Mint Mobile is a cell phone service like none other. For as low as 30/month you can have unlimited talk, text, and web. This Mint Mobile Review will tell you all you need to know!
We came across Mint Mobile from some other friends of ours, and were instantly intrigued by a lot of things they had to offer, at a super low price. As of right now, Derek and I have used Mint Mobile for three months, and we pay just $30/month for the two of us to have unlimited talk and texting, and 3GB of 4G data per month. The best part is that when you use up your data, they just slow you down to 3G instead of charging you overages for the month, meaning our bill is always the same price, no matter what.
How does billing work with Mint Mobile?
The only thing that I don’t love is that you have to pay your entire bill in advance. You can trial it for three months at $15/month (per line, so $30 for us with Derek and myself), and you have to pay that all upfront, so for one line you’ll pay $45, and get three months of service. After your first three months are up, if you want to keep the same $15/mo price, you have to pay for a year of service up front. Otherwise you can pay $25/month for three months ($75 up front), or $20/month for six months ($120 up front).
Derek and I have used our first three months and are now switching over to the 12 month plan so that we can keep our $15/month price. So we will pay $180 each this month, and then not pay our phone bill again until next April.
How is the reception/service with Mint Mobile?
Mint Mobile uses the T-mobile towers, so if T-mobile gets good service in your area, you should be more than fine with the service and reception that you get on Mint. Derek and I previously were on T-Mobile before switching, so we felt comfortable with what we were getting into.
Does the data work well with Mint Mobile?
I will be honest that even when we have all of our data for the month, it’s still slower than what we used to have on T-mobile. We’ve researched this and because we share T-Mobile’s towers, apparently T-Mobile customers get priority, and then the smaller phone services get secondary priority or something like that.
That being said, when we have all 3GB of our data for the month it’s not a huge difference, and it’s never effected my ability to use my GPS when I need it and things like that. It is slow enough that watching instastories in my car isn’t really that enjoyable, so I’ve rotted my brain less since switching which seems like a plus.
When we use all of our data for the month and get bumped down to 3G the service is SLOW. Like have to try putting things into my GPS three times slow. But once the GPS gets going things are fine, and I’ve never been lost or stranded because of it.
We’ve mostly have come to just rely on using wifi more than data when possible and I think it’s really helped me to become less addicted to my phone, which feels like a good thing.
Do I think Mint Mobile is worth it?
YES! Even with the slower data, we haven’t had any major issues that would make me want to pay more money for my cell service. To me having slightly slower data is a small price to pay when it comes to how small our cell phone bill is. Since our alternative is paying T-Mobile $90/month, I’m completely satisfied with paying my $30/month and having less social media time when I’m out of my house.
If you’re interested in trying Mint Mobile you can sign up here to get you first three months at the introductory $15/month price. Not sponsored at all, just genuinely sharing a service we truly love.
Total Wireless and Visible are both MVNOs that use the Verizon network. That was the biggest reason I started with Total Wireless in 2017. Verizon was the telco with the biggest network coverage and we never had problems in our area so it was a nice easy way to dip our toes in.
Fast forward to today and things have changed. Although Verizon still has the most overall network coverage throughout the U.S., T-Mobile has been crushing it and currently has the most 5G coverage.
We had some little hiccups along the way as you would expect, but overall it was simply amazing. The one thing that was not so good though… our cell service. I felt like every time I tried to look up anything on the internet, it would just hang and hang and then maybe – just maybe – the page might load.
It drove me bananas.
There could be several factors involved in this:
Verizon’s just didn’t seem to have good coverage in a lot of places we went (remember, Visible uses Verizon’s network)
Verizon had good coverage but the network was busy and our cell service as an MVNO was deprioritized
Visible just isn’t good in certain parts of the country
A million other possibilities I don’t know the answer to
Regardless, I got flustered and decided to try out a new service once we got back. After way too much research (as always), I decided to try out Mint Mobile. The plan was to give them a shot for 3 months (the minimum they offer) and then try out US Mobile after that.
Well, I never made it to US Mobile as I’ve been happy with Mint Mobile… happy enough that I’ve been on them for over a year now and already pre-paid to stay on until next spring!
We’ll have to see how the road trip goes this time around, bearing in mind that Mint Mobile uses the T-Mobile network… fingers crossed!
Here’s what I’ve learned though – no matter what you read out there, there’s no carrier or MVNO that’s going to be perfect for everyone. It all depends on where you live, where you commute or travel to, and how you’re utilizing your service.
I’m happy with Mint Mobile. Moving to them was easy, their customer service has been good, and most importantly, the service has worked well. The majority of the time when I’m out and about and not on WiFi somewhere, my phone is on 5G, which is a real bonus.
So I can preach that Mint Mobile is the best provider out there (still to be determined), but that might only be the case for me and not for you. The only way to know for sure what works best for you is to try different providers.
I will say though that for the far majority of people, there’s no reason to still be on the big 3. Although there are a few advantages (such as prioritization), most folks should be saving good money and utilizing an MVNO. The bulk of people wouldn’t notice the difference at all except their wallet would be left with a lot more money in it.
Mint is unique in that you pay for more than one month in advance. Most MVNOs don’t do that but Ryan Reynolds is a funny guy so we’re willing to pay more upfront just because of that.
I was actually a little hesitant about paying for multiple months at once but it’s worked out well so far. You start with 3 months of service with options that currently look like this:
Yeah, that’s right – this limited-time promotion makes even their unlimited plan $15/month for the first 3 months! Get it while it lasts!!
After that intro, there are different rates depending on how far in advance you’re willing to pay (3, 6, or 12 months).
I paid $240 per line for a year of service with unlimited talk and text and 15GB of data/month. That dollar amount might sound like a lot at first, but divide that by 12 and we’re paying $20/month for each line… not too shabby!
I’ve realized that we don’t use that much data (we could probably get away with 5GB each instead of 15) so this suits us plenty. But you can also add more data or change your plan along the way if needed. That comes with free hotspot access too – it’s pulled from your available data.
Everyone’s different but this seems to be a good way to do it for us. You might prefer a shorter duration or maybe more or less data – to each their own. I do like the flexibility they have in the different options available.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mint Mobile continues to make waves in the telecommunications industry by combining affordability with cutting-edge technology. With the introduction of 5G plans, innovative features, and budget-friendly pricing, Mint Mobile is not only redefining the mobile experience but also breaking barriers and setting new standards for wireless excellence. As the company stays committed to providing lightning-fast speeds and staying at the forefront of technological advancements, users can expect a seamless and cost-effective connectivity experience. Mint Mobile’s dedication to revolutionizing the mobile landscape reaffirms its position as a frontrunner in the competitive world of wireless communication.
