If you’re looking for ways to save money on your phone service, you may have come across Kroger Wireless. The cell phone service provider offers plans beginning as low as $15 per month.
I’ve compared more than 70 different available phone plans to see how Kroger Wireless holds up. In this article, I’ll take a close look at Kroger Wireless’s plans and pricing, how to get started, and what to expect from Kroger Wireless service.
This article was updated in December 2023 and I review it every 12 months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here.
What To Know Before Signing Up for Kroger Wireless
Kroger Wireless, also known as i-wireless, is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that was founded in 2019.
Kroger Wireless provides access to T-Mobile’s network for a fraction of the cost. Money expert Clark Howard says he can see why people would be interested in Kroger Wireless:
“A lot of people who are with a big company like AT&T also like shopping in a more traditional supermarket. And believe it or not, you can get your cellular service from the Kroger family of supermarkets.”
Below, you’ll find more information about Kroger Wireless including what plans are available, how to check your phone’s eligibility and how it compares to other MVNOs.
Table of Contents:
1. Plans and Pricing
Kroger Wireless offers four pre-built monthly prepaid plans that range from 3GB to unlimited data each month. Clark notes that they’re extremely affordable compared to the major cell phone service providers.
Below, you can see each of Kroger Wireless’ plans including the monthly data limit, regular price, and the price with a 10% autopay discount on eligible plans.
| Plan | Price (without autopay) | Price (with autopay) | Data Limit | Talk & Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3GB | $15 per month (requires $45 for 3 months) | $15 per month (requires $45 for 3 months) | 3GB per month | Unlimited |
| 6GB | $25 per month | $22.50 per month | 6 GB per month | Unlimited |
| 10GB | $35 per month | $31.50 per month | 10 GB per month | Unlimited |
| Unlimited | $45 per month | $40.50 per month | 25 GB high-speed data per month; unlimited 2G speed | Unlimited |
As you can see, the 3GB per month plan is the only plan that requires you to prepay for three months at a time. Also, this is the only plan that isn’t eligible for the 10% autopay discount, according to Kroger’s website.
Kroger Wireless does also offer annual plans with the same amount of monthly data. However, you’ll still be paying the same price for the 3GB plan. With any other plan, you’ll be saving a bit if you choose the annual option. However, I warn against starting with an annual phone plan. Try out a one-month service plan first to make sure you won’t have any issues with your service or carrier. Then, if everything goes smoothly after a month, you may consider paying for a full year in advance.
Compared to other postpaid unlimited plans, Kroger Wireless offers cheap monthly prices, though it doesn’t have the highest monthly data limits.
The cheapest monthly cell phone plan we recommend is Tello Mobile (Review), which costs $9 for 1GB of high-speed data. Tello also offers 10GB for $19 per month. Alternatively, Kroger Wireless offers 3GB of high-speed data for $15 and 10GB of high-speed data for $35.
Mint Mobile (Review) offers 5GB of high-speed data for $15 per month ($45 for three months), which is comparable to Kroger Wireless’ 3GB plan. However, with Mint Mobile, you do get an extra 2GB per month for the same price.
Kroger Wireless’s unlimited plan costs $40 after autopay for 25GB of high-speed data. Other affordable unlimited plans that we recommend include Mint Mobile’s $30 per month plan for 40GB of high-speed data as well as Visible’s $25 per month plan (Review) with no high-speed data limit. If you’re looking for a large amount of high-speed data, you’ll find better prices than Kroger Wireless with other MVNOs.
2. Coverage Map
Kroger Wireless provides access to T-Mobile’s network. To see if Kroger Wireless offers coverage in your area, check out its coverage map online.
If you visit Kroger Wireless’ website, you can enter your city, state or ZIP code to see if you’ll have service in your area. You can zoom in to see what types of coverage are available including 4G LTE, 4G, 3G and 2G.
You can also check out T-Mobile’s coverage map to get a full picture of potential coverage. Fortunately, T-Mobile has been expanding its network and improving its 5G network, which means you’ll likely experience fast and reliable data where it’s available.
Still, it’s important to check the coverage map before you pay for a SIM card or new device. You’ll want to make sure service is available in your home area.
Additionally, know that Kroger Wireless offers service only in the United States, so you won’t be able to place calls, send or receive text messages or use data while traveling internationally. However, you will be able to place international calls for an additional rate.
3. Eligible Phones
Before you purchase a SIM card from Kroger Wireless, be sure to check your phone’s eligibility first. This is especially important if you plan to order a SIM card online.
You can check your phone’s compatibility on the Kroger Wireless website here. You’ll need to enter your IMEI to confirm eligibility. To find your IMEI, simply dial *#06# from your phone.
According to Kroger’s website, Kroger Wireless supports LTE phones with a minimum of bands 2/4/12 that are also VoLTE capable. Your phone also needs to be completely paid off, unlocked and not marked as lost or stolen.
Despite meeting all of these requirements, there’s a chance your phone may still not be compatible with Kroger Wireless. For this reason, you’ll have to verify your phone’s eligibility with its IMEI number online or have an associate check its eligibility at a Kroger Wireless location.
If you’re able to bring your own phone to a new carrier, that’s the best way to save money upfront. However, if you need to purchase a new device, Kroger Wireless has a selection of 30 phones to choose from.
Prices on new devices from Kroger Wireless range from $29 to $899. Alternatively, you can bring your own phone or buy an unlocked phone for the most savings.
4. Customer Service
Good customer service is important in a phone carrier. Unfortunately, nearly all major companies seem to be struggling with customer service right now. In fact, Clark often calls it “customer NO service.” Whether it’s extended wait times or unhelpful representatives, dealing with phone service providers’ customer service can be a pain.
To see how long I’d have to wait for service and what type of service I’d receive, I called Kroger Wireless myself to verify which network the service switched to after Sprint.
To contact Kroger Wireless, you can visit the website and fill out an email form (current customers only) or you can call 1-866-434-7796. The website says customer representatives are available Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST.
When I called Kroger’s customer service number, I followed the automated prompts and was immediately connected to a representative with no hold time. In total, I spent exactly one minute on the phone before getting my question answered.
While I’m not a current Kroger Wireless customer and was unable to contact the company via the online email form, I had a good experience with fast connection times and a friendly, informed representative when I called the phone number listed on the Kroger Wireless website.
You may be able to find in-person assistance with Kroger Wireless in stores at the following locations:
- Kroger
- Quality Food Centers (QFC)
- King Soopers
- Pay Less
- Fry’s Food Stores
- Dillons
- Ralphs
- City Market
- Fred Meyer
- Baker’s
- Owen’s
- Scott’s
- Smith’s
- Gerbes
5. Customer Satisfaction
While Kroger Wireless doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau for customers to leave feedback, I did find a few reviews across the web.
On Trustpilot, 30 customers have left a review of Kroger Wireless. Currently, the company has an average rating of 4/5 stars, which earns them a “Great” status.
At Money Saving Pro, I found several recent reviews, but unfortunately a much lower score in overall customer satisfaction. The average rating is around 2 out of 5 stars from 30 user reviews.
After spending some time reading the more recent reviews, I found that a lot of the dissatisfaction from the past six months has stemmed from Kroger Wireless’s switch from Sprint to T-Mobile. The switch left many existing customers without service, and the response from representatives was extremely poor based on customer reviews.
If you do decide to try Kroger Wireless, I recommend having a representative check your phone’s eligibility and set up your phone for you in the store. This way, you can verify that you’ll have service and that your SIM card will work before having to pay.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Kroger Wireless offers great prices for cell phone plans with limited data, but you may not get as much high-speed data as you would with other cell phone service providers.
While other MVNOs, such as Mint Mobile, Tello Mobile and Visible, offer better deals with higher customer satisfaction ratings, I recommend checking out the 6GB plan for $25 for one month if you want to try out Kroger Wireless. If you’re looking for an unlimited plan, you’ll find more high-speed data with Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan, Tello Mobile or Visible Wireless.
However, if you’re looking at the three-month prepaid plan from Kroger Wireless, know that you’ll get more data for the exact same price with Mint Mobile. Tello Mobile also offers 5GB for $14. Plus, all three MVNOs provide access to T-Mobile’s network.
While recent customer reviews online are generally negative, after reading what customers have to say, I recommend looking at the coverage map, checking your phone’s eligibility and purchasing a SIM card at a Kroger Wireless location in a supermarket near you. That way, you can make sure there are no problems with the service before you leave the store.
For more options, be sure to read our guide on the best cell phone plans and deals available now. Once you’ve decided on a new phone plan and you’re ready to make the switch, check out this guide that we put together to take you step-by-step through the process.
Have you tried Kroger Wireless? Let us know in our Clark.com Community or check out the latest conversations around cell phones.
Article Updates
- December 29, 2023: Updated plan selection and prices
- December 29, 2023: Updated competitor plan prices including Mint Mobile, Tello Mobile and Visible
- December 29, 2023: Updated Kroger’s current selection of phones
- December 29, 2023: Updated online ratings of Kroger Wireless (removed an old website with no recent reviews; added a link to Kroger Wireless’ Trustpilot page)
