I have been using Straight Talk as a back up wifi for when the campgrounds don't work well or I want to do banking, Skyping and suchHave been very happy with ST till this weekLast week added 4 gb to hot spot used very little and then camped in areas with no service Tuesday when we returned to civilization my hotspot was unusable due to no GB left I had not used 4 GB in a couple of daysSo..... called ST Started with Tracfone at 35 cents a minute Not a good idea because of expense Went to a Walmart and they were good enough to let me use their phoneAll in all ..... was put on hold over a 2 day period for over 2 hours Once someone went to check something and after 1/2 hour had not returned Another time held for 20 minutes and then line disconnected Finally convinced someone to tell me where I had used all the GB and guess what? I had used just over 1 GB Now to gat my GB returned That was like pulling teeth The service reps you get on line can really do nothing and have to transfer you to another department which has more authority which was where all the holding went onIt would have been nice if someone had at least sounded sorry for my problems but no such luckWill continue to use ST and keep my fingers crossed because it is the cheapest I can get to do what I want

I've had Tracfone service (which is affiliated with Straight Talk) for many years. The last non-smart phone I bought had the triple minutes feature..I signed up for the auto add minutes each month and not once in the 4 years I've had this phone has the correct minutes been added..they add the 60 minutes but never triple it..it takes a call to customer service or using the chat to get the other 120 minutes added. Since I usually get rep with a heavy accent, I've gone to using the Chat and that works pretty well. Each time I explain the problem and that this is never done correctly, they assure me has been corrected and it happens again the next time minutes are added..I've even called them prior to the add date to make sure the minutes are correct and again they never are. But I still stick with them because of the cost of the minutes..I even added a smart phone last month (cancelling our Verizon non-smart phone) so will see how that works...guess I am a glutton for punishment but like you it is the cheapest I can get to do what I want. Good luck in your future use!!

The key is to "shut off" your data when you are not using it.If you leave the data on, all your apps access your data 24/7's eating it all up. The more apps you have added to your phone the more data is eaten. And the more apps you have loaded the faster your battery will go dead.Why do you think apps are for free? Providers have a hand in it so you have to purchase larger data plans.It is all written right in the privacy act that everyone just clicks agree to. btw you also give them the right to access your contact list of names and phones numbers too.

Well, when I talked to the Straight Talk service rep to find out why there was no tethering icon on my Straight Talk Samsung S5 phone I was told tethering is a violation of the Straight Talk service contract. So no tethering icon. I was also told if the Straight Talk somehow found out I was using their service as a WIFI hotspot they would cancel my account. Just sayin.As far as their customer service is concerned.....It is terrible.

rockhillmanor wrote:The key is to "shut off" your data when you are not using it.If you leave the data on, all your apps access your data 24/7's eating it all up. The more apps you have added to your phone the more data is eaten. And the more apps you have loaded the faster your battery will go dead.Why do you think apps are for free? Providers have a hand in it so you have to purchase larger data plans.It is all written right in the privacy act that everyone just clicks agree to. btw you also give them the right to access your contact list of names and phones numbers too.X2. I don't use data on my phones, so it's always disabled. We prefer using free wifi, or wifi at home where we're paying for it anyway.

I have used Straighttalk for cell phone service almost 8 years (when my AT&T bill went up to over $250/month) and we have had very few problems with it. I have also tried using the phone to call and went through 3-4 different people and I finally hung up, used the CHAT feature on their website and got it fixed within 10 minutes.

Straight Talk customer service | Good Sam Community

docsouce
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2018
I had no idea what tethering even was till I saw a post here about it. Naturally I read the post after buying a new Straight Talk phone with no tethering icon. I should have consulted my grandson before my purchase...Oh Well
kerrlakeRoo
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
Am currently using Total Wireless, another Tracfone subsidary. Have either use them or straighttalk for about 6 years.
Yes customer service sucks, is a total joke.
6 years ago got tired of Verizon saying I had used my double data for life, 2.5 gigs doubled to 5 every month on my Palm in 3 days. Switched to straighttalk, used a tethering app (easytether pro) for 2 years before switching to total wireless. Straight talk would slow you to less than dial up when you passed their limit, for me about 24 to 28 days in to my month. Iswitched to total wireless 2 years ago, when m'lady moved in to save a few bucks on 2 line plan. We now get unlimited talk and text, and 15 gigs of data for $57 a month.
We quit using easytether 2 years ago when they opened extra data for smartphones. Tracfone and their affiliates USED to scan for someone using a https site header. nowadays all smartphones use those routinely, so my understanding is that they can no longer tell if you are tethering or using your phone to access secure sites. The one thing they can dois disable tethering on any phone you buy from them. But if you "bring your own phone" unlocked, they cant block you.
trtog7
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
Guess I was not clear enough This is for a mobile hotspot Not a phone
I use Tracfone and had enough trouble with them when I needed a new SIM card every time I needed to set it up as they will not send it to Canada Now I have a phone without a SIM card I put time on it at home and shortly after we cross the border it is active
Merrykalia
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
I have used Straighttalk for cell phone service almost 8 years (when my AT&T bill went up to over $250/month) and we have had very few problems with it. I have also tried using the phone to call and went through 3-4 different people and I finally hung up, used the CHAT feature on their website and got it fixed within 10 minutes.
MDKMDK
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
rockhillmanor wrote:
The key is to "shut off" your data when you are not using it.

If you leave the data on, all your apps access your data 24/7's eating it all up. The more apps you have added to your phone the more data is eaten. And the more apps you have loaded the faster your battery will go dead.

Why do you think apps are for free? Providers have a hand in it so you have to purchase larger data plans.

It is all written right in the privacy act that everyone just clicks agree to. btw you also give them the right to access your contact list of names and phones numbers too.

X2. I don't use data on my phones, so it's always disabled. We prefer using free wifi, or wifi at home where we're paying for it anyway.
docsouce
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2018
Well, when I talked to the Straight Talk service rep to find out why there was no tethering icon on my Straight Talk Samsung S5 phone I was told tethering is a violation of the Straight Talk service contract. So no tethering icon. I was also told if the Straight Talk somehow found out I was using their service as a WIFI hotspot they would cancel my account. Just sayin.

As far as their customer service is concerned.....It is terrible.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
The key is to "shut off" your data when you are not using it.

If you leave the data on, all your apps access your data 24/7's eating it all up. The more apps you have added to your phone the more data is eaten. And the more apps you have loaded the faster your battery will go dead.

Why do you think apps are for free? Providers have a hand in it so you have to purchase larger data plans.

It is all written right in the privacy act that everyone just clicks agree to. btw you also give them the right to access your contact list of names and phones numbers too.
craftyfox
Explorer
Mar 08, 2018
I've had Tracfone service (which is affiliated with Straight Talk) for many years. The last non-smart phone I bought had the triple minutes feature..I signed up for the auto add minutes each month and not once in the 4 years I've had this phone has the correct minutes been added..they add the 60 minutes but never triple it..it takes a call to customer service or using the chat to get the other 120 minutes added. Since I usually get rep with a heavy accent, I've gone to using the Chat and that works pretty well. Each time I explain the problem and that this is never done correctly, they assure me has been corrected and it happens again the next time minutes are added..I've even called them prior to the add date to make sure the minutes are correct and again they never are. But I still stick with them because of the cost of the minutes..I even added a smart phone last month (cancelling our Verizon non-smart phone) so will see how that works...guess I am a glutton for punishment but like you it is the cheapest I can get to do what I want. Good luck in your future use!!

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