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AT&T vs. Cricket Wireless: iPhone 18 Pro Max for 5 lines
For 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max over 36 months, Cricket Wireless's Smart Unlimited beats AT&T's Elite 2.0 by $9,072. The monthly plan price is the single biggest driver of that gap. Both sides are backed by confirmed plan pricing.
Cricket Wireless already bakes taxes and fees into the plan price shown.
AT&T
Elite 2.0 · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
$111.41/mo per person, 5 lines
$20,053 over 36 months · $557.03/mo household
$647.80/mo for 24 months, then $377.15/mo once the device is paid off.
How we calculate thisCricket Wireless
Smart Unlimited · Buy unlocked (Apple financing)
vs. AT&T unlocked (Apple financing) over 36 months
$61.00/mo per person, 5 lines
$10,981 over 36 months · $305.02/mo household
$400.65/mo for 24 months, then $130.00/mo once the device is paid off.
How we calculate this$360 more than your current bill over 36 months — for 5 lines on Smart Unlimited
Plus 5 new phones and setup: $6,301, net of trade-in/resale credit.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Plan $26.00/mo + device $54.13/mo − $38.97 cashback
iPhone 18 Pro Max paid over 24 months at 0% APR via Apple Card Monthly Installments, with 3% cashback credited once.
Sales tax on the device (varies by state, typically charged upfront on full MSRP) is not included in the totals above.
We don't have a resale value for a iPhone 16 in this condition yet, so it counts as $0 here.
Data verified September 10, 2026.
AT&T's provider fee: $5.43/line (PA label; varies by state). Cricket Wireless's provider fee: $0.00/line.
Frequently asked
Which is cheaper for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max: AT&T or Cricket Wireless?
Cricket Wireless's Smart Unlimited costs $10,981 over 36 months for 5 lines of iPhone 18 Pro Max, $9,072 less than AT&T's Elite 2.0 at $20,053.
What's the effective monthly cost of iPhone 18 Pro Max on AT&T vs. Cricket Wireless?
AT&T works out to $557.03/mo and Cricket Wireless to $305.02/mo, each the 36-month total divided evenly by 36 — not necessarily the bill you'd see in any single month.
Are these AT&T and Cricket Wireless prices confirmed?
AT&T's total is not yet independently verified, and Cricket Wireless's is not yet independently verified. See the confidence badge on each card, and our methodology page, for what that means.