iPhone 5S and 5C come to Walmart's no-contract plans
Forget contracts, the retailer is offering 30-day unlimited plans that start at $45 per month through Straight Talk Wireless and Net10 Wireless.
Walmart is looking to please those customers that just won't do contracts. The big box retailer announced Monday that it's bringing Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C to its contract-free Straight Talk Wireless and Net10 Wireless networks.
The plans start at $45 a month for Straight Talk and $50 a month for Net10 -- they are slated to begin on Friday, December 13.
"Our growing lineup of premium smartphones with the addition of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c reflects our dedication to providing consumers with affordable plans on the top phones on the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE networks," TracFone Wireless CEO F.J. Pollak said in a statement. TracFone Wireless owns Straight Talk and Net10.
Walmart has sold both iPhones since the launch of the devices in September, but they were only available with a two-year contract. The iPhone 5S is Apple's newest high-end smartphone and the 5C is a lower-cost device that has a plastic case and comes in several colors.
Under the new plans, the iPhone 5S 16GB comes in space gray, silver, and gold and will sell for $649; and the iPhone 5C 16GB comes in white, blue, green, pink, and yellow and costs $549.
Straight Talk is offering a $45 per month no-contract 30-day plan with unlimited nationwide talk, text, and data. For $50 a month, Net10 is offering a friends and family line and $40 more for each additional line. For $60 per month on Straight Talk or $65 per month on Net10, users can talk to more than 1,000 destinations in several countries, such as Mexico, Canada, and India.
Walmart offered a similar promotion a few months after the launch of Apple's iPhone 5 last year. Several retailers, including Apple stores, major mobile carriers, Best Buy, and Target also sell the smartphones, but they typically don't offer no-contract plans.