Straight Talk is really hard to beat for the money IF you get a phone that rides the Verizon towers. I have used mine 5 miles into the Great Dismal Swamp in eastern North Carolina with perfect reception.
Another way to tell if your phone rides the Verizon network or Bell network is to look at the serial number. Many, if not most mfg's, list the letter C or G as the last digit in the serial number. The letter C denotes the Verizon network and the letter G denotes the Bell network.