Are you wondering 'Is Mint Mobile good?', we've got the answer for you with our in-depth review. In 2021 Mint Mobile held the record as the USA’s fastest growing company, and this was in no small part due to its competitive mobile phone plan pricing and top customer service.
Mint Mobile is one of the best cell phone providers and is what’s known as an MVNO, or Mobile Virtual Network Operator, to give it its full name. In short this means that Mint uses the network of cellular towers and infrastructure already setup by another telecoms company, in this case it’s via T-Mobile. We’ll go into great detail on the coverage, signal strength and value of Mint’s proposition throughout this article.
As Mint Mobile is able to skirt around the cost of laying down new mobile infrastructure, they can offer great savings by operating on the pre-existing T-Mobile network. Mint also only offers pre-payment plans in either 3, 6 or 12 month blocks which means that you won’t find any nasty extras added onto your bill at the end of the month like you could with a standard mobile contract.
While Mint Mobile customers will benefit from T-Mobile’s wide and fast 5G network, its users may experience de-prioritization occasionally. This means you could be kicked off with native T-Mobile post-paying customers taking priority in heavily congested or busy periods. However, that’s the compromise you make if you want to benefit from Mint’s enticing savings. Looking at customer reviews online, this doesn’t seem to happen very often thankfully. You also don't get a cell phone as part of the deal, hence the lower price. Instead, Mint Mobile encourages you to bring your own, since this was originally a SIM only network, which still sticks to its origins.
Mint is known for its top customer service with short wait times and the ability to talk to an actual person rather than an automated phone line, and you may have seen the company in the press recently due its celebrity co-owner Ryan Reynolds.
Is Mint Mobile good? This is our Mint Mobile review
Mint Mobile: Plans and phones
Mint Mobile offers both SIM-only deals as well as plans that can be bought in tandem with a variety of mobile phones online, including the Apple iPhone 14 and Google Pixel 7 Pro to name but a few. The company started as a SIM-only operator, and has a good range of choices whether you want to bring your own existing phone, or buy a new one.
To use your existing phone it will either need to be set up for T-Mobile, or be unlocked. It will also need to work with 4G LTE and VoLTE. Just make sure the phone is a GSM model, rather than a CDMA handset which will have difficulty connecting to all the bands that Mint Mobile uses. You can check if your phone is compatible using Mint Mobile’s online checker. Once you’ve signed up Mint Mobile will then send you either a 3-in-1 SIM Card Kit, or for eligible phones without a physical SIM card they can be set up with an eSIM.
All of Mint Mobile’s plans come with unlimited nationwide talk and text and benefit from nationwide coverage using 5G where possible or 4G LTE. All plans also include free international calls to Mexico and Canada as well a mobile hotspot feature which are fantastic inclusions.
If you’re new to Mint Mobile you can benefit from an introductory offer that gives you the lowest possible prices across any of the data plans for three months. At which point you’ll need to pre-purchase another 3, 6 or 12 month plan at the full rate, though this introductory rate may help you find the sweet spot of how much data you’re realistically going to need going forward.
We’ve put together a handy chart to compare Mint Mobile’s current price plans and its introductory offer. We’ve broken Mint Mobile’s prices down into monthly costs to make it easy to compare to a standard phone monthly contract but it’s worth remembering that you will need to pay the whole lump sum to cover your plan up front. So while your finances take a hit in the short term, in the long run it can help save you money as there aren’t any additional bills like you might experience with other monthly phone plans and can help you budget more effectively.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | 4GB | 10GB | 15GB | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months (Introductory offer for new customers) | $45 ($15 month) | $60 ($20 per month) | $75 ($25 per month) | $90 ($30 per month) |
| 3 months | $75 ($25 per month) | $105 ($35 per month) | $135 ($45 per month) | $120 ($40 per month) |
| 6 months | $120 ($20 per month) | $150 ($25 per month) | $210 ($35 per month) | $210 ($35 per month) |
| 12 months | $180 ($15 per month) | $240 ($20 per month) | $300 ($25 per month) | $360 ($30 per month) |
All plans come with unlimited talk and text with variations found in data amount. For example a three month plan with 4GB of data per month will cost you $15 per month for the first three months at a total of $45 altogether (this then goes up to $25 per month). Six months is charged at $20 per month and 12 months costs you $15 per month.
Options for data are 4GB, 10GB, 15GB and Unlimited, with the latter option topping out at $30 per month on the 12 month plan.
All plans come with 4G LTE and 5G, whichever is strongest where you are, offer nationwide coverage, cover–free calls to Mexico and Canada, and allow for mobile hotspot tethering.
Mint Mobile: Network and reliability
Mint Mobile offers a reliable service with its 5G and 4G LTE speeds across the US. Verizon Wireless has quicker speeds in some areas, but T-Mobile's infrastructure offers the best 5G coverage nationwide and is expanding at a breakneck pace. However, if you can’t connect to 5G, Mint Mobile claims that 99% of Americans will still be able to connect to the 4G LTE network, making it one of the most secure and stable connections currently available.
To get a rough idea of what your connection is likely to be like when using a Mint Mobile SIM, you can use the handy coverage map above to see where the signal will be strongest. T-Mobile has most of the major towns and cities covered, though signal gets a bit more patchy towards the Pacific Northwest and the Mountain West region. Levels of cover are measured in categories including: outdoors, in-vehicle, indoor residential and indoor commercial.
For speed, the T-Mobile network is one of the fastest with 82.35 Mbps download speeds registered in the first quarter of 2021.
If you’re in any doubt you can buy a starter kit for $5 which comes with 100MB of LTE data, 100 text messages and 60 minutes of talk time so you can find out how good the connection is for you before committing to a 3, 6 or 12 month prepaid plan. If you do go on to purchase one of Mint’s plans your $5 will also be refunded. Mint also offers a 7-day money back guarantee giving you a full week if you wish to return your purchase for a full refund.
Mint Mobile 5G
Mint Mobile runs off the T-Mobile network which has fantastic fast and reliable coverage across the states. Mint has a handy checker on its website where you can enter your ZIP code, or drop a pin, to get an idea of what the coverage will be like in your area.
The T-Mobile infrastructure is made up of both 5G and 4G LTE. As a Mint customer you get access to both 4G LTE and the faster 5G (when available) at no extra cost, a great benefit as many of Mint’s competitors charge extra for 5G. If 5G isn’t available you’ll still be able to connect to the slower 4G LTE network which Mint claims covers 99% of Americans.
At Mint you can bring your own phone (BYOP), just make sure its compatible and works with 5G, or if you're looking to buy a new phone you can have a look through Mint’s wide offerings available online (more below).
Mint Mobile: Unlimited, Family & +55 plans
While the Unlimited plan does give users an unlimited amount of data each month, you’ll only benefit from the super fast speeds of 5G from the first 35GB of data that you use. For casual phone users it would be quite difficult to use more than 35GB, but once you pass this threshold you’ll be demoted to slower 4G LTE speeds and videos will also be limited to streaming at 480p. Remember to connect to WiFi where possible to save yourself from eating up your data.
It’s also worth noting that six months of Unlimited is the same price as the 15GB plan for the same length of time, and the Unlimited plan for three months is currently cheaper than the three month 15GB plan, so it makes sense to go for the Unlimited option if you’re considering either of these options as they’re better value for money.
Meanwhile, Mint Mobile also offers family plans so that parents can have greater control over the phone bills in their household and prevent unexpected charges at the end of the month. Family plans start at $15 per month and can be set up with between two and five phone lines.
Each individual family member can have their own plan tailored to how much data each individual is likely to use. Mint Mobile’s Family Plan also includes free Activation Support to help all of your family members move over to Mint and get set up easily.
Also recently introduced is the Mint Mobile 55+ plan, an offer available exclusively for customers 55 years old and above. It looks much the same as the introductory 4GB plan at $45 for three months ($15 per month), though exclusive to this plan is the Mintech Advisors Service which usually costs $15 and is thrown in for free, and is to help less tech-savvy customers get set up transferring an existing phone number and transferring your service over to Mint Mobile.
Mint Mobile: Customer Service
Mint Mobile was the fastest growing company in the US in 2021 and that’s in no small part due to the company’s high attention to detail when it comes to customer service.
Mint Mobile has ensured that you’ll be able to chat to an actual human being, rather than an automated voice service that many of Mint Mobile’s competitors. Mint Mobile also claims that waiting times have been kept down too, typically around 2-3 minutes before getting through to somebody.
Mint Mobile has also employed self-service options, has an FAQ section on their website and plenty of videos to help you through some of the most common issues customers may face.
The attention to detail when it comes to customer service hasn’t gone unnoticed, garnering gleaming reviews across the internet, such as 4.5/5 on Google from over 6,000 reviews, 4.8/5 on Facebook from over 17,000 reviews and 4.3/5 stars on Amazon from over 1,700 reviews.
Is Mint Mobile good? Our verdict
If you don't want the commitment of a contract wireless provider then the prepaid options from Mint Mobile are ideal. You save money by opting for longer periods of use but since you pay upfront you don't need to worry about contracts or monthly payments.
Mint has done enough to stand apart from other MVNO’s as well as standard post-pay monthly contracts from the likes of T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T. With its budget-friendly pre-payment plans they’re ideal for those looking to make decent savings, and while speeds may become limited in congested areas or busy periods many users say it’s a small compromise to be made, reflected in Mint’s gleaming online reviews.
If you’re looking to save money on your mobile phone bill then Mint Mobile is certainly worth your attention, just be sure to use their online checker to get an idea of the signal coverage you’re likely to receive and order a trial SIM for $5 so you can give it a thorough testing before signing up.
The wide US coverage and 5G speeds make this a very appealing network and the option to go for an unlimited data plan really helps. Although with T-Mobile customers taking priority those speeds might not always be reached. This is a great option for parents that want to pay for their child's plan upfront, for students on a budget, or anyone wishing to avoid monthly contract payments. Check out our guide to the best smartphones if you want tips on the phone to get your contract with.
