Cricket Wireless, the prepaid budget mobile network owned and operated by AT&T, is overhauling its network plans. If you’re looking to save some money on your phone bill, or you’re already a Cricket customer, the new plans are worth a look.
Cricket’sprevious plan lineupwas a bit confusing, to say the least. There was a 5GB data plan for $30/month, a 10GB plan for $40/month, and a ‘Simply Unlimited’ plan that was also $40/month but without some international features. The ‘Unlimited’ plan for $55/month restored those international features, and the $60/month plan added 15GB of hotspot tethering. Some of them were $5 cheaper per month on AutoPay, and some plans had multi-line discounts. There are also the multi-month plans that work more like Mint Mobile, with a different set of features and limitations.
Cricket is trying to fix this with five new options, ranging from $30/month for 10GB of data to $55/month for unlimited data and 50GB of hotspot data. These are replacing all existing plans for new customers—existing customers keep their current plan unless they choose to upgrade.
First is theSensible 10GB Plan, which is $30/month with AutoPay and includes 10GB of “reliable high-speed data.” The cheapest unlimited option is $35/month for theSelect Unlimited Plan, with also includes international calling and texting to Mexico and Canada. Cricket previously charged $50–55/month for those features, so that’s definitely a great change.
TheSmart Unlimited Planis the next step up for $45/month, with 15GB hotspot data, 100GB cloud storage, and the same unlimited data. You also get unlimited calling, texting, and roaming in Mexico and Canada, with international texting to over 200 countries. Finally, theSupreme Unlimited Planis $55/mo with 50GB hotspot data, 150GB cloud storage, and HBO Max with Ads included.
These plans all require AutoPay to get the advertised rate. If you use one-time payments to refill your account, you’re paying $5 more each month. For example, the Sensible 10GB Plan would be $35/month instead of $30/month.
These are generally more data and features at lower prices than Cricket previously offered, so there’s not much to complain about here, especially if AT&T is the strongest network in your area. It’s still worth checking out the competition, though—Visible by Verizonhas cheaper unlimited service with tethering, but without the multi-line discounts of Cricket. You can also potentially get cheaper unlimited plans throughT-Mobile’s Mint Mobile, depending on the deal and pay period.
You can check out thenew Cricket Wireless plansat the company’s official website. You can also visit a physical Cricket store, but there aremore fees when activating lines or upgrading devicesif you do it in person.
