?
In general, we could say Straight Talk has the same service as Verizon since they both utilize the same network infrastructure. However, Verizon customers usually get prioritized data, thereby no significant drop in data speed during congestion.
Can I switch from Verizon to Straight Talk?
A quick answer, YES, you can switch from Verizon to Straight Talk if you’d want to cut down your monthly phone bill. If you’d like to switch with your phone number, make sure you bring your account details, including the service PIN and the last digits of your Social Security Number.
Final Thoughts:
Although there are others, these are the six crucial things you should know when deciding between Straight Talk vs Verizon wireless phone. And from the look of it, Straight Talk will be more worthwhile when you want to save some bucks on the unlimited plans, especially now the cap has been raised to 60GB.
Even so, Verizon is still the best option from the prioritized data speeds and also the no-throttling policy on some prepaid and postpaid plans.
If you travel a lot, Verizon also has various plans with unlimited mobile hotspots and free streaming/ gaming subscriptions. Then, the free Apple and Android phones deals can help you upgrade to a decent device when your money pot’s low.