Cricket Wireless is the prepaid mobile carrier owned and operated by AT&T, giving you access to AT&T’s nationwide network at lower prices. Cricket has now introduced a super-affordable $15/mo plan designed for people who don’t need much phone data.
Cricket has a new $15 per month phone plan, which includes unlimited talk and text with 1GB of high-speed data. After you hit that 1GB limit, you’ll drop down to 2G-like speeds until the next billing cycle. There’s no hotspot tethering, international usage, bundled streaming services, or anything else. The plan is likely intended as an alternative to the government-subsidized plans previously available through the Affordable Connectivity Program. The ACP is running out of money and will likely end after May if Congress doesn’t fund it again.
The 1GB data limit is definitely low, but if you’re near a Wi-Fi connection most of the time and you don’t need tethering, these low-data plans can potentially save you some money. This is also one of the least expensive mobile plans in the US right now. Metro by T-Mobile’s cheapest plan has 5GB of data for $30/month, Visible by Verizon has a basic unlimited plan for $25/mo, and the 1GB plan from Consumer Cellular (which uses AT&T’s network) is $20/mo. The most direct competition here is US Mobile, which has a 1GB “Light Plan” for $10/month or $72/year, powered by T-Mobile and Verizon’s networks.
The new plan, along with all of Cricket’s other plans, uses AT&T’s nationwide 5G network. Cricket estimates that download speeds over 5G+ are around 110-320 Mbps, dropping to around 34-184 Mbps in 5G areas and 7-56 Mbps on 4G LTE.
Cricket still has a 5GB data plan for $30/month and a 10GB plan for $40/month, as well as more expensive unlimited plans, some of which have tethering and international access. There are also data-only plans intended for tablets, hotspots, and other devices that don’t need a functioning phone number, ranging from $25/mo for 20GB to $90/mo for 150GB.
The new plan is available online (click the “Fixed” tab on the site to see it) or at any Cricket physical location. There’s a $25 activation fee if you sign up at a store, though.
Source: Cricket Wireless
