Cricket Wireless is a prepaid carrier that's owned by AT&T and offers great prices on access to the vast AT&T network. Cricket uses the AT&T network exclusively with access to LTE and 5G on all plans. Unlike signing up for AT&T service, there's no contract and there's no credit check. The carrier also works with most unlocked phones, making it a quick and easy way to get great coverage.
Cricket Wireless
AT&T coverage for less
Cricket is one of the cheapest ways to gain access to the massive AT&T network, with a range of unlimited and limited plans that work for just about any customer.
Cricket Wireless Buyer's Guide: AT&T's network
AT&T has been hard at work for years building one of the largest and fastest LTE networks. Cricket customers will have access to the vast majority of the network that AT&T customers have; as long as things don't get too crowded, similar speeds are possible. This network has great compatibility with unlocked phones as well, making it a quick choice to get connected.
In the past, Cricket Wireless limited the speed of your data connection depending on which plan you chose but in 2021, the speed caps have been removed. Coverage has also been updated to allow 5G connectivity on every plan as long as you have a compatible phone.
5G coverage is another component of the AT&T network that hasn't reached all of Cricket's plans. While many other prepaid carriers based on Verizon and T-Mobile have been quick to implement 5G, Cricket only allows Unlimited More customers and data-only plans to use the next-gen network. If you're looking to test out 5G on AT&T, Cricket is still one of the cheapest ways to do so.
Cricket Wireless Buyer's Guide: The plans
Cricket has four main plans for phones and they all come with unlimited talk and text in the U.S., as well as access to Cricket Call Defense. Cricket Call Defense is software designed to identify and block fraudulent calls, plus identify spam and telemarketing calls. All Cricket plans apart from the 5GB option are also available with a $5 auto pay discount.
Cricket also has multi-line discounts so you can save when you bring the whole family. That's up to five lines.
| 5GB | 10GB | Unlimited Cricket Core | Unlimited Cricket More | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talk, text, and picture mail | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| 5G access | Nationwide 5G | Nationwide 5G | Nationwide 5G | Nationwide 5G |
| Hotspot | None | None | $10 for 10GB | 15GB |
| Video streaming | No limit (480p default) | No limit (480p default) | 480p 1.5Mbps | 480p 1.5Mbps |
| Single line price | $30 | $40 ($35 with autopay) | $55 ($50 with autopay) | $60 ($55 with autopay) |
| Multi-line prices | 2 lines: $60 3 lines: $90 4 lines: $120 5 lines: $150 | 2 lines: $70 3 lines: $90 4 lines: $110 5 lines: $130 | 2 lines: $80 3 lines: $90 4 lines: $100 5 lines: $125 | 2 lines: $90 3 lines: $110 4 lines: $130 5 lines: $160 |
Cricket has partnered with Wi-Fi provider Boingo as well as LinkNYC to provide Wi-Fi for customers in range. This benefits customers by providing fast and reliable data in areas that may not be optimal for cellular connectivity as well as not using up their data while connected. These areas include places like sports stadiums and even military bases. LinkNYC has many points across New York City that provide Wi-Fi and other services. Your Cricket phone can automatically connect to these points as well.
Cricket also has two data plans called Simply Data. These plans come in 20GB and 100GB sizes. All of these plans come with 5G and unlimited data speeds. These plans are a great fit for someone that only needs data on a device without a phone number.
Cricket Wireless Buyer's Guide: International Service
Calling other countries with Cricket is a breeze as long as you sign up for one of the unlimited plans. These plans come with calling to 37 countries for no additional cost.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada*
- China
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nigeria
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- UK
- Venezuela
Cricket also has some calling add-ons available to certain plans. You can Cricket International for $5 per month with calls to landlines in 35 countries. You can also pay for Cricket International Extra which ads mobile-to-mobile calling in 31 countries. Finally, a few individual countries can be added for $10 to $15 per month with features varying by country.
Both of the Cricket unlimited plans come with usage in Mexico and Canada. Keep in mind that Canada usage must stay under 50%. This can be great for people that travel to Mexico or Canada often and don't watch to switch SIMs.
Cricket Wireless Buyer's Guide: The phones
If you're ready for a new phone, you can buy one directly from Cricket. Cricket has a wide range of Androids and iPhones, including some high-end devices like the Galaxy S21 FE. You can also get a mid-range device like the attractive Moto One 5G. If you need help paying, financing is available through Affirm.
One of the nicest things about AT&T's network is how well unlocked phones work with it. Just about any unlocked GSM-compatible device will work.
5G support is a bit more restricted still. As for phones sold by Cricket, the iPhone 12 and 13 series is supported, as well as the Cricket Dream 5G, LG K92 5G, Motorola moto 5G stylus, moto one 5G, Samsung Galaxy S20+, S20 FE, S21 FE, A32 5G, A51 5g, and A52 5G.
BYOD devices give you a few more options. The Galaxy S22 series, for example, is supported on 5G even though Cricket does not sell this model. Some other phones that should work on the network with 5G like the OnePlus 9 Pro are not supported, however. Other BYOD 5G devices may work with the proper APN settings, though it's best not to bet on unofficial support just yet. Especially with AT&T's currently limited 5G footprint.
Cricket Wireless Buyer's Guide: Do you go with Cricket?
If you live and work in an area with great coverage, there's little reason not to try out a prepaid carrier. One of the main reasons to opt for AT&T postpaid over Cricket is premium data. This data is prioritized over other data on the AT&T network. The result is that if a tower is very congested, the Cricket customer may see speeds plummet while an AT&T customer does not. For most people, it won't be a big deal and for many, won't even be noticeable. Unfortunately, this all comes down to your area and the congestion, so it can be hard to predict.
At least you're not locked into Cricket if you decide it's not a good fit.
If you're looking at other prepaid carriers, there's a lot more competition. Mint Mobile, for example, offers similar data amounts for less money. Since it's based on T-Mobile, it also has great 5G coverage.
Still, Cricket continues to be one of the best prepaid carriers you can get as long as you're looking at the unlimited plans especially when you bring more than one line.
Cricket Wireless
AT&T coverage for less
Cricket is one of the cheapest ways to gain access to the massive AT&T network with a range of unlimited and limited plans that work for just about any customer.
When Samuel is not writing about networking or 5G at Android Central, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3.
