Consumer Cellular vs. Straight Talk
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July 10, 2024
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Consumer Cellular vs. Straight Talk: Takeaways
- Compared to Straight Talk, Consumer Cellular offers more affordable talk, text, and data plans.
- Straight Talk plans are prepaid, whereas Consumer Cellular contracts renew on a monthly basis.
- Unlike Straight Talk, Consumer Cellular offers a special discounted plan for seniors that comes with unlimited data.
FYI: Consumer Cellular is one of the best providers, but it lacks the fast data speeds of our favorite. To see which one outranked them, read our rundown of the best cell phone plans for seniors.
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| Editor's Ratings | ||
| Monthly cost per line | $15-$50 | $30-$65 |
| Discount for multiple lines | Yes | No |
| Contract | Yes (monthly) | No (prepaid) |
| Bring your own phone option | Yes | Yes |
| Contact | ||
| Phone Number |
Call for best price:
844-580-0512 |
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| Website | View Packages | View Packages |
Consumer Cellular and Straight Talk offer affordable wireless services for seniors; however, the two carriers differ in terms of pricing, contracts, and extra features.
Consumer Cellular excels when it comes to pricing, with plans from $15 per month with no long-term contracts. Straight Talk, however, might be the better option for those who value high-speed data and extra cloud storage.
Consumer Cellular vs. Straight Talk: Plans and Costs
Consumer Cellular plans start at $15 per month for unlimited talk; however, most people will likely want the next plan up, which includes unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 1 GB of data for $20 per month. Consumer Cellular also offers plans with 10 GB of data for $35 per month and unlimited data for $50 per month.
Consumer Cellular Plans Compared
| Cost for one line | Talk | Text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 per month | Unlimited | N/A | N/A |
| $20 per month | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 GB |
| $35 per month | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 GB |
| $50 per month | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
With Consumer Cellular, additional lines cost only $15, regardless of the plan you choose. For example, its unlimited data plan costs $50 for one line, $65 for two lines, $80 for three lines, and so on, all the way up to seven lines.
Additionally, if you don’t choose the unlimited data plan, Consumer Cellular doesn’t impose overage charges. Instead, if you exceed your monthly data allowance, you’ll automatically be upgraded to the next plan for that billing period.
Straight Talk’s plans operate a bit differently. Instead of paying on a monthly basis, subscribers must prepay for their service in one, three, six, or 12-month increments. Naturally, paying for more months at a time will result in a greater discount. For example, its Silver Unlimited plan costs $45 per month or $495 per year ($41.25 per line).
Straight Talk does not offer discounts for purchasing multiple lines.
Straight Talk Plans Compared
| Plan name | Monthly data | Talk and text | Extra features | Price per 30 days |
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| Basic | 100 MB |
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None | $30 |
| Bronze Unlimited | 10 GB | Unlimited |
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$35 |
| Silver Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
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$45 |
| Gold Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
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$55 |
| Platinum Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
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$65 |
Straight Talk also gives you the option to purchase additional data and refill an existing plan at $5 per gigabyte. If not used, these purchases will carry over to your next service cycle.
Senior Plan Availability
Consumer Cellular offers a 5 percent discount on all of its plans to AARP members. It also offers a special plan for subscribers age 55 and older. With Consumer Cellular’s senior plan, you get unlimited talk, text, and data for $55 for two lines. While this plan requires you to purchase two lines, it’s definitely among the most affordable unlimited plans for seniors.
Currently, there is no Straight Talk plan for seniors.
Savings Tip: Cellular service is one of the many savings offered by AARP. To see our full rundown, read our guide: Is an AARP Membership Worth It?
Consumer Cellular vs. Straight Talk: Phones and Devices
Consumer Cellular and Straight Talk give you the option to bring your own phone and use it on their networks with one of their SIM cards. To see if your current phone is compatible with their networks, you can visit their websites, where they have a tool to check compatibility. From Consumer Cellular, the SIM card is free, while Straight Talk charges $0.99.
If you want to purchase a new device, both providers offer a similar lineup of iPhones, Android phones, and basic phones. Overall, the pricing is similar; however, we did notice that Straight Talk tended to offer slightly lower prices. For example, Consumer Cellular currently charges $429 for an iPhone SE while Straight Talk charges $380.
Since both providers offer similar phones at similar prices, we think that a choice of devices should not be a decision-making factor.
Consumer Cellular vs. Straight Talk: Coverage
Both Consumer Cellular and Straight Talk are MVNOs, meaning they lease their network from other providers. Straight Talk uses Verizon’s network, while Consumer Cellular uses the networks of both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The downside of an MVNO is that during times of heavy data usage, T-Mobile or AT&T will deprioritize service for MVNO users. One can expect to see this occur with both Straight Talk and Consumer Cellular.
That said, in our tests, we didn’t notice this occurring with either provider.
Our Favorite
While Straight Talk does offer reliable service at decent prices, unless you plan to use your phone for data-heavy tasks like streaming high-definition video, Consumer Cellular is definitely the better option.
Consumer Cellular’s plans start at $15 per month for unlimited talk, and if you’re an AARP member, you can get a plan with unlimited data for $27.50 per month. Whether you’re looking to get one line or seven, Consumer Cellular will offer the more affordable option.
To learn more about this plan, read our full Consumer Cellular review.