If you bought a Straight Talk phone, the possibilities are it is locked. It means you can’t insert another carrier’s SIM card in it.
It can create a problem if you’re living in a poor service area or departed for an international tour and want to use a SIM card of a different carrier. In that situation, the only option is to unlock your Straight Talk phone to use another network.
However, there are a few conditions that you have to meet to receive the unlock code. So, let’s get started.
Conditions to Unlock a Straight Talk Phone
Make sure your phone and account meet the following conditions.
- You have a Straight Talk phone in working condition.
- You have proposed an unlock request after 60 days of the expiry of the service or when your phone is active.
- There is no lost or stolen report against your device.
- The device is not involved in fraud.
- You must have used your locked phone continuously on Straight Talk for 12 months and reclaimed the service for not less than 12 months.
- You have not ported or recycled your phone number.
- You must have a Straight Talk device whose model was launched after February 2014 or activated after February 2015.
Straight Talk only asks for your deployment documents instead of other conditions if you worked in the military.
How to Get the Straight Talk Unlock Code
If you bought the phone from Straight Talk and meet the above conditions, it’ll provide an unlock code. To get the code,
Step 1. Call the Straight Talk customer service department on 877-430-2355 any day between 8 a.m to 11:45 p.m.
Step 2. Request the Straight Talk representative for an unlock code. The customer care representative will verify that you’ve met all the conditions to get the unlock code.
It’s important to note that you can only unlock GSM devices that use SIM cards this way.
Step 3. The customer care agent will give you a 10-15 digits code. Write down the code as it’ll be needed to unlock your phone.
Unlock a Straight Talk Phone
Once you get the code, follow the steps to unlock your phone.
- Turn off your phone and remove the Straight Talk SIM card.
- Insert the SIM card of your preferred carrier.
- Turn on your phone.
- It will ask to unlock the phone to use the new SIM card.
- Type the unlock code that you’ve already received and tap unlock.
You’ll get a confirmation message saying the code has been accepted. You can now use the phone with your new carrier.
Also, if you can send texts, make phone calls, etc. by using the new SIM card, you’ll understand that your phone is unlocked. You can even take the help of third-party providers who will check whether the phone is unlocked using the IMEI number of your phone.
The company offers a partial refund or credit at the time of buying a new Straight Talk phone to the customers who failed to unlock their phones. However, they must meet all the required criteria for unlocking the phone.
Alternative ways to Unlock your Phone
Sometimes it can be difficult to unlock your phone through Straight Talk if you don’t meet its requirements. Luckily, you can still unlock your phone by using a third-party service.
Third-party companies can help your phone to unlock without any kind of conditions. They only charge some amount to provide an unlock code.
However, you’ve to be very careful while dealing with unknown third-party companies. Make sure to choose a reputable company; otherwise, you may lose your money.
Here is the list of some trusted third-party unlock service providers.
- Cellphone Unlock
- MobileUnlocked
- Unlock Radar
- DoctorSIM
What Carrier Can You Use For a Straight Talk Phone?
After you unlock the Straight Talk phone, you can use Verizon as it owned Straight Talk. If your phone model was made in 2015 or later, you can use GSM networks like T-Mobile and AT&T.
You can even use GSM networks with the model launched before 2015, but you have to ensure that they have the necessary hardware support for text messages, calling, and 4G LTE data.
Conclusion
The conditions to unlock Straight Talk is very strict. Everyone can’t continue the pay-as-you-go service for 12 months. So, if you meet the conditions, you can unlock your phone.
Otherwise, you have to use third-party apps to unlock your phone. But make sure they are genuine before choosing a third-party service.
