Which Mint Mobile plan should you buy?

Mint Mobile has some great plans but which option is the best for you?

Mint Mobile is interesting because it does things a little differently by selling phone service in bulk. You can definitely save some money if you are willing to buy more, up to a year. Now you just need to find out which plan makes the most sense for you.

• The network
• The plans
• International service
• Which plan do you need
• The Phones

Savings in bulk

Mint Mobile

From $15 per month at Mint Mobile

Buy three or more months

Grab a few months and save with Mint Mobile. The T-Mobile network backing the service has great coverage and speed and is set to get even stronger.

We have a lot of Mint Mobile coverage. Take a deeper dive into what makes the service unique and see how it stacks up.

Mint Mobile: Everything you need to know
Mint Mobile review: A cheaper, better prepaid cellular plan

The network

Mint Mobile uses T-Mobile’s network exclusively. T-Mobile has been pushing its band 71 coverage out on many more of its towers increasing coverage by a significant amount. If you haven’t checked your coverage in a while, you may be surprised.

Check your coverage on Mint Mobile’s website or download the Mint Mobile app (also available on iOS) to check from your phone.

Of course, a more modern phone that supports all of T-Mobile’s bands will get the best coverage so it may be worth getting a newer phone that will support the entire network.

• Band 2 – 1900Mhz
• Bands 4/66 – 1700/2100 Mhz
• Band 5 – 850Mhz
• Band 12 – 700Mhz
• Band 71 – 600Mhz

You should be able to find this information on your manufacturer’s website or by checking your IMEI online or in the app.

Mint Mobile doesn’t officially support 5G yet but many users are reporting 5G connectivity on 5G capable phones such as the Galaxy S20 series. This would be T-Mobile’s 600MHz 5G network which is growing rapidly. If you are looking specifically for a 5G carrier, for now, you should err on the side of caution but it’s a nice bonus for those that are already signed up.

The plans

The most unique thing about Mint Mobile is the plans it offers. Eschewing the trend of monthly payments that most carriers use, Mint Mobile sells you phone service in three sizes for three lengths of time. You can buy data in 3GB, 8GB, and 12GB packages and all of them come with unlimited talk and text. Hotspot data is also included with each simply sharing from your data pool.

The trick is that Mint Mobile customers save more money when they buy more months of service at once. Buying 12 months is going to cost you a lot more upfront but when you break it down per month, the savings become apparent. There is a seven-day money-back guarantee so you’re not out of luck if the network doesn’t work for you.

As part of a promotion, the starting cost per month for three months of service is the same as the 12-month price. For a limited time, three-month plans are down to just $15 per month or $45 total. If you find Mint Mobile isn’t right for you, there’s no need to continue paying for service. If it is a good fit, you can renew for 12 months at the introductory price.

Keep in mind, after the promotion period ends, prices will go back up to the standard rates.

Knowing how much data you actually need can be a little difficult to determine but it probably isn’t as much as you think. This isn’t a worry on Mint since once you run out of data, you’ll stay connected at a reduced speed. The reduced speed is much more like 2G and won’t be good for much more than messaging but you’re not completely cut off.

If you want to add more high-speed data, you can do so at a rate of $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB. If you are finding that you are regularly running out of data, you can upgrade your plan mid-cycle. If you need more than 12GB, you should consider other carriers with unlimited options.

International service

Calls and texts to Mexico and Canada are free on all plans. If you want to call other countries you’ll need to add money to your Mint Mobile account and pay per minute or text. Find the current rates at Mint Mobile.

Mint Mobile’s international roaming support is as simple as it gets with a flat rate of $0.05 per text, $0.25 per minute, and $0.20 per MB for countries on the supported list. Service in Mexico and Canada is reduced to $0.02 per text, S0.06 per minute, and $0.06 per MB.

Pick your plan

When it comes to how much time you should buy between three, six, and 12 months, it makes the most sense to start with just three. If you are new to Mint Mobile, you can have the first three months of service for the same monthly cost as 12 months. Also right now there is a promotion bringing the price of each data tier down to just $15 per month, or $45 upfront.

Starting with three months, you can renew with 12 months and lock in the introductory rate. This will be the best course of action if you find that Mint Mobile works well for you. If it’s not working for you, you can simply let it run out without renewing.

How many gigs?

When it comes to data sizes, you probably don’t need as much as you think. A great place to start is by checking how much you currently use. This amount should be stated on the bill of your current provider. You can also check your usage history on your phone by finding the data usage option in the settings.

If you’re using slightly more than one of Mint Mobile’s packages, you can try to find ways to reduce your usage. A little effort can go a long way to preserve data such as automatically connecting to Wi-Fi whenever possible.

It makes the most sense to start with less data than you think you need and gauge your actual usage. Mint Mobile allows you to upgrade your data package mid-cycle by paying the difference in cost. You cannot, however, downgrade so you want to start low and work your way up.

Most people will find the 8GB three-month package to be a great fit and with the current promotion, you can try it out for the same price as the 3GB option and decide if you want to downgrade when it comes time to renew.

The phones

Mint Mobile works with pretty much any unlocked phones that support T-Mobile’s GSM network. If you want to bring your phone with you, you can check if your phone will work by entering your IMEI into Mint Mobile’s compatibility checker. You can also download the Mint Mobile app (also available on iOS) to check your phone’s status.

If you are ready to buy a new phone, Mint Mobile has you covered here as well. On Mint Mobile’s website you can choose from modern high-end phones like the Pixel 4 series, Galaxy S20 series, or even an iPhone SE. This is a great option if you want to split up your phone’s cost into monthly payments.

You could also take matters into your own hands and buy an unlocked phone like the Google Pixel 4.

No matter what package you decide to start with, the beauty of prepaid phone service is that you aren’t locked in with a contract. You can always adjust your service at the end of your prepaid term until you find the plan that works perfectly for you.

Savings in bulk

Mint Mobile

From $15 per month at Mint Mobile

Buy three or more months

Grab a few months and save with Mint Mobile. The T-Mobile network backing the service has great coverage and speed and is set to get even stronger.