Apple’s newest iPhone devices -- the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus -- are now officially available in store shelves everywhere. Prepaid mobile users who want to get any of the new iPhones may be delighted to know that Cricket Wireless, a prepaid arm of AT&T, is selling both devices online and at specific retail outlets.
Cricket Wireless has built a reputation for offering prepaid, zero contract smartphone plans that already come with unlimited calls and unlimited text messaging, as well as a specific allotment of 4G LTE data, ranging from 2.5 gigabytes to 10 gigabytes a month. Customers have the option of either paying the full retail price of the handset, or avail themselves of the prepaid service provider’s financing and leasing options. The smartphone plan itself already includes taxes and additional fees, which means customers who take advantage of it can rest assured that no other charges will be added to their bill.
As for the iPhone 6s, Cricket Wireless offers the device starting at $650, while the iPhone 6s Plus starts at $750. Smartphone plans by the prepaid carrier typically start at $40 a month, or $35 for customers who decide to sign up for auto payments. Those who do buy the iPhone 6s or the iPhone 6s Plus will be able to make use of Cricket’s nationwide LTE network, which currently services over 300 million mobile users. The carrier’s plans also come with international calling options to Mexico and Canada, as well as voice call plans to Caribbean and Latin American regions.
Of course, Cricket Wireless is far from being the only prepaid service provider in the United States. There is T-Mobile’s MetroPCS and Sprint’s Boost Mobile, which offer similar contract free services to Cricket Wireless. Contract free plans used to be uncommon, but now various wireless carriers now, including the big four major players (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint), now either offer or restrict customers to contract free plans wherein subscribers pay the full retail price for their handset.
But services offered by prepaid carriers such as Cricket Wireless do have something that bigger wireless do not -- more cost flexibility, because taxes and additional fees are already included in the cost (so there are no surprises). Moreover, prepaid service providers usually offer plans that are more simplified, unlike those offered by major carriers that come with certain caveats.
With regards to the new iPhones, Cricket’s website currently shows the iPhone 6s as available, but the iPhone 6s Plus is indicated as out of stock for now. The carrier did acknowledge that its inventory for the latest iPhone models will be limited for the time being.
