Are Walmart Net10 phones a good deal? In the store, the selection is fairly thin: I rarely see more than one or two handsets in my local mart. However, the selection online is quite good - there were twenty models in stock when I last checked. Still, let us compare them with the same phones available online from Net10. My hunch is that Net10 will be better. Why?
Well, Walmart Tracfones can sometime be a good deal. For example, Walmart used to offer an inexpensive phone like the LG 410g flip phone as a double minutes phone when it was only available as a single minutes phone online from Tracfone. However, Net10's airtime plans don't have a double or triple minutes feature. So there's no flexibility there. The one advantage is that Walmart sometimes includes additional accessories.
Let's test our guess but before we do that, let me make a quick note about shipping.
When you order online from Walmart, you have the option to ship direct to you or to the store (ship-to-store). The ship-to-store option is free but shipping it direct to you is free only for orders $50 and over (although it is sometimes as low as 97 cents even when you have to pay).
In contrast, when you order from Net10.com, 3-day FedEx ground shipping is free as long as your purchase is 19.99 and higher.
Model | Walmart Price | Net10 Price | Walmart(W) or Net10(N) |
---|---|---|---|
LG 236C | 19.88 | 19.99 | N (free shipping) |
Samsung S275G | 19.99 | Free with airtime purchase | N (cost) |
Huawei Ascend II | 65.96 | N/A | W (availability) |
LG Optimus Dynamic II | 79.92 | 79.99 | W (8 cents less!) |
iPhone 5s | 549.00 | 550.00 | W(1.00 less) |
ZTE Merit | 69.96 | N/A | W (availability) |
Samsung Galaxy Proclaim | 89.96 | N/A | W (availability) |
Created with the HTML Table Generator
The NET10 Samsung T401G Slider Phone offers a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, mp3 music player, a 1.3 Megapixel camera, and Bluetooth compatibility for headphones as well as file transfer. It is sometimes available as a bundle but currently (Early 2012) only the phone itself is offered.
The T401g costs 39.98 from Walmart (apparently a rollback from a price of 79.99). However, you can get the T401g and a $25 airtime card from Net10 for just $25, so the phone is basically free. In addition, you also have the opportunity to sign up for cheap $30 per month unlimited service when you buy the refurbished T401g and an unlimited airtime card for $70.
So in this case, it's better to get the Samsung T401G at Net10.com.
Both Walmart and Net10 offer a few phones free with purchase of a $25 airtime card. These phones are the Motorola EM326g, LG 300, and the Samsung T201g. In this case, the choice boils down to whether you prefer to order online from Net10 with free shipping or order from and drive to Walmart to pick it up.
Walmart offers the LG 320 for $14.00 which is 99 cents cheaper than the price listed on Net10's site. This is a basic phone but if you really want it, and it's worth 99 cents for you to drive down to Walmart, go for it!
Walmart offers a Net10 LG 800g bundled with a 4 GB microsd card for $49.88 which is a pretty good deal. Net10 normally charged 49.99 for just the phone itself; however, they've recently dropped the price to 39.99 which makes it pretty comparable. A 4 GB microsd card costs about $10 these days.
Walmart's offer on the LG 900g appears to be its one clear winner. For 39.88 you get the phone plus a 4GB card. By comparison, Net10's site offers just the phone.
The Motorola W408g is offered for 29.99 by both. However Net10 also offers a refurbished phone plus $50 airtime card for $50 and the chance to sign up for the $30 a month unlimited service for the next twelve month just like it does with the T401g mentioned earlier. If you're interested in unlimited service (for talking and texting mainly) then the Net10 version is a better bet.
There have been some attractive Walmart Net10 bundles in the past. You may also find more choices at the physical stores itself though that varies by location. However, when I last checked (early 2012), Net10's website currently offers the better deals most of the time and they offer free shipping.