Is Cricket Wireless the Cheapest Cellphone Service?

Shopping for cell phone services can pose some challenges. You want to make sure you are getting the best service at the best price. You are also weighing if you want a contract plan or a pre-paid service. If you are leaning toward pre-paid wireless, Cricket wireless offers a few options. Cricket is one of the better-known providers of pre-paid or pay-as-you-go cell phone service, but are they the most cost-efficient? You can talk to a Cricket customer service representative here, or you can read below to see how Cricket prices measure up to other wireless providers.

First Steps

First you want to decide what you are going to use your cellphone for? Do you need lots of data, or will you only use a small amount? Do you want unlimited talk and text? These questions are important because they will help determine the bottom line when you choose a Cricket plan.

How Cricket Compares

Cricket's unlimited data plans start at around $50 a month (when you set up autopay). This makes them highly competitive price-wise compared to many other wireless unlimited plans. However, it's important to note that Cricket has download speed caps set at 3 Mbps and streaming is capped at 1.5 Mbps. So, the lower price also comes with a slightly slower connection than other cellular services.

Prices for their unlimited talk and text plans starting with 2 gigabytes (GB) of high-speed data are around $30 with Cricket. For comparison, a $30 plan with AT&T will give you 5 GB of high-speed data, and a 2 GB with T-Mobile starts at $15 per month. Other providers offer slightly more unlimited data for less money as well. Upfront costs are usually higher with Cricket as well. Cricket also doesn't have the lowest family plans with theirs starting at $90 per month for three lines (with an upfront cost of $29.97). Other company family plans start at $45 per month with $30 start-up (or no start-up fees at all).

Bottom Line

Cricket offers competitive pricing and plans. However, there are cheaper options available for cellphone service. Cricket does provide service for both iPhone and Android devices and has a wider coverage area than some other pre-paid providers but the price can sometimes be higher with Cricket than other major cell phone provides. If you need more information, you can contact a Cricket customer service representative here.