Update

I wrote this article in early 2015 and it still remains very popular. I am working on a new article to how you how to sign up for Straight Talk Wireless using a Verizon smartphone with Straight Talk’s Verizon network but for now I am adding this update. Read the update, the original article below, and check the comments for a lot of good information other readers have shared.

One of the most commonly asked questions I get on smartphonematters is “Can I use my Verizon phone with Straight Talk?”. To cut to the chase, YES, you can if your phone is eligible. So depending on what phone you may have a few options when signing up for Straight Talk using their Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) Plan.

The first thing to understand is that Straight Talk does not own their own cellular network. They lease cellular networks for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. Straight Talk handles all the sales, marketing, billing and support and when you sign up you are Straight Talk’s customer. Depending on a few choices when you sign up your phone will use one of the big four networks above. This works out well for a couple of reasons. First, Straight Talk can offer nationwide coverage because one of those four areas is likely to be available in your area. Second, it makes it possible to offer the Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) plan. If your currently say an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, and have a AT&T or T-Mobile (GSM / LTE) phone then your phone is compatible with the Straight Talk AT&T and Straight Talk T-Mobile networks. And because you are currently using AT&T or T-Mobile, Straight Talk should also offer service on that network where you currently are using your phone.

OK, great, but you want to know about Verizon phones and using Straight Talk’s Verizon network. If you want to use your Verizon Phone with Verizon’s Straight Talk network you have to first check to see if your phone is eligible.

Is My Verizon Phone Eligible?

You can check if your phone is eligible by entering your phone’s MEID,IMEI, or ESN online at straighttalk.com. MEID, IMEI, or ESN is just some fancy technical talk for your phone’s serial number. You need to use the exact IMEI from your specific phone, not someone else’s phone that is the same model as yours. If you want to learn how to check if your Verizon phone is eligible See my article and video,
Checking If You Can Use Your Verizon Smartphone with Straight Talk Wireless

Straight Talk doesn’t tell us what makes a phone eligible, so we don’t have list of criteria, just go check if your phone is eligible. When you check if your phone is eligible Straight Talk checks that serial number, the IMEI, to make sure they can register that phone on their Verizon network. So if you are trying to use a lost or stolen Verizon phone, it might have a “Bad” IMEI, meaning Verizon won’t let any company register it on the verizon network. If your phone is currently under contract or a payment plan you probably should pay off plan or Early Termination fee. If you don’t the phone might not be eligible or worse, become ineligible at a later date and you will be no longer eligible to use it on Straight Talk’s Verizon network.

Does my Verizon Phone Need To Be Unlocked?

Another common question I get asked is” “Does my Verizon phone need to be unlocked to use Straight Talk?” The answer is your phone needs to be eligible, don’t worry about “unlocked”. If you really want to know, keep reading this section but it isn’t essential to know to sign up for Straight Talk. When your phone is locked it means the wireless company that sold it to you wants to prevent you from using it with a different wireless company. This makes sense if you bought the phone on a contract or payment plan because you are effectively paying off the phone as part of your monthly payment either as part of the cost for service or a specific payment line item on your monthly bill. If you are using a modern Verizon smartphone that supports Verizon’s 4G LTE network, then your Verizon phone is already unlocked. If your using an older Verizon phone that supports only Verizon’s 3G CMDA network, that phone is probably still locked. But just because your Verizon 4G LTE compatible smartphone is unlocked, it doesn’t mean that you can use it with Straight Talk’s Verizon network. What is does mean is that you can put an A&T or T-Mobile SIM card in it and you won’t be prevented from using it on that network if your particular model is compatible it that network. Finally, if you are wondering why only the 4G LTE model phones are unlocked its wa part of some government or FCC mandate Verizon agreed to unlock all their 4G LTE phones in exchange for the right to license the 4G radio frequencies.

My Phone Is Eligible So Now What?

If your phone is eligible for use on the Straight Talk Verizon network you might have a few choices and options to consider. Depending on your model phone you may also have the option of using Straight Talk’s AT&T or T-Mobile network. If you use your phone in an area where AT&T or T-Mobile have as good or better coverage than the Verizon network you might what to consider this option. If the Verizon network is they only network that has decent coverage in your area, then continue to the next section, otherwise keep reading. If you have a newer model iPhone like the iPhone 5s, 5c, 6, or 6s or you have a newer model Samsung Galaxy like the S7, S6, S5, S4, or maybe even the S3 your phone is compatible with the AT&T LTE network and the T-Mobile LTE network. You might consider using on of these networks because the 4G LTE data can be faster. Verizon limits the 4G LTE network speeds for prepaid wireless service to download speeds of 5Mbps. I have seen speeds between up to 50Mbps using Straight Talk’s AT&T network in my area. If you want to learn more about this leave reply below and ask.

Signing Up for Straight Talk

Before you can sign up for Straight Talk Wireless you’ll need the right SIM card or Activation Kit. You can order one online from straighttalk.com or look for one at Walmart. After you have your StraightTalk SIM card or Activation Kit you can sign up online at straighttalk.com

Below is my original article and video which are still worth reading and watching.

Straight Talk is now offering 4G LTE on its verizon-compatible network. Previously, they only offered 3G CDMA service and many Verizon 4G LTE phones like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5 were not eligible and could not be registered and activated on the Straight Talk verizon-compatible network.

I don’t have a lot of details at this time, but I will share what I do know. I recently bought a Straight Talk Bring Your Own Phone(BYOP) Activation Kit at Walmart, opened it and found that the kit now comes with Verizon SIMs. Check out my video to see. To get LTE on verizon, you need to have a SIM.

To sign up, I THINK you need to still use a Network Access Code to register your Verizon smartphone on the Straight Talk network and then you activate the Verizon SIM. I haven’t walked through this process myself yet as I don’t have a Verizon smartphone.

I suspect, but I haven’t confirmed, that the Straight Talk verizon-compatible 4G LTE network may have a download speed cap of 5Mbps down. This is similar to PagePlus’ verizon compatible network, and may be a constraint imposed by Verizon on it’s prepaid network.

It was only a matter of time for this to happen. Verizon finally opened their 4G LTE network to prepaid wireless companies last year. First with Verizon’s own prepaid service and then to Page Plus.

This is still great news for Verizon smartphone owners looking to switch to prepaid wireless. Many customers will now have a choice of StraightTalk’s att, tmobile or verizon-compatible networks. You can choose the network that your phone supports and has the best coverage where you live, work, or use your phone most.

So what about you? Do you plan to sign up for Straight Talk’s 4G LTE verizon-compatible network? Or have you already signed up? Leave a comment below and share.

Update Feb 6 2015
Reader Tom and his daughter were kind enough to share this information. Thanks to both of them for taking the time to share this information so that others could benefit.

1. Tom also confirmed for us. To use Straight Talk’s Verizon LTE network, you have to:

• check to see if your phone is eligible by entering the MEID into the Straight Talk web site.
• if eligible, you can the use a Network Access Code to register your phone on the Straight Talk verizon network
• once your phone is registered, you can activate the Verizon SIM

2. Tom was able to buy a $9.99 Straight Talk Activation Kit from his local Walmart. This kit included the Verizon SIMs but not the $45 No-Contract Unlimited 30 Day Service Plan card. These kits are great for those signing up for Straight Talk and want to use autopay and have their credit cards billed directly. I have never seen this type of kit before.

3. Tom’s daughter also shared with us this screenshot. She is using Straight Talk’s Verizon network. You can see from the screenshot that her status bar displays Verizon as the network name and LTE for her LTE connection.

Update Feb 6 2015
A reader, Jesse, also shared with us this photo of a Straight Talk BYOP kit that did not contain the verizon SIM cards.