Cricket Wireless Introduces Affordable Mobile Hotspot Plans: Saves You More on Data Usage!
Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T, announced an overhaul of its mobile service plans on Friday, introducing a revised lineup that offers increased data allotments and reduced costs for mobile hotspot usage.
The new plans, effective immediately, commence at $30 per month after a $5 auto-pay credit, mirroring the pricing structure of the previous offering as preserved by the Internet Archive. The introductory plan, now named “Sensible 10GB,” provides 10GB of high-speed data, an upgrade from the previous 5GB, with the option to purchase additional 1GB increments for $10. Upon exceeding the allotted data, the connection speed slows to 128kbps.
The revised plans introduce a new “Select Unlimited” offering priced at $35 per month, representing a decrease from the previous price point of $40. This plan is exclusive to new lines and continues to exclude mobile hotspot usage.
In contrast, the inclusion of mobile hotspot functionality within an “unlimited” plan now comes with the $45 “Smart Unlimited” plan, marking a significant reduction from the previous $60 fee. The mobile hotspot quota remains at 15GB, and roaming in Canada and Mexico is still included, albeit without access to 5G speeds as noted in the fine print of the press release.
The $45 plan reduces the included cloud storage capacity from 150GB to 100GB, provided through the service myPhotoVault rather than more common providers such as Google or Microsoft. Additionally, it no longer includes HBO Max Basic With Ads, which can be subscribed to directly for $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
The top-tier offering, “Supreme Unlimited,” priced at $55 per month, enhances mobile hotspot usage to 50GB, increases cloud storage to 150GB, and includes the ad-supported version of the streaming video service formerly known as Max and subsequently HBO Max.
All prices quoted include taxes and fees, while multiple-line discounts are available but do not provide auto-pay credits. Cricket last overhauled its entire lineup in 2017.
This revamp underscores the disparities between cheap prepaid plans and postpaid plans that attract the most subscribers and attention, with major carriers such as AT&T raising postpaid plan prices. For instance, AT&T increased postpaid plan prices by 99 cents in January 2024, a move that now appears modest in comparison to the rate hikes implemented by Verizon or T-Mobile’s replacement of cheaper plans with pricier “Experience” offerings assuming substantial levels of hotspot usage.
The significance of mobile hotspot allocations within plans marketed as “unlimited” highlights a missed opportunity in the broadband labels enacted by the Federal Communications Commission in 2022. Although these regulations require wireless services to disclose a wide range of fine-print limitations, fees, and policies in a nutrition-label-style format, hotspot caps are not among them.
