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Anytime I hear about an offer that seems to be good to be true, I am always very skeptical. And I think any reasonable person would be too. Same goes for Mint Mobile. If it was such a great deal, why isn’t everyone already using it?
Here at Real World Personal Finance, we’re always searching for ways to save our readers money without having to jump through a million hoops. After all, we want to be out living our lives, not busy planning for it. I recently stumbled upon Mint Mobile when I was searching for ways to lower my cell phone bill. They advertise a /month phone cell phone service. Seems too good to be true, so I decided to find out for myself.
Here’s my Mint Mobile Review. In this review i’ll cover: What is Mint Mobile, How They Work, Are They Legit, and is it Worth It?
What is Mint Mobile?
Mint Mobile is a telecommunications company that was founded in August 2016 in Costa Mesta, CA. Their goal is to deliver “affordable premium wireless direct-to-consumer.” In 2019, Ryan Reynolds (yes, the actor) became part owner of Mint Mobile and is the face of the company.
How does Mint Mobile Work?
Mint Mobile operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on the T-Mobile Network. Put simply, Mint Mobile enters into an agreement to buy data and cell services at wholesale prices from the large carriers. In turn, Mint Mobile then sells these services to retail customers (like you and me).
So, How does Mint sell their services so much cheaper than the other big carriers?
There are 2 main ways Mint is able to keep its prices so affordable.
- Selling their services in bulk. Mint offers 3, 6, and 12-month plan options and you need to prepay. However, given the plans are so cheap it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for most people.
- Online only. (No Physical Stores)
Think about it kind of like the Costco or Sam’s club of cellphone service. For example, if you want the cheapest peanut butter around, you head over to Costco or Sam’s Club. But they don’t sell single jars – you need to buy 4 of them in order to get the best deal.
Mint kind of operates the same way. In order to get the cheapest cellphone service, you need to buy their services in bulk. Additionally, since they have no physical store, they don’t need to pay the associated overhead: employees, rent, etc. But fret not, if you need support you can still call their Customer Care 7 days a week from 5 AM – 7 PM PST.
Anyway, the last time I went into a T-Mobile store was when I purchased my phone over 4 years ago!
Is Mint Legit? Like, how do I know I will have the same quality of service?
Yes, Mint is legit. Mint operates on the T-Mobile network 5G network, so if you currently have T-Mobile and you have service, you should have the same coverage.
Don’t have T-Mobile now? Luckily, Mint offers a 7-day trial to test where you work, live, and play. This is what I did with my wife as she works in a low coverage area (The service was the same).
Here’s their coverage map if you’re still skeptical.
Is Mint Mobile Really a month?
Their cheapest plan starts at /month, which is what catches your eye. But Mint offers a variety of plans at different price points depending on your data usage.
They recently released their /Month unlimited data plan, which is what I have. And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have signed up if they didn’t offer an unlimited data plan.
See below plans:
- UNLIMITED DATA (This is the plan I have)
- a month
- Unlimited talk and text
- Uses 5G or 4G LTE, whichever is stronger
- for 3 months of service. After 3 months you need to buy the 12-month plan to get this price
- Throttles after >35 GB of data month. Although this is an insane amount of data to use.
- 15 GB of data a month
- a month
- Unlimited talk and text
- Uses 5G or 4G LTE, whichever is stronger
- for 3 months of service. After 3 months you need to buy the 12-month plan to get this price
- 10 GB of data a month
- a month
- Unlimited talk and text
- Uses 5G or 4G LTE, whichever is stronger
- for 3 months of service. After 3 months you need to buy the 12-month plan to get this price.
- 4 GB of data a month
- a month
- Unlimited talk and text
- Uses 5G or 4G LTE, whichever is stronger
Additional Features:
- All plans include a mobile hotspot at no extra charge. Data is pulled from your monthly usage. Mobile hotspot limited to 5 GB/month for unlimited plans (my plan)
- All plans come with a free 3 in 1 sim card kit or e(SIM) for eligible devices
- All plans include free calling to Mexico and Canada
Common Questions
Can I transfer my phone number?
Yes. Honestly, this part is what I was most worried about. Transferring my number sounded like huge stress and almost stopped me from signing up. Luckily the process was unbelievably seamless, it took less than 1 minute to transfer from T-Mobile. All you need is your account number and your pin and it was done all online. Zero issues.
Can I bring my own phone? BYOP.
Yes. If you own your phone e.g. it is unlocked and you have a newish phone ( I have an i-phone 6s) then you will be able to use your own phone. You can also buy a brand new phone at retail price, should you desire. They offer 0% financing through Affirm.
New iPhone too Expensive? Amazon offers renewed iPhones if you don’t want to pay full price for a new phone.
Mint also offers a compatibility checker to check if you can use your existing phone with Mint Services.
Does T-Mobile Deprioritize Mint Mobile Customers?
During times of congestion (Like at a basketball game), Mint Mobile customers are subject to deprioritization and may occasionally experience slower data speeds. I personally haven’t experienced this and I live outside New York City.
Are there any Contracts or Hidden Fees?
No there are no contracts. Mint Mobile is prepaid in 3, 6, or 12-month increments. No, there are no hidden fees. Mint discloses its fees such as:
- Regulatory Recovery Fee
- Telecom Tax
- Shipping & Handling
- CA MTS Surcharge
Is Switching my Sim Card Hard?
No. It’s really easy. When you order your plan, Mint will send you a little tool to pop open the SIM card case. We’re talking about under a minute here.
Can you link multiple lines to one account?
Yes! With the Mint Family feature, you can link all your family’s accounts and manage them from one central location. This is helpful when it comes to managing data and renewing your plan!
Bottom Line. Is Mint Worth It? Yes.
Yes. Switching to Mint Mobile is worth it. The company is transparent in its pricing and business model. The potential savings alone makes me gitty.
If you’re looking to cut expenses while maintaining a high-quality mobile provider, then Mint Mobile is for you. To be frank, if you were only saving -20 bucks a month, I would say forget it. But, if you can save + dollars a month, it’s definitely worth the switch. For those skepticists, I agree setting up everything yourself may be a bit intimidating, but it was really quite easy. Mint offers clear step-by-step instructional videos on how to do everything. I was very pleased.
The best part is when you are a Mint Customer and refer a friend, you can earn a Credit towards your account.
With enough referrals you may be even able to earn a year of cell phone service. That sure would be nice!
Ready To Sign Up with Mint Mobile?
P.S. You can get off your order with Code: IRFREESHIP
