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Cricket Wireless Prepaid Service Plan Review
Last updated: January 19, 2022 by Rachael Hoffman
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Overview
Cricket might seem like a new wireless brand, but they've been selling prepaid wireless services for more than a dozen years. Their plans, which offer unlimited services for a flat monthly fee, have become popular among value-conscious consumers.
Pros: With plans that range from 35 to 70 dollars per month, Cricket can fit any budget. They have an increasingly large handset lineup that now includes the iPhone.
Cons: Because they don't subsidize handsets with two-year contracts, many of the best handsets are quite expensive. Due to network incompatibility, some handsets are not available in all Cricket areas.
Detailed Provider Information
Plans: Cricket offers plans for basic phones and smartphones. For basic phones they offer a basic 35 dollar plan that provides unlimited long distance calling and text messaging, plus voicemail and caller ID. The 45 dollar plan adds unlimited picture and video messaging, international messaging, mobile data, and a host of calling features. The smartphone plans start at 50 dollars per month and provide unlimited long distance calling and all types of messaging, plus unlimited data (capped at 1GB of full-speed 3G data). The 60 dollar plan adds unlimited international messaging and increases the 3G speed cap to 2.5 GB. The 70 dollar plan increases the full-speed 3G limit to 5 GB. Both the 60 and 70 dollar plans include tethering and data backup features. Android smartphones are eligible for the Muve Music plans, which cost the same as the smartphone plans. Finally, the iPhone plan costs 55 dollars per month and provides all of the features of the 60 dollar smartphone plan, minus tethering and the data backup.
Customer Service: Customer service is available via a toll free number.
Free Nights: Unlimited
Credit Check: None
Free Weekends: Unlimited
Contract: None
Daily Access Fee: On PAYgo plans
Payment Options: Cricket offers customers the ability to pay via automatic bill payments that deduct your balance from a credit or debit card each month. You can make payments by phone with a credit or debit card, but you'll be charged an additional 2 dollar processing fee to do so. Paying in cash at an authorized payment location for a 3 dollar fee is another option. Payment by mail may be made with check or money order and you can also make payments online through their customer care website.
Text and Picture Messaging: Yes.
Data Plans: For basic phones, the 45 and 55 dollar plans include unlimited mobile web. All smartphone plans include unlimited data, but each has a particular amount of full-speed 3G data. The 60 dollar smartphone plan includes 1GB of full-speed 3G data. The 60 dollar plan includes 2.5 GB, and the 70 dollar plan includes 5 GB. The iPhone plan includes 2.5 GB of full-speed data.
Downloads: You can download ringtones to most phones offered by Cricket for $1.99. Screen images (also known as wallpapers) are also available for download for 99 cents each.
International Calling: Cricket offers unlimited international text messaging on many of its plans. It also offers international long distance calling at varying rates. See website for details.
Text Messaging Available: Cricket offers unlimited text messaging with all plans, and offers picture messaging with the 45 and 55 dollar basic plans, plus all smartphone plans.
Roaming Charges: Roaming minutes cost 25 cents each. Cricket now has nationwide coverage, thereby reducing roaming areas.
Shop Phones and Plans: Shop for Cricket Wireless
Text Messaging Charge For Incoming: No
Calling Features: Caller ID and voicemail are available on all plans. The 45 dollar and higher plans add call waiting, call forwarding, and 3-way calling. Voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, and three-way calling are available with all PAYgo plans.
Unlimited Text Messaging Plan Available: Yes
Activation Fee: There is an activation fee of 15 dollars to get started with Cricket wireless.
Nationwide Long Distance: Nationwide long distance is available on all of Cricket's monthly plans.
Unlimited Plan Available: Yes
411 Calls: Unlimited 411 directory assistance is available with the 45 and 55 dollar basic plans, the 60 and 70 dollar smartphone plans, and the iPhone plan.
Earliest Minute Expiration: Cricket monthly plan minutes do not expire. A new fee is required every month.
911 Calls: Yes.
Phones: Cricket offers phones ranging from basic 30 dollar flip phones to the 500 dollar iPhone. In their inventory is a number of Android smartphones, and they are adding new ones regularly. They can range from value models around 100 dollars to higher end models over 200 dollars.
Standard Calling Features: caller ID, call waiting, voicemail
Some Available Cell Models: iPhone 5 (shown) ZTE Engage HTC One V Samsung Vitality Huawei Ascend II BlackBerry Curve 9350 Huawei Ascend Q
Coverage Map: Cricket Prepaid Coverage Map
Cheapest Phone Model: $49.99
Latest News: See the latest news about Cricket Wireless
Average Rating By Users
Most Recent Reviews
Consumer Review
I was with the company for 10 miserable years. Bad phones, bad service. I was going to do a phone financing plan to get a galaxy 4 but decided that day to switch carriers all together and get an iPhone from page plus. They run on verizon towers so now I can talk in my own home, no dropped calls, the same text doesn't get sent a hundred times and its only $55 a month no tax. I'm sorry I didn't switch sooner!
Consumer Review
Absolute garbage. The 3G is a joke. You will NEVER ONCE IN YOUR LIFE get actual 3G speeds on their network. You just won't. Ever. Even when it says 3G connected (good luck this only happens about 5% of the time, basically in the middle of large cities outdoors is it) you will get .5Mbit dl speed at best. It's just pure garbage for using the internet. The simplest pages take minutes to load if ever. Forget facebook or youtube are you kidding me? Also they have the worst customer service on the planet. Which is really bad considering Charter Cable and Dell exist. Their phones are also full of ridiculous bloatware you can never get rid of and that runs all the time. Good luck getting a cricket phone's battery to last more than 6 hours. This place sucks. I hate them so bad. I actually want them all to die. Every person that works there I want dead.
Consumer Review
Absolute garbage. The 3G is a joke. You will NEVER ONCE IN YOUR LIFE get actual 3G speeds on their network. You just won't. Ever. Even when it says 3G connected (good luck this only happens about 5% of the time, basically in the middle of large cities outdoors is it) you will get .5Mbit dl speed at best. It's just pure garbage for using the internet. The simplest pages take minutes to load if ever. Forget facebook or youtube are you kidding me? Also they have the worst customer service on the planet. Which is really bad considering Charter Cable and Dell exist. Their phones are also full of ridiculous bloatware you can never get rid of and that runs all the time. Good luck getting a cricket phone's battery to last more than 6 hours. This place sucks. I hate them so bad. I actually want them all to die. Every person that works there I want dead.
Consumer Review
Their flash killed two of my Droids, the first I thought was a fluke, I was wrong. I could rarely use my net browsing, my calls were always dropped if they went through at all. I had to constantly resend my text messages, sometimes they would send in all Alt Codes. I continuously had them texting me at all hours of the day/night about what ever BS promo they had at the time, had to switch my number twice because of harassing prank calls from the last person who owned the number (number was given out too early). This was all in a 3 month period. I suggest you save your money, I'm going back to a contract!
Consumer Review
Their flash killed two of my Droids, the first I thought was a fluke, I was wrong. I could rarely use my net browsing, my calls were always dropped if they went through at all. I had to constantly resend my text messages, sometimes they would send in all Alt Codes. I continuously had them texting me at all hours of the day/night about what ever BS promo they had at the time, had to switch my number twice because of harassing prank calls from the last person who owned the number (number was given out too early). This was all in a 3 month period. I suggest you save your money, I'm going back to a contract!
Consumer Review
Started off good, was cheap, but my phone had very limited memory and when I would go indoors i would lose reception in my own house even with my 3g on. Battery life on my phone was a joke… I switched to a new company after half my text messages said they didnt send do to an error lol I would be outside with full bars and get this message…. Im no longer with them.