Prepaid Faceoff: Cricket vs. GoPhone

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Vs.

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With the massive number of prepaid MVNOs and carrier options, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all and even harder to compare and decide which company is the right one for you. So, every once in a while we’re going to go through and do a Face-off of two popular companies, comparing plans and services to help you better decide. Today, we’ll look at AT&T’s GoPhone and Cricket Wireless. These are two companies owned by AT&T and operating on its network, and they’re said to have the best value of prepaid companies on AT&T’s network, so I thought we could put them head to head. It seems that Cricket has more options available, and can appeal to the high and low data user, while GoPhone has fewer options with strange data allotments. Here’s how they compare:

Plan Prices  Price range? What is included?

GoPhone – Plans range from $30 – $60

GoPhone only offers 3 standard plans. Customers can choose to enroll in AutoPay for a $5 discount off any plan. To view the plans in detail, click here.

Cricket – Plans range from $30 – $70

Cricket has nearly the same range of prices, but offers a couple more options for customers.  Here, too, you’re able to get a $5 discount for enrolling in AutoPay, but not on the basic $30 plan. To view the plans in detail, click here.

Unlimited Talk/Text  Is it offered? What is the lowest price?

GoPhone – Yes, unlimited talk and text is included in all 3 plans, beginning at $30/month.

Cricket – Yes, unlimited talk and text is included in all 5 plans here, beginning at $30/month.

Data Ranges  What is the most and least data available?

GoPhone – GoPhone’s basic $30 plan does not include any data. Instead, customers can purchase a data package ($5 for 250 MB). The most data available is 8 GB of high speed data, with unlimited data at 2G speeds, included in the $60/month plan.

Cricket – Data is included in all plans with Cricket, starting with 1 GB for $30/month and working up unlimited high speed data for $70/month.

Pay-As-You-Go Rates  What are the pay-as-you-go per minute rates?

GoPhone – GoPhone offers a couple pay as you go options, either $2 for a day of unlimited talk and text, with data available for $1 for 100 MB, or $0.25 per minute and $0.20 per text.

Cricket – N/A— no pay as you go options available.

International Calling  What options are available? What does it cost?

GoPhone – All plans include unlimited texting to more than 100 countries, and the $60 monthly plan includes unlimited talk and data usage for Mexico and Canada, but there are a few different international calling cards that you can add on to any plan, ranging from $5 – $15. To view those in detail, click here.

Cricket – Unlimited international text is included in the 3 more expensive plans, from $50 – $70, as well as unlimited talk and data to Canada and Mexico. Customers can purchase general international add-ons or add-ons for specific countries. To view more details on that, click here.

Activation Fees  How much do they cost?

GoPhone – No activation fee.

Cricket – There is no activation fee for online purchases, but for some in-store activations there is a $25 fee.

BYOD  Can you activate your own device?

GoPhone – Yes, unlocked GSM devices can be activated here, and SIM cards are available for purchase at $0.99.

Cricket – Yes, unlocked GSM devices can be brought in for activation here, and SIM cards are available for $9.99.

Network/Coverage  What network does it use?

GoPhone – AT&T | Coverage Map

Cricket – AT&T | Coverage Map

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