Mint Mobile: 6 MONTHS FREE SERVICE When You Buy a Phone + 6 Month Plan
We may earn commission if you choose to make a purchase using our links. Learn more.

What is Cricket Wireless? 11 Things To Know Before You Sign Up

1. What is Cricket Wireless?

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by AT&T. 

Cricket Wireless was started in 1999 by Leap Wireless International and later acquired by AT&T in 2014.

Today, Cricket Wireless is known for offering great, low-cost cell phone plans on the AT&T network.

Cricket’s plans start as low as $30/month for single-line users and go down to just $25/line for an unlimited plan with four or more lines. Plus, all taxes and fees are included in the price you see.

Cricket Wireless
is a
prepaid
carrier, also known an MVNO.
MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, piggyback on existing networks to provide service instead of building their own.
In
Cricket Wireless
's case, it uses the
AT&T network
to provide service.
Cricket Wireless
's
prepaid
plans start at $
30
per month for a single line.
Cricket Wireless
is a
prepaid
carrier. It uses the
AT&T
network for coverage.
Cricket Wireless
's
prepaid
plans start at $
30
per month for a single line.
Cricket Wireless plan features and starting price

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by AT&T. 

Cricket Wireless was started in 1999 by Leap Wireless International and later acquired by AT&T in 2014.

Today, Cricket Wireless is known for offering great, low-cost cell phone plans on the AT&T network.

Cricket’s plans start as low as $30/month for single-line users and go down to just $25/line for an unlimited plan with four or more lines. Plus, all taxes and fees are included in the price you see.

Cricket Wireless offers four plans to choose from. The 2GB plan, 10GB plan, and Unlimited Core plan are all capped at 8Mbps maximum speeds. 

The Cricket Unlimited More plan, the most expensive plan, is the only one that gets full-speed data.

Cricket’s current plans are:

2. What are Cricket Wireless's cell phone plans?

Cricket Wireless
offers the following
prepaid
cell phone plans:

Cricket 5GB: $30 for 2GB of data

Cricket 10GB: $35 for 10GB of data

Cricket Unlimited: $50 for Unlimited of data

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB Hotspot: $55 for Unlimited of data

You can see more details about each of
Cricket Wireless
's plans here:
No items found.
No items found.

Yes, Cricket offers family plans.

In fact, they are known for offering some of the best low-cost family plans on the AT&T network.

A four-person family can get an unlimited data plan for just $25/line/month with Cricket’s [Unlimited Core](https://www.bestphoneplans.net/family-plan/cricket-unlimited-50-4) plan.

You could also get Cricket’s Unlimited More plan for just $33/line/month for four lines.

This plan adds in 15GB of hotspot data and removes the 8Mbps data speed cap found in the Unlimited Core plan.

3. Does Cricket Wireless offer family plans?

Yes,
Cricket Wireless
offers the following family plans to choose from:
No,
Cricket Wireless
does not offer family plans at this time. Each plan will need to be on its own separate account.

Yes, Cricket offers family plans.

In fact, they are known for offering some of the best low-cost family plans on the AT&T network.

A four-person family can get an unlimited data plan for just $25/line/month with Cricket’s [Unlimited Core](https://www.bestphoneplans.net/family-plan/cricket-unlimited-50-4) plan.

You could also get Cricket’s Unlimited More plan for just $33/line/month for four lines.

This plan adds in 15GB of hotspot data and removes the 8Mbps data speed cap found in the Unlimited Core plan.

Cricket offers data-only plans that will work with both tablets and hotspots. Smartwatches are currently not supported on Cricket Wireless.

Cricket’s data-only plans are listed below:

4. Does Cricket Wireless offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

Cricket offers data-only plans that will work with both tablets and hotspots. Smartwatches are currently not supported on Cricket Wireless.

Cricket’s data-only plans are listed below:

Cricket 20GB
Verizon
VZ
AT&T
ATT
Sprint
SP
T-Mobile
T-Mo
$
35.0
/mo.
20GB
LTE
Priority
Data
Deprioritized
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Hotspot
Supported
No
Hotspot
Hotspot
Plan
 / 
Tablet & Hotspot
Plan
Tablet
Plan
Phone
Plan
5G Access
5G Access
5G
Access
eSIM
eSIM
Roaming
Roaming
Intl Data
Intl Data
Intl Data
Cricket 40GB
Verizon
VZ
AT&T
ATT
Sprint
SP
T-Mobile
T-Mo
$
50.0
/mo.
40GB
LTE
Priority
Data
Deprioritized
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Hotspot
Supported
No
Hotspot
Hotspot
Plan
 / 
Tablet & Hotspot
Plan
Tablet
Plan
Phone
Plan
5G Access
5G Access
5G
Access
eSIM
eSIM
Roaming
Roaming
Intl Data
Intl Data
Intl Data

Cricket Wireless offers an amazing family discount on all of their plans. The price drops to as low as $25/line with their Cricket Unlimited Core plan.

Cricket also offers a referral program. Each person who signs up using your unique Cricket referral link will earn you $25 of account credit. The person who signs up through your link will also get $25 of account credit. You can have a maximum of 10 referrals per calendar year, or up to $250 in account credit.

5. Does Cricket Wireless offer discounts or have a referral program?

Cricket Wireless offers an amazing family discount on all of their plans. The price drops to as low as $25/line with their Cricket Unlimited Core plan.

Cricket also offers a referral program. Each person who signs up using your unique Cricket referral link will earn you $25 of account credit. The person who signs up through your link will also get $25 of account credit. You can have a maximum of 10 referrals per calendar year, or up to $250 in account credit.

No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.

Cricket uses the AT&T network to provide coverage.

AT&T’s LTE bands are *2*, 4, 5, *12*, 14, *17*, 29, 30, and *66*. AT&T’s 5G bands are *n5* and n260.

LTE and 5G bands marked in *bold* are the primary bands that the networks use to provide coverage.

Other non-bolded LTE and 5G bands are typically used to provide supplemental coverage.

The more LTE and 5G bands your phone has for a particular network, the better coverage and faster speeds you will get on that network.

Keep in mind that all iPhones will support 5G on Cricket, but only Cricket-branded Android phones will support 5G.

Android phones purchased from other carriers or directly from the manufacturer will not support 5G on Cricket.

6. What network does Cricket Wireless use?

Cricket Wireless
uses
AT&T
to provide coverage.

Verizon coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks Verizon as having the #1 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 96.0.

Verizon’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, and 66.

Verizon’s 5G bands are n260 and n261.

The primary bands Verizon uses for coverage are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the Verizon network.

Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

Verizon coverage map
Crowd-sourced Verizon coverage map from CoverageMap.com

You can test cellular performance in your area by using the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test.

AT&T coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks AT&T as having the #2 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 95.6.

AT&T’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, and 66.

AT&T’s 5G bands are n5 and n260.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the AT&T network. The primary bands AT&T uses are marked in bold.

You can AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

AT&T coverage map
Crowd-sourced AT&T coverage map from CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

T-Mobile coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks T-Mobile as having the third best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 90.3.

T-Mobile's LTE bands are 2, 4, 12, 25, 26, 41, 66, and 71.

T-Mobile's 5G bands are n41, n71, n260, and n261.

The primary bands T-Mobile uses are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the T-Mobile network.

Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

T-Mobile coverage map
Crowd-sourced T-Mobile coverage map from CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

7. What features does Cricket Wireless support?

Cricket supports visual voicemail, VoLTE (also called HD Voice), Wi-Fi calling, hotspot, up to 4K video streaming, domestic roaming, 5G access, stateside international calling to Canada and Mexico, and international data roaming in Canada and Mexico.

Some features will vary depending on the plan you sign up for. The two unlimited plans limit video streaming quality to 480p, but they both include roaming in Canada and Mexico.

The two plans with limited data amounts, the 10GB and 2GB plans, support up to 4K video streaming, but they do not include international roaming in Canada or Mexico.

What features does Cricket Wireless NOT support?

Cricket currently does not support eSIM.

5G access is also limited to Android phones that are purchased directly from Cricket. People who bring their own Android phone to Cricket will not get 5G access. People who bring their own iPhone to Cricket will get 5G access though.

Hotspot support may also not work if you bring your own Android phone to Cricket Wireless.

8. What phones work on Cricket Wireless?

Most phones that are unlocked will work on
Cricket Wireless
.
An unlocked phone means it isn't tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Consider contacting your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked, or what the steps are to request to have it unlocked.

All phones that are unlocked and compatible with the AT&T network will work on Cricket Wireless.

And unlocked phone means it isn’t tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement. Usually unlocked phones are paid off in full and have been active on the network for a set period of time.

Contact your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked or what the unlocking policy is.

You can check to confirm your phone will work with Cricket by using their IMEI checker.

Dial *#06# to get your phone’s IMEI, and enter the 15-digit number on Cricket’s website to see if it will work.

You can also consider purchasing an unlocked phone below that is compatible with
Cricket Wireless
:

9. Does Cricket Wireless support international calling or data roaming?

Cricket currently does not support eSIM.

5G access is also limited to Android phones that are purchased directly from Cricket. People who bring their own Android phone to Cricket will not get 5G access. People who bring their own iPhone to Cricket will get 5G access though.

Hotspot support may also not work if you bring your own Android phone to Cricket Wireless.

10. What plan add-ons does Cricket Wireless offer?

Cricket Wireless offers the add-ons listed below:

10GB Mobile Hotspot (Cricket Core only)
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

From Cricket’s website:

Connect your laptop or tablet to the internet while you are on the go.

Hotspot data speeds are the same as the underlying rate plan (8Mbps).

Available to be added to the Cricket Core plan and select grandfathered plans. Eligible phone required.

Additional Mobile Hotspot data is available for purchase.

  • After allowance is used, speeds are slowed to 128 Kbps for the rest of the billing cycle.
  • Any remaining high-speed data expires at the end of each monthly plan cycle.
  • Additional Mobile Hotspot data is available for purchase.
Compatible with the following plans:
15GB Mobile Hotspot
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

  • Need more Mobile Hotspot data this month? Add 15 GB of high-speed Mobile Hotspot data and connect your laptop or tablet to the internet while you are on the go.
  • Requires Cricket More Plan or a Mobile Hotspot feature on an eligible plan. Eligible phone required.
  • After allowance is used, speeds are slowed to 128 Kbps for the rest of the billing cycle.
  • Any remaining high-speed data expires at the end of each monthly plan cycle.
  • Additional Mobile Hotspot data is available for purchase.
Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International
- $
5
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

  • With Cricket International, you can keep in touch with friends and family around the world for one low rate.
  • Get unlimited calling to landlines in 35 countries from the U.S., including Argentina and Paraguay, the UK, Brazil, Nigeria, and Israel.
  • Add this feature to your monthly plan (minimum $40/mo, except Simply Data plans) and cancel at any time - for the best value, add Cricket International to your account at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.
  • Tip: All plans from $50/mo include unlimited text messages (SMS) from the U.S. to 37 countries . This includes calls and messages from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada. This also includes roaming calls and texts (SMS only) to local numbers in Mexico and Canada and back to the U.S.
  • Visit our international support page for more information.
Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Colombia
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

150 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Colombia calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 150 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Colombia.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Costa Rica
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

100 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Costa Rica calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 100 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Costa Rica.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Cuba
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

15 minutes from the U.S. per month.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Cuba calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 15 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Cuba.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Dominican Republic
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

200 minutes for calls from the U.S. to mobile phones in the Dominican Republic

Unlimited calling from the U.S. to landline phones in the Dominican Republic

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S. to mobile phones in the Dominican Republic

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Dominican Republic calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 200 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in the Dominican Republic
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International El Salvador
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

60 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add El Salvador calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 60 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in El Salvador.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Extra
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

  • Cricket International Extra includes all the features of Cricket International (unlimited landline calls from the U.S. to 35 countries ).
  • Plus, you get unlimited picture/video messaging (MMS) to 35 countries. And 1,000 minutes of mobile calling from the U.S. to 31 countries .
  • Add this feature to your monthly plan (minimum $40/mo, except Simply Data plans) and cancel at any time. For the best value, add Cricket International Extra to your account at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.
  • Tip: All plans from $50/mo include unlimited text messages (SMS) from the U.S. to 37 countries . This includes calls and messages from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada. This also includes roaming calls and texts (SMS only) to local numbers in Mexico and Canada and back to the U.S.
  • Visit our international support page for more information.
Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Guatemala
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

70 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Guatemala calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 70 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Guatemala.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Haiti
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

40 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Haiti calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 40 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Haiti.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Honduras
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

60 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a call away.
  • Add Honduras calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 60 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Honduras.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Jamaica
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

40 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Jamaica calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 40 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Jamaica.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Nicaragua
- $
15
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

40 minutes from the U.S. per month.

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Nicaragua calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 40 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Nicaragua.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Philippines
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

50 minutes from the U.S. per month

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a phone call.
  • Add Philippines calling to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 50 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in the Philippines.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time
  • TIP: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:
Cricket International Vietnam
- $
10
/day
/week
/month

From Cricket’s website:

Includes:

70 minutes from the U.S. per month

Unlimited SMS & MMS from the U.S.

  • Friends and family in selected countries across the border and overseas are now as close as a call away.
  • Add Vietnam calling to to an eligible plan ($40/mo and up, except Simply Data plans) and get 70 minutes of calling per month from the U.S. to landlines and mobile phones in Vietnam.
  • You can add more groups of calling minutes as needed in My Account or the myCricket app.
  • You can cancel at any time.
  • Tip: Add-on country minutes do not roll over. For the best value, sign up at the beginning of your monthly billing cycle.

Compatible with the following plans:

11. How do you contact Cricket Wireless customer service?

Cricket Wireless support is available via online chat on their website, chat in the Cricket application, or by calling customer support at 1 (800) 274-2538.

Cricket’s support hours are Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 11:00pm EST, and Sunday from 10:00am to 11:00pm EST.

Should you sign up for

Cricket Wireless

?

Cricket Wireless is best if:

  • You’re looking for great, low-cost plans on the AT&T network
  • You want a great-value family plan
  • You want all taxes and fees included in the cost of your plan
  • You’re okay paying for the cost of your smartphone up-front
  • You are a student looking for a budget plan
  • You are a family with young kids and don’t want to think about data usage
  • You are an unlimited data user
  • You want coverage on the AT&T network
  • You want the ability to roam in Canada and Mexico

Cricket is not a great option if:

  • You don’t get good AT&T coverage in your area
  • You prefer to finance your smartphone from your carrier or take advantage of trade-in deals or promotions
  • You want extra hotspot data

You travel International frequently (though you can still get an international eSIM plan, which can solve this problem)

What is

Cricket Wireless

?

Cricket Wireless
is an international eSIM carrier. This means that they offer international data-only eSIM plans that are perfect for traveling abroad. An international eSIM plan gives you cellular data so you can use your phone when you travel abroad. You don't get any minutes or texts. International eSIM plans need to be activated on phones that support eSIM, like the iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer, and the Galaxy S20 or newer.

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by AT&T. 

Cricket Wireless was started in 1999 by Leap Wireless International and later acquired by AT&T in 2014.

Today, Cricket Wireless is known for offering great, low-cost cell phone plans on the AT&T network.

Cricket’s plans start as low as $30/month for single-line users and go down to just $25/line for an unlimited plan with four or more lines. Plus, all taxes and fees are included in the price you see.

What are

Cricket Wireless

's plans?

Cricket Wireless
offers a wide selection of international eSIM data plans to choose from. They have options that work in all of the countries below. Click a country to see the available plans:
Recommended Carriers that Have the same coverage

Cricket Wireless

News

The latest news, deals, and updates about
Cricket Wireless
.

Browse All Cell Phone Plans

Browse the best cell phone plans, family plans, international eSIM plans, and more.
Only 4 items can be compared at a time.