Cricket Wireless

In J.D. Power and Associates' survey, Cricket Wireless receives low ratings for overall customer satisfaction, tying for last place with AT&T GoPhone (*Est. 10 cents per min. and up). Cricket is a regional carrier, and reviewers detract points for its limited coverage. Subscribers report that Cricket Wireless is cheaper than average, but Cricket receives one of the lowest ratings for performance and reliability, sharing the lowest ranking with MetroPCS (*Est. $40 per month and up), another regional carrier. 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 $35 a month plan gives unlimited talk (including long distance), text, voicemail and caller ID. Adding picture and video messaging, call waiting, 411, mobile web and more costs an additional $10 per month. If you want to use an Android, BlackBerry or Muve Music phone, you have to pay another $10 per month for a total of $55. 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. $25 per month and up), which uses Sprint's nationwide network, offers better service for a flat fee.

J.D. Power and Associates polls about 5,400 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.