Cricket Wireless Plans & Customer Service Information

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How Cricket Wireless Plans Work

Cricket Wireless was founded in the year 1999 by Leap Wireless. The company was initially an independent CDMA wireless network that partnered with Sprint. Sprint’s network was used by Cricket to provide domestic roaming for its customers.

In July 2013, Cricket Wireless was purchased by AT&T for the sum of $1.2 billion. About a year later, AT&T decided to kill off its own prepaid brand, AIO Wireless, in favor of merging it with Cricket.

Cricket Wireless is technically not an MVNO since it is owned and operated by AT&T, but it is a prepaid carrier.

Cricket Wireless’s Prepaid Phone Plans Explained

There are a total of 4 phone plans available for purchase and pricing starts at $30/month for a single monthly line, and $25/month for an annual plan. Cricket uses AT&T’s 4G LTE and 5G networks for coverage. Here is a list of the available plan options with the data differences between each plan highlighted.

• $30/month – 5GB high-speed data
• $40/month – 10GB high-speed data, $35/month if you enable auto-pay billing
• $55/month – unlimited high-speed data, $50/month if you enable auto-pay billing. New customers that bring their own devices and prepay annually can get it for $25/month.
• $60/month – unlimited high-speed data plus 15GB hotspot, $55/month if you enable auto-pay billing

What you see is what you pay. Taxes and fees are included with the prices shown.

What Plan Features Are Supported By Cricket Wireless

Different Cricket Wireless phone plans support different features. But there are some features common to all plans. All plans include the following:

• Unlimited Talk
• Unlimited Text
• 4G LTE/5G network access
• HD Voice
• WiFi Calling
• myCricket App to manage account available on both iOS and Android
• Unlimited Apple Watch plan can be added to any phone plan for $10/month

These are the plan features only available with specific plans:

• Hotspot – only natively available on the $60 unlimited plan which includes 15GB of hotspot data
• Mexico and Canada roaming usage – only available on the two unlimited plans. New subscribers on the $40 plan also get it
• Stream More – feature available to customers on the $15, $30, and $40 plans that reduces video streaming to a resolution of 480p. Stream More helps customers save their high-speed data so that it lasts longer. Customers can disable this to get HD video streaming
• Unlimited 2G data –  on the $15, $30 and $40 plans, customers that run out of high-speed data have their data speeds reduced to 128Kbps for the rest of their billing cycles.

HD video streaming is not supported

Available Phone Plan Add-Ons And Top-Ups

There are many different plan add-ons and top-up options available which are summarized in the chart below.

Cricket’s Phone Plans Have Limitations

Cricket’s two unlimited plans come with a video streaming resolution limit. Videos typically stream at a resolution of about 480p or at a rate of about 1.5Mbps. According to Cricket’s mobile broadband terms and conditions, at any time the network gets congested, data speeds on the $55 unlimited plan may be temporarily slowed until the network congestion gets relieved. Customers on the $60 have premium data, and will not be faced with data speed slowdowns compared to other customers when the network gets busy.

Web Images Are Compressed

The mobile broadband terms and conditions also state that Cricket Wireless will compress images that its subscribers see while browsing websites over the cellular data network. This applies to all of Cricket’s plans. The images get compressed to either JPEG or GIF. The technology is used to help control network bandwidth so that all subscribers have an enjoyable experience while using the network. Images viewed over WiFi are not subjected to Cricket’s image compression algorithms.

If you are using hotspot, there is a limit to the number of devices that can be connected to the phone’s hotspot at once. A maximum of 6 devices can be simultaneously tethered and connected. Even if you have a hotspot-eligible phone plan, Cricket only allows a small number of phones to use the hotspot feature.

5G Network Compatible Phone Limitations

Cricket only allows phones that it sells and phones that are on AT&T’s phone whitelist to be used on its network.

Expected Data Speeds

The only Cricket phone plan where data speeds may vary is the $60 plan. According to the company’s mobile broadband disclosure, 5G data speeds on the plan can be expected to be in the range of:

Family And Group Plan Discount Options

All of the single-line plans are available with multi-line discounts except for the $30 plan. No multi-line discounts are available on that plan but you can still have multiple lines on that plan in your account. If you want a multi-line group discount plan from Cricket Wireless, here are your available options:

$40/month 10GB Plan

• 2 lines – $70/month
• 3 lines – $90/month
• 4 lines – $110/month
• 5 lines – $130/month

$55/month Unlimited Plan

• 2 lines – $80/month
• 3 lines – $90/month
• 4 lines – $100/month
• 5 lines – $125/month

$60/month Unlimited Plan + 15GB Hotspot

• 2 lines – $90/month
• 3 lines – $110/month
• 4 lines – $130/month
• 5 lines – $160/month

Data Only Plans Are Available

Cricket sells data-only plans. You can scroll down below to see the full list. The plans are all compatible with Cricket’s 5G network and all plans include roaming in Mexico and Canada at no additional charge. If you want a data-only plan you’ll have to purchase a 5G hotspot device from Cricket. Customers that run out of data on a data-only plan can add a one-time top-up priced at $10 for 15GB.

There’s A Refer A Friend Program

Subscribers that refer a friend to Cricket Wireless by using their referral link will earn a $25 account credit for every referral. Subscribers that signup for Cricket Wireless through a referral link also earn a $25 account credit. The credits do not get awarded to either account until after the new subscriber has completed 60 days of active service.

A maximum of 10 referral credits can be claimed per calendar year limiting potential earnings to $250. Given that Cricket does not sell any phone plans under $30, customers are unable to earn a year’s worth of free service through the referral program. This is in contrast to many other providers where customers are allowed to earn enough credits to get free service for a year.

Supported Phones And BYOD Devices

Cricket does sell a variety of devices, sometimes offering free phones to new customers. Many phones can be purchased in stores such as Walmart and Target, however, Cricket phones were withdrawn from Best Buy in October 2020.

Device Financing Is Offered

Brand new phones can be expensive. If you prefer not to pay for the whole thing at once, Cricket offers a Lease-To-Own phone payment plan option run through Progressive Leasing. No credit is needed to be eligible for the payment plan. However, customers must be 18 years or older, be able to provide a valid ID, a social security number, a credit or debit card, and bank information. A maximum of 5 phones and 5 accessories can be purchased on a lease. Phones qualifying for the lease program must be priced at $149.99 or more after all discounts and promotions are applied. The payment plan option is not available in the following states: MN, NJ, VT, WI, WY. The standard lease-to-own option is for 12-months.

Insurance Options

Cricket Wireless offers two different device insurance programs, Cricket Protect which costs $8/month, and Cricket Protect Plus which costs $11/month. Both plans include comprehensive coverage in case of accidental drops, water damage, and screen breaks. However, there are deductibles. There’s a $29 deductible for cracked screen repairs. Deductibles for other incidences may range in price between $10 and $250 and depend on the phone. Both plans also come with online photo and video storage. Users on the basic Cricket Protect plan get 16GB of cloud photo storage. Those subscribed to Cricket Protect Plus get unlimited storage with photos and videos stored at full resolution. For both plans, a maximum of 3 insurance claims are allowed per 12-month period. On the base plan, screen repairs count towards the 3 claim limit. Cricket Protect Plus subscribers get unlimited screen repairs as screen repairs do not count against the 3-claim limit with that plan.

BYOD Options

If you already own a phone or device that is compatible with the AT&T network, it should also work with Cricket Wireless. T-Mobile SIM-unlocked phones are also compatible. Most manufacturer-unlocked phones sold in the USA including devices from Motorola and Samsung are suitable for use with Cricket Wireless.

Where To Buy Service Plans And SIM Cards

You may subscribe to Cricket by visiting any one of their nationwide network of stores or online through their website. It is advised that you do not signup through one of their retail stores, because they charge extra fees when you do. Plans and SIM cards can also be purchased elsewhere often at a discount. Refill and SIM cards can be found at Amazon,  Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

Cricket Wireless Logo:

Year Founded: 1999

Subscribers: 13,000,000

Networks Used: AT&T

LTE Bands Used: 245121417293066

5G Bands Used: n5 (850MHz)n77 (3.7GHz)n260 (39GHz)

Support For BYOD: Yes

Sells Phones: Yes

All Taxes And Fees Included In Price? Yes

Online Payment Options: Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Gift Cards, Refill Cards

Cricket Wireless Contact Information

Website: https://cricketwireless.com/

Phone Number: 1-800-(274-2538)

Address/Headquarters:

Cricket Wireless LLC
575 Morosgo Dr NE
Atlanta, GA 30324

Social Media Accounts
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

How To Port Out Of Cricket Wireless

You need your account number which is found when you login to your Cricket Wireless dashboard. You also need to know your pin number which you setup when you created your account. If you do not know it, you need to contact Cricket Wireless.