Best Reviewed
Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
- Prepaid cell phone plan with advanced phones Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk *Est. $35
- Best prepaid phone plan for occasional use T-Mobile Prepaid *Est. $10
- Prepaid phone plan with international calling TracFone *Est. $10
- Best as an emergency phone T-Mobile Prepaid (annual plan) *Est. $100
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Pros
- Affordable plans
- Variety of plan options
Cons
- Below-average performance/reliability
- Limited coverage
- Low scores for customer service
In J.D. Power and Associates' survey, Cricket Wireless receives low ratings for overall customer satisfaction, just above last place AT&T GoPhone (*Est. 10 cents per min. and up). Cricket is a regional carrier, and reviewers detract points for its limited coverage, and subscribers report that Cricket Wireless is cheaper than average. Editors at PrepaidReviews.com say that while Cricket has affordable basic plans, its best phones work only with its pricier plans. For instance, Cricket's $25 a month plan gives 300 talk minutes (including long distance), unlimited text, picture, mobile web and voicemail, and caller ID, call waiting and 3-way calling.
If you want to use a Muve Music phone, you have to pay another $20 per month for a total of $45. Roaming charges are another concern, given that Cricket Wireless has only partial coverage in certain states. If you want unlimited monthly access, reviewers say Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk (*Est. $35 per month and up), which uses Sprint's nationwide network, offers better service for a flat fee.
J.D. Power and Associates polls about 6,400 users about their prepaid wireless plans, including Cricket Wireless. Our review sources also include PrepaidReviews.com, which rates prepaid wireless plans and provides detailed comments from subscribers. CNET evaluates nine prepaid wireless carriers in all, including Cricket Wireless, and TopTenReviews.com looks at 16 carriers.
Our Sources
In this survey of about 6,400 prepaid wireless cell phone users, Cricket Wireless does not receive good reviews, finishing in eighth place out of nine carriers in the survey. Cricket Wireless receives a ranking below the industry average.
Review: 2011 Wireless Non-Contract Customer Satisfaction Index Study, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, March 31, 2011
Cricket Wireless is a favorite of the editors at TopTenReviews.com, receiving the silver medal behind Boost Mobile. It receives full marks for the flexibility of its monthly plan options and its customer support, and scores highly for features, phone selection and fees. Stating that Cricket "wrote the book on flat rate cellular phone service," the editors praise its domestic coverage area. However, unlike some other carriers, Cricket Wireless does have an activation fee and a roaming charge. Note that TopTenReviews.com's evaluation of prepaid cell phone providers is based only on features and doesn't look at how each phone service performs.
Review: 2012 Prepaid Cell Phones Comparison, Editors of TopTenReviews.com
Cricket Wireless receives a 3-star rating (out of 5) by editors and 2 stars from users at PrepaidReviews.com. The editors note that Cricket's plans are inexpensive, but the trade-off is limited coverage. Users, on the other hand, more often than not cite poor customer service as their top complaint.
Review: Cricket Wireless Prepaid Service Plans, Editors of PrepaidReviews.com, May 15, 2009
4. CNET
Cricket offers flat-rate prepaid wireless plans with unlimited monthly minutes -- good for people who want to replace their contract plan with a prepaid one, CNET says. However, Cricket has some drawbacks, including a limited coverage area.
Review: Prepaid Wireless: In Search of the Perfect Bargain, Marguerite Reardon, May 15, 2009
Prepaid Cell Phone Plans Runners Up:
Net10 *Est. $15 for 200 min. and up
4 picks including: J.D. Power & Associates, MSNBC…
Boost Mobile *Est. $50 per month
3 picks by top review sites.
Straight Talk *Est. $30 for 30 days and up
2 picks including: The New York Times, Viewpoints.com…
AT&T GoPhone *Est. 10 cents per min. and up
1 pick including: J.D. Power & Associates…