The best Mint Mobile plans deliver low monthly rates but with one big catch — getting the best price means paying for a year of service up front. If you can swing that lump sum payment, though, Mint's monthly rates rank well among the best cheap cell phone plans we keep track of. And Mint frequently offers deals that takes some of the sting out of that annual payment.
With Mint, you can get data plans starting at 5GB and ranging all the way up to unlimited data. Let's say you pay for a year of unlimited service at Mint — that lowers your monthly payment to $30, or more than half of what you'd pay for best T-Mobile cell phone plan with unlimited data. And that's relevant, considering that T-Mobile owns Mint and provides its cellular towers for Mint's wireless service.
While low monthly costs are the big draw for Mint, the carrier has other things going for it, like that T-Mobile network coverage, which includes 5G connectivity. As the best phone carrier according to our rankings, T-Mobile earns raves for its extensive network and fast 5G speeds — something you'll benefit from when you opt for Mint's lower-price plans.
Our guide to Mint Mobile can give you all the information you need about this low-cost wireless provider, but let's concentrate here on the best Mint Mobile plans — what they cost, how big an upfront commitment you need to make to get the best rate and what you get in return. In our capsules for each plan, we'll list the regular introductory monthly rate, along with the full-year cost.
My name is Philip Michaels, and I've been working at Tom's Guide for a decade. During that time, I've covered the ever-changing array of mobile plans that wireless providers offer — and that includes Mint Mobile. I'm always checking what different carriers charge, which gives me a pretty good idea of how Mint's plans compare to other options. And when I'm not looking up the price of data plans, I'm overseeing the rest of our mobile phone coverage.
Best Mint Mobile plans
FAQs
Is Mint Mobile worth it if I have to pay for a year up front?
When you sign up for a plan at Mint Mobile, you pay for your first three months up front. That will get you Mint's lowest rate for any of its four plans so that you can try out the service. Then, after three months, you've got the option of prepaying for a full year to keep that low monthly rate. Other options include three months or six months of service, though the rates with those offerings aren't as low as what you've been paying.
Let's use that unlimited data plan at Mint as an example since it happens to be one of the best unlimited data plans currently available. You'll pay $30/month for the first three months to get started with the unlimited plan, meaning an initial cost of $90.
At the end of three months, you can then pay $360 to get Mint's best rate on unlimited data, which keeps your $30/month rate in place; that payment covers your service for the next year. Opting for a six-month plan will cost you $35/month or $210, while the three-month plan gives you a $40 monthly rate, bringing your upfront cost to $120.
In other words, Mint Mobile works best if you're willing to commit to the carrier for a full year to get the lowest monthly rate. If you prefer a shorter commitment, other low-cost carriers like Visible and Tello offer unlimited plans priced similarly to Mint's unlimited option, while letting you pay on a month-by-month basis.
Is Mint Mobile good for families?
Mint does offer family plans, though it takes a different approach from other carriers, which offer escalating discounts as you add more lines to a plan. Mint charges the same rate for each line, but each line is eligible for the same discount if you pay upfront for a year's worth of service.
Let's compare Mint's approach to other prepaid carriers. At Cricket, you'd pay $60 for a single line of that wireless provider's unlimited plan. Add extra lines, though, and your per-line costs drop. Four lines of that same unlimited data plan at Cricket cost a total of $130 each month, which breaks down to $32.50 per line. Similarly, Metro by T-Mobile — which, like Mint, is owned by T-Mobile — has a $50 unlimited plan where the per line cost drops to $38.75/month for four lines.
Mint doesn't do that. Instead, each person on a Mint Mobile family plan gets the same discounted rate. If everyone on your family plan opts for Mint's 5GB plan, you'll each pay $15 — a four line plan would expect to pay $60 a month, with all of that money due up front. Given how that upfront cost can ballon with multiple lines, it's probably best to use Mint for family plans that serve just a couple people.
Mint earns points for flexibility in that you can mix and match the data allotments in family plans. That means the parents can opt for an unlimited plan for their lines of data, while assigning their kids smaller allotments of data.
What happens if I use up all my Mint Mobile data?
If you're on a tiered plan with Mint Mobile and you hit your data cap, you won't be charged an overage fee. Instead, Mint will slow down your data speed for the rest of the billing cycle. Say you're on the 5GB plan, and you use up that data two-thirds of the way through the month — for the remainder of the month, you'll still be able to access data, but it will be at very slow speeds.
If you do need extra high-speed data, Mint will let you tack on 1GB for $10 or 3GB for $20.
Mint customers with an unlimited data plan no longer have a cap on high-speed data.
Is Mint Mobile coverage as good as T-Mobile’s?
Currently, Mint Mobile takes fourth place in our guide to the best phone carriers. That puts it in quite a lofty position for a carrier that was only founded back in 2015. So why do we rank it so highly?
This comes down to a few factors, but the big reason is affordability. Overall, the best Mint Mobile plans have some of the lowest monthly rates, especially when you pay upfront. This makes them especially tempting in comparison to the likes of AT&T and Verizon.
Secondly, Mint uses the T-Mobile network to provide coverage. T-Mobile is one of the fastest networks around, giving Mint a leg up, as it can piggyback on the T-Mobile 5G network. (That assumes you get one of the best 5G phones, of course). In June 2025, testing firm OpenSignal reported that T-Mobile's network has the fastest average download speeds, while Ookla currently rates T-Mobile as the best mobile network in the U.S. A report from RootMetrics covering the first half of 2025 is less complimentary, as it puts T-Mobile third overall behind Verizon and AT&T.
Mint traffic slows down on T-Mobile's network if there's a lot of congestion. And Mint plans aren't as fully featured as T-Mobile's or as generous with families. You'll also find complaints from some users about Mint's customer service in places like Reddit forums.
Which Mint Mobile plan is best for my data usage?
This depends on how much data you use per month. If you mostly use Wi-Fi and don't rely on mobile data that often, then Mint Mobile's 5GB plan (which costs $15 per month) should work for you.
If, however, you use a lot of data and find yourself frequently running out on your current plan, then Mint Mobile's Unlimited Data plan will probably be best. You'll need to pay $360 upfront for a year's coverage, but overall, this upfront cost is worth it for the amount of data you get.
Does Mint Mobile unlimited data include hotspot data?
Yes, Mint Mobile's unlimited data plan does include hotspot data. However, you should note that the amount of data you can use for your mobile hotspot is capped at 20GB per month.
Can I bring my own phone to Mint Mobile?
Yes, you can — in fact, Mint Mobile even has a program for this called the Bring Your Own Phone program.
However, in order to bring your own phone to Mint Mobile, you'll need to make sure it's compatible with the network (something you can check here), as well as unlocked from any other network.
