Using a phone from another carrier on Straight Talk Wireless
This phone can be ported to Straight Talk.
If you haven’t already read my article on Straight Talk Wireless, you might not be aware that Straight Talk is one of the best deals in cellular.
There is some mystery around Straight Talk, and I hope to answer today one of the most frequently asked questions regarding Straight Talk:
Can I use my existing Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile / Sprint / Tracphone / etc cellular phone?
The answer depends on the type of phone that you have. Keep reading for more information
AT&T, T-Mobile or Any Unlocked GSM Phone
You can now take advantage of Straight Talk SIM, to use your existing phone on Straight Talk’s no-contract plans. At this time, you must purchase the $45/month “Unlimited” plan to take advantage of this offer. To take advantage of this, you simply order a SIM card from Straight Talk, place that SIM card into your phone and follow a few simple instructions.
Anything Else
If you have anything besides an AT&T, T-Mobile or unlocked GSM handset, the answer is: Technically yes, but ultimately no (keep reading for the details). However: you can get Straight Talk Phones starting at FREE, and you can get a 10% discount on all phones if you buy them through Mr. Rebates, as described in our original post on Straight Talk Wireless, so sell your old phone and go and buy a new phone and forget about porting your phone.
Verizon Phones
Much like AT&T, this is technically possible. It would require cloning the ESN number of a Straight Talk phone into the desired phone. However, this activity is not legal to do this in the United States of America. Therefore, you can not port your Verizon phone to Straight Talk.
Sprint or Nextel Phones
If your phone is a Sprint, Nextel, Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile: Now that Straight Talk is using Sprint for their Android phone, the technical possibility exists to use one of these phones on the Straight Talk Sprint network. However, this would be against Straight Talk’s terms of service, so it’s ultimately not permitted, even if it is now technically possible.
Taking your Straight Talk Phone to another carrier
Straight Talk phones are designed to be used only with Straight Talk Service. Under some circumstances, you may be eligible to have your Straight Talk phone reprogrammed to work with another carrier, but you must contact us to do so. Not all Straight Talk phones are capable of being reprogrammed.
Get up and Running on Straight Talk
In closing, you can’t port a phone from any carrier to Straight Talk, but you can port from Straight Talk to another carrier.
However, since Straight Talk has a inexpensive phone selection starting at “Free” I suggest this:
- Sell your old phone on eBay, Craigslist or Amazon Marketplace
- Get started on Straight Talk with a new phone. Be sure to get free shipping and get 10% cash back when you do this – don’t leave money on the table!
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I have an AT&T phone,A Rugby II. I have this phone because I am in the construction field and need a rugged phone. I allso have 270 phone numbers programed into this phone. I just switched to Straighttalk and nobody says I can still use the Rugby. I have got the unlock code from AT&T for the rugby,but I can’t unlock it. I would like to use this phone on the Straighttalk network,along with the 270 phone numbers I have in the phone. If I can’t find a way to do this,I probably will discontinue Staightalk. Any advice? Thanks,
Tim Lipe
Tim, You should be able to use the Rugby II without having it unlocked. If you purchase a Straight Talk SIM you can place it in this phone and have it working without unlocking the phone. See my article “What Phones Work with the new Straight Talk SIM Cards?” for more information
Can you use a boost mobile phone on straight talk……the lg marqee
Luis, Thanks for your question.
No, you cannot use a Boost Mobile phone on Straight Talk, as Straight Talk uses a different network than Boost Mobile. See the posting above for an explanation of what phones do and don’t work with Straight Talk SIM.
Used Independence and AnySIM for the unlock. Wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be under 1.1.1 had to roll back to 1.0.2, apply a patch, upgrade to 1.1.1 and then used AnySIM. I thought it was a one click affair with the AnySIM app and 1.1.1. There is a newer beta that seemed to just come out that skips a few steps but there was a lot of disclaimers about it being very beta.
I am thinking about purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S (2) Skyrocket from ebay,its originally from AT&T. Would it be possible for me to use this phone on Straight talk? If so, will there be any disadvantage on the service and the phone itself?.
your respond is greatly appreciated.
thank you.
Hi Pam,
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S 2 (also called Samsung Galaxy S II) Skyrocket will work with Straight Talk, as it is an AT&T phone that operates on the 850/1900 Mhz bands.
There won’t be any significant disadvantages on the service other than that you will be getting 3G service instead of 4G service with AT&T (though 4G service is not available in all markets yet). There will be no difference on the phone itself – it will operate exactly the same.
Let us know how it works out for you!
Thanks for your question.
yes i was wondering if my samsung tranform will work with straight talk. its through sprint right now. but im thinking of switching to straight talk to save more money. my bill is way too high and prepaid is way cheaper.
Jackie, The Samsung Transform will not work with Straight Talk SIM. It is a CDMA phone. You would have to get another phone. Perhaps pick up a cheap used phone, or check out the Android or regular offerings from Straight Talk. See the other articles on this site for more information.
Is it possible to use a tmobile blackberry curve 8530 with straight talk? And if it is….what is involved in switching it over.
Thanks
Mike, To date the word from Straight Talk is that they do not support blackberry. It’s possible you could get the phone to work as a phone, but it is unclear if any of the other features would work.
Is there a way to get a at&t lg encore gophone to work on straight talk. I know the talk and text is just a matter of putting the sim card in but the gophone apn settings are not able to be changed to my knowledge. Can this be setup to use the emai/web services on the phone?
Thanks
Mike,
I am unsure on that. You may want to contact Straight Talk customer service before you proceed. Or you can just give it a try and at most you’ll be out about $60. However, for that price you might just consider getting a phone you know will work with Straight Talk.
can iuse lg a340 with straighttalk sim card dose it have to be unlocked
i talked to st talk they said the lga340 had to be unlocked so what can i do thanks
dose this work with a droidx or a iphone
Austin, I would need the model number from your Droid X to be sure, without it I can’t say. Yes it does work on the iPhone. Sometimes there are special conditions, see What Phones Work with the new Straight Talk SIM Cards? for more information.
I have an htc sprint phone. Could I transfer my number from my current straight talk phone to the htc sprint phone, but continue buying plans from straight talk?
Kourtnee, No, your Sprint phone cannot be transferred to Straight Talk. See Using a phone from another carrier on Straight Talk Wireless for more information.
Hey i have a Samsung charge,is it possible for it to be used as a straighttalk phone? Will a straighttalk sim card work or can it be used?
AJ,
The SAMSUNG Charge is a Verizon phone and cannot be used with Straight Talk SIM.
I have a Devour smart phone that I bought from Verizon. Is this possible to transfer my straight talk plan to this phone?
Kris,
No, in general you cannot use a Verizon phone with Straight Talk unless it is an unlocked, dual-band phone.
Hi, I was wondering if a virgin mobile phone would work through straight talk. I have a LG Android phone. Could I just put a straight talk sim card in and use straight talk service?
Sydnie,
No. Virgin Mobile phones cannot be used with Straight Talk.
hey i have an unlocked htc pro2, will i be able to use a straight talk sim in it for service
Phil,
Yes, you should be able to use the HTC pro2 on Straight Talk SIM, as it is a GSM phone.
I really want to buy an LG Rumor from Virgin Mobile, can I use that phone with a straight talk plan?
Chesery,
No, you cannot use Virgin Mobile phones with a Straight Talk plan.
can you use a virgin mobile on straight talk, i have a venture
Vany,
No, you cannot use Virgin Mobile phones with Straight Talk.
I have had service with straight talk for almost 2 years, not even a month ago I purchased an android phone, I busted the screen and didnt get insurance on the phone, I cannot afford a new phone at this time so I wanted to know if my straight talk SIM from my broken phone would work in an at&t phone that took a SIM card?
Whitney,
If it was a Straight Talk Android phone, it probably won’t work. If it was another Android phone that you purchased a Straight Talk SIM for, it probably will work.
If the SIM doesn’t work, just spend the $15 and get a Straight Talk SIM, or get another Straight Talk phone (prices start at free).
I have at&t service now. I have an iphone and an lg thrill and a sa7msung go phone on this plan. We have lousy service at home and so at&t sent me a mocrocell. we now have great service at home. Do you know if the microcell will work with my phones if i switch them to straight talk? And do you happen to know what at&t will have to say about the microcell when i cancel my current plan?
Alisa,
Unfortunately I do not know of any prepaid / no-contract carrier that supports Microcells. The only thing close to that would be t-mobile or republic wireless, both of which support Wi-Fi calling.
I am not sure what AT&T will have you do with the microcell once your plan is canceled.
can i use a blackberry curve from verizon with straight talk?
Taylor, No – you cannot port a Verizon phone to Straight Talk. However, Page Plus does allow the porting of Verizon phones to their prepaid program. Check them out, and also check out PhoneBillCut.com to compare all of your prepaid options.
I have an At&T HTC Inspire 4g. I was wondering if I can use it on straight talk and what I need to do. Will data and pic messaging work if I can get straight talk on this phone? Thanks
The AT&T HTC Inspire 4G should work fine on Straight Talk SIM. Picture messaging may or may not work, if that is important to you contact Straight Talk Customer support before ordering.
Hello,
I’m am very confused on weather you can switch a sprint/ verison . moblie phone to straight talk network ? so talk to me. I just bought a lg optimus elite phone and i would like to switch it over to straight talk, is this possible?
Meesha, You cannot use a Sprint phone with the Straight Talk SIM program.
Meesha, You cannot use a Sprint phone with the Straight Talk SIM program.
can i use my pantech burst on straight talk?
Yes, the Pantech Burst is an AT&T phone, so you should be able to use it with Straight Talk SIM.
does this phoe has a sims card Samsung T528G GSM
Terry,
This phone might work if it is unlocked. It might not work unless it is unlocked, depending on which carrier it was with originally. You might want to call Straight Talk customer support on this as it appears that this is a Straight Talk phone to begin with and they might just be able to send you a replacement SIM.
Can I switch a Verizon phone that uses a SIM card to straight talk?
People have reported success with this if you have the phone unlocked first.
I have a boost mobile, the phone I have is a samsung transform can I convert it to straight talk ?
You cannot use most Boost Mobile phones, including the Samsung Transform with Straight Talk because they are CDMA phones.
I am getting an Iphone 4 and was wanting to know if the micro sim is all I need to get started. Does the phone have to be reprogrammed, if so what does it cost to get it running? I am hoping to have a quick and easy activation. Do I need an ESN# or any other kind of number??
Rhandi,
So long as your iPhone is locked to AT&T or T-Mobile OR unlocked, the following is true. All you need to do is to purchase the SIM, follow the given instructions and you should be operational. Sometimes people have issues with MMS, if you use that you may need to work with Straight Talk customer support to get it working. Be sure to use the links above and Mr. Rebates to save the most on your SIM & Service Card purchase!
Will my gs3 work with straightalk? Sprint? If not can I flash/unlock?
Assuming you are talking about the Samsung Galaxy S III, (3) – This phone will work great on Straight Talk if it is the GSM variant. If you have it through Sprint it is the CDMA variant and it will not work.
I have a samsung galaxy s 3,right now I have a contract with Verizon, when my contract runs out can I use my phone with straight talk?
Thanks for your question. No, you cannot use the CDMA Samsung Galaxy S III (3) on Straight Talk. Try Page Plus instead if you want to stay on the Verizon network, or just sell your S3 and pick up a GSM S3 or another phone that will work on Straight Talk.
I have a T-Mobile Samsung galaxy S II, will that work to switch to straight talk?
Yes, it will. You don’t even need to unlock the phone, it will just work. Use the links above to order a SIM Today!
will a dell streak 5 work on straight talk and if so what sim card should i buy
the dell streak 5 is unlocked and i would like to keep 3g speeds
Yes, The Dell Streak 5 should work on Straight Talk. It looks like it takes a mini-SIM, so buy a regular SIM from Straight Talk and trim it down to size if needed.
Hi, I have an HTC Incredible 2 ADR6350 on the Verizon Network. According to this article
http://techtips.salon.com/convert-verizon-wireless-phones-straight-talk-20453.html
I can convert my phone. Is this correct? If not then do you have any suggestions for a comparable phone?
Also what about bringing contacts over? Thanks
Josh,
The procedure that Salon lists may work, but likely violates the Straight Talk terms of service. They do not allow “Bring your Own Phone” for Verizon CDMA phones, only GSM phones. They do sell a handful of phones that work on the Verizon network, including the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, which is a nice little phone and it is the only legitimate way to get a Android Smartphone on the Verizon network through Straight Talk. To bring over your contacts – if you have an Android phone now, sync the contacts to your Google account (they may already be) and then when you sign into your new phone, the contacts will be there.
I purchased an unlocked GSM Samsung Galaxy S2 T989 and want to use it with my Straight Talk $45 service plan. What all do i need to do to get it to work correctly?
All you need to do is use the links above to go to the Straight Talk site & their wizard will walk you through the process. If you have any more questions, stop back and ask!