Are you looking for a way to lower your monthly cell phone bill? Look no further, as applying for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program should top the list of your priorities. To start with, Cricket is one of the main participants of the ACP program from the Federal government. As long as you are a low-income earner or participate in a government assistance program, be sure that you qualify to enjoy this carrier’s ACP.
If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will enjoy discounts of up to $30 per month if you reside in Non-Tribal lands. On the other hand, if you reside on Tribal lands in the United States, you can enjoy a monthly discount of up to $75. Besides these discounts, you stand a high chance of getting a one-time discount of up to $100 for a tablet, laptop, or even a desktop computer. As a result, you will not have to strain your budget in order to acquire any of them. You will also enjoy a low-cost service plan that this program can fully cover. As a result, you will save more on your communication costs. Finally, this program also helps to bridge the digital gap between the haves and the have-nots residing in the United States. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) alongside other related facets.
Difference Between Cricket Wireless EBB and Cricket Wireless ACP
First, the EBB program refers to the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, while ACP refers to the Affordable Connectivity Program. The EBB program was initiated in response to COVID-19 pandemic. However, its counterpart was launched after 31st December 2021.
All those who used to enjoy the EBB program continued to enjoy its benefits until March 1st 2022, when their billing cycle was renewed. Here, those who used to reside in Non-tribal lands and used to enjoy a discount of $50 from the EBB program now started enjoying $30 per month.
On the other hand, those who used to reside in Tribal lands and were getting monthly discounts of up to $75 still enjoy the same discount till date, even after the launch of the ACP program. Finally, the requirements for enrollment differ. For instance, the EBB program needed its applicants to have an income that stands at or is below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
However, the ACP facility requires you to have a low income that stands at or is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Therefore, the main differences between these two programs is their rollout timelines, the respective discounts on those residing on Non-Tribal lands, and the enrollment requirements.
Qualify Requirements for Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program
To qualify for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program, there is an array of requirements that you must fulfill. These include:
1. Ensure that you have a low-income
One of the main requirements that you must meet is that your income has to stand or be below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines of your state.
2. Be a participant in a government-assistance program
Besides having a low income, you can also qualify for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Program if at all you participate in any of the following government assistance programs:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program(SNAP)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Federal Pell Grant
- Supplemental Security Income(SSI)
- National School Lunch Program
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children(WIC)
- Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
In case you reside on Tribal lands, and you receive any of the following programs, be sure that you can qualify for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program:
- Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Head Start
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
3. You qualify for the Lifeline program
The Lifeline program is a government assistance program that provides discounted phone and internet services to low-income households. Cricket is one of the participating providers in this program, offering discounted phone plans to eligible customers.
To qualify for the Lifeline program, you must meet specific income requirements or participate in government assistance programs, such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA).
Documents Need When Apply for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program
When applying for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program, there are certain documents that you must submit in order to verify your identity and eligibility status. Here is a breakdown of the documents that you should have during the application process:
1. Personal Documents
As far as personal documents are concerned, you need to provide a document that shows your full name, date of birth, and address. Some good examples of these documents include:
- Your passport
- Your government, state, military, or Tribal ID
- Your birth certificate
- Certificate of U.S citizenship or naturalization
- Your U.S Driver’s license
- Your Green card or permanent resident card
2. Eligibility documents
Besides the personal documents, you need to submit a document that shows that you either earn a low income or participant in a government-assistance program. To prove that you earn an income that stands at or is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, here are some of the documents that you should submit:
- Your current income statement from your employer
- Your paycheck stub
- Your prior year’s federal, state, or Tribal tax return
- Your Social Security statement of benefits
- A copy of pension or retirement statement of benefits
- Any other document that shows your income
On the other hand, if you are a participant of a government-assistance program such as SNAP, SSI, or Medicaid, here are the eligibility documents that can help you prove the same:
- A benefit award letter
- A statement of benefits
- Approval letter
- A benefit verification letter
- An official document that shows that you received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
- An official document showing that your household is eligible to receive benefits under the free or reduced-price school breakfast program or school lunch program.
In case you are an emancipated minor, there is a need for you to prove that you are genuinely emancipated. To prove this, you need to submit either a certificate of emancipation or an official court document. As you purpose to submit the documents mentioned above, ensure that you only upload or send copies and not originals.
Now Enrolling Guideline for Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program
If you want to enroll in the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program, there is a certain step that you should follow. However, this will depend on whether you are an existing Cricket customer or a new customer. Here is a breakdown of how you should get started:
Existing Cricket Customer
In case you are already a Cricket customer, here are the steps that you should follow:
- Visit the National verifier so as to determine whether you qualify for the program or not.
- If you qualify for the program, go ahead and fill in the ACP enrollment form. Remember that the benefits that you will get from this program will apply to your current Cricket Service.
- Once you are approved by the National Verifier, visit the Cricket Wireless site and then visit “cricketwireless.com/affordable-connectivity-program/form.html”. Here, you will be required to enter your phone number and then tap on the ‘Submit’ button so that you can be redirected to a site where you can fill in this carrier’s ACP application form
- Fill in the application form with the right details.
- Submit your application form alongside the eligibility documents and then wait for a response from the Cricket Wireless team.
- If your application was successful, you will be enrolled in this program. However, your monthly benefits such as $30 discount or $50 discount will apply from the beginning of your next monthly service.
New Cricket Customer
If you are a new Cricket customer, the process of enrolling in the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program is not difficult per se. Here are the steps that you should follow:
- First and foremost, visit the National Verifier by clicking “affordableconnectivity.gov”. Here you will be able to establish whether you qualify for the ACP or not.
- If you qualify, you can now transfer your benefit from another carrier to your Cricket service. After all, you are a new customer and not an existing one. To make this transfer possible, ensure that you complete the Cricket ACP enrollment form. Remember that you are limited to one ACP benefit transfer per month.
- After you are done filling out the Cricket ACP enrollment form, visit the nearest Cricket store so that you can get helped on how you can get started with this program. For more details, you can contact the Cricket Wireless customer support team by dialing (844) 246-8364.
Benefits You Get If You Qualify for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program
If you qualify for the Cricket Wireless Affordable Connectivity Program, be sure that you will enjoy a number of benefits. To start with, you will be able to enjoy monthly discounts of up to $30 if at all you reside in Non-tribal lands.
However, if you live in Tribal lands of the US, be sure that you will be able to enjoy discounts of up to $75 per month. Thankfully, you can start enjoying these benefits even if you have subscribed to the Cricket Wireless starter plan of 5GB per month. Besides this, you will be able to enjoy the following offers:
- Unlimited texts
- Unlimited minutes
- 4G LTE and 5G network
- Wi-Fi texting and calling
Here is a breakdown of the data, talk, and text plans you are likely to enjoy once you are eligible for this carrier’s ACP facility:
Eligible Data + Talk & Text Plans
| Name of plan | Original Price per month | ACP Savings | What will you pay after being eligible for the ACP program | After $5 per month. Auto Pay Credit |
| 5GB plan | $30 | -$30 | $0 | Not applicable |
| 10GB plan | $40 | -$30 | $10 | $5 |
| Unlimited | $55 | -$30 | $25 | $20 |
| Unlimited (Comes with 15GB Mobile Hotspot and 140 GB cloud storage) | $60 | -$30 | $30 | $25 |
| Unlimited (Multi-line) | $80 for 2 lines $100 for 4 lines | -$30 | $50 for 2 lines $70 for 4 lines | Not Applicable |
Data Only Plans
| Name of the plan | Original Price per month | ACP Savings | What will you pay after the Cricket Wireless ACP benefit takes effect | After $5 per month. Auto Pay credit |
| 100 GB(Simply Data plan) | $55 | -$30 | $25 | Not Applicable |
| 20GB( Simply Data Plan) | $35 | -$30 | $5 | Not Applicable |
Frequently Ask Questions
I Am Already In Existing Ebb Customers In Cricket Wireless; What Can I Do?
As we previously mentioned, enrollment for the EBB program ended on December 31, 2021. Therefore, any customer who had enrolled for the Cricket Wireless EBB program continued to enjoy the benefits of this program for the next 60 days. As at 1st March 2022, one had to reapply for the ACP program so that he or she can enjoy its benefits. After all the EBB program account lost their connectivity after March 1st 2022.
However, the application for the ACP program actually began on December 31, 2021. If you had an EBB account with this carrier, you will be contacted by the Universal Services Administrative Co. (USAC) in order to reverify your eligibility.
In case you qualified for the EBB program due to a loss of income as result of COVID-19, you will be needed to requalify with the National Verifier. This is because loss of income due to COVID-19 is no longer a qualifying factor in the newly established ACP program. To learn more about the eligibility requirement for this carrier’s ACP program, feel free to visit “affordableconnectivity.gov”. If you meet the minimum requirements, this carrier can help you transfer your benefits from your EBB account to the new ACP account. Therefore, there is no call for alarm.
What States does Cricket Wireless ACP Facility Available in?
Some of the states where you can enjoy Cricket Wireless ACP facility include; Kansas, Maryland, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, California, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Nevada, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Indiana. You can visit “cricketwireless.com/map.html” and check whether your state is covered by this program or not.
How do I Get National Verifier Information?
First and foremost, the National Verifier is managed by the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC). Simply put this is a centralized system that helps you establish whether you qualify for the ACP and Lifeline program. For more information visit affordableconnectivity.gov and check your eligibility status from that end.
As far as the response from the National Verifier is concerned, you can expect to get it within minutes after applying. However, there are instances when it takes several days before one gets a response. It all depends on the number of applicants checking their eligibility status and so on.
In case you need a response urgently, feel free to make a call and request for the application to be mailed to you. In case the National Verifier does not prove your eligibility automatically, try uploading more documents on the consumer portal
Can I have ACP and LifeLine at the Same Time?
Yes. As we speak, you can combine the benefits of these programs and enjoy more convenience. When applying for the Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program, you are free to apply for them from different or the same service providers. It all depends on what works well for you. As long as you meet the minimum requirements for each of these programs, be sure that you will be good to go.
