If the words “unlimited,” “iPhone,” and “no contract” are a few of your favorite things, then Straight Talk Wireless is ready to make your day. Starting on Friday, January 11, the carrier will be offering the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 on its $45 per month unlimited plan.
For that $45, you get yourself unlimited voice, texting, and data. Of course, it’s not without its tradeoffs. You’ll be buying the iPhone unlocked, which means unsubsidized—which, in turn, means more moolah upfront. You’ll also have a limit of which models you can choose from: the iPhone 5 is available only in 16GB—in white or black—for $649, while the 8GB iPhone 4, also in white or black, will cost $449. If you were eyeing an iPhone 4S, you’re out of luck. Straight Talk’s also offering an unlimited plan with unlimited international calling for $60 per month.
Additionally, the plan is available exclusively through Walmart. However, the retail giant wants to get you into an iPhone today—so much so that it’s offering no-interest financing on the cost of the iPhone, which works out to a $25 fixed-monthly payment. That deal isn’t without its own caveats, though: You’ll need to use a Walmart credit card to purchase the phone in a store.
This isn’t the only option for those looking to go contract-free. You can also buy an unlocked phone directly from Apple, and earlier in the week, T-Mobile CEO John Legere confirmed that his company would also be ending subsidies and offering no-contract plans in the next few months—right around the time it also begins selling the iPhone.
Author: Dan Moren, Contributor
Dan has been writing about all things Apple since 2006, when he first started contributing to the MacUser blog. He's a prolific podcaster and the author of the Galactic Cold War series, including his latest, The Nova Incident.