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Cricket Wireless Carrier Review

Cricket Wireless Reviews 2026: Is It Worth It?

AT&T's network with taxes included — starting at $35/mo.

SwitchNinja review Updated May 2026 5 min read Independently scored — never paid placement
Carrier Score Cricket Wireless
★★★★★
AT&T Network · Budget
7.2 / 10
Cricket is the simplest way to get AT&T's network at a lower price with taxes and fees included. Sensible 10GB starts at $35/mo ($30 with AutoPay), Smart Unlimited adds hotspot and…
MVNO AT&T network
How We Scored It Weighted out of 100
Coverage
82
Value
88
Features
62
Support
60
Ninja Promise: We rank carriers by math, not by who pays us the most.
Quick Verdict

Cricket is the simplest way to get AT&T's network at a lower price with taxes and fees included. Sensible 10GB starts at $35/mo ($30 with AutoPay), Smart Unlimited adds hotspot and MX/CA perks for $50/mo ($45 with AutoPay), and Supreme Unlimited at $60/mo ($55 with AutoPay) includes unlimited priority data, 50GB hotspot, and Max Basic with Ads. If AT&T covers your area and you don't need postpaid perks like device financing, Cricket is one of the best prepaid values on any network.

Best For

Cricket Wireless is the right call if you fit these

Anyone who wants AT&T's network at a lower price with taxes included

Mexico and Canada callers — Smart and Supreme include MX/CA talk, text, and data

Families — multi-line pricing drops significantly ($26–32/line for 5 lines)

Streaming fans — Supreme includes Max Basic with Ads at no extra cost

Users who want simple, predictable pricing with no bill surprises

Skip If

Probably not worth it when…

You need device financing or trade-in deals (Cricket is prepaid only)

You want HD video streaming — Cricket caps at SD on all plans

T-Mobile has better coverage at your specific address

You need hotspot on the cheapest plan — Sensible 10GB has no hotspot

You need priority data on the cheaper plans — only Supreme includes unlimited priority

The Lineup

All Cricket Wireless Plans

Single-line · AutoPay

Sensible 10GB

Entry
$35/mo
AutoPay · taxes incl.
Data 10 GB
Hotspot — None
10GB data
No hotspot
5G included
Taxes & fees included
Ninja Pick

Smart Unlimited

Best Value
$50/mo
AutoPay · taxes incl.
Data ∞ Unlimited
Hotspot 15 GB
Unlimited data
15GB hotspot
5G included
International roaming
Taxes & fees included

Supreme Unlimited

Premium
$60/mo
AutoPay · taxes incl.
Data ∞ Unlimited
Hotspot 50 GB
Unlimited data
50GB hotspot
5G included
International roaming
Taxes & fees included
The Honest Take

Pros & Cons

What we like

5 reasons

All plans include taxes and fees in the listed price — no surprises

Supreme Unlimited ($55/mo with AutoPay) includes unlimited priority data, 50GB hotspot, and Max Basic with Ads

Mexico and Canada calling, texting, and data on Smart and Supreme plans

Strong multi-line pricing ($26–32/line for 5 lines depending on plan)

AT&T's network coverage — strong in rural and suburban areas

What to know

5 caveats

Sensible and Smart plans are deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid — only Supreme gets priority data

Video defaults to SD on all plans — Supreme users can toggle off video management for higher resolution

Sensible 10GB has no hotspot included

No device financing or trade-in deals — bring your own phone or buy outright

International roaming beyond MX/CA not included in any plan (Cricket Passport add-on available on Smart/Supreme) — international texting to 200+ countries on Smart and Supreme

The Network

Network & Coverage

Cricket is owned by AT&T and runs entirely on AT&T's network, including AT&T's 5G. Sensible and Smart plan customers can be deprioritized behind AT&T postpaid subscribers during network congestion. Supreme Unlimited includes unlimited priority data — your speeds won't be slowed based on usage. Sensible 10GB includes 10GB of high-speed data, then throttles to 128 Kbps — no hotspot. Smart Unlimited includes unlimited data (deprioritized), 15GB hotspot, MX/CA calling, texting, and data, and international texting to 200+ countries. Supreme Unlimited includes unlimited priority data, 50GB hotspot, MX/CA perks, international texting to 200+ countries, and Max Basic with Ads. Video defaults to SD on all plans, though Supreme users can toggle off video management in account settings. All prices include taxes and fees.

Network: AT&T Type: MVNO Parent: AT&T
Ninja Verdict

Cricket is the no-brainer if AT&T covers your area

Bottom line

If AT&T is the best network where you live, Cricket is almost always the right call over AT&T postpaid — unless you need device financing or trade-in deals. Smart Unlimited at $50/mo ($45 with AutoPay) gives you unlimited data, 15GB hotspot, and MX/CA perks with taxes included. Supreme at $60/mo ($55 with AutoPay) adds unlimited priority data, 50GB hotspot, and Max Basic with Ads. Supreme users even get the same data priority as AT&T postpaid mid-tier. For most people, that's a strong deal versus paying $60–75/mo for AT&T postpaid before taxes.

Best for: Anyone who wants AT&T's network at a lower price with t…
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Frequently Asked Questions

Cricket Wireless is owned by AT&T and runs on AT&T's network — so coverage is the same. But they are different products: Cricket is AT&T's prepaid brand, and AT&T is the postpaid parent. The main differences: Cricket includes taxes and fees in the price; AT&T adds them on top. Cricket customers can be deprioritized during congestion on Sensible and Smart plans; AT&T postpaid customers get higher priority. AT&T offers device financing and trade-ins; Cricket does not. Think of Cricket as AT&T's network at a lower price, with fewer postpaid perks.
Cricket uses AT&T's network so coverage is the same. On Sensible and Smart plans, Cricket can be deprioritized during congestion. Supreme Unlimited includes unlimited priority data — matching AT&T postpaid mid-tier priority. Cricket also defaults video to SD and doesn't offer device financing. The trade-off is price — Cricket includes taxes and fees, starting at $35/mo vs. AT&T's $40/mo before taxes.
Yes — all three Cricket plans include taxes and fees in the listed price. The price you see is the price you pay. With AutoPay, single-line prices are $30/mo (Sensible), $45/mo (Smart), and $55/mo (Supreme).
Smart Unlimited and Supreme Unlimited include calling, texting, and data in Mexico and Canada. Sensible 10GB does not include MX/CA perks. Smart and Supreme both include international texting to 200+ countries.
Supreme Unlimited ($55/mo with AutoPay, taxes included) includes Max Basic with Ads at no extra cost. Sensible and Smart do not include any streaming perks.
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