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expired Posted by AndrewF5410 • Jan 1, 2022
expired Posted by AndrewF5410 • Jan 1, 2022

Cricket Wireless: 64GB Apple iPhone SE or Moto G Stylus 5G Free (existing customers with 3G/unsupported phones)

Cricket Wireless
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I know this deal on the free iPhone SE for new customers has been posted, but I don't think many people know about the free upgrade for existing customers with older 3G incompatible phones.

Cricket/AT&T networks are turning off 3G service in February 2022, making many phones incompatible. If you are receiving texts from Cricket saying your phone is incompatible, you are eligible for a free iPhone SE (or Moto G Stylus 5G) upgrade. This deal will work for all lines on your account that are receiving the Cricket message about incompatible phones.

When you upgrade a line through the website you will see the iPhone price of $249.99. Click to proceed to checkout, and before placing the order you will see "3G $249.99 Targeted Offer-Mfg/Dist Coupon - $249.99", making the phone free.

I was told by the Cricket store owner that this deal should be good until Jan 6th.

https://www.cricketwireless.com/c...black.html
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I know this deal on the free iPhone SE for new customers has been posted, but I don't think many people know about the free upgrade for existing customers with older 3G incompatible phones.

Cricket/AT&T networks are turning off 3G service in February 2022, making many phones incompatible. If you are receiving texts from Cricket saying your phone is incompatible, you are eligible for a free iPhone SE (or Moto G Stylus 5G) upgrade. This deal will work for all lines on your account that are receiving the Cricket message about incompatible phones.

When you upgrade a line through the website you will see the iPhone price of $249.99. Click to proceed to checkout, and before placing the order you will see "3G $249.99 Targeted Offer-Mfg/Dist Coupon - $249.99", making the phone free.

I was told by the Cricket store owner that this deal should be good until Jan 6th.

https://www.cricketwireless.com/c...black.html

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251 Comments

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Jan 4, 2022
961 Posts
Joined Nov 2009
Jan 4, 2022
Freebisquits
Jan 4, 2022
961 Posts
Apparently my 1st gen SE will be a no go on the new network and I was able to upgrade to the 2nd gen SE for free. And I see the 3rd gen SE is due in March, with 5g.
Is it one of these upgrades per account (we have 5 lines)? Tried checking a couple older phones and the upgrade option is grayed out.
Jan 4, 2022
56 Posts
Joined Dec 2021
Jan 4, 2022
WiseCaribou4583
Jan 4, 2022
56 Posts
Quote from kennedy_ga :
This post has saved me so much money, thank you. I was driving my family to Cricket today to upgrade 3 out of our 4 phones because of the 5g upgrade and dreading on what I would have paid out plus cases, ect. Afterwards, I taken my family out for a little shopping and lunch. I literally saw this post right before walking into the store.
I had showed the store employee the process (quietly) on how I can get the deal by walking him through their website. You don't even have to change your 4 lines for $100 plan. He tried to put our plans to the $60 per line but I stopped him on that. Just pay tax, your good to go.
No kidding. Phones are expensive these days. Might not be the best phones but buys people more time on having to spend $500 per phone
Jan 4, 2022
5,423 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Jan 4, 2022
HY-SD
Jan 4, 2022
5,423 Posts
Quote from civicsi98 :
I have an old brand new never activated 3g Nokia phone and a $25 cricket card. If I activate it now, will I be eligible for a free iPhone se?
it will flat out reject you when you try to activate it, don't dream.
Jan 5, 2022
108 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
Jan 5, 2022
cruiserchuck1
Jan 5, 2022
108 Posts
According to this article, Cricket stopped allowing activation of old 3g phones last January.
https://www.androidpolice.com/202...customers/
Jan 5, 2022
56 Posts
Joined Dec 2021
Jan 5, 2022
WiseCaribou4583
Jan 5, 2022
56 Posts
Quote from cruiserchuck1 :
According to this article, Cricket stopped allowing activation of old 3g phones last January.
https://www.androidpolice.com/202...customers/
That's why no one is able to fool them. if people still have old phones they are willing to give them a free phone due to loyalty to cricket.
Jan 5, 2022
322 Posts
Joined Aug 2014
Jan 5, 2022
deadbeefcafe
Jan 5, 2022
322 Posts
Quote from milaohu :
Does your old phone with your old sim work before/after you receive the new phone and sim?
When I activated the phone online, it disabled my old sim card. Avtivation must be linked to the sim card in the box. I'm using the new sim card in old phone now. I had already switched phones 2 weeks, but the line was still eligible so got it as a backup.

FWIW, I don't think you need to 'activate' the phone to use it with an old sim card. The phone worked with the old sim card before activation. I only activated it because I'm going to try to order another on a different eligible line.
Last edited by deadbeefcafe January 4, 2022 at 09:31 PM.
Jan 5, 2022
80 Posts
Joined May 2005
Jan 5, 2022
antcwong
Jan 5, 2022
80 Posts
Will the device be locked to Cricket (needing 6 months service)? Had the offer on a spare line we don't use. Ordered the SE, but will there be any issues if I don't end up activating the phone and just keeping it as a backup?

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Jan 5, 2022
2,747 Posts
Joined Jun 2013
Jan 5, 2022
Buttercup30
Jan 5, 2022
2,747 Posts
I ordered an SE tonight on my dad's line. He was using an old moto g6 I believe that got the offer but has a spare pixel 3xl to use as a replacement. I'm taking his iphone. 🤣
Jan 5, 2022
3 Posts
Joined Mar 2020
Jan 5, 2022
Amazonkers
Jan 5, 2022
3 Posts
That's a really incognito deal as that didn't even tell me about it when they intercepted my call to tell my my phone is a 3g phone and soon wouldn't work (it's a LG V60 so I was mostly confused).

I moved on to a new service. I would have stayed if the Cricket whitelist matched the AT&T whitelist which doesn't make any sense.
Jan 5, 2022
1,300 Posts
Joined Aug 2014
Jan 5, 2022
mmmmmmmbeans
Jan 5, 2022
1,300 Posts
Quote from Freebisquits :
Apparently my 1st gen SE will be a no go on the new network and I was able to upgrade to the 2nd gen SE for free. And I see the 3rd gen SE is due in March, with 5g.
Is it one of these upgrades per account (we have 5 lines)? Tried checking a couple older phones and the upgrade option is grayed out.
I didn't have an upgrade option either but I got the free iphone. Log into your account, add the correct phone into your cart and if the price is zero when you get to checkout then you are available for the upgrade. That's the only advice that I have because that's what I did. I never got any text, message or email saying that I qualified and when I checked to see if I qualified nothing in my account showed that I did. Someone else mentioned to add it to the cart and see if it comes up free at checkout and Bam. It's almost like they are offering it as quietly as possible so legally they can say that they in fact tried when they shut the lines down next month. Anyone reading this go try and buy the damn phone and see if it's free and if it's not obviously don't buy it. It ends on the 6th so waiting for another day and the deal will be dead anyway.
Jan 5, 2022
722 Posts
Joined Jan 2013
Jan 5, 2022
vivecsotha
Jan 5, 2022
722 Posts
Quote from Freebisquits :
Apparently my 1st gen SE will be a no go on the new network and I was able to upgrade to the 2nd gen SE for free. And I see the 3rd gen SE is due in March, with 5g.
Is it one of these upgrades per account (we have 5 lines)? Tried checking a couple older phones and the upgrade option is grayed out.
It appears that the 1st gen SE isn't eligible for this. It must be a different phone on your plan that's eligible.
Jan 5, 2022
5,423 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Jan 5, 2022
HY-SD
Jan 5, 2022
5,423 Posts
Quote from bargaindeal :
thanks for the pdf. I have a Note 8 (N950U) which is on the ATT compatibility list but under cricket's imei compatibility website, it is not compatible and I received the text that my phone wont work.

So will my samsung note 8 still work after the 3G phase out? So confused. I don't want to buy a phone yet.
Looking at Reddit there are other folks who has Note 8 and being "not compatible". Cricket's list is stricter than AT&T's for whatever stupid reasons. AT&T's list updates rather frequently so some folks are hoping it's just Cricket hasn't caught up yet.

There's zero sane reason for Note 8 not being compatible.
Jan 5, 2022
5,476 Posts
Joined Oct 2012
Jan 5, 2022
starbucksfan4ever
Jan 5, 2022
5,476 Posts
Quote from Freebisquits :
Apparently my 1st gen SE will be a no go on the new network and I was able to upgrade to the 2nd gen SE for free. And I see the 3rd gen SE is due in March, with 5g.
Is it one of these upgrades per account (we have 5 lines)? Tried checking a couple older phones and the upgrade option is grayed out.
not true ,the 1st Gen 2016 iphone SE is Compatible on the new network. but congrats on the free upgrade.

I too have a 1st Gen iphone SE on 1 of the 5 accounts , but I upgraded the old android first and now am no longer eligible for the free upgrade on the 1st Gen iphone.
Jan 5, 2022
961 Posts
Joined Nov 2009
Jan 5, 2022
Freebisquits
Jan 5, 2022
961 Posts
Quote from starbucksfan4ever :
not true ,the 1st Gen 2016 iphone SE is Compatible on the new network. but congrats on the free upgrade.

I too have a 1st Gen iphone SE on 1 of the 5 accounts , but I upgraded the old android first and now am no longer eligible for the free upgrade on the 1st Gen iphone.
Ok, thanks for the reply and clarification. That must be what happened to me too, the new SE was ordered as an upgrade for the old SE but I was probably eligible because of an older phone on a different line. Confusing how Cricket had it work that way.
I think any further upgrade options are grayed out until I receive and active the new SE.

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Jan 5, 2022
5,476 Posts
Joined Oct 2012
Jan 5, 2022
starbucksfan4ever
Jan 5, 2022
5,476 Posts
Quote from Freebisquits :
Ok, thanks for the reply and clarification. That must be what happened to me too, the new SE was ordered as an upgrade for the old SE but I was probably eligible because of an older phone on a different line. Confusing how Cricket had it work that way.
I think any further upgrade options are grayed out until I receive and active the new SE.
yes they were greyed out for me too. Once I activated the new SE , the option to upgraded the Old SE disappeared lol.

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