Cricket Wireless has announced some new promotions. The AT&T owned brand is marketing them as hot deals for the cool temperatures of fall 2018. Deals include 4 lines of unlimited data for $100, the LG Fortune 2 for free and the Samsung Galaxy S9 for $499. Cricket also has open enrollment for its Cricket Protect device insurance program.
4 Lines Of Unlimited Data For $100
The 4 lines for $100 offer is for Cricket Wireless's Unlimited 2 plan. It is available to new and existing customers and comes with some limitations. Data speeds are limited to just 3 Mbps. Video streams are limited to a maximum of 1.5 Mbps or a resolution of about 480p. After 22GB of data gets consumed in a month, data speeds may be reduced further during times of heavy network congestion. The plan also includes unlimited texting from the USA to 38 countries, unlimited talk, and talk, text and data access while traveling in Mexico and Canada.
Free LG Fortune 2
To get a free LG Fortune 2 customers must port-in and activate a new line on a plan priced $30 or more. Those porting from AT&T are excluded from the deal. The LG Fortune 2 retails for $99.99 and is available to current customers for $39.99 plus a $25 upgrade fee. The device has the following specifications:
- 5" 720p HD screen
- 1.4GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 425 processor
- 16GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
- 2GB RAM
- 8MP rear camera with a 5MP selfie camera
- 2500 mAh battery
- Android 7.1.2
- Support for the following LTE bands
2,4,5,12
Eligible plans to get the free phone are:
- $30/month - 2GB of high speed data.
- $40/month ($35 with auto pay) - 5GB of high speed data.
- $55/month ($50 with auto pay) - unlimited 2 plan, with data speeds restricted to a maximum of 3 Mbps. Unlimited texting from the USA to 38 countries. Talk, text and data access while traveling in Mexico and Canada.
- $60/month ($55 with auto pay) - unlimited high speed data. Unlimited texting from the USA to 38 countries. Talk, text and data access while traveling in Mexico and Canada.
The $55 and $60 plans include a hotspot option priced at $10/month. With hotspot customers get 10GB of hotspot data at LTE data speeds before throttling to 2G speeds. Taxes and fees are extra and not included in the prices shown.
The LG Fortune 2 will be made available for free to switchers until 1/10/19. Cricket previously offered the phone for free just a couple of months ago.
Samsung Galaxy S9 For $499
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is available for $499 to switchers who activate on a plan priced $30 or more. Those porting from AT&T are excluded from the promotional pricing. Full retail price on the phone is $749.99, current customers can upgrade for $699.99 with a $25 activation fee.
Highlighted Galaxy S9 features include:
- 5.8" Quad HD+ 570ppi 2960x1440 Super AMOLED Screen
- Octa-core (Quad 2.8 GHz + Quad 1.7GHz) Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 processor
- 64GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
- 4GB RAM
- 12 MP rear camera with dual-pixel and UHD video
- 8MP selfie camera
- 3000 mAh battery
- Android 8.0 Oreo
- Support for the following LTE bands
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 28, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 66
The Galaxy S9 Offer is another ongoing promotion that looks to have been available since at least March. Cricket however now says this deal will end on 10/7/18.
Cricket Protect Open Enrollment
Cricket Protect is an optional add on feature that can be purchased with new phones and phone upgrades. It is also available as an option for some phones that are previously owned and being brought over to Cricket. Eligible previously owned phones are limited to Apple iPhones and some Samsung Galaxies.
Cricket Protect subscribers pay $7/month for what is essentially phone insurance. Subscribers get protection from loss, theft, accidental physical damage including liquid damage, in-warranty exchanges, and out-of-warranty mechanical or electrical malfunction. It excludes cosmetic damage. The plan also includes coverage for the battery, wall charger and SIM card. There is a deductible of $10-$250 per approved claim and it varies by phone. A maximum of 2 claims can be filed in a 12 month period, and maximum replacement value is limited to $1500 per claim.
Normally Cricket Subscribers can only enroll in Cricket Protect within the first 7 days of activating an eligible device on the network. During the open enrollment period, anyone can signup for Cricket Protect provided that they meet the following criteria:
- You own an eligible Cricket phone or a phone on the bring your own phone covered devices list.
- The phone must be in your possession and in good working condition with no physical damage.
- You have account that is active and current
Open enrollment is available now until October 7th, 2018.
Final Thoughts
Cricket Wireless sent put a press release announcing the new fall promotions. Unfortunately, all but open enrollment seem to be nothing more than recycled and continually running promotions. I'd like to see Cricket Wireless do better here. At least competing brands like MetroPCS and Boost Mobile have been mixing their offerings up a bit more.