Cricket Wireless is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T, providing prepaid smartphone-based plans with data tethering capabilities and data-only plans.
Cricket frequently runs promotional pricing deals, but be sure to read the fine print of those deals and be aware of any restrictions on data speeds or tethering abilities.
Cricket offers both unlimited and capped data plans for phones, and capped data plans for data-only devices. Phone plans are not permitted for use in data-only devices (hotspots).
Cricket offers a rebranded Unite Express 2 hotspot device for their data-only plans.
All Cricket plans have download speeds up to a maximum of 8 Mbps for compatible 4G LTE devices and 4 Mbps for compatible 4G (HSPA+) devices, with the exception of the Cricket Core Plan (3Mbps maximum) and the Cricket More Plan and data-only plans, which have no speed throttles.
Currently Available Plans:
- Phone
- 2GB: $30
- 5GB: $40
- Cricket Core - Unlimited 3Mbps on device: $55
- Cricket More - Unlimited on device + 15GB Mobile Hotspot Data: $60
- Data Only
- 30GB: $70
- 10GB: $35
- 3GB: $25
For Our Comparative Pricing Grid:
Guide to Cellular Data Plan Pricing
Testing Status:
We do not keep a Cricket plan in our testing arsenal.
Current Plans Policies & Perks:
- Carrier Networks Used: AT&T
- Carrier Relation: Prepaid Carrier Subsidiary
- Plan Types Available: Phone, Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Phone, Hotspot
- Device Purchase Required: No, but can purchase a device
- Mobile Hotspot Use:
- On Phone Plans with capped data buckets: None
- Cricket More: 15GB of high-speed mobile hotspot data is included with this plan, after which mobile hotspot data speeds are slowed to 128kbps.
- Cricket Core: Mobile hotspot can be turned on for an extra $10 per month. You are capped at 10GB of hotspot data if you add this feature, after which speeds are slowed to 128Kbps for hotspot data. Mobile hotspot data is limited to the same 3Mbps speed as on-device data.
- Data Only Plans: all data is eligible
- Throttling:
- Capped Bucket (2GB/5GB): Download speeds max of 8Mbps(LTE)/4Mbps(4G), then throttled to 128 kbps after data bucket is used.
- Cricket Core: all data always throttled to 3Mbps and use is always subject to network management.
- Cricket More: No throttle, but use always subject to network management.
- Network Management:
- All unlimited plans are always subject to network management.
- Capped data plans - none.
- International Roaming: Plans that include data also include 50% usage of data in Canada & Mexico. These plans also include unlimited texting from the US to 38 different countries.
- Domestic Roaming: None - native coverage only
- Plan Period: 30 days
- Data Roll Over: None - use it or lose it.
- Overage Charges: None
- Streaming: No streaming services are bundled with Cricket service.
- Capped data plans: Cricket offers their 'Stream More' feature, which reduces video quality to 480p (DVD quality) which can be turned on/off in order to help conserve data on capped plans.
- Unlimited plans: Video is capped at 1.5Mbps, good enough for SD (480p) streaming.
- Unlimited: Yes - they offer two, but only for phone plans
- Cricket Core: Data speeds are throttled to 3Mbps. You can add 10GB of high-speed hotspot data to the plan for $10, after which speeds are slowed to 128 kbps for hotspot data. Plan is always network managed.
- Cricket More: Unlimited on-device data and 15GB of mobile hotspot/tethering data (after 15GB of mobile hotspot use, mobile hotspot speeds are slowed to 128 kbps). All data use is always subject to network management.
- Lines permitted per account: 9
- Device Lock/Unlock Policy: Cricket will provide an unlock code upon request, provided that the device you want to unlock has been active for at least six (6) months of paid service.
From October 2nd, 2018 until August 11th, 2018, Cricket offered two unlimited plan types: Unlimited and Unlimited More. These plans are now retired, but Cricket but could be grandfathered into use if payment was maintained. We consider the updated iterations of these plans (Cricket More & Cricket Core) to be better bang for your buck, however. For those that have maintained payment and use of the plans, we keep this info:
Retired - Unlimited & Unlimited More Plans
Policies & Perks:
- Carrier Networks Used: AT&T
- Carrier Relation: Prepaid Carrier Subsidiary
- Plan Types Available: Phone, Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Phone, Hotspot
- Device Purchase Required: No, but can purchase a device
- Mobile Hotspot Use:
- On Phone Plans (unlimited and capped): This feature can be turned on for an extra $10 per month. On their unlimited plans, you are capped at 10GB of hotspot data if you add this feature, after which speeds are slowed to 128Kbps for hotspot data.
- Data Only Plans: all data eligible
- Throttling:
- Capped Bucket (2GB/5GB): Download speeds max of 8Mbps, then throttled to 128 kbps after data bucket is used.
- Unlimited Plan: all data always throttled to 3 mbps.
- Unlimited Extra: download speeds max of 8Mbps(LTE)/4Mbps(4G) on device, but always subject to network management. Hotspot data must be added to this plan for an additional cost - $10 for 10GB high-speed MHS data.
- Network Management:
- Unlimited Plan: at 22GB
- Unlimited Extra: Always
- International Roaming: Plans that include data also include 50% usage of data in Canada & Mexico. These plans also include unlimited texting from the US to 38 different countries.
- Domestic Roaming: None - native coverage only
- Plan Period: 30 days
- Data Roll Over: None
- Overage Charges: None
- Streaming: No streaming services are bundled with Cricket service.
- Capped data plans: Cricket offers their 'Stream More' feature, which reduces video quality to 480p (DVD quality) which can be turned on/off in order to help conserve data on capped plans.
- Unlimited plans: Video is capped at 1.5Mbps, good enough for SD (480p) streaming.
- Unlimited: Yes - they offer two, but only on phone plans
- Unlimited: Data speeds are throttled to 3 mbps. You can add 10GB of high-speed hotspot data to the plan for $10, after which speeds are slowed to 128 kbps for hotspot data. Network management kicks in at 22GB.
- Unlimited Extra: Speeds are not throttled on device. Always subject to network management. You can add 10GB of high-speed hotspot data to the plan for $10, always subject to network management, after which speeds are slowed to 128 kbps for hotspot data.
- Lines permitted per account: 9
- Device Lock/Unlock Policy: Cricket will provide an unlock code upon request, provided that the device you want to unlock has been active for at least six (6) months of paid service.
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