Walmart Family Mobile: Contract-Free Post-Paid Cell Service
There are plenty of pre-paid wireless options out there. It seems like
every direction you turn, there's another MVNO offering you more cell
service. But your post-paid options are fairly limited in the U.S. Get
ready for a big change, though. Walmart announced this week that they
were introducing a new post-paid cellular service (which won't actually be an MVNO; T-Mobile will handle the dirty work), but unlike convention
carriers, Walmart will not require a signed contract. No credit checks,
no 2-year agreements. Just unsubsidized cellphones at reasonable rates,
and monthly fees that are definitely worth considering.
Walmart Family Mobile will lease service from T-Mobile USA, and it will launch on Monday with 5 total phones. The nicest of those will be Motorola's CLIQ XT for $249, but again, that price is for an off-contract phone. Pricing is fairly simple. The first line runs $45/month for unlimited calling and texting, with each extra line adding $25/month. Each line comes with 100MB of data upon activation, with extra data priced between $10 and $40 per month for between 200MB and 1GB. The data will be pre-paid, though, so you can choose to add more right away should you run out.
The service will be sold in around 2500 total stores starting September 20th, with phones from Samsung, Motorola and Nokia to be featured. And again, since there is no annual contract, customers can upgrade anytime by purchasing a new handset with no extra fees or contract commitment. It's a fairly interesting new option, that's for sure. Sprint's Everything plan may be better for heavy smartphone users, but this is the only post-paid option out there that doesn't require a 2-year contract. It's good to have the choices, whatever you decide.
Walmart Family Mobile will lease service from T-Mobile USA, and it will launch on Monday with 5 total phones. The nicest of those will be Motorola's CLIQ XT for $249, but again, that price is for an off-contract phone. Pricing is fairly simple. The first line runs $45/month for unlimited calling and texting, with each extra line adding $25/month. Each line comes with 100MB of data upon activation, with extra data priced between $10 and $40 per month for between 200MB and 1GB. The data will be pre-paid, though, so you can choose to add more right away should you run out.
The service will be sold in around 2500 total stores starting September 20th, with phones from Samsung, Motorola and Nokia to be featured. And again, since there is no annual contract, customers can upgrade anytime by purchasing a new handset with no extra fees or contract commitment. It's a fairly interesting new option, that's for sure. Sprint's Everything plan may be better for heavy smartphone users, but this is the only post-paid option out there that doesn't require a 2-year contract. It's good to have the choices, whatever you decide.
Walmart Introduces Walmart Family Mobile Powered by T-Mobile, Featuring the Lowest Priced Unlimited Talk and Text Wireless Family Plans
New Wireless Service Brand Offers a Family of Three Savings of Up to $1,200 per Year
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 13, 2010 – To help families stay connected while saving money, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announced it will launch Walmart Family Mobile™ powered by T-Mobile, a new brand of post-paid cell phone service that offers the best value for unlimited talk and text. Walmart Family Mobile is a new monthly post-paid plan available without a contract or multi-year commitment, and offers a family of three savings of up to $1,200 per year compared to the leading national unlimited talk and text plans*. The service will be provided by T-Mobile over its nationwide network, and will be sold exclusively by Walmart in nearly 2,500 stores starting Sept. 20.
Walmart Family Mobile was designed with families in mind, and offers the easiest, most affordable way to enjoy high-quality post-paid service. Every line has Unlimited Talk & Text, so customers can be assured of no surprise overages when they receive their bill each month. The first line of service is just $45 per month, and each additional line is only $25 per month. In addition, Walmart Family Mobile has phones for the whole family from Samsung, Motorola and Nokia, including phones with the Android Operating System, QWERTY keyboard, touch screens and other features. Since there is no annual contract, customers can upgrade anytime by purchasing a new handset with no extra fees or contract commitment.
“Walmart Family Mobile makes it more affordable to build meaningful relationships with family and friends so that even when budgets are limited, time spent communicating with loved ones isn’t,” said Greg Hall, vice president of merchandising, Walmart U.S. “This plan provides families with the flexibility to connect with each other without surprise charges and with the added benefit of one of the most trusted wireless network providers.”
“Walmart is known for great value and we’re pleased to offer our robust network of nationwide coverage for Walmart Family Mobile,” said Jim Alling, Chief Operations Officer, T-Mobile USA. “This new service is an innovative approach, offering post-paid customers a low-cost alternative for unlimited voice, messaging, web and inexpensive international calling.”
Data plans are also easy and affordable with Walmart Family Mobile. Activated accounts come with a free preloaded 100MB WebPakTM — which provides access to the internet — for every line of service. The WebPakTM is shared among all lines on an account and unused data never expires. Additional WebPakTM refill cards are purchased upfront in stores or online at www.walmart.com/familymobile, ensuring there are no overage fees or monthly data fees. The WebPakTM can also be used to make international calls to several countries for as low as 5¢ per minute**, as well as download ringtones, games and other apps.
More information about Walmart Family Mobile will be available later this week online at www.walmart.com/familymobile.
