Cricket Wireless is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T, offering both prepaid smartphone-based plans with data tethering capabilities and prepaid data-only plans.
Plan Information
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).
Data Only Plans - TOP PICK
Currently Available Data Only Plans:
- Simply Data - Data Only Plans
- 100GB - $55 **TOP PICK**
- 20GB - $35
Cricket offers an entry-level hotspot device (the Wingtech Turbo Hotspot 2) for their data-only plans, or plans can be activated on most AT&T-compatible devices including hotspots and tablets.
Top Pick Notes: As of April 26, 2021, both Cricket Wireless and AT&T Prepaid offer a 100GB data plan. Originally they were both available for $55/month, but AT&T raised their price to $90/month in June 2022 while Cricket has maintained the $55/month price point.
Besides the price difference, the advantage of Cricket over AT&T Prepaid is that it explicitly includes Canada & Mexico coverage - AT&T Prepaid has no mention one way or the other on this feature. The AT&T Prepaid option can be used in routers and is a bit higher network priority than Cricket.
January 19, 2021 - Cricket updated their compatible device list, and many router models that once were, are no longer compatible with this plan. Those using a Simply Data plan in a router are advised to NOT REMOVE THE SIM CARD from their router in order to keep the plan active - it will deactivate if you remove the card and put it back in.
Mobile hotspot devices (like the Netgear Nighthawk 4G, Unite Explore, Moxee, etc.) are all still compatible. Be sure to check the IMEI of your device before placing an order.
Members, please refer to this thread where we share confirmed compatible devices:
Plan Specifications:
- Carrier Networks Used: AT&T
- Carrier Relationship: Prepaid Carrier Subsidiary
- Plan Types Available: Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Hotspots, tablets
- Unlimited: No
- High-Speed Mobile Hotspot Use: All data
- Throttling: No throttling. After the cap, data stops completely.
- Network Management: None
- Streaming: 480p
- 5G Access: Yes
- Device Purchase Required: No
- Plan Period: 30 days
- International Roaming: Yes in Canada & Mexico. Calls, texts, or data usage while in Canada cannot exceed 50% of the total usage during a 3 month period. If you use data services on wireless carrier networks other than AT&T Mexico while in Mexico, your data usage may be reduced to 2G speeds.
- Domestic Roaming: None
- Data Roll Over: None
- Overage Charges: None
- Extra data can be added for $5 / 5GB or $10 / 15GB as needed
- Lines permitted per account: 9
- Extras:
Smartphone Plans
Currently Available Smartphone Plans:
- Phone
- Unlimited + 15GB Mobile Hotspot - $60
- Unlimited - $55
- 10GB - $40
- 5GB - $30
Plan Specifications:
- Carrier Networks Used: AT&T
- Carrier Relationship: Prepaid Carrier Subsidiary
- Plan Types Available: Phone
- Device Types Permitted: Phone
- Unlimited: Yes
- High-Speed Mobile Hotspot Use:
- $60 Unlimited Plan: 15GB
- Not included on other smartphone plans.
- BYOD Android phones are not eligible for mobile hotspot on any plan.
- Throttling:
- $60 and $55 Unlimited Plans: No
- 10GB/2GB Plans: Speeds slowed to 128 Kbps after the data cap.
- Network Management:
- $60 Unlimited Plan: No
- $55 Unlimited Plan: Yes, always.
- 10GB/2GB Phone Plans and Data Only Plans: No
- Streaming: 480p
- 5G Access: Yes
- Device Purchase Required: No
- Plan Period: 30 days. The 10GB plan can also be purchased annually.
- International Roaming: Yes in Canada & Mexico. Calls, texts, or data usage while in Canada cannot exceed 50% of the total usage during a 3 month period. If you use data services on wireless carrier networks other than AT&T Mexico while in Mexico, your data usage may be reduced to 2G speeds.
- Domestic Roaming: None
- Data Roll Over: None
- Overage Charges: None
- Tiered smartphone plans: Extra high-speed data can be added for $10 / 1GB
- Lines permitted per account: 9
- Extras: HBO Max (ad tier) is included with the $60 plan as of August 20th, 2021.
News, Videos, & Status:
We have tested a Cricket Wireless Simply Data plan, and include notes on this in the member section below.
Videos
Related News
Alternatives to Consider
Also consider some of our other top pick data plans:
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Member Information
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Here's our video going over ways to get LOTS of data for use in your travels:
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