(Credit: Cricket)
Cricket has three new, online-only multi-month plans that let you pay a lump sum in advance and get unlimited voice and data for a set time period—no monthly bills.
Pay $120 for three months of service, $210 for six months, or $360 for a year. Cricket estimates that people will save $45, $120, or $300, respectively, if they choose to prepay with these plans compared to a single line on Cricket for $55 per month.
The company cites a survey conducted this month by Recon Analytics, which revealed that approximately 49% of current users of prepaid wireless services expressed interest in enrolling in these kinds of plans. Twenty-three percent indicated they would subscribe right away.
There are a few limitations with these plans. You'll have to get a new single-line plan and bring your own phone. Cricket does not allow you to use your device as a hotspot, so no tethering for you. Video streaming is also limited to a maximum of 1.5Mbps, which Cricket says should cover video at around 480p resolution. There are no options to add hotspot tethering or higher-quality video streaming. For that, you'll need a different Cricket plan.
If you want to change your plan, you can do that in the last 30 days of your deal. Also, if you switch from a multi-month plan to a month-to-month plan, you can't go back to the multi-month plan.