Straight Talk Releases Prepaid 100GB Mobile Hotspot Plan on Verizon for $50/mo (also for Tablets)

Straight Talk, a prepaid subsidiary owned by Verizon under their Tracfone brand, quietly introduced a new mobile hotspot plan recently. It is also available for tablets. With 100GB of data for $50/month, it is significantly more compelling than any previous Straight Talk data plan.

Straight Talk Data Plan Video Overview

 

Straight Talk 100GB Plan Details

The plan provides 100GB of high-speed data for $50/month.

Since Verizon owns Straight Talk, the plan runs on Verizon's network.

The plan can be used with hotspot devices or tablets, but each device type has different terms. With tablets, you can bring your own device. But with a hotspot, you must use a Straight Talk hotspot device; there is no bring your own device (BYOD) option.

For hotspots, Straight Talk states the SIM card cannot be used in other hotspots or data devices like a cellular router, and Straight Talk hotspot devices also cannot be used with other data plans.

Other plan terms:

• Network Management: Always deprioritized.
• Video Streaming Resolution: Up to 4K - no video throttle
• 5G Access: Yes
• Roaming: No domestic or international roaming - US only. 
• Throttle: After the high-speed data allotment is used, speeds are reduced to 2G.

The terms of service also specify that it is intended for use with just one connected device at a time and that "performance will be reduced if multiple devices access data through the Hotspot simultaneously.” There are no further details on how much of a reduction to anticipate. 

This is a prepaid plan, and customers can use a credit or debit card for automatic refills or refill manually with refill cards purchased from Walmart or directly online. 

One nice and flexible aspect of this plan is that if you use up your 100GB allotment early in a month, you can easily add another 100GB for $50. This provides an easy and inexpensive way to get extra data when needed.

Getting the Plan

The plan is available directly from Straight Talk, online from Walmart, or in select Walmart stores. Remember, if ordering from Walmart or purchasing at a Walmart store, you must still have a Straight Talk mobile hotspot device to activate the plan, and hotspot selection is limited.

Straight Talk Mobile Hotspots

A major downside of this plan is the selection of mobile hotspot options. At press time, these were the available hotspots on Straight Talks' website:

• Moxee 5G Mobile Hotspot ($199.99) - The only option we'd recommend. This is an older and basic hotspot with a Phase 1 (previous generation) X55 5G cellular modem.  It also lacks cellular antenna ports and an Ethernet port. However, it does support Verizon's newest n77 C-band spectrum and Verizon's core bands:
  • LTE: 2, 4, 5, 13, 48, 66
  • 5G: n2, n5, n66, n77
• Low-End LTE Cat-4 Devices - The only alternatives are three low-end LTE-only Cat-4 devices, two of them refurbished. While inexpensive, LTE Cat-4 is a technology that is over a decade old and is only adequate for minimal connectivity needs:
  • Moxee hotspot ($49.99)
  • Refurbished Moxee ($14.99)
  • Refurbished Franklin ($14.99)

Concluding Thoughts

It's great to see a budget prepaid provider historically focused on low-cost smartphone plans branch out to offer competitive data only plans. Verizon's own prepaid brand also offers a $50/month mobile hotspot plan with 100GB of data, however that pricing requires having multiple lines of service. 

The Straight Talk system of utilizing refill cards available online and in Walmart makes it a very easy and flexible plan that can adjust if your data needs vary monthly.

However, the significant downside is the device restriction for mobile hotspots and Straight Talks' limited selection of devices. The only real choice here is the Moxee 5G, which we can only recommend because all the other choices are very low-end LTE-only hotspots.

Still, this can be a good back-up data option for those who don't have Verizon on board but have a Walmart nearby. Or you could keep a Straight Talk hotspot and a refill card in your arsenal to activate when needed. This makes the Straight Talks 100GB plan a unique and flexible option worth considering.

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