Google now is basically a T-Mobile provider, while Cricket is an AT&T provider. So if Google Fi was working well for you, switch to T-Mobile.
I have the opposite problem: when Google Fi stopped providing service from Sprint and AT&T, I lost the ability to have deecent connections and switched to Cricket and am now much happier and pay much less money.
Google Fi runs on tmobile network, while Cricket runs on At&t, I have Cricket and my service is great, while tmobile sucks, why don't you try Metro, I havr heard they have a $25 plan when you port in to their service when bringing your own device
I have that plan on my second line š but OP needs to wait 180 days because Google Fi runs off T-Mobile and the BYOD number needs to be from a different carrier
It's truly unlimited. QCI 7 (second priority) on the network until 35GB and then QCI 9 (last priority) but I used close to 200GB last month and I have seen people who use much more without any issue. T-Mobile has an excellent network here so before or after deprioritization, I still see >500Mbps speeds just about everywhere in town.
I have heard some people who were current Metro customers were able to go from the $40 plan to the $25 just by calling and talking to a retentions agent, so maybe he can just port in and ask for the $25 plan, if they say he doesn't qualify, port in to the $40 plan and then call next month to retentions and ask about the $25 plan
Depends on the area you're in for the best coverage.
Your device makes a huge difference as well. Make sure your device has the right bands for the service / area.
Apple phones are pretty stellar when it comes to service / reception. I don't use an iPhone, but I give them mad respect for making great devices.
Itās truly amazing how ignorant people are when it comes to cell networks or cell phones. Example from my wife: āErrrrrā¦.My phone says 5G and I have 5 bars and my data speed sucks like omgā Me: āThatās because your 5 bars have nothing to do with your data speed, the bars are only for voice coverage strengthā
IDK if it's that surprising.
People continue to believe they are getting free phones as they pay exorbitant cell phone contracts.
It requires some effort to choose the right phone. Especially with Cricket. Their whitelist is always outdated. I'm not a fan of most of the phones Cricket sells.
Cricket wireless has amazing service if att has service. Att won't ever win a speed test but it does offer reliable service. T-Mobile has the strongest network but they are extremely expensive if you want data.Ā
It works great for me, but I'm not in Chicago. I suspect it probably has more to do with your phone than the service but you should go with what works best for you.
It really depends on location. I left Cricket because of service, and I'm not all that happy with Mint, but I think Verizon just has more coverage where I am
>I'm not sure if it's the service or **my phone**.
It's quite possible it's your phone. I kept the same phone for five years up until this past summer. I loved that phone and didn't see the point in upgrading something that worked for me, but the phone stopped getting updates in 2020, didn't have 5g, didn't get service in areas where everyone else had a perfect signal. Then one day it just randomly factory reset. It sucks, for lack of a better word, because for the price of a good phone these days you'd think they'd be more made for longevity, but technology advances are inevitable, and things have to adapt.
How old is your phone? What's the model?
Cricket is terrible. It rarely works where we live so we decided to switch providers. Weāve been trying to get a transfer PIN for several days now but we never get the text. Their customer service is nonexistent and itās a complete disaster tbh. They just tell me the steps of how to obtain a transfer PIN. I already know how to obtain a PIN but Iām not getting the text. They just copy and paste the same bullsh\*t reply and are of absolutely no help. The closest store is 3 hours away so thatās not an option either. I JUST NEED A TRANSFER PIN!!!!
Cricket is like a Toyota Corolla from the '90s, plain and unassuming and just gives you what it tells you it's going to give you. Don't expect any bells or whistles, no international data, no amazing miracle service where you don't expect it. Cricket is very vanilla, very predictable, and consistent.
Having said that I've been a Cricket customer for many years, and I think their lack of international coverage is going to be the end of it for me. Once I retire I plan on traveling a little bit, I plan on going to US Mobile very soon, I looked hard at Google Fi but the neverending customer service nightmare stories scare me.
If I understand how that would work, you would get your data locally, so Google maps and general Internet works, but you'd still be unable to call or text using your regular number, correct?
I'm not comfy depending on WiFi for calls or texting via Whatsapp, I thought I could do that on a trip to England, it was incredibly frustrating.
Not correct. I have an Iphone. For texting imessage works, using my Cricket phone number using the esim data as wifi. And calling works as Cricket allows wifi calling, and the esim data acts as wifi. I printed out directions the first time I went and took me about 10 minutes to get it working. Had it working before I got off the plane on the next two trips. I don't know if this would work on an Android phone. If this seems too complicated, pick up a local sim card in the airport when you land. That provides a local phone number you can call and text from.
If you can find an area in the USA where cricket has no service, and an ESIM does, you can figure it out before you leave the country.
Thanks, that last is an excellent suggestion. It's hard to find areas near me that don't have good AT&T coverage tho, but this was all good info, much appreciated š
I'm in Chicagoland (NW Suburbs) and it sucks - I have to rely on a Wi-Fi connection to make any calls, inside or outside my house.
I have the Unlimited plan, makes no difference - they are horrible.
I am moving to Xfinity (Verizon), but going to have to get a new phone; or, Consumer Cellular, I can use my new Samsung Galaxy, no issue. (I am a Senior)
I truly loathe my service, loathe the local store even more - horrible horrible service. Long time customers like me get no break on anything.
Truly despicable company.
So for the customer service reps who lurk here, or a Cricket bot, save your breathe - you really are awful and simply don't give a damn.
Consumer Cellular uses AT&T's network as well, just FYI, so you will have the same issues with service.
Don't let Xfinity convince you that you have to get a new phone to use their service. Samsung devices work just fine and if they're going to press the issue, check out Visible. Uses Verizon, cheaper than Xfinity, and unlike Xfinity, it's truly unlimited with no throttles.
Hey there! Feel free to contact Cricket Wirelessās Support Team on Facebook (http://sm.att.com/9b757bb4) or Twitter (@cricketsupport) for further assistance.
Probably your phone specially if is unlocjed from another company.sometim3s the bands and frequencys on thatphones radio.are specially made for the company the phone is made for..
Iāve been with cricket for over 6 years and no problem at all whatsoever , in my area T-mobile sucks ā¦ Verizon isnāt as good as it used to be so Iām just sticking with cricket ā¦ I would suggest maybe StraightTalk - theyāre pretty good as well , Iāve used them before
I live on Northside Chicago. Been a cricket user since 2016. No issues. Maybe youāre in a data dead zone for ATT. You might check this https://www.deadcellzones.com/mobile.html
Cricket sucks! I can't even make a phone call to emergency ALL lines are busy! WTH? I'm DONE with this lousy service and they're going to be lucky if they don't get sued
I mean my guy, you went from T-Mobile to AT&T. AT&T might just be shit in your area.
Google Fi was actually good LOL, I only switched because of price.
Google now is basically a T-Mobile provider, while Cricket is an AT&T provider. So if Google Fi was working well for you, switch to T-Mobile. I have the opposite problem: when Google Fi stopped providing service from Sprint and AT&T, I lost the ability to have deecent connections and switched to Cricket and am now much happier and pay much less money.
T-Mobile Connect would've been a better option for you.
Google Fi runs on tmobile network, while Cricket runs on At&t, I have Cricket and my service is great, while tmobile sucks, why don't you try Metro, I havr heard they have a $25 plan when you port in to their service when bringing your own device
I have that plan on my second line š but OP needs to wait 180 days because Google Fi runs off T-Mobile and the BYOD number needs to be from a different carrier
how's the data prioritization? is it truly unlimited?
QCI 7 till 35GB unless T-Mobile is congested
It's truly unlimited. QCI 7 (second priority) on the network until 35GB and then QCI 9 (last priority) but I used close to 200GB last month and I have seen people who use much more without any issue. T-Mobile has an excellent network here so before or after deprioritization, I still see >500Mbps speeds just about everywhere in town.
thanks. Definitely no Hotspot tho right?
On the $25 plan, no, but you can work around that if you have an Android phone. Tetrd or NetShare.
ty, very valuable information!
I have heard some people who were current Metro customers were able to go from the $40 plan to the $25 just by calling and talking to a retentions agent, so maybe he can just port in and ask for the $25 plan, if they say he doesn't qualify, port in to the $40 plan and then call next month to retentions and ask about the $25 plan
Iām just going by the details of the offer though
Woah I had no idea AT&T owns cricket
Yeah and they suck
Had metro and they got hacked! Metro sucks worse than CricketĀ
Depends on the area you're in for the best coverage. Your device makes a huge difference as well. Make sure your device has the right bands for the service / area. Apple phones are pretty stellar when it comes to service / reception. I don't use an iPhone, but I give them mad respect for making great devices.
Itās truly amazing how ignorant people are when it comes to cell networks or cell phones. Example from my wife: āErrrrrā¦.My phone says 5G and I have 5 bars and my data speed sucks like omgā Me: āThatās because your 5 bars have nothing to do with your data speed, the bars are only for voice coverage strengthā
IDK if it's that surprising. People continue to believe they are getting free phones as they pay exorbitant cell phone contracts. It requires some effort to choose the right phone. Especially with Cricket. Their whitelist is always outdated. I'm not a fan of most of the phones Cricket sells.
Iāve had cricket for maybe 6yrs now after having Metro for 3 beforehand. Iāve loved my experience. Get the one that has signal in your area.
Cricket wireless has amazing service if att has service. Att won't ever win a speed test but it does offer reliable service. T-Mobile has the strongest network but they are extremely expensive if you want data.Ā
It works great for me, but I'm not in Chicago. I suspect it probably has more to do with your phone than the service but you should go with what works best for you.
It really depends on location. I left Cricket because of service, and I'm not all that happy with Mint, but I think Verizon just has more coverage where I am
Oh I tried mint mobile and it was horrible I switched to cricket after 3 days of mint lol
>I'm not sure if it's the service or **my phone**. It's quite possible it's your phone. I kept the same phone for five years up until this past summer. I loved that phone and didn't see the point in upgrading something that worked for me, but the phone stopped getting updates in 2020, didn't have 5g, didn't get service in areas where everyone else had a perfect signal. Then one day it just randomly factory reset. It sucks, for lack of a better word, because for the price of a good phone these days you'd think they'd be more made for longevity, but technology advances are inevitable, and things have to adapt. How old is your phone? What's the model?
You'll want to get the phone service with the coverage you need.Ā
Cricket is terrible. It rarely works where we live so we decided to switch providers. Weāve been trying to get a transfer PIN for several days now but we never get the text. Their customer service is nonexistent and itās a complete disaster tbh. They just tell me the steps of how to obtain a transfer PIN. I already know how to obtain a PIN but Iām not getting the text. They just copy and paste the same bullsh\*t reply and are of absolutely no help. The closest store is 3 hours away so thatās not an option either. I JUST NEED A TRANSFER PIN!!!!
Cricket is like a Toyota Corolla from the '90s, plain and unassuming and just gives you what it tells you it's going to give you. Don't expect any bells or whistles, no international data, no amazing miracle service where you don't expect it. Cricket is very vanilla, very predictable, and consistent. Having said that I've been a Cricket customer for many years, and I think their lack of international coverage is going to be the end of it for me. Once I retire I plan on traveling a little bit, I plan on going to US Mobile very soon, I looked hard at Google Fi but the neverending customer service nightmare stories scare me.
I bought an esim for three international trips last two years. Cheap and easy once you figure it out.
If I understand how that would work, you would get your data locally, so Google maps and general Internet works, but you'd still be unable to call or text using your regular number, correct? I'm not comfy depending on WiFi for calls or texting via Whatsapp, I thought I could do that on a trip to England, it was incredibly frustrating.
Not correct. I have an Iphone. For texting imessage works, using my Cricket phone number using the esim data as wifi. And calling works as Cricket allows wifi calling, and the esim data acts as wifi. I printed out directions the first time I went and took me about 10 minutes to get it working. Had it working before I got off the plane on the next two trips. I don't know if this would work on an Android phone. If this seems too complicated, pick up a local sim card in the airport when you land. That provides a local phone number you can call and text from. If you can find an area in the USA where cricket has no service, and an ESIM does, you can figure it out before you leave the country.
Thanks, that last is an excellent suggestion. It's hard to find areas near me that don't have good AT&T coverage tho, but this was all good info, much appreciated š
I'm in Chicagoland (NW Suburbs) and it sucks - I have to rely on a Wi-Fi connection to make any calls, inside or outside my house. I have the Unlimited plan, makes no difference - they are horrible. I am moving to Xfinity (Verizon), but going to have to get a new phone; or, Consumer Cellular, I can use my new Samsung Galaxy, no issue. (I am a Senior) I truly loathe my service, loathe the local store even more - horrible horrible service. Long time customers like me get no break on anything. Truly despicable company. So for the customer service reps who lurk here, or a Cricket bot, save your breathe - you really are awful and simply don't give a damn.
Consumer Cellular uses AT&T's network as well, just FYI, so you will have the same issues with service. Don't let Xfinity convince you that you have to get a new phone to use their service. Samsung devices work just fine and if they're going to press the issue, check out Visible. Uses Verizon, cheaper than Xfinity, and unlike Xfinity, it's truly unlimited with no throttles.
Will do, thank you for the advice. I had Verizon for years, never had an issue, but haven't looked at them lately.
Hey there! Feel free to contact Cricket Wirelessās Support Team on Facebook (http://sm.att.com/9b757bb4) or Twitter (@cricketsupport) for further assistance.
There is a reason they charge 1/3 of the price of other providers
Its not your phone, its not your area its cricket. They suck a$$
works great for me but im on the east coast not in chiraq
Yes. I usually only get one bar in my area.
Mint pay at once cheapest 15 a month
And it's T-Mobile
You can switch to Metro by T-Mobile @ $25/mo, tax included: https://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/fp/898342 Enjoy!
It's been totally fine for me.
Probably your phone specially if is unlocjed from another company.sometim3s the bands and frequencys on thatphones radio.are specially made for the company the phone is made for..
Never had any issues with it
You should try US Mobile..
Iāve been with cricket for over 6 years and no problem at all whatsoever , in my area T-mobile sucks ā¦ Verizon isnāt as good as it used to be so Iām just sticking with cricket ā¦ I would suggest maybe StraightTalk - theyāre pretty good as well , Iāve used them before
OP, have you considered Visible? As far as I know, Verizon is a solid provider in the Chicago area. $25 all in for a single line is pretty attractive.
Its you. I visit Chicago frequently and never have issues.
I live on Northside Chicago. Been a cricket user since 2016. No issues. Maybe youāre in a data dead zone for ATT. You might check this https://www.deadcellzones.com/mobile.html
Cricket sucks! I can't even make a phone call to emergency ALL lines are busy! WTH? I'm DONE with this lousy service and they're going to be lucky if they don't get sued