Apple continues to find ways to make the iPhone more accessible to cell phone users on a budget, teaming up with Walmart and Straight Talk to offer a no-contract handset with unlimited talk, text and data.
Walmart has announced the arrival of the iPhone on its Straight Talk Wireless service, bringing Apple's coveted smartphone to the nation's largest and top rated no-contract cell phone provider.
Starting January 11, Straight Talk's no-contract iPhone will be available in more than 2,000 Walmart stores as well as through Walmart.com. Customers will be able to choose between the iPhone 4 ($449, 8GB) and iPhone 5 ($649, 16GB), each available in either black or white.
If those up-front prices are a bit too steep for you, Walmart has your back and is offering brick-and-mortar customers the option to buy with a no interest, fixed monthly payment financing offer for only $25 per month when using a Walmart credit card.
Straight Talk offers two no-contract plans, both of which include unlimited nationwide talk, text and data starting at $45 per month. A $60 option also adds unlimited international calling to more than 1,000 destinations in Mexico, Canada, India and other countries.
The company estimates that iPhone buyers can save an average of $950 per year by switching from traditional contract plans offered by the likes of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, and unlimited 4G data is likely to be attractive to AT&T users in particular, given that Straight Talk's service can work on the same network, sans LTE.
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