Is mint mobile worth it?
Mint Mobile is worth it due to its affordable unlimited plans. The cell phone company encourages its subscribers to buy packages in bulk instead of paying a monthly rate. The longer you subscribe for a package each time the cheaper your monthly cost becomes.
Mint mobile made its mark largely due to its ad that featured Actor Ryan Reynolds. He also happens to be the company owner. Mint is considered a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) meaning it operates on others existing networks.
Since T-Mobile (one of Mint Mobile) partners offers 5G service then by extension this is extended to its MVNOs like Mint. The other best part is that Mint does not charge its customers extra to be part of their 5G network.
Table of Contents
Why Mint Mobile is worth it
Mint Mobile Data Plans
Plan |
Inclusions |
Price |
4GB Data Plan |
4GB Full Speed data
No Contract |
$15/Month |
10GB Data Plan |
10GB Full Speed data
No Contract |
$20/Month |
15GB Data Plan |
15GB Full Speed data
No Contract |
$25/Month |
Unlimited Data Plan |
Unlimited Data
No Contract |
$30/Month |
The cheapest data plan on Mint is the $15/month package that gives you access to 4GB data plan while the priciest goes for an affordable $30 and this gives you access to unlimited data plan. With mint mobile you pay for your text, talk and data three months in advance and this makes it affordable.
Mint is known to offer one of the cheapest unlimited plans in the market. When compared to others it comes up at the top. One key benefit of Mint is that it gives you the option for long-term commitments as opposed to the month-to-month ones used by most prepaid providers. This allows you to enjoy good value for money. In terms of data you get a tiered 3GB, 8GB, and 12GB of LTE data. The more data you purchase upfront the more you get to save.
Mint competitor plans
Mobile Provider |
Plan |
Inclusions |
Price |
Twigby |
Unlimited Talk & Text and 3GB Data |
3GB Data
No Contract |
$10/Month |
US Mobile |
Unlimited Talk & Text with 5GB Ludicrous data |
5GB Data
No Contract |
$12/Month + $3.99 upfront |
GENMobile |
Unlimited International Talk, Text & 3GB Data |
3GB Data
No Contract |
$13.33/Month + $1 Upfront |
One great benefit you get with Mint is you are connected to T-Mobile 5G service at no extra cost.
Phones to use with Mint
Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile GSM-based network and therefore means you need a GSM card to get connected. Some phones both have GSM and CDMA so you may want to get this right before you plugin to the network. To check whether your phone is compatible plug in your phone’s IMEI code into Mint Mobile information checker. Mint Mobile starter pack includes two SIM cards, one week of 100MB data and runs for $5.
Deprioritization
One drawback for using MVNOs is that you experience slow data speeds when the network is congested. For Mint Mobile they ride on T-Mobile network which means that whenever there is a network congestion, T-Mobile will prioritize their customers before those of mint. The other sad reality is that Mint mobile does not have any family plans which could have resulted in great savings for those family subscribers.
Mobile devices
You can use your own device to access the Mint mobile network but the company also offers some of the latest phones like the iPhone 12 mini 64GB, iPhone 12 64GB, iPhone Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy A21, S20, Motorola E among others.
Mint Mobile rides on the T-Mobile infrastructure who have 5G. The best part about joining Mint is you get connected to 5G without paying extra. The only thing you will need to start enjoying the service is for you to bring your 5G compatible phone with you. You may also want to check whether the service is available in your location or only in metropolitan areas.
T-Mobile operates on the GSM network so you may want to get a unlocked phone first. Some of Verizon phones are CDMA based while their phones that can run on both GSM and CDMA. When Mint started they did not offer phones but things have changed and now you can get access to an unlocked phone. Some of the popular phones you will find on their website include Samsung Galaxy A71 5G, iPhone SE, Google Pixel 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
When you get into Mint you will find their seven day money back guarantee. This allows you to test out the service provider while you make a decision. You will get a full refund within the week if the service does not work. This is of course minus handling and shipping. You are also able to purchase extra data like 1GB for $10 and 3GB for $20. Should you decide to travel oversees with your phone then the provider offers international data roaming services. You can make calls from Mexico or Canada for free.
Conclusion
Mint mobile is the place to be when you are looking for cheap phone deals. This will work great if you are willing to sacrifice on data speeds. The biggest problem for MVNOs is that during network congestion of the network they are riding on their data speeds will be compromised for the service provider. The other issue with Mint mobile is they do not offer family plans which would have being a big boost for those who want to save more.
FAQ
How is Mint Mobile coverage?
Since Mint mobile rides on the network of another – T-Mobile- you get good coverage as the latter has a good connection. The company covers over 94% of the country meaning there very few areas you will go where coverage will not be there.
What kind of download speeds should I expect?
Since mint is riding on another network your download speeds will vary. However, you should expect to download at speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps which is quite decent considering the price you are paying.