Mint Mobile Review: 7 Things to Know Before You Sign Up

Mint Mobile is an MVNO owned by the illustrious Ryan Reynolds and T-Mobile. It’s seen great success over the years providing affordable plans to all its customers. You’ve likely seen the commercials. Mint Mobile has deals at a similar price point to many other MVNOs, but they utilize their savings to incentivize contracts, not multi-line plans. We’ll dive into that later in the article. We’ve put together a comprehensive Mint Mobile review to help you decide whether or not this mobile provider is right for you. Let’s dive right in. 

Table of Contents:

• Plans and Pricing
• Services and Features
• Mint Mobile Versus Competition
• Phone Options
• Customer Service
• Customer Reviews
• Review Summary

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Mint Mobile Review: An Affordable and Refreshing MVNO Running on T-Mobile’s Network

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Mint Mobile is best known for its celebrity spokesperson, Ryan Reynolds. While his name brings a lot of attention to the company, it’s up to us to decide whether or not it’s worth getting on the Mint Mobile train for their plans and pricing. 

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Joking aside, Mint Mobile is best known for its $30-a-month unlimited phone plan. This is a very affordable plan that provides a lot of high-speed data (40 GB) prior to speed reductions. The $30 price point is priced competitively with the other offerings, but the catch is that to receive this price, users need to either sign a 12-month contract or start a family plan (starts with 2 lines) and sign a three-month contract. Since the minimum contract length at Mint is three months, we only recommend this plan for those who are confident that this is the service for them. Let’s dive deeper into our Mint Mobile review and see what they have to offer. 

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Here’s a little information about Mint Mobile! 

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• What sets Mint Mobile apart? With so many MVNOs, it is important to know what sets Mint Mobile apart when considering switching wireless providers. Their $50 internet bundle sets them apart from the competition. 
• What’s the price of Mint Mobile plans? Spectrum Mobile has four plans. They have a 5 GB plan, a 15 GB plan, a 20 GB plan, and an “unlimited” plan. In terms of value, all of Mint Mobile’s plans are priced at a good value based on the data you receive. 
• What kinds of plans does Mint Mobile offer? Mint Mobile offers a variety of plans, ranging from 5 GB per month up to 40 GB per month. All of their plans have unlimited talk and text, and all of their plans receive slow “unlimited” data if you run over your high-speed allocation. 
• What network does Mint Mobile use? Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile’s network. T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks, and, by extension, Mint Mobile’s network, cover almost all of the continental United States, meaning you’ll get great coverage no matter where you are. While the exact numbers differ between the major wireless providers, the big three networks all provide fantastic coverage in the continental United States. 
• Can you bring your own cell phone? Yes! If you have a phone that works for you, you can bring your own device to Mint Mobile. To bring your device onto Mint’s network, you have to check your device’s compatibility, make sure your device is “unlocked,” and order a Mint Mobile SIM card. Mint also offers eSIM plans, making the switch even easier. 
• Does Mint Mobile have any stores? Mint Mobile does not have any retail locations. As a digital-only company, customers have to contact their customer support in order to solve problems or ask for assistance. However, Mint is lauded for its customer service, so you should not run into too many problems in that department! 

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1. Mint Mobile Plans and Pricing

Mint Mobile has four plans. All of them are viable, depending on how much data you want each month. The big caveat with Mint Mobile is their contracted savings. If you look at the three-month contract pricing their lower-cost plans are not that competitive in the current market. Their 5 GB plan is $25 a month, and their 20 GB plan is $45 a month (which is actually more expensive than their unlimited plan at that contract length).

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Taking advantage of Mint Mobile’s lowest plan cost is when it all comes together. In this section, we will examine Mint Mobile’s four plans at their lowest price point and discuss how you can get there. 

• 5 GB for $15 a month
• 15 GB for $20 a month
• 20 GB for $25 a month
• 40 GB for $30 a month

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Plans priced between $15 and $30 a month are amazing when saving big on your cell phone bills. The only problem is that Mint Mobile lacks a data plan for high-data users. If you use more than 40 GB of data each month, you’ll run into the cap of their unlimited plan, where your speeds are reduced considerably for the rest of the month. Trying to use your phone with those reduced speeds is annoying and a big weakness in the plan. If you can limit your data usage, you can enjoy this well-priced plan without much trouble. 

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All of these plans are at competitive price points for what they offer. Going to Mint Mobile, you can pick the one that works best for you and roll with it. The trouble is — how do you get these amazing prices? 

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When you switch to Mint Mobile, you immediately receive three months at low prices. That’s pretty great, but then you transition into the main phase of their service, where their 3-month contract plans are significantly more expensive. To avoid this, you can either start a family plan or purchase a 12-month contract on your current plan. A yearlong contract is a serious commitment; you must pay it all upfront. In the long run, it is very cost-effective, but paying hundreds of dollars at once is a tall order. 

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The other way to snag these great prices is with a family plan. Starting at two lines, accounts receive the lowest prices at 3-month contracts, making it much easier to pay for service as well as retain a bit more flexibility when it comes to switching to a new plan if you need to. 

2. Mint Mobile Services and Features

Mint Mobile has a standard suite of services and features to add to its plans. While their international rates are expensive, customers can add minutes, texts, and data abroad. They have mobile hotspot add-ons as well as eSIM compatibility. Embedded SIM cards have recently grown in popularity and are a great way to switch easily between carriers. 

3. Mint Mobile Versus Competition

There are loads of wireless providers competing for your attention. Finding the right provider is challenging, but it pays dividends in the long run. Many Americans pay way too much for their cell phone plan because they pay far more than they need. Mint Mobile is fantastic for users who don’t need unlimited high-speed data each month and want to save. Let’s look at how it holds up to the competition in MVNOs and major wireless providers. 

Mint Mobile vs. T-Mobile

First, let’s look at Mint Mobile compared to the major wireless network T-Mobile. They share the same network, so the quality of the service is the same throughout, but Mint Mobile suffers from the same data deprioritization that all MVNOs do. There are two ways your data may slow down when you use Mint Mobile. One is if you go over your data allocation and, for the rest of the month, operate with slow data. The other is if you are in an area where T-Mobile’s network is congested. If they run out of bandwidth, all of their MVNO customers have their data speeds reduced so their main customers can still enjoy high-speed mobile data. 

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T-Mobile is also much more expensive than Mint Mobile. That is the main trade-off between these two companies. If you are a high-data user, T-Mobile is the way to go. They have plans with unlimited high-speed data and a guarantee that your data will always be at maximum speeds, but you pay a premium for that service. If you are a low or mid-data user and don’t utilize your phone as much when outside of Wi-Fi — Mint Mobile is the place to be. 

Mint Mobile vs. Hello Mobile

Mint Mobile has an incredible unlimited data plan. For just $30 a month, you get a plan with some of the bells and whistles that we expect from major wireless companies. That is if you can work around the 12-month contract or start a family plan. Mint Mobile has better value plans, but Hello Mobile offers no-contract service with way more flexibility than Mint. If you are in flux and want a no-contract plan, Hello Mobile has Mint Mobile beat. 

Mint Mobile vs. Tello Mobile

Both providers operate on T-Mobile’s network and have similarly priced plans. The big benefit of Tello Mobile is its flexibility. They don’t require contracts or family plans to get the great prices they have to offer, but their most robust plan only offers 25 GB of high-speed data. This is not a company for even mid-data users. If you don’t use your phone much outside of WiFi zones, then Tello Mobile has better-priced offerings, but the 40 GB cap at Mint is amazing for mid-data users. 

4. Mint Mobile Phone Options

Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network, and just about every phone that is compatible with that network is also compatible with Mint Mobile. The latest and greatest smartphones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra both work on Mint’s network as well as much older models. Purchasing an $800+ phone is a serious commitment. If you are interested in less expensive options, you can peruse Mint’s store and find items like the 3rd Generation Apple SE ($429), the Samsung Galaxy S10 ($300), or the Motorola G Power ($150). 

The operation of Mint Mobile’s store is a newer development. Before its creation, users had to bring their devices from a phone retailer or another carrier. Across the spectrum, many MVNOs have lackluster stores with few new phone models. Mint goes above and beyond with its offerings, satisfying those interested in the latest and greatest devices and those who wish for a more affordable option. 

5. Mint Mobile Customer Service

Mint Mobile has good customer service across the board and has a call line at this number: 1 (800) 683-7392, as well as a live chat you can access on their website. 

6. Mint Mobile Customer Reviews

Let’s see what customers have to say about Mint Mobile’s Service. 

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Trustpilot score: 3.2 Stars out of 5

“I don't know about other people, but my husband and I are so thankful for Mint. We have an unlimited data plan. I must say the internet connection is very reliable, never encountered any problems, especially when using Google Maps when driving. Thank you, Mint! If not for Mint, those other phone companies would have continued to squeeze money out of us. Hope you Mint will soon offer home wifi so we can switch to them as well.” — Nicole

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“I could not use a Mint Mobile SIM card, and they would not refund my money. They hung their hat on a BURIED "45 days to activate" policy. I never activated the SIM. I should get my money back, or they should apply it to my other Mint Mobile phone? They did neither, and I will NEVER use them again. When my current mobile phone plan is done in November, I WILL NOT renew. All this for a piddly $45 plan they could have EASILY refunded me. Oh well, this is the kind of company they are behind the curtain. No courtesy at all and they do not care about customer satisfaction.” — Shawn

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Sitejabber score: 1.3 Stars out of 5

“It was very easy to set up on my existing phone. I had an issue in November 2022 with my renewal, but they were able to solve it for me pretty quickly. Since then, it's been smooth sailing. It's a great phone plan for a great price.” — Melissa

“I switched thinking that I would save money and have comparable services... OMG. NIGHTMARE! They countdown everything. 3-month payment plan... All you want is unlimited everything at a good rate, and suddenly, you're going through a tornado of nonsense. STOP while you're ahead.” — Debra

A word of caution to anyone looking to switch to Mint Mobile — they do not offer unlimited high-speed data. This is very common in MVNO marketing. While the data is technically unlimited, no one is looking for unlimited 3G data speeds. Before you pick out a new plan on any provider, make sure to check how much high-speed data comes with the plan. 

7. Mint Mobile: Review Summary

There’s a lot to like about Mint Mobile. Excellent network, affordable plans, and a well-stocked store. It’s not all good, of course, but Mint Mobile is high on our list of excellent mobile providers. If you are willing to rock a cell phone plan with limited data and pay for your whole contract upfront, then Mint Mobile is the way to go!

The Good

• Affordable Plans. As long as you are on their lowest price point, the cell phone plans from Mint Mobile are very well priced compared to the competition. 
• T-Mobile’s Nationwide Network. Operating on T-Mobile’s nationwide network lets Mint Mobile customers enjoy high-speed coverage nationwide. 
• Impressive Phone Selection. This is one strength uncommon amongst MVNOs. There are a lot of great phones in Mint Mobile’s store, making it easier to grab a new phone when yours kicks it without having to go through the trouble of getting an unlocked phone from a third party. 

The Bad

• Long Contracts. The shortest contracts at Mint Mobile are still three months, which takes away a lot of flexibility from the wide list of no-contract plans that are out there. 
• Data Throttling. This is a common problem with MVNOs, but there is always the chance that your data will get slowed way down in times of high usage. 

Upfront Costs. Especially for those on a 12-month contract, dishing out a year’s worth of phone bills upfront is a tough pill to swallow. We recommend starting a family plan whenever possible with Mint Mobile.