This post is used to track Cricket Android phone deals. Submitted by WeChat reader Hami Gua and edited by KUKU. The post includes the submitter’s refer link.
Deal link: https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phones/smartphones (remember to click through from a cashback site)
- Feel free to use our refer link
- The refer system is quirky and often delayed. Be patient, and do not request codes multiple times, or you may waste the available slots.
- If the refer link in this post is full, you can use a reader’s refer link from the comments section.
Cricket only offers one-time cashback through cashback portals, and the tracking is usually not difficult.
- RebatesMe ($11 cashback), plus a $5 sign-up bonus. This is currently the highest rate and is recommended. After using RebatesMe, it’s a good idea to use the account from time to time; otherwise, a small inactive-account maintenance fee may be charged.
If you plan to keep the phones for 6 months before unlocking, you can refer to the original iPhone Deal post for the unlock steps. [For 4-5 phones, the cost of keeping service for 6 months is a bit high, so not unlocking or using a paid unlock is recommended.]
- After receiving the phones, downgrade the plan. You will get $30 in account credit back, enough to cover the second month (that is, 2 months of use). [Be sure to downgrade, or the referral code is wasted.]
- After receiving the phones, use a referral code. After 2 months of service, you get $25 in account credit (effectively enough to use through the third month).
- One address can order 2 phones. Refer each other (+ downgrade the plan), and you get another $25 in account credit (effectively enough to use through the fourth month).
- Then refer a friend, and using the phones cheaply through the sixth month to reach unlocking should not be a problem.
Editor’s note: We previously introduced Cricket’s iPhone Deal post (mainly for the iPhone SE2). This post is meant to collect Cricket Android phone deals. These Android phones may be fairly average and do not support NFC, but they are still decent phones for deal-hunting.
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Deal Details
Cricket recently has a nice Android “free phone” promotion that requires port-in service. You can get 4 locked LG Stylo 6 or Moto G Power 2021 phones for $130, or 5 phones for $160, which is nearly as good as Metro PCS’s port-in deal. Better yet, you can order online without leaving home.
Recommended options:
- LG Stylo™ 6, Harmony 4
- Moto g power
- Samsung A11
Personally, I recommend buying the LG Stylo™ 6 or Moto G power.
Where to Get Numbers for Port-In
Each line must be ported in and cannot come from AT&T or an AT&T-based MVNO. Consider the following:
Already covered on this site
- Mint Mobile
- [Basically dead] USMobile physical SIM, cost $4.5. For the exact method, see here.
- Visible SIM card (recommended, easy to configure yourself)
- CTExcel Americas SIM (make 3 phone calls, then ask customer service for the pin; they will verify the 3 calls) [It has been heavily used and is less reliable now, so try a few times.]
- [Must not be the AT&T version] TracFone SIM card (after setting up the account, you can port out; SMS verification is required, but no need to contact customer service). It can be ported out, but the checkout price may be incorrect.
- Google Fi: choose to cancel service, and it will ask whether you want to port away. Choose that option to get the Account and Pin.
- Ting, often $1 at Target [Tip: if it is the red card, there is a port-out option in account settings. If it is the blue card, after reaching that page, change iaccount to account in the URL. HT: WeChat reader Orcinus orca]
- [Dead] FreedomPop. Cricket currently does not accept FreedomPop port-ins.
Not yet covered on this site
- SpeedTalk Mobile $5 Prepaid GSM Sim [After activation, set up an account on the official website and submit a port-away request by message. You will later receive a text with the Account and Pin.]
- Ultra, a very useful SIM card for use outside the U.S.; guide to be added later. Ask online customer service for the port-out info.
Ordering Limits
- For Cricket Android phone purchases, there is no 2-phone limit like the iPhone SE. In theory, you can buy unlimited quantities as long as you have enough numbers.
- You can register a new account, or you can buy phones by using add lines.
- Using Add lines can reduce the first-month cost of the later phones.
Below is the author’s purchase result: by continuously adding 5 lines, the total calculated price is $160.
Cost Breakdown
Direct purchase cost before tax: $130 for 4 LG/Moto Android phones or $160 for 5 phones.
In addition, if you have not previously bought Cricket iPhone se phones, or if you have a different address and can order again, there is another way to reduce your cost and get more Cricket credit: buy 2 iPhone se ($50x2+60+30+120) + 2 LG stylo 6 ($20+20) + 1 moto g power ($30), then trade the iPhone se phones in to Best Buy ($180*2). Final cost: $380-360=$20 for 3 phones + $280 in phone service credit.
Then pay with a Chase Freedom or AMEX business Platinum credit card to earn 5% cashback, and use RebatesMe for another $11 cashback, bringing the cost close to zero.
Phone Unlocking
- LG stylo 6, 6.8-inch Mediatek Helio P35, 3GB/64GB, can be unlocked on eBay for $15.
- Moto G Power, 6.6-inch Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, 4GB/64GB. At the moment there do not seem to be eBay sellers offering unlocks yet, but there probably will be in the future. You can also consider using it for 6 months until it unlocks.
Other Notes
This method can be combined with the iPhone SE2 deal, but Cricket limits iPhone SE orders. If you must bundle the purchases, the recommendation is:
- Order the Android phones first, then order the iPhone se. That way you can order 5 phones total; otherwise, you may only be allowed to buy 2 iPhone se phones.
To be safe, it is recommended to do them separately.
Editor’s note: Unlocking is fairly expensive. If possible, you can keep the phone for half a year to unlock it. If not, it is better not to unlock it and just use it for deal-hunting.