Mint Mobile has been one of my easiest recommendations over the past few years, thanks to its multi-month plans, reasonable data amounts, and easy-to-understand pricing. That being said, competitors have been anything but stagnant, and, by the numbers, Mint isn’t the value it used to be. But there’s still quite a lot to like about Mint, like plan simplicity and discounts. Choosing Mint’s top plan doesn’t require paying for many features you don’t need, either. Mint’s plans simply offer more data as they get more expensive, so all you really need to think about before signing up is how much is necessary.
I tested Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan, which has 40GB of high-speed data and 10GB of hotspot data. The plan’s data speeds are identical to Mint’s other plans, so if you don’t need that much data, you can save without giving up performance. I used Mint Mobile in my hometown in Indiana, Indianapolis, and on a trip to California with strong results in all three places.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile has been a leader in the prepaid space, with plans designed for the average user’s needs while keeping its prices low for single-line users and families alike. Mint is now owned by T-Mobile, but it’s managed to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving prepaid space.
- Straightforward plans with multi-month discounts
- Fast T-Mobile 5G speeds
- Quicka and easy eSIM activation
- No truly unlimited plan
- Taxes and fees are extra
- No single-month plan
Price and availability
Sign up for a longer term to save more
Mint has four plans on its website, but five in actuality. The first three plans are nearly identical; the only difference is the data included. The first three plans have 5GB, 15GB, or 20GB of data.
The Unlimited plan gets 40GB of high-speed data and 10GB of dedicated hotspot data. For most users, the Unlimited plan should have plenty of data to reach the end of the month. But there’s no way around it, 40GB isn’t unlimited. To drive that point home, Mint also offers a plan called Unnecessary that comes with 60GB of high-speed data and 20GB of hotspot data. This plan is only shown in the Mint Mobile app, so if you think you need it, you’ll need to start with a standard Unlimited plan and upgrade in the app.
If you’re unsure how much data you need, check your last bill to see how much you normally use. You can also see usage data in your phone’s settings. If you’re a lighter user, you can start with a smaller plan and upgrade as needed. Mint will allow you to upgrade mid-cycle by paying the price difference, so it’s better to underbuy than overbuy.
I found that with my fairly heavy usage, the availability of Wi-Fi at home and many other places I go means Mint’s Unlimited plan had plenty of data for my needs. I also got plenty of use out of the hotspot data, which felt like plenty at 10GB. I normally use less than 5GB of hotspot data on my phone line monthly.
|
5GB |
15GB |
20GB |
Unlimited (40GB) |
Unnecessary (60GB) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3-month price |
$75 ($25/month) |
$105 ($35/month) |
$135 ($45/month) |
$120 ($40/month) |
$150 ($50/month) |
|
6-month price |
$120 ($20/month) |
$150 (25$/month) |
$210 ($35/month) |
$210 ($35/month) |
$270 ($45/month) |
|
12-month price |
$180 ($15/month) |
$240 ($20/month) |
$300 ($25/month) |
$360 ($30/month) |
$480 ($40/month) |
As is common with carriers these days, all of Mint Mobile’s plans have unlimited talk and text. RCS worked without issue and activated automatically.
While I didn’t test it in this review, if you need to bring multiple lines to Mint Mobile, you can make your payments a bit more manageable without forgoing your annual discount with Mint Family. Mint Family allows you to make four three-month payments instead of paying for all 12 months upfront. For example, Mint’s cheapest plan costs $180 yearly, which works out to $15 monthly. If you tried to pay for five lines simultaneously, it would come to $900 plus taxes and fees. Even if you have the money, that doesn’t mean you want to spend it all upfront. With Mint Family, you can instead pay $225 every three months.
Keep in mind that taxes and fees are extra at Mint, so your bill will be a few dollars more than the plan pricing shows.
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Network |
T-Mobile 5G |
|---|---|
|
International calling |
Mexico and Canada |
|
International texting |
190+ destinations |
|
International roaming |
Mexico and Canada (3GB) |
|
Taxes and fees |
Extra |
What’s good about Mint Mobile?
For most people, it has all they need
T-Mobile owns Mint Mobile, so while it has its own plans and app, you’ll use T-Mobile 5G for most of your data. For many users, that’s a benefit and means access to full 5G speeds with mid-band support and strong phone compatibility.
Mint Mobile’s headlining feature is, without a doubt, its pricing model, with plans available in three, six, or 12-month increments. Signing up for a longer term can help you save, offering prices that break down to be cheaper month-to-month with the longer terms. Luckily, Mint lets new customers try their first three months for just $45 on any plan, so you can get a good idea of coverage and service quality before committing to a full year.
While it wasn’t the first to offer extended plans, I like that Mint has kept its plans simple and reasonably competitive. One of Mint’s plans should be a good fit for most users and could help many with bloated postpaid plans save some money.
Setup is simple
Activating Mint Mobile was a breeze and was completed mostly in the app. I finalized my order on Mint Mobile’s website and actually ran into an issue of my own creation; I rushed through the setup process and entered some incorrect information. Luckily, as soon as I got connected to a real person in the support chat, everything was straightened out in a few minutes and I got my activation code. From there, finishing the setup via the app and downloading my eSIM took a matter of minutes.
After that, I connected to Mint’s LTE service right away. At this point, it’s worth mentioning that while T-Mobile technically offers service at my house, inside its brick walls, coverage is highly inconsistent. I live in a rural area, which is still the T-Mobile network’s greatest weakness. With Wi-Fi at home, this isn’t a huge deal, but it’s a good reminder to check the coverage map before signing up for any carrier.
Once in the app, you’ll see how much data you’ve used monthly, as well as some ads for services like phone insurance through Allstate. Your plan, renewal options, and the option to change plans are also visible. This is also where you can access Mint’s unlisted Unnecessary plan. But it would be nice if this plan was available directly on the website.
The app is also the place for making payments, changing plans, adding data, and contacting support. It can also help you manage your Mint Family if you have multiple lines. And there’s the option to purchase international service, called a Minternational pass, for one, three, or 10 days.
Network speed and coverage are good
While Mint’s T-Mobile coverage is weak at my house, heading into town, things improve a lot. I also took a trip across the country and found the network to be stellar the whole time. Speeds were typically over 200Mbps but could dip under 100Mbps in some areas. T-Mobile’s mid-band network is pulling its weight, and I found myself reaching for my Mint-powered phone for things like navigation, streaming, and quickly looking something up.
The fastest Mint Mobile speeds in Indianapolis were just over 600Mbps, with a strong band n41 connection (T-Mobile’s mid-band coverage). T-Mobile got off to a strong start with 5G, thanks to a chunk of low-band spectrum, but it didn’t really flourish until it got its hands on Sprint’s underutilized mid-band spectrum at 2.5GHz. It offers similar speeds and capacity to C-band with great coverage. The result is data speeds hundreds of megabits per second on Mint Mobile, so most app downloads take only a few seconds, and browsing social media apps feels as good as it does on Wi-Fi, as long as you have a strong signal.
Speaking of Wi-Fi, as someone who works from a computer, mobile hotspot data is a must, and using 5G on Mint was just as good as most Wi-Fi connections you’ll find. I was also happy I had it when I needed to download a few large video files in a hurry on another device. More data can be added in the app if desired.
Strong phone compatibility
Phone compatibility is generally strong on Mint Mobile because the T-Mobile network works with most unlocked phones. If you’ve paid off your phone and still think it has some life left in it, there’s a good chance you can bring it to Mint Mobile. For my testing, I used an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with eSIM activation. This phone has strong support for T-Mobile’s bands, an up-to-date OS, and one of the better modems available, so there shouldn’t be too much speed left on the table.
Read our review
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review: More phone than you need
And that’s exactly what makes it so exceptional
If you want to bring a new phone to Mint Mobile, you can choose just about any of the best Android phones available. This includes Galaxy phones, like the one I used, as well as devices like the Google Pixel 9, and budget-oriented phones like the OnePlus 12R. If you want to buy a new phone, you can get one unlocked or pick one up from Mint. Financing is available with Affirm on most phones, but if you’re looking for savings, it may be better to pick up a year of service with your new phone from Mint’s deals page.
What’s not good about Mint Mobile?
Pricing could be simpler
Many prepaid carriers have started including taxes and fees in the prices, but not Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile charges taxes and a recovery fee that costs more on bigger plans. These fees can seem a bit high in your shopping cart, but it’s important to remember that you’re looking at multiple months of fees, rather than just one. Still, I’d like to see Mint Mobile simplify its pricing with taxes and fees included, so there are no guessing games or surprises.
However, I will give it to Mint Mobile. Its fees are clearly shown in its broadband labels on its website and in the app. But I think most customers would prefer to see all that information upfront.
Coverage and upload speeds are not great
Upload speeds weren’t impressive. While download speeds were most often measured in the hundreds of megabits per second, upload speeds never passed 50Mbps. Most of what we do online uses download speeds over upload, but if you’re looking to 5G for faster sharing of 4K videos or backups, you’re still better off with Wi-Fi.
I also must point out that rural coverage on T-Mobile’s network still isn’t a match for AT&T and Verizon. While it has improved a lot in the past few years, if you live in the country, Mint could still have no coverage in some spots. Coverage depends on many factors, and the rural parts near you may be great with T-Mobile. But for me, T-Mobile has more gaps than the other options.
I did notice, in the couple of years since I last tried Mint Mobile, that the phone seemed to settle on a 5G band a bit better than it used to. That is, sticking to T-Mobile’s faster band n41 without dipping to LTE or a lower band 5G as soon as I went inside. T-Mobile’s network progress was noticeable.
Speed limits are just too harsh
Video streaming quality limits are a common way for carriers to reduce network usage. Mint Mobile’s limits are a bit on the extreme side, with support for 480p resolutions. In reality, that means 1.5Mbps, which is suitable for 480p in some apps but may work with 720p. For most users, this isn’t a big deal as 480p looks just fine on a phone screen. But if you watch a lot of gaming content, for example, you may miss the extra detail, and most importantly, the lack of 60fps on apps like YouTube.
One last thing to complain about is just how slow Mint’s speeds are if you exceed your data amount. All Mint’s plans are technically unlimited, with data slowing to a crawl after the high-speed allotment is depleted. Unfortunately, this applies to the unlimited plan as well. If you use all of your data on one of the 5GB, 15GB, or 20GB plans, your network speeds are cut to just 128Kbps, what Mint calls 2G speeds.
On the Unlimited plan, if you use 40GB of data, speeds are reduced to 512Kbps, which Mint calls 3G speed. I wouldn’t call it 3G, and I also think it’s too slow for an unlimited plan. US Mobile, for example, only slows to 1Mbps, while Xfinity Mobile slows to 1.5Mbps on its base unlimited plan. When it comes to these slow speeds and Mint’s 40GB unlimited plan limit, it feels like Mint is behind the curve. It’s a shame, too, that Ultra Mobile, also owned by T-Mobile, offers a nearly identical unlimited plan, but recently eliminated its caps.
Should you sign up?
If you need unlimited, maybe not
Overall, Mint Mobile is still a good carrier with a decent plan range and simple pricing, but it feels like it’s fallen behind with the high-speed data limits on its unlimited plans. Unlimited plans with a high-speed cap are nothing new, but I think Mint Mobile should be following Ultra Mobile, Cricket, Visible, MobileX, and remove caps on unlimited plans. Unfortunately, since T-Mobile acquired the carrier, it seems to have lost some of the nimbleness that made it successful.
If you want to stick with the T-Mobile network and like Mint’s plan and pricing structure, you’re in for quick data speeds, a streamlined app, and an easy setup. But if you’re looking for the cheapest data around, some of the other value phone plans could be a better fit. If you do think a Mint plan will work for your needs, there’s a powerful T-Mobile 5G network behind it and easy ways to save. And since it’s a prepaid carrier, you’re not stuck with any contracts or have to wait to pay off some multi-year phone payment plan.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile is an easy recommendation for average users, with its focus on simple plans and an easy-to-understand discount structure. Its lack of a truly unlimited plan and added-on fees makes its value a bit murkier. But it still works out as a very strong option for users looking to save over a postpaid plan.
