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thegoatgamer 59K Views
Aug 21, 2026 11:17 AM

Cricket Wireless: 128GB Apple iPhone 16e (Locked) + 3-Mo. Supreme Unlimited Plan

$190

$780

75% off
w/ Port-In + Free S&Hat Cricket Wireless
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Deal Details
Cricket Wireless has 128GB Apple iPhone 16e (Locked, Black) + 3-Months Prepaid Supreme Unlimited Plan on sale for $189.99 when you port in a number. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member thegoatgamer for sharing this deal.

Note: Ensure the offer on the product page is checked. New customers may see an additional $25 off coupon when you add the item to your cart and wait a few minutes; a popup offer may appear with a coupon code. See device unlock policy.

Specs:
  • 6.1" Super Retina XDR OLED (2532 x 1170 pixels at 460 ppi)
  • Apple A18 chip (3nm) with 8-core Neural Engine
  • 8 GB LPDDR5X
  • 128 GB NVMe (non-expandable)
  • Single 48 MP Fusion camera (f/1.6 aperture, OIS, 2x optical-quality telephoto via crop)
  • 12 MP TrueDepth camera
  • iOS 18 (upgradable)
  • 4,005 mAh (approx. up to 22 hours video playback)
  • USB-C port, Qi wireless charging support
  • Face ID and Action Button (lacks Camera Control)
  • IP68 water and dust resistance (up to 6 meters for 30 minutes)
  • 5G, Wi-Fi, and Apple C1 custom cellular modem
  • 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm; 167 grams

Editor's Notes

Written by Nate650 | Staff
  • Please see the original post for additional details & give the wiki and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by thegoatgamer
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Cricket Wireless has 128GB Apple iPhone 16e (Locked, Black) + 3-Months Prepaid Supreme Unlimited Plan on sale for $189.99 when you port in a number. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member thegoatgamer for sharing this deal.

Note: Ensure the offer on the product page is checked. New customers may see an additional $25 off coupon when you add the item to your cart and wait a few minutes; a popup offer may appear with a coupon code. See device unlock policy.

Specs:
  • 6.1" Super Retina XDR OLED (2532 x 1170 pixels at 460 ppi)
  • Apple A18 chip (3nm) with 8-core Neural Engine
  • 8 GB LPDDR5X
  • 128 GB NVMe (non-expandable)
  • Single 48 MP Fusion camera (f/1.6 aperture, OIS, 2x optical-quality telephoto via crop)
  • 12 MP TrueDepth camera
  • iOS 18 (upgradable)
  • 4,005 mAh (approx. up to 22 hours video playback)
  • USB-C port, Qi wireless charging support
  • Face ID and Action Button (lacks Camera Control)
  • IP68 water and dust resistance (up to 6 meters for 30 minutes)
  • 5G, Wi-Fi, and Apple C1 custom cellular modem
  • 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm; 167 grams

Editor's Notes

Written by Nate650 | Staff
  • Please see the original post for additional details & give the wiki and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by thegoatgamer

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131 Comments

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Aug 21, 2026 9:17 PM
375 Comments
Joined Nov 2012
dirks7649Aug 21, 2026 9:17 PM
375 Comments
Quote from niceperson77 View quoted comment :
Looked at all these 16e deals and just ordered from Metro.

$162 with 15% back from Chase so $138.

Now I will consider my next options:

1. Stay with Metro for 3 months to get $100 gift card. Essentially paying $100 for two months of service with $100 back on a GC.

2. Just trade it in to Apple ASAP along with my current ip13 for a new unlocked 17e....then get whatever $15-20/service has hotspot included while I wait on black friday deals

3. Just use it the month I paid for it and then stick it in a drawer. in 11 more months i'd have an unlocked iphone as a backup that I would have essentially paid $138 - $20 (value of first month service that i currently need...may be useless to some not needing service right now) = $118
Saw the 15% chase offer as well but have to check the fine print if it's 15% off total, device or for the plan only
Aug 21, 2026 9:20 PM
375 Comments
Joined Nov 2012
dirks7649Aug 21, 2026 9:20 PM
375 Comments
Quote from EagerCalculator413 View quoted comment :
can I trade-in to Apple without activating the line on this phone?
Still have about 2 months on another prepaid plan
Safer to activate, but you can transfer the cricket eSIM to another phone, then wipe and trade in at Apple - that way you still have access to your cricket number/account or use it later to port the cricket number to metro deal, rinse and repeat
Aug 21, 2026 10:24 PM
6.8K Comments
Joined Oct 2011
thehashAug 21, 2026 10:24 PM
6.8K Comments
Quote from anthem_the_cat View quoted comment :
One year of "paid" service makes it so hard. I remember the days when you could pay for like one month of service and throw in a drawer and wait for 11 months.

Just checked apple's website and trade-in value is $310...can someone confirm that Apple will accept locked phones?
yeah that is why the 1 year unlock policy came into reality. people abused the old unlock policy
3
Aug 21, 2026 10:59 PM
120 Comments
Joined Mar 2023
denaiserAug 21, 2026 10:59 PM
120 Comments
Quote from SD_new View quoted comment :
The $30 x 9 =$270 is for the remaining 9 months of service that a new Cricket customer would require to meet the 12 month service requirement to have the phone unlocked. The first three months are already covered in the original cost as detailed in the OP.
I understand that. I meant that you pay for a line whether or not you use the deal. If I transferred my line and pay for a line $30/month instead of $25/month, it will cost $5×9 = $45
Aug 21, 2026 11:03 PM
120 Comments
Joined Mar 2023
denaiserAug 21, 2026 11:03 PM
120 Comments
Quote from Matthew-Deals-Hunter View quoted comment :
Other countries don't subsidize phones cost. Feel free to buy full-priced phone.
You are absolutely right. People pay full a price in other countries. People want to get everything for free and do nothing.
1
Aug 21, 2026 11:37 PM
3.2K Comments
Joined May 2018
TimlessAug 21, 2026 11:37 PM
3.2K Comments
Quote from thehash View quoted comment :
yeah that is why the 1 year unlock policy came into reality. people abused the old unlock policy
How? It's their rules.
1
Aug 22, 2026 1:15 AM
1.6K Comments
Joined Apr 2014
DayaOAug 22, 2026 1:15 AM
1.6K Comments
So if you pay for the first month, and use wifi only for the rest 11 months, will it unlock after 12 mo? One year of "paid service" confusing

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Aug 22, 2026 1:15 AM
1.2K Comments
Joined Dec 2014
orangemetal84Aug 22, 2026 1:15 AM
1.2K Comments
Quote from SD_new View quoted comment :
365 days of paid service required for unlocking:

From cricketwireless.com:

Revised July 1, 2026

General Device Unlock Requirements

If you have a Cricket phone, it may have been programmed with a lock that prevents it from operating with other compatible wireless networks. Cricket will unlock your device upon request, if you have met the following unlocking requirements:

The device you want to unlock has been active for at least 365 days of paid service on that device.
The device is designed for use on and is locked to Cricket's network.
The device has not been reported lost or stolen.
The device is not associated with a fraudulent account.

Wow! Used to be 6 months for an unlock! Guess I couldn't even unlock my old iphone se (2nd gen).
Aug 22, 2026 1:27 AM
120 Comments
Joined Mar 2023
denaiserAug 22, 2026 1:27 AM
120 Comments
Quote from thehash View quoted comment :
yeah that is why the 1 year unlock policy came into reality. people abused the old unlock policy
Exactly!
Aug 22, 2026 2:00 AM
348 Comments
Joined Oct 2017
SD_newAug 22, 2026 2:00 AM
348 Comments
Quote from orangemetal84 View quoted comment :
Wow! Used to be 6 months for an unlock! Guess I couldn't even unlock my old iphone se (2nd gen).
You may be eligible for the six-month paid service unlocking policy provided when you activated it.
Aug 22, 2026 2:36 AM
29 Comments
Joined Nov 2022
vijay2109Aug 22, 2026 2:36 AM
29 Comments
Quote from thegoatgamer View quoted comment :
Yea, good catch. Devices used to just be locked for a year regardless of active service. That's so crazy that it's now 12 months of service. I saw on reddit that someone said they were able to trade it in successfully to Apple for the $310. But I haven't personally verified that.
Yes they will accept. I justed traded a locked Cricket phone for $310 gift card yesterday.
Aug 22, 2026 3:13 AM
215 Comments
Joined Mar 2020
EagerCalculator413Aug 22, 2026 3:13 AM
215 Comments
Quote from dirks7649 View quoted comment :
Safer to activate, but you can transfer the cricket eSIM to another phone, then wipe and trade in at Apple - that way you still have access to your cricket number/account or use it later to port the cricket number to metro deal, rinse and repeat
Ideally, I want to port-in and activate after 2 months of current prepaid service. If I activate now, I am losing the existing prepaid service so cost of deal increases.
Aug 22, 2026 4:10 AM
3.9K Comments
Joined Aug 2006
niceperson77Aug 22, 2026 4:10 AM
3.9K Comments
just did this deal in store for my mom....$168 after crap they throw in like $12 insurance.

Not as good as i thought it would be but you only pay for 1 month of the highest tier service.

Will take this 16e ($310 trade in) and my mom's current ip13 ($205 trade in) and trade them in at apple for an unlocked 17e. Total out of pocket to get her in the 17e will be around $168 + $90 + her current 13. I have other gift cards i got 50% off so really about an additional $45 or $213 in total.


will then put her on a $180ish yearly plan. So $180 + $168 =$348.00 for a new iphone and service.

Will hopefully rinse and repeat a similar cost offer in 2 more years (been replacing phones about every 2 years with these offers...family has went from iphone 6s, 7, 8, xR, 11, 13 and now 16/17e. new phones 2-3 years behind the latest greatest iphones are fine with me.
Last edited by niceperson77 August 21, 2026 at 09:15 PM.
Aug 22, 2026 5:46 AM
1K Comments
Joined May 2008
echipAug 22, 2026 5:46 AM
1K Comments
Quote from WeekendVampire View quoted comment :
All these complicated ways to save 200 on a phone.

Why don't you just sign up for a new bank account and get the $325 bonus there and just pay outright for the phone?
Why not do both? yummy

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Aug 22, 2026 8:01 AM
1K Comments
Joined Jul 2018
ChaosBaitAug 22, 2026 8:01 AM
1K Comments
Quote from niceperson77 View quoted comment :
just did this deal in store for my mom....$168 after crap they throw in like $12 insurance. Not as good as i thought it would be but you only pay for 1 month of the highest tier service. Will take this 16e ($310 trade in) and my mom's current ip13 ($205 trade in) and trade them in at apple for an unlocked 17e. Total out of pocket to get her in the 17e will be around $168 + $90 + her current 13. I have other gift cards i got 50% off so really about an additional $45 or $213 in total. will then put her on a $180ish yearly plan. So $180 + $168 =$348.00 for a new iphone and service. Will hopefully rinse and repeat a similar cost offer in 2 more years (been replacing phones about every 2 years with these offers...family has went from iphone 6s, 7, 8, xR, 11, 13 and now 16/17e. new phones 2-3 years behind the latest greatest iphones are fine with me.
Was port-in required at the store?

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