This prepaid carrier just made it easier to pay your phone bill with old tech
- Start the trade-in: Head to a local Cricket store or visit the online Asurion trade-in portal.
- Eligibility check: Asurion will inspect your device details and give you an estimated trade-in value.
- Ship your device: If you accept the offer, you’ll get a prepaid shipping label to send it off.
- Get credit: Once approved, your Cricket account gets credited within 1–2 billing cycles.
Cricket is rolling this out at a time when trade-in deals have become increasingly competitive across the industry. Major players like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are all offering generous trade-ins—but often with the caveat that you need to finance a new phone or commit to a lengthy plan. Even some prepaid rivals like Boost Mobile have toyed with trade-in perks, but few offer direct credit to service.
Cricket carrier store. | Image credit — Cricket
With Cricket’s new program, you don’t need to buy a new phone or change your plan. You just trade in a device, and the credit is applied directly to your wireless bill. That could be a small relief for customers looking to save, especially with prepaid plans already appealing to budget-conscious users.
There are a few caveats worth mentioning. The credit you receive can only be used toward service—not accessories or new devices. It also has no cash value and can’t be transferred to another account. Still, for most customers, especially those who stick with Cricket long-term, this could be a smart way to get value from an old phone that’s been collecting dust.
At a time when wireless carriers’ pricing is going up across the board, it’s good to still have options for low-cost wireless service that complements that mindset of having practical ways to save without making things more complicated.
