Blog/Straight Talk Phones: Are They the Best Cord-Cutting Option for You?

Straight Talk Phones: Are They the Best Cord-Cutting Option for You?

Ellie Lasater-Guttmann
By Ellie Lasater-Guttmann

So, you're looking to cut the cord, and you want to know if the Straight Talk Wireless Home Phone subscription is the right fit for you. You’re not alone! Every month, hundreds of thousands of people across the country are choosing to cut the cord, and this trend is only intensifying. To help you decide whether Straight Talk is the right service for you and your cord-cutting needs, however, we here at Community Phone have done the research and are happy to break down the details of this service.

What Are Straight Talk Phones?

Straight Talk offers a variety of phones through their no-contract wireless plans, providing both smartphones and basic phones at competitive prices. These phones operate on major networks, ensuring broad coverage across the U.S. Whether you're looking for the latest iPhone or an affordable Android, Straight Talk phones give you flexibility without the commitment of a traditional phone plan.

If you’re considering cutting the cord, opting for a Straight Talk phone can be a great choice. Their phones range from budget-friendly options to premium smartphones, all available with no credit checks or long-term contracts.

Why Choose Straight Talk Phones?

Straight Talk phones offer a convenient solution for anyone looking to avoid the hassle of contracts and credit checks. Their phones are available at various price points, making it easy to find a device that fits your budget and needs. Plus, you can bring your own phone if it’s compatible, providing even more flexibility. With the option of nationwide coverage and unlimited plans, Straight Talk phones give you the freedom to choose a plan and phone that suit your lifestyle.

Are Straight Talk Phones Best for You?

The Straight Talk Wireless Home Phone is a device that lets you use your existing telephone to make and receive calls, but without the need of a personal computer, high-speed internet or, of course, a landline. By eliminating the reliance on a landline, this no-contract service allows you to save money on your home phone bill (Straight Talk, 2020). Significantly, it does not require a contract, credit check, internet connection, or activation fee. With the Straight Talk Home Phone, you can make 3-way calls and retain a voice mail. The hardware sports an external antenna, uses a rechargeable battery, and includes two RJ-11 landline-style telephone ports for handset connection (Howard, 2018)

Drawbacks of the Straight Talk Wireless Home Phone

Additionally, Straight Talk Wireless’s Home Phone service suffers from a number of other potential drawbacks:

  1. Straight Talk Home Phone cannot be used with more than one phone number. Each home phone unit is assigned one number, and all telephones connected to the device will share the same phone number.

  2. There is limited coverage. If you want to get Straight Talk Home Phone you will need to check the availability in your area by clicking on this link.

3. Poor customer service is a consistent complaint among Straight Talk customers.

4. Poor voice quality also afflicts many Straight Talk Home Phone users, as many reviews attest.

  1. The wireless device cannot be used on Rotary or pulse telephones, nor is it compatible with home security systems, fax machines, DVR services or medical alert systems (Straight Talk, 2020).

Community Phone - Better Than Straight Talk Wireless

Yet a major drawback of the Straight Talk Wireless Home Phone service is that it requires an expensive $15-$30 monthly subscription plan in addition to a $50 wireless base station you install in your home, and which often requires replacement and updating.

Community Phone’s wireless home phone, on the other hand, provides all the same benefits as Straight Talk Wireless – no contract, no credit check, no activation fee, no internet connection required, 3-way calling, voice mail capability – but at plans starting at just $18/month, with no additional hardware. At a lower price, and without the hassle of having to install a device in your home, we provide an alternative route to cutting the cord.

Image of Community Phone landline service

Community Phone is the best wireless home phone service in the US that works without an internet connection. Enjoy unlimited nationwide calling and outstanding features like call forwarding, voicemail, spam call blocking, call waiting, and 3-way calling at affordable prices. With coverage across 99% of the US and superior voice quality in rural and low-reception areas, Community Phone is better than the Straight Talk Wireless home phone.

You can opt for the Community Phone landline service if you want a cheaper option that guarantees high-quality service. You can cut the cord, lower costs, and maintain a high-quality service with their 100% USA-based customer support. Read on to learn more!

Fantastic Community Phone Features for a Great Telephonic Experience

1. Caller ID

Opt for the caller ID feature to show your name or number when you make an outbound call. By default, the recipient of your call will see your number, but you can have Community Phone enable your caller ID to show your name when you call.

This feature helps loved ones recognize and engage with you without blocking or ignoring your calls as spam.

If you are a business owner, this feature is of paramount importance to your business, with neighbor spoofing being one of the scam trends. Get Community Phone to enable the caller ID to show your business name and number to build trust in your customers and encourage them to engage with your business.

2. Spam Blocker Services

Most landline providers do not offer spam-blocking services, leaving you with no option but to manually block spam on your phone. Manual blocking cannot protect you effectively and efficiently from the relentless attack waged by scammers. Statistics reveal that an average American lost $577 in 2022 to phone scams, an increase from $507 in 2021.

Get rid of unwanted calls, and protect yourself, your loved ones, or your business from scams with Community Phone’s spam blocker services. Choose from two services now or get your name added to get first access to upcoming robust additions.

Available Spam Blocking

The Community Phone robocall blocker blocks robocalls before your phone rings. When you enable the built-in spam blocker, it challenges callers to complete an action before connecting the call to your phone. Since robocalls cannot complete the action, they are flagged and blocked before your phone rings.

Image of Community Phone robocall blocker

The Safelist feature allows you to accept calls only from numbers you want and blocks all others without ringing your phone. This feature is ideal for people who are vulnerable to phone scams. You can update this list anytime to add or delete numbers from your allowed list.

Upcoming Additions

Since several people miss legitimate calls fearing spam, Community Phone is working on an iteration to help you block spam and not miss important calls. The Safelist -2 will allow calls from numbers on your allowed list and route all other calls to voicemail. You can respond to the voice messages only if those calls are legitimate.

The Blocklist is a more robust spam blocker that blocks spam numbers based on an ever-growing spam database and the number’s spam score. You can contribute actively to the blocklist to ensure you protect yourself and other Community Phone members.

Image of Community Phone spam blocker services

3. 3-way Calling

Speak with 2 or more of your loved ones on a 3-way call and share precious moments. If you are an employee working from home, use this feature to collaborate with team members and colleagues without worrying about patchy video calls or internet bandwidth.

Enhance customer satisfaction by patching the most appropriate person to help an irate customer with the 3-way calling feature. The possibilities are endless!

4. Voicemail

Enable the Community Phone voicemail feature to ensure you do not miss important calls and respond to them when convenient or on priority. You can set up the voicemail box in a few simple steps:

  1. Dial 1

  2. Press Call/Talk

  3. Enter the passcode

  4. Make a note of the passcode.

With a capacity of up to 30 messages, with 3 min recording capacity for each, and the Community Phone landline base alerting you when your voicemail box is full, responding to missed calls and managing voicemail is super-easy.

Keep Your Existing Number With Community Phone

Here are 2 options from Community Phone to continue using your landline number and ditch your landline.

  1. Forward calls from your landline number to an existing cell

  2. Transfer your landline number to a cell phone

1. Cancel Straight Talk Wireless and Forward All Calls to an Existing Cell Phone

Note: The number has to be active during porting. You can cancel service with your old provider once Community Phone successfully ports your number.

If you want to ditch your landline but use the number you have had for years, Community Phone provides a wonderful option - call forwarding without a phone.

Here's how it works:

  1. Call Community Phone customer care at 866-937-2711 and speak to a landline specialist.

  2. Check your area for coverage.

  3. Sign up with Community Phone and choose a plan once the rep confirms coverage.

  4. Request to have the call forwarding feature without a phone

  5. Community Phone will port your landline number from your old provider and forward calls from your landline to your cell phone.

  6. Once Community Phone sets up call forwarding successfully, you can cancel your service with your old provider and ditch your landline.

3. Transfer Your Landline Number to a Cell Phone

Note: The number has to be active during porting. You can cancel service with your old provider once Community Phone successfully ports your number.

Transferring your landline to a cell phone allows you to move your current landline number to a cell phone. If you want to transfer your existing landline number to a new cell phone and cancel their service, here's how Community Phone can help you:

  1. Talk to Community Phone landline specialists at 866-271-4268.

  2. Check your area for coverage.

  3. Sign up with Community Phone and choose a cell plan once the rep confirms coverage.

  4. Request to transfer your landline number to a cell phone

  5. Community Phone will port your number from your old provider

  6. You will receive a new SIM from Community Phone, allowing you to use your landline number on your cell.

  7. Cancel your service with your old provider and ditch the landline once you confirm that your new number is working fine.

With this option, you can retain your phone contacts, reduce your monthly phone bill, and keep the number you have had for years.

Benefits of Switching to Community Phone

Here are some benefits you can enjoy when you join the Community Phone family:

Unlimited nationwide calling and text: Stay in touch with loved ones, business associates, employees, and customers across the US with Community Phone's unlimited talk and text.

No internet needed: The Community Phone landline base works off cell towers without tying your phone to the internet. Since your phones are not dependent on the internet, they will continue working during an internet outage or maintenance.

No hidden charges: At Community Phone, you pay what you signed up for. The company does not surprise its customers with hidden charges or exorbitant equipment fees. Talk to a specialist to learn more!

24/7 reliable customer support: Contact Community Phone customer support via phone, email, and live chat 24/7 to experience world-class support from live agents.

5G or 4G LTE: Your Community Phone cell service will switch between 5G and 4G LTE seamlessly, depending on whichever is the strongest in your area.

International calling: You can make international calls from the US at competitive and affordable rates compared to other providers. Check the Community Phone website to learn more!

Conclusion

Canceling service with your old provider and switching to a cheaper, more reliable, and better option than Straight Talk Wireless should be easy with this guide. Switch to Community Phone, the best Straight Talk Wireless alternative that combines the reliability of a landline, wireless access, and excellent calling features at affordable prices. Talk to their specialist today to learn more!

References

  1. Howard, C. (2018, October 23). What you need to know about Straight Talk’s cheap home phone service. Retrieved from Clark: https://clark.com/technology/straight-talk-introduces-cheap-home-phone-service/
  2. Straight Talk. (2020, September 14). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from Support Center: https://support.straighttalk.com/expresshelp/products/1648692
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