Cricket Wireless is now offering bonus data on select plans to customers that purchase them at Walmart. One plan will get you 30GB of data for $40/month. They are limited-time seasonal holiday offers. The firm Wave7 Research recently observed signage in several Walmart stores showcasing the promotions. Walmart online also has display banners that feature the deals.
Cricket Wireless Walmart Bonus Data Offers Explained
The bonus data offer is available on two Cricket Wireless plans and here they are:
- $30/month - 6GB of high-speed data, regularly includes 2GB
- $40/month - 30GB of high-speed data, regularly includes 10GB. The price of the plan is reduced to $35/month if auto-pay billing gets enabled
Both plans include unlimited talk and text, and unlimited 2G data (128Kbps) once their high-speed allotment gets consumed. At the end of October, Cricket Wireless enabled 5G network access on each plan.
The fine print is the same for both offers and is as follows:
- A new line of service is required to claim them
- The bonus data is only available for 12 months, after that, data reverts back to each plan's regular allotment
- Possibly for single lines only. The fine print on Walmart's webpage describing the offers states "not combinable with multi-line discount." BestMVNO has reached out to a Cricket representative for further clarification and the post will be updated when one is received. Update: A rep has confirmed that the triple data is not compatible with multi-line discounts.
The bonus data offers are scheduled to be available at Walmart at least until January 7, 2022.
Cricket'S Walmart Exclusive Holiday Phone Deals
Cricket is also running some Walmart exclusive phone deals. The deals are on the same phones sold through cricketwireless.com and in Cricket stores but with different pricing. Let's take a closer look at each of the deals and see how they compare between purchasing them at Cricket vs Walmart.
Samsung Galaxy A02s (32GB)
At Walmart, customers that activate a new line of service on a Cricket plan priced $40 or higher can get the phone for just $19. It's regularly priced at $69. Customers must also signup for auto-pay billing and pay for their first month of service all in the same transaction.
Through Cricket Wireless, switchers can get the phone for free. However, customers are required to signup for Cricket's $60 plan to get the offer. Customers must also pay for their first month of service at signup to get the deal. Subscribers are able to switch to another plan after their first month. For new lines of service that don't port-in, the price of the phone is $79.99.
So who has the better deal?
This might be a draw but depends a bit on your needs. Both the Walmart offer and Cricket's offer will cost you at least $60 upfront to take advantage of it. It will cost at least $59 at Walmart plus tax for the deal and $60 at Cricket. If you need Cricket's $60 unlimited plan and are porting in, buy from Cricket to get the best deal. Otherwise, Walmart will be the better option as porting in is not needed.
Samsung Galaxy A12 (32GB)
This phone is $49 when bought at Walmart and activated on a new line of service priced $40 or higher. It's regularly priced at $99.
Cricket is also offering this phone for free, but only to switchers who activate on Cricket's $60 unlimited plan. New lines of service that aren't switching will have to pay $99 for the phone.
So who has the better deal?
In this case, if you are going to port-in and want Cricket's flagship unlimited plan, buying from Cricket is the clear choice. It will cost you $109 at Walmart for the phone and plan under those circumstances, but only $60 from Cricket.
iPhone SE
The 64GB iPhone SE is $149 at Walmart for new lines that activate on a plan priced $40 or higher. It's regularly priced at $349. Customers that buy the phone but don't immediately activate it in the same transaction will pay $249 for it.
Online at Cricket Wireless, the phone is available for free for switchers AND new accounts that activate on the $60 plan. However, to take advantage of it, customers must pay for their first three months of service in advance. So $180 will be due upfront.
So who has the better offer?
This deal is going to cost you a minimum of $189 at Walmart to take advantage of it. But at Cricket it's only $180. So Cricket is clearly the better deal.
Bonus data offers at Walmart and phone deals there are nothing new. Total Wireless has long offered bonus data exclusively at Walmart on it's $35 plan. AT&T Prepaid, Boost Mobile, and Verizon Prepaid have also all had Walmart exclusive bonus data offers and plans at least at one time or another as well. Cricket's bonus data plans are particularly generous though in that they are triple data offers.
Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research added: "The caveat is that the bonus data only lasts for one year. Still, 30GB at $40/month is a lot of value, unlimited for most customers. Whether it’s this Walmart offer, adding 5G to all plans, TVs, or removing speed caps, we’re seeing a high level of energy from Cricket as holiday competition begins.”
“Subscribers are able to switch to another plan after their first month.”
Actually Cricket has always allowed subscribers to downgrade to their cheapest (currently $30) plan immediately after activating service.
Also worth noting that the two Walmart promo plans do not include hotspot access.
Yes, but you have to prepay for the first month, so why downgrade to a lesser plan immediately after sign-up?
Cricket credits the difference (first month payment less $30) and applies it against month two’s charge.
Even with these promos that require you to buy the phone and plan all in one transaction?
Has always worked that way for me when buying a promo phone and a required “$60” phone plan (immediately changed to a cheaper monthly plan).