How You Give Holiday Greetings Could Be As Important As to Whom You Say It

~ Cricket Wireless finds different generations and genders follow new rules when spreading holiday cheer, from text messages to thank you cards~

SAN DIEGO – November 18, 2013 – As more Americans continue to shop online and via mobile devices this holiday season, Cricket Wireless finds the trend toward digital is also driving the future of how people are communicating with each other during the holidays. According to a recent Cricket Wireless national survey[1], digital messaging (45 percent) has caught up to traditional phone calls (46 percent) as the preferred way to communicate with family and friends this holiday season. In fact, for millenials digital messaging, such as emails, text messaging and social channels have surpassed making phone calls for wishing family and friends happy holidays.

Offering a look on other communication trends, Cricket provides additional holiday survey results around which gender prefers calls, how long people spend on the phone during the holidays, and who is phoning it in instead of traveling.

Men are Slower to Adopt Digital Messaging for the Holidays; Still Prefer Phone Calls

In a gender comparison of preferences, men still prefer phone calls, with 54 percent indicating they would rather call someone than send them a digital message during the holidays, while only 36 percent of women report this way. In addition, men (5 percent) are less likely than women (12 percent) to send correspondence via postal mail, such as a card or family newsletter.

Many Americans Plan to Spend More than 11 Hours on the Phone with Family and Friends

For those talking on the phone during the holidays, 42 percent of Americans plan to spend more than 11 hours on the phone, with 22 percent of these reporting they will likely spend more than 21 hours doing so. However, while men plan to talk on the phone more in comparison to digital communication, women still plan to talk for longer durations.

Americans Prefer to Simply Call Family vs. Traveling Long Distances to Visit

A slight majority (51 percent) of Americans report preferring to call family over the holidays than travel a long distance to visit. However, if last year’s travel trend continues this year, we will continue to see an increase in long distance holiday travel. In 2012[2], for the fourth consecutive year, Americans traveled more than 50 miles for the Thanksgiving holiday. There was also an increase of Americans (93.3 million) traveling 50 or more miles during the year-end holiday travel period (Dec. 22, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2013).

Mom is Most Likely Family Target for Holiday Contact, but Friends Top Family

So, who are Americans contacting during November and December? While moms (54 percent) are the most likely family member to be contacted, sisters (53 percent) are a close second, followed by brothers (49 percent) and dads (41 percent). But, friends are the overwhelming favorite, with 71 percent of Americans planning to call or text friends during the holidays.

Holiday Thank You Notes Go Digital                                                                                  

Don’t expect a hand-written “thank you” note this holiday. Gone are the days of traditional acknowledgements, according to the Cricket Wireless survey. Americans (85 percent) overwhelmingly agree that electronic messaging has replaced the traditional reply using pen and paper.

Cricket Communications, Inc. provides families the technology and support needed to stay connected to loved ones this holiday season. Cricket offers the hottest devices like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, Samsung Galaxy S4 and ZTE Source, all with nationwide unlimited (talk, text, music and data) no-contract rate plans starting as low as $45 a month[3], or $80 per month for two smartphone lines through Cricket’s family plans.

For more information about Cricket's dynamic service and newest device lineup, visit www.mycricket.com or a store near you. Follow Cricket's latest news and updates via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Cricket

Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts. Cricket offers nationwide wireless voice and mobile data services over high-quality, all-digital 4G LTE and 3G CDMA wireless networks. Cricket's innovative products and services, including the award-winning Muve Music® - the first music service designed for a wireless phone, are available nationwide at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.com. For more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com.

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[1] According to a survey conducted by Sentient Decision Science in October 2013 on behalf of Cricket Wireless (1,022 consumers surveyed; overall margin of error +/- 3.1%)

[2] According to AAA 2012 holiday travel projections - http://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/thanksgiving-travel-forecast/

[3] When signed up for Automatic Bill Pay