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FrugalForever 61.2K Views
Aug 21, 2026 2:47 AM

Straight Talk 128GB Apple iPhone 16e (Locked) + 30-Day Silver Unlimited Plan

$194

$645

69% off
+ Free S&Hat Straight Talk
Get Deal at Straight Talk

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Deal Details
Straight Talk has 128GB Apple iPhone 16e Smartphone (Locked) for $149 + 30-Day $45 Silver Unlimited or Higher Prepaid Plan (see all plan options/pricing). Shipping is free.

Note: Select the prepaid plan after adding the phone to cart. Phone is unlocked after 365 days of paid and active service (view unlock policy).

Thanks to community member FrugalForever for finding this deal.

Product Specs:
  • 6.1" 2532 x 1170 Super Retina XDR OLED Display
  • Apple A18 (3 nm) CPU Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz)
  • Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
  • 128GB internal storage
  • 8GB RAM
  • 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO11 | Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA11
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • Main Camera: Single 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), PDAF, OIS
  • USB-C Charging (charge cable included)

Editor's Notes

Written by johnny_miller | Staff
  • Straight Talk is a prepaid, no-contract wireless service provider, owned by Verizon. You are not obliged to continue service past the initial 30 days of included airtime, unless desired.
  • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by FrugalForever
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Straight Talk has 128GB Apple iPhone 16e Smartphone (Locked) for $149 + 30-Day $45 Silver Unlimited or Higher Prepaid Plan (see all plan options/pricing). Shipping is free.

Note: Select the prepaid plan after adding the phone to cart. Phone is unlocked after 365 days of paid and active service (view unlock policy).

Thanks to community member FrugalForever for finding this deal.

Product Specs:
  • 6.1" 2532 x 1170 Super Retina XDR OLED Display
  • Apple A18 (3 nm) CPU Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz)
  • Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
  • 128GB internal storage
  • 8GB RAM
  • 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO11 | Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA11
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • Main Camera: Single 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), PDAF, OIS
  • USB-C Charging (charge cable included)

Editor's Notes

Written by johnny_miller | Staff
  • Straight Talk is a prepaid, no-contract wireless service provider, owned by Verizon. You are not obliged to continue service past the initial 30 days of included airtime, unless desired.
  • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by FrugalForever

Community Voting

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Top Comments

Community Reviews

This Straight Talk iPhone 16e deal stands out for the low upfront price and the Apple trade in angle, especially if the phone is being used as a short term bridge to gift cards or another iPhone purchase. The 16e is eSIM only, and activation or rebranding to TracFone has worked in some cases through customer service. The main catch is unlocking, since the phone appears to need a full year of new paid service on that specific device, and carryover service may not count. In store activation and trade in results have also been inconsistent, so it is best viewed as a deal with some setup friction.

Common Questions (5)

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123 Comments

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Sep 4, 2026 9:00 PM
377 Comments
Joined Nov 2012
dirks7649Sep 4, 2026 9:00 PM
377 Comments
I just traded in 2 x iPhone 16e from the cricket deal, received phones, activated, made a call, send a couple of txt messages, turned off autopay. Then moved eSIM to my main phone so I can still access account and erased phone and eSIM. Walked into Apple Store, walked out with 2x $310 gift cards, no issues - all done within 48h.
Sep 9, 2026 6:57 PM
156 Comments
Joined Aug 2009
jackyangSep 9, 2026 6:57 PM
156 Comments
I received one 16e from straight talk. The box shows total and straight talk. I just activated in my tracfone number and it worked. I didn't talk to CS. In my straight talk account (created when I bought the phone), I didn't see the phone.
1
Sep 11, 2026 8:44 PM
32 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
luantangSep 11, 2026 8:44 PM
32 Comments
i just placed 2 orders with 2 different accounts and cards but they were cancelled without any reason. can i do it in walmart?
Last edited by luantang September 11, 2026 at 01:47 PM.
1
Sep 12, 2026 2:17 PM
453 Comments
Joined Oct 2019
PurpleScene795Sep 12, 2026 2:17 PM
453 Comments
I ordered from the Straight talk website and was delivered earlier this week.


Tried Tracfone website to activate but was denied activation "locked to different carrier"

Called Tracfone customer service and they were able to "rebrand" and activate it on TracFone wireless.

Excellent deal for a brand new iphone 16e with no contact IMHO

I currently have the 1 year Tracfone service with unlimited talk+text and 12gb data(for the year) and once I sold my iphone 12 from the tracfone deal on ebay. im currently at $260 for 12 months of cellular service and a iphone 16e.

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Sep 12, 2026 7:25 PM
2 Comments
Joined May 2023
MerryMint3166Sep 12, 2026 7:25 PM
2 Comments
Can we buy this phone from Straight Talk and then trade in at Apple Store for a iPhone 18 pro financed deal with TMobile ??
4
Sep 21, 2026 8:55 PM
41 Comments
Joined Dec 2025
CrimsonRiver774Sep 21, 2026 8:55 PM
41 Comments
Was anyone able to complete service first month then rebrand to TracFone
Sep 21, 2026 9:13 PM
64 Comments
Joined Jul 2024
AmusedMaid716Sep 21, 2026 9:13 PM
64 Comments
Quote from MerryMint3166 View quoted comment :
Can we buy this phone from Straight Talk and then trade in at Apple Store for a iPhone 18 pro financed deal with TMobile ??
Some had an issue with the phone ringing up $0 having the store manager override it. Some cases the manager will not override.
1

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Sep 27, 2026 6:02 AM
313 Comments
Joined May 2013
Marcus2010Sep 27, 2026 6:02 AM
313 Comments
Quote from CrimsonRiver774 View quoted comment :
Was anyone able to complete service first month then rebrand to TracFone
You can't activate on StraightTalk and then ask to rebrand to TF.
You can ask TF customer support to rebrand when inactive and ask them for a plan equivalent to your purchased plan. I got a 3-months unlimited talk/text with 3GB data plan, TF has it for ~$40, so they activated me with that.
Oct 16, 2026 1:47 PM
3.2K Comments
Joined Aug 2008
celeritiniOct 16, 2026 1:47 PM
3.2K Comments
Curious if I can get this deal, then rebrand the 16e directly to use on my Total $20 BYO Max line, withouth ruining anything, plan pricing or device surcharge afterwards?

some discussion at metro in the past was saying they did get a free iphone w/ port-in, and used on their other metro $25 byod line. I might remembered wrong though...
Pro
Oct 17, 2026 3:44 AM
221 Comments
Joined Oct 2024
SlickShoe966
Pro
Oct 17, 2026 3:44 AM
221 Comments
Quote from celeritini View quoted comment :
Curious if I can get this deal, then rebrand the 16e directly to use on my Total $20 BYO Max line, withouth ruining anything, plan pricing or device surcharge afterwards?

some discussion at metro in the past was saying they did get a free iphone w/ port-in, and used on their other metro $25 byod line. I might remembered wrong though...
Total won't let you use Verizon Value branded phones with the BYOD promo line. They gave me a hard time with the BYEBYE BYOD $15 promo, which is the predecessor to the $20 BYO MAX promo. I used one of their phone which was unlocked. I ended up moving the line to a different carrier brand.

I believe the same is at Metro, but I don't have first hand experience.
Oct 17, 2026 3:20 PM
3.2K Comments
Joined Aug 2008
celeritiniOct 17, 2026 3:20 PM
3.2K Comments
Quote from jackyang View quoted comment :
I received one 16e from straight talk. The box shows total and straight talk. I just activated in my tracfone number and it worked. I didn't talk to CS. In my straight talk account (created when I bought the phone), I didn't see the phone.
When you activate it in tracfone, did you activate on your active line or new line? If your existing active line, was it the BYO $20 plan or regular pricing plan? Thanks
Oct 17, 2026 3:28 PM
3.2K Comments
Joined Aug 2008
celeritiniOct 17, 2026 3:28 PM
3.2K Comments
Quote from SlickShoe966 View quoted comment :
Total won't let you use Verizon Value branded phones with the BYOD promo line. They gave me a hard time with the BYEBYE BYOD $15 promo, which is the predecessor to the $20 BYO MAX promo. I used one of their phone which was unlocked. I ended up moving the line to a different carrier brand.

I believe the same is at Metro, but I don't have first hand experience.
Oh, thank you! I actually have an iPhone SE3 from Straight Talk maybe 2-3 years ago and it is currently unlocked. I did got blocked when I signed up $20BYO plan at Total's website last month. But it was active on Tracfone pSIM. So I ended up signing up the $20BYO using a different unlocked phone.

EDIT: SE3 was a ST branded, unlocked. Currently uses a Tracfone pSIM and active line. In my Total $20 BYO account, I chose upgrade phone and activated the line onto the SE3's eSIM option. It went through the Total's system and gave me back instructions no problem. Then I scanned the eSIM QR using SE3, activation on phone went through. BUT, the carrier label was defaulted to "TFW", not Verizon or Total as previously shown on the initial/previous device. Initially, the SE3 cannot make calls, but after a couple of minutes, Airplane mode on/off, pulling out the TF pSIM card. And I called the Total number from a different phone, the SE3 received the call and then it can call out now. Oh, the official confirmation was a text sent from Total wireless, saying "Total Wireless: Thank you for being part of the family! Your transfer is now complete."

I checked my Total online account, for that BYO line, it currently shows the SE3 attached, its eSIM IMEI and ICCID. So I guess an unlocked Verizon Value brand phone would be okay, at least the eSIM side. Couldn't understand the "TFW" label shown on SE3's screen. Maybe when I call TFW or Total customer service, and get a "rebrand", I can correct its label?
Last edited by celeritini October 17, 2026 at 08:55 AM.
Oct 17, 2026 4:12 PM
2.7K Comments
Joined Apr 2007
pardes3Oct 17, 2026 4:12 PM
2.7K Comments
decent deal.
Oct 17, 2026 5:51 PM
156 Comments
Joined Aug 2009
jackyangOct 17, 2026 5:51 PM
156 Comments
Quote from celeritini View quoted comment :
When you activate it in tracfone, did you activate on your active line or new line? If your existing active line, was it the BYO $20 plan or regular pricing plan? Thanks
It is an existing line which came with some 1 year plans from QVC/HSN. I was able to use another esim of the phone on straight talk (I bought another 16e from ST and traded in so I reused that ST line on first 16e for one month).

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Pro
Oct 17, 2026 5:57 PM
221 Comments
Joined Oct 2024
SlickShoe966
Pro
Oct 17, 2026 5:57 PM
221 Comments
Quote from celeritini View quoted comment :

Oh, thank you! I actually have an iPhone SE3 from Straight Talk maybe 2-3 years ago and it is currently unlocked. I did got blocked when I signed up $20BYO plan at Total's website last month. But it was active on Tracfone pSIM. So I ended up signing up the $20BYO using a different unlocked phone.

EDIT: SE3 was a ST branded, unlocked. Currently uses a Tracfone pSIM and active line. In my Total $20 BYO account, I chose upgrade phone and activated the line onto the SE3's eSIM option. It went through the Total's system and gave me back instructions no problem. Then I scanned the eSIM QR using SE3, activation on phone went through. BUT, the carrier label was defaulted to "TFW", not Verizon or Total as previously shown on the initial/previous device. Initially, the SE3 cannot make calls, but after a couple of minutes, Airplane mode on/off, pulling out the TF pSIM card. And I called the Total number from a different phone, the SE3 received the call and then it can call out now. Oh, the official confirmation was a text sent from Total wireless, saying "Total Wireless: Thank you for being part of the family! Your transfer is now complete."

I checked my Total online account, for that BYO line, it currently shows the SE3 attached, its eSIM IMEI and ICCID. So I guess an unlocked Verizon Value brand phone would be okay, at least the eSIM side. Couldn't understand the "TFW" label shown on SE3's screen. Maybe when I call TFW or Total customer service, and get a "rebrand", I can correct its label?

My problem with Total BYOD promo was not about activation. Everything worked fine even from a ST-branded phone on Total network. It was about pricing. They gave me $15 promo for the first month. But it renewed at regular price $55. I went back and forth with them a few times and then filed a FCC complaint to get them to make $15 permanent for 5 years, as advertised. But I had to move my line to a different carrier phone.

A note about "TFW" branding. Don't worry about that. It's just a label. All Verizon Value brands use the same APN, which is the gateway to the Internet. See the attached photos. From left to right: TF, TOTAL, and VISIBLE. The APNs have different names, but the APN is VZWINTERNET.

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