Consumer Cellular vs. Cricket Wireless, Hands-On Analysis

Plans and Costs

The first thing you should know is that all of Cricket Wireless and Consumer Cellular’s plans include unlimited talk and text. The differences between the plans are largely based on your allotment of data per month.

Comparing Consumer Cellular with Cricket Wireless’s plans, it’s clear that Consumer Cellular is cheaper — by exactly $5 a month with the 5GB, 10GB, and unlimited plans. While Consumer Cellular offers 5GB of data for $25 a month, with Cricket Wireless it’s $30, for example. Additionally, Consumer Cellular provides a $20 per month 1GB option, while Cricket Wireless’s data plans start at 5GB. At the other end of the spectrum, unlimited data costs $50 per month with Consumer Cellular or $55 a month with Cricket Wireless. Not to mention that only Consumer Cellular offers a 5 percent discount for AARP members. The discount brings the cost of unlimited data down to $47.50 a month — saving you over $7 each month.

However, if you want unlimited high-speed data, only Cricket Wireless offers it for $60 a month. With any other unlimited plan from either company, your data will be throttled, i.e., slowed down during peak usage hours.

But if you don’t have a huge need for speed, there is one way that unlimited data can be cheaper with Cricket Wireless: It requires paying money upfront and making a three- or 12-month commitment. With the three-month plan, the cost of unlimited data is $40 a month, paid upfront as $120. With the annual plan, the cost of unlimited data is $25 per month, paid upfront at $300. If you’re OK with paying these amounts upfront, then Cricket Wireless is cheaper for unlimited data — with or without the AARP discount.

Need multiple lines? Consumer Cellular will be cheaper, as each additional line after the first costs $15 a month; this means you can get two lines of unlimited data for $65 a month. With Cricket Wireless, on the other hand, this would cost $80 a month with the month-to-month plan. Consumer Cellular only does monthly contracts, so you won’t have to worry about a long-term commitment.

Senior Plans

Aside from the 5 percent AARP discount we mentioned, Consumer Cellular offers another benefit exclusive to AARP members: two lines of unlimited talk, text, and data for $55 a month, or $27.50 per line per month. That’s an incredibly cheap offer, but note that after your first 50GB of usage, speeds will be reduced.

Cricket Wireless, on the other hand, does not offer a senior cell phone discount, so you’ll pay the same prices regardless of age.

The only way you can save money with Cricket Wireless is by referring a friend. You can earn credit of up to $250 per calendar year by referring friends to Cricket Wireless.

Contracts

All of Consumer Cellular’s cell phone plans renew monthly, so you will not have to commit long term or pay any early termination fees if you stop the renewal. The majority of Cricket Wireless’s plans function the same way: on a monthly basis.

However, there are two options: the three- and 12-month plans — both require prepayment. These plans offer unlimited data for half of the price of Consumer Cellular: $25 as opposed to $50. But, many people will not want to pay the $300, or even $120, upfront. You won’t be able to get your money back with either of these plans if you want to cancel before your term length is over.

Phones and Devices

Consumer Cellular and Cricket Wireless both offer phones and smartwatches from many of the same brands, including Motorola, Samsung, Motorola, Apple, and Android. However, each company also has its own phone brands. For Consumer Cellular, that’s the Consumer Cellular IRIS Easy Flip. Cricket Wireless sells seven phones under its own brand: six smartphones and one flip phone, the Debut Flex for $49.99.

As far as pricing goes, phones from Cricket Wireless range from $49.99 all the way up to $1,199.99 with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Some phones are even free if you’re getting a new line, but it must be an unlimited monthly plan. Cricket also offers financing through Affirm for purchases over $50, so you can pay over time — similar to Consumer Cellular.

With Consumer Cellular, prices range from only $59 with certified refurbished phones all the way up to $1,899 with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. But note that with any phone, you can pay a small fee upfront — around $30 or less — and pay the rest over 24 months.

Both providers allow you to bring your own phone, meaning you’ll only pay for a phone plan — not the device itself.

Coverage

While Consumer Cellular uses both T-Mobile and AT&T’s network, Cricket Wireless uses just AT&T's; this means Consumer Cellular has more coverage. That being said, you’ll find great coverage with either company in most of the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Most of the nation has 5G at this point, but note that because Consumer Cellular and Cricket Wireless are both mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), your data might be throttled during times of high usage; T-Mobile and AT&T will prioritize their own customers. However, we didn’t notice any slowdowns on our testing, so the difference must be negligible.

Our Conclusion

Consumer Cellular is a popular choice for AARP members because of its 5 percent discount and $50 monthly contracts with unlimited talk, text, and data. If you want to avoid paying a large sum upfront, you’ll appreciate Consumer Cellular’s flexible contracts. You can read our in-depth Consumer Cellular review to learn more.

Cricket Wireless is a better option if you want unlimited talk, text, data, are willing to sign up for three or 12 months — and can pay $120 or $300 upfront. However, if you don’t want to prepay for your cell phone plan, Consumer Cellular offers cheaper unlimited data: $50 as opposed to $55 or $60. In addition, while each additional line costs $15 with Consumer Cellular, regardless of the plan, that number varies with Consumer Cellular — from around $20 to $30 per additional line. You can learn more in our Cricket Wireless review.