Astound Mobile vs. Straight Talk: Which carrier is better?

Astound Mobile and Straight Talk are two unique cell phone carriers that offer different incentives for prospective customers. Astound Mobile is a service where in order to get it you need to have their Home Internet and Straight Talk is a classic MVNO with lots of plans to choose from. Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s compare them and see which is better.

In this article, we plan to discuss the details of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

Coverage & Reception - How Do Astound Mobile and Straight Talk Compare?

Astound Mobile is on the T-Mobile network, while Straight Talk is on the Verizon network. 

Astound Mobile and Straight Talk are both mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. Astound Mobile is an MVNO of T-Mobile, while Straight Talk is an MVNO of Verizon. 

MVNO - What Should You Know:

A common aspect of MVNOs you should know about is they are more likely to subject users to data deprioritization and throttled speeds. Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” Which means that those who are direct customers of the “parent” company will get network priority when you’re in a high traffic area like a concert hall or sports stadium, or when there’s network congestion.

Throttling is also more likely to occur with MVNOs and “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” This will happen when you go over a certain number of gigabytes of data for the month, which is referred to as a “data cap.” You’ll see this number displayed somewhere on your carrier’s website. Your normal speeds will slow down until the start of your next billing cycle.

Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

Verizon has the most nation-wide 4G LTE coverage out of every wireless carrier in the country which is no small feat. Covering over 70% of the country, Verizon has had its footprints all over the map giving reliable coverage to even the most rural of areas when it comes to LTE.

However, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. So you can expect some pretty solid 5G speeds from T-Mobile’s prepaid plans- (T-Mobile’s prepaid and postpaid both access the same network coverage). Their 4G LTE isn’t as widespread as their two major competitors, Verizon and AT&T, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker.

Another good way to look at your coverage options is to go directly to the source and see what the Astound Mobile and Straight Talk coverage maps look like from the websites themselves, you can see the Astound Mobile Coverage Map here and the Straight Talk Coverage Map here.

TIP: Straight Talk’s coverage map works a bit differently than your average coverage map as you have to input your ZIP code and phone model to get an accurate account of their coverage.

Plan Options - A Close Look at Astound Mobile vs. Straight Talk

Both carriers give you unlimited talk and texting options, but Straight Talk also offers a plan with 1500 minutes instead of unlimited talk. While Astound Mobile has four data plan options, two limited and two unlimited. Both companies deprioritize data, which you know means you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and shopping centers.

Astound Mobile Plans

With Astound Mobile there a few stipulations up from:

• First, you can only get their mobile service in the states Astound operates in.
• Secondly, you have to be signed up for their Home Internet service too, like the other mobile and home internet provider Spectrum Mobile, you have to have their home internet in order to have access to their phone plans. This leads to their “bundle and save” options.
• And lastly, there is a “2-Year Internet Price Lock” that comes with each plan.

1.5GB Plan

This plan is the smallest one Astound Mobile offers, and it gives users 1.5GB of full speed data each month. It also offers hotspot access with all data. Once you reach the 1.5GB cap, your access to both data and hotspot stops completely. You’ll have to wait until the next month of service to get access again. 

You also get a $300 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 300* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $20 per month. With this plan, you get 1.5GB per month for $13.33 per GB.

3GB Plan

This is the bigger of two limited data plans, this plan comes with 3GB of full speed data with included hotspot access. Once you reach 3GB, just like for the previous plan, your access to both data and hotspot stops completely. 

You also get a $200 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 600* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

It costs $35 per month. With this plan, you get 3GB per month for $11.66 per GB.

Unlimited Plan

With Astound Mobile’s Unlimited plan, you get 20GB of full speed data with included hotspot access. Once you reach the 20GB cap, you lose hotspot access and your data speeds slow down to 3G speeds. At 3G speeds, you can still send emails and texts or scroll on the internet, but streaming video or playing games may be slower without WiFi. 

You also get a $400 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 1000* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $45 per month, and you get 20GB for $2.25 per GB.

Unlimited Plus Plan

Just like the Unlimited base plan, you get 20GB of full speed data with included hotspot access with the Unlimited Plus plan. Once you reach the 20GB cap, you lose hotspot access and your data speeds slow down to 3G speeds. 

You also get a $400 gift card with an online order of Astound Internet or Internet and Mobile. 1 Free Month of Internet Service and 1500* Mbps internet speeds (subject to Astound Mobile’s terms, location and rules apply).

This plan costs $55 per month, and you get 20GB for $2.75 per GB.

Straight Talk Plans

Straight Talk plans offer varying talk, text, and data capabilities.

Straight Talk offers eight plans. It’s important to note that Straight Talk’s plans allow up to 5 lines, but some only allow 2 depending on the deal. As an MVNO of Verizon, Straight Talk is on tier 9 of the QCI levels. 

If you purchase your phone from Straight Talk, your device will be locked for 12 months after activation. The plans they offer renew at varying service lengths, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

Basic Phone Plan

This plan includes limited talk, but unlimited text. 

This plan comes with 1500 minutes of talk and 100MB of data, as well as unlimited texting. 

This plan doesn’t include hotspot access, and data speeds slow to 2G speeds once you’ve used your 100MB of data. With 2G speeds, you can still browse the internet or send emails and texts, but you need WiFi to play games or stream video. 

The plan costs $30 per month. At this rate, you get 100MB at 30 cents per MB. 

Bronze Unlimited Plan 

This plan slows data after the cap. 

This plan gives you 10GB of full speed data before slowing to 2G speeds. You also get unlimited talk and text. 

The plan costs $35 per month. At this rate, you get 10GB of data in total at $3.50 per GB. 

Silver Unlimited Plan

This plan gives you 60GB before slowing down.  

This plan gives their users 60GB of full speed data before slowing down to 2G speeds. Users also get access to 10GB of mobile hotspot data before access stops. You also get unlimited talk and text.

The plan costs $45 per month. At this rate, you get 60GB at $0.75 per GB. 

Gold Unlimited Plan

This plan allows for up to 2 lines. 

This plan offers 60GB of full speed data, which slows down to 2G speeds after the cap. You also get 15GB of hotspot data before access stops. 

The plan costs $55 per month for one line. At this rate, you get 60GB at $0.92 per GB.

Platinum Unlimited Plan

This plan offers 20GB of plan data and 20GB of hotspot data.  

This plan comes with 60GB of full speed data included, which then slows down to 2G speeds. It also comes with 20GB of mobile hotspot data. 

The plan costs $65 per month. At this rate, you get 60GB at $1.08 per GB. 

Extended Silver Unlimited Plan(s)

This plan has multiple service lengths to choose from.

This plan comes with 25GB of full speed data before slowing to 2G speeds. This plan renews monthly, but you pay for multiple services upfront. You also get 10GB of hotspot data included.

The plan costs $130 for 90 service days, $255 for 180 service days, and $495 for 365 service days.

Features - Astound Mobile vs. Straight Talk

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While both carriers offer pretty good deals for their customers, there are some differences in the features and benefits that may entice you to pick one over the other. If you’re a frequent traveler, talk to your international friends and family a lot, or are looking for a bit more “perk” with your plan then this section will break down all of that juicy info so you can know what you’re potentially gonna get.

Domestic Roaming Data

Astound Mobile offers standard domestic roaming rates which are $0.30 per mb, $0.00 per minute, and $0.01 per SMS. Straight Talk does not include this feature.

Mexico & Canada Connection

Astound Mobile offers pay-per-use rates for connection in Mexico and Canada. Straight Talk offers talk in Mexico and Canada on all plans except the Basic Phone Plan which is for flip-phones only.

International Connection

Astound Mobile offers international roaming and you only pay for what you use via their rates found here.

Straight Talk offers Global Calling on their Platinum Unlimited plan. They offer international calling as an add-on on other plans. 

Video Streaming Quality

Astound Mobile’s plans stream at 4k Ultra HD resolution, 480p SD resolution on Unlimited. All Straight Talk plans stream at 480p Standard Definition. 

Streaming Services + Extras

Astound Mobile does not offer this feature. Straight Talk does offer a Walmart+ Membership with their Platinum and Gold Unlimited plans.

Cloud Storage

Astound Mobile does not offer this feature. Straight Talk offers 100GB of cloud storage on their Silver, Gold, and Platinum Unlimited Plans.

Device Financing

Astound Mobile has partnered with Affirm which is a financial company and through them you can “Buy Now and Pay Later” with select phones and Smartwatches. You can get APR financing through Astound’s deal with Affirm- (note that you may need to make a down payment, so be aware of that before you look into the program). Then once you’re done paying off said loan, the device(s) are yours. More information you need on Astound Mobile and Affirm can be found in checkout.

Straight Talk does not offer this feature.

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception. 

Spam Protection

Astound Mobile and Straight Talk do not offer this feature.

Free Trial

Astound Mobile and Straight Talk do not offer this feature. 

Customer Service 

Astound Mobile only has a few physical locations and Straight Talk does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support.

Astound offers a few store locations across the country, which can be found with their store locator. However, most Astound Mobile users would likely contact customer service online or over the phone. Their support number is 1 (800) 746-4726. Straight Talk offers support over the phone at 1-877-430-2355 from 8 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. EST every day.

The Verdict

Straight Talk offers the best plans for your money’s worth.

Astound’s price(s) and mandatory Home Internet use make Straight Talk the clear winner here. Not only is Astound Mobile only available in select areas in the country, but not many are looking to switch their home internet and if you aren’t that means you can’t use Astound’s phone service, also for only 20GB of high speed data a month on their unlimited plans before throttled speeds for $45 and $55 a month, it’s not worth it, especially when average phone users trend higher. We always recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan. Straight Talk offers plenty of limited and unlimited plan options at prices worth the sign-up.

Want to compare other carriers?

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And if you want to compare and contrast Astound Mobile and Straight Talk Wireless to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.