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Mint Mobile is a great budget option if you know that T-Mobile’s coverage works in your area.
Insider
Mint Mobile is one of the frontrunners in the budget phone plan market, and it’s clear why. They have a robust marketing strategy, a movie-star-slash-business-mogul co-owner, and clear and concise plans that readily simplify the process of managing your phone plan. The plans can cost as low as $15 per month, with unlimited calling and texting for all plans as well as access to high-speed data through T-Mobile’s network across the US (not to mention free call and text to Canada and Mexico).
In brief, Mint Mobile offers prepaid plans that allow users to manage their data easily. Mint features three-, six-, and 12-month plans, each with a low monthly rate. You’re able to adjust your plan at any time, so if you’d like to test-drive the service before committing to the full year, it’s a low financial stake.
If you can sign up for a whole year, you’ll be able to save more. But at the very least, you can take advantage of a discounted rate for the first three months with Mint Mobile’s new customer offer, a deal that makes for one of the best cheap cell phone plans you can buy currently with its inclusion of three additional free months.
I tested Mint Mobile through an average week in New York City, testing the fundamentals: call quality, data speed and prices, and general coverage. I also took note of the setup process, plan offerings, and some other basics that one would look for when switching carriers.
Plan offerings and flexibility
Mint Mobile’s plan offerings have always been geared toward those looking for savings on their phone plan. As of April 14, 2023, Mint increased the 5G/4G LTE data allotment on its plans while maintaining the same price: Its 4GB plan increased to 5GB, while its 10GB, 15GB, and 35GB plans each increased by 5GB.
Currently, all of Mint Mobile’s three-month plans are available at discounted rates with a new customer promotion, starting at just $15 per month. Through January 1, 2024, the promotion also includes three additional months of service for free. After the promotional period, the plans reset to their standard rates, as detailed below.
Mint Mobile introductory 3-month plans
Plan and data allotment
Monthly price
Total price
$15
$45
$20
$60
$25
$75
$30
$90
Mint Mobile 3-month plans
Plan and data allotment
Monthly price
Total price
$25
$75
$35
$105
$45
$135
$40
$120
Mint Mobile 6-month plans
Plan and data allotment
Monthly price
Total price
$20
$120
$25
$150
$35
$210
$35
$210
Mint Mobile 12-month plans
Plan and data allotment
Monthly price
Total price
$15
$180
$20
$240
$25
$300
$30
$360
*Each of Mint’s Unlimited plans also includes 10 additional GB per month set aside for high-speed hotspot data, an increase from 5GB as previously offered.
Prices are, of course, subject to change. If you want to see the latest offers, head on over to our Mint Mobile plans and deals guide, which is regularly updated.
All of Mint’s prepaid plans include unlimited talk and text, free calling to Mexico and Canada from the United States, and Wi-Fi calling and texting. You’ll also get a free SIM card when you switch and you can use your 5G and LTE data access for a high-speed hotspot if you wish.
It’s worth noting that once your monthly high-speed data cap is reached you’ll have slower data speeds — however, you’ll still have access to unlimited data at those lower speeds, so you won’t be entirely cast adrift if you meet your data max.
Before signing up, you’ll want to confirm that your phone is compatible with Mint Mobile to begin with. Nearly all 5G or 4G LTE-supported phones that use SIM cards or eSIMs will be compatible. To be sure, you can use the compatibility checker provided on their site by entering your phone’s brand and model (or even better, your phone’s IMEI number — which you can find by dialing *#06# or in your phone’s settings).
From there, your setup will be fairly straightforward, thanks to the “cleverness kit” that comes with your new SIM card. The kit includes instructions on how to keep your existing phone number, a QR code to easily download the Mint Mobile app, and refers you to additional tips located on their YouTube channel, which has a series of designated videos for setup assistance.
Mint Mobile’s set up includes a “cleverness kit,” which contains your SIM card and initial instructions.
Eve Montie/Insider
Even after inputting your SIM card the Mint Mobile app will guide you through the basics of setup, with a quick overview of how to use the app as well as a few checkpoints that confirm whether you want to keep your preexisting phone number. The entire setup process takes less than five minutes, and the app assistance that walks you through setup is useful and informative.
If you’re unsure whether you’ll like the service, you can try Mint Mobile risk-free with their 7-day free trial. With 250 minutes, 250 texts, and 250MB of data included, the trial will allow you to see how it compares to your existing plan — and you can switch back to your previous plan at any time during the trial if it’s not for you.
Coverage area
Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile’s networks, so their coverage maps are the same. Mint offers a coverage map tool on its site that you can use to check if your address is covered by its network — and if it is, you’ll be able to do anything from talk and text to downloading and streaming HD video over high-speed data.
While Mint’s coverage is impressive, you should enter your address on their website to confirm that you’ll be covered.
Mint Mobile
From my testing experience, Mint’s coverage far outperformed my personal carrier, AT&T, in terms of coverage, and I was thus able to do a lot more with my data than I usually can. This wasn’t necessarily a surprise, since I live in New York City and it’s generally known that T-Mobile works better in urban areas than AT&T, but the difference was significant.
Where AT&T had me covered inconsistently and unreliably across most of my testing locations, Mint proved to be more dependable in its coverage in each — including at Business Insider’s office in Manhattan, on a walk through Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, and at visits to some of my favorite coffee shops. From each location, I was able to easily send a text or make a phone call with no issues.
I’ll mention again that the coverage map will be a useful tool for any prospective Mint Mobile customer, however, because coverage will vary depending on location and should be paramount in your decision to switch carriers.
Service reliability and speeds
For my own testing of Mint’s service reliability, I viewed and downloaded posts from some of the most-used apps on many people’s phones: YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. I had a promising start — Rihanna’s Superbowl Halftime performance loaded perfectly on YouTube with no buffering — but I began to encounter issues when I moved to Instagram and later to TikTok.
On Instagram, I experienced minor loading issues, but they went away quickly and I was able to browse as usual, with all but the first few posts loading readily as if I were connected to a Wi-Fi network.
I had more issues with TikTok, however, where each video took a few seconds to load across the board. While it was only a matter of a second or two of buffering time, those seconds make a difference when discussing an app with a primary focus on instantaneous generation of content. Though the app worked perfectly when connected to Wi-Fi and the loading time over data was still very minimal, if you’re one to scroll through TikTok while on the go, you may grow tired of this barrier to immediacy.
The data-heavy TikTok proved to be a problematic app for Mint’s cellular service.
Eve Montie/Insider
In testing phone and video calls, I had mixed results. Phone calls had zero issues — I had reliable service, good call quality, and overall the service worked. Video calls were a different story, and this was the only point in my testing where I noted a result that as a user would have truly bothered me. The call, made over Google Meet while I was connected via a full 5G connection, was grainy and the audio lagged consistently. I again tested this against a Wi-Fi connection, still using Google Meet, and the graininess and lagging had fully resolved.
I’ve attributed the poor call quality to deprioritization, an unfortunate byproduct of Mint’s use of T-Mobile’s network, which means that T-Mobile customers have faster data speeds in comparison to Mint in congested areas.
Customer support
With Ryan Reynolds at the helm, Mint Mobile’s advertising, user interface, and customer support are really where the company shines. Straightforward language, readily available FAQs and other support, and a user-friendly app all serve to create a cohesive and uncomplicated experience as a Mint customer.
From the jump, Mint’s advertising has appealed to its audience directly and simply, and they carry this attitude throughout the customer journey if you have questions as you go along. The app includes a data usage indicator on the home dashboard to keep track of your usage each month, and you can easily make payments or adjust your plan through the app as well.
From a user standpoint, it’s refreshingly simple to manage your plan and make changes when you need. The online chat support and phone support are responsive as well, with almost no wait time (a first for a mobile carrier support line in my own experience) and agents who are well-versed in their subject matter and friendly as well.
Mint Mobile’s app offers a helpful customer support tab and the ability to seamlessly adjust your plan.
Eve Montie/Insider
Should you sign up for Mint Mobile?
Overall, I really liked using Mint Mobile. The service was consistently good, I was able to send and receive texts and phone calls with no issues, and the loading issues I experienced were mostly minimal. The poor-quality video calls were a blemish on an otherwise excellent carrier experience.
Mint is a cost-effective service with easy-to-digest materials and readily accessible customer support, two factors that alone place it ahead of the competition from a user experience standpoint.
The amount you’ll save on a plan through Mint is significant in comparison to what you can expect to spend with most large carriers. With access to T-Mobile’s extensive network of coverage, it’s a great value overall — the only catch being that you’ll need to be willing to pay for your data in advance. Even with that stipulation in mind, however, it’s a point of comfort to know that your phone bill is out of the way before you even start to use your data.
FAQs
Who owns Mint Mobile?
Mint Mobile announced in March that it was set to be acquired by network heavyweight T-Mobile, which should change very little for the average Mint customer because they already share T-Mobile’s network.
In announcing the projected $1.35 billion acquisition, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert cited Mint’s “marketing formula” as a reason behind the purchase, and said the company will look to spread Mint’s marketing strategy “across more parts of T-Mobile.” It’s likely, then, that T-Mobile will look to expand its options for prepaid plans for their customers in a similar format to Mint’s plans.
Does Mint Mobile work abroad?
You can make calls internationally on a pay-per-minute basis with Mint Mobile (besides calls and texts going to Mexico and Canada, which are free and included with your Mint plan). International calls will cost anywhere from 1 to 60 cents per minute, depending on the destination.
If you’re looking to use your Mint Mobile plan while abroad, you’ll need to utilize the international roaming credits that you can add to your Mint Mobile balance on their website or in the Mint Mobile app. In increments of $5, $10, or $20, you can add international roaming credits to your balance that will allow you to text, call, and use data overseas.
How does Mint Mobile’s family plan work?
Mint’s “Modern Family” plan doesn’t operate in the same way as other carriers tend to market their family plans — where some carriers might have a discount for adding lines to the family plan, Mint’s plan charges the same amount per line as the first one.
The “family” aspect is really about managing the plan cleanly in one place, rather than the price differential. You can start a plan with as little as two lines, and each line will cost differently depending on the data you’ve allotted it — so you could have a family plan with one unlimited data line, one 15GB line, and one 5GB line if you so choose.
How does Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan work?
Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan is one of the cheapest unlimited data plans out there, starting at $30 per month. Technically “unlimited data” means 40GB of high-speed data. After 40GB, you’ll still have access to data, but at significantly slower speeds.
This is generally true for unlimited data plans across the market, though Mint’s plan is more cost-effective than most competitors. Google Fi Wireless’ high-speed data caps at 35 GB for its $50 per month unlimited plan, and Tello Mobile’s unlimited plan caps at 25GB for $29 per month. Visible Wireless’ Visible+ plan is the lone “budget” unlimited plan that provides a slightly better deal, with 50GB of high-speed data for $35 per month with a current promotion.
As of April 14, 2023, Mint’s unlimited plans also have access to 10GB of monthly hotspot data (an increase from a previous 5GB allotment). This falls in the middle of the range of hotspot data services offered by Mint’s main competitors: Comparable unlimited plans from Google Fi Wireless and Tello offer only 5GB of hotspot data, while Mint is far surpassed by Visible’s two comparably priced unlimited plans, which both include unlimited hotspot data.