Cricket has announced today that they will be offering a new family unlimited plan, complete with unlimited text messaging, unlimited calling, and unlimited data, and it’ll only run you $40 per line. What’s the catch, you’re probably asking yourself? The unlimited data is throttled after 1 GB of usage, and you have to opt in to the automatic bill pay. Oh, and it’s strictly for family plans, not individual plans. Still, it’s $10 cheaper than the single-line plan, and Cricket is throwing in a free subscription to Muve Music, so it’s an excellent deal, even with the relatively minor caveats.

You can also go with a $60 plan that offers 2.5 GB of non-throttled data, and a $70 with 5 GB of non-throttled data. Both of these plans also include the mobile hot spot capabilities. If nothing else, it’s good to see some other carriers try to take on the big guys with better value bundles. Hit the break below for the full press release. » Read the rest