Cricket and AT&T Prepaid launch new $15 plan and ease data caps

In an announcement on Thursday, AT&T revealed that both AT&T Prepaid and its subsidiary Cricket have added new $15/month plans that'll help consumers hit by financial hardship during the quarantine. This plan includes 2GB of data, as well as unlimited call and text, and is available to both new and existing customers. As well, the prepaid carriers are easing the restrictions on data in order to help people stay connected.

The new $15/month plan doesn't have an activation fee, according to AT&T; the plan is identical through both prepaid carriers. Existing customers can sign into their accounts to make the switch. This plan is similar to the one offered by prepaid carrier Mint Mobile, which breaks down to around $15/month, though customers have to pay for multiple months upfront.

In addition to the inexpensive plan, AT&T says that its AT&T Prepaid customers will get an automatic 10GB of mobile data per month starting tomorrow, March 27; this increased data cap will be applied to all capped phone plans for the duration of 60 days. For customers who have the Unlimited plan, they'll get an extra 10GB of tethered data for this duration.

The same is essentially true for Cricket customers — they are also getting an extra 10GB of data on capped plans. This applies to both new and existing customers who have or sign up for the $30 (2GB) and $40 (5GB) plans. This data can be used through the phone directly or as hotspot data, according to Cricket. The data will be offered over the course of two billing cycles.

Cricket customers who are on the $60 Unlimited plan are able to get 10GB of extra mobile hotspot data to go along with their existing 15GB/month plan. This data will likewise be available for two billing cycles. The news follows a similar announcement from Mint Mobile, which has temporarily lifted mobile data caps for customers during the quarantine.