Best Mint Mobile plans 2024

best Mint Mobile plans
(Image credit: Lilly Roadstones)
Mint Mobile plans at a glance

1. 5GB plan: $45 for 3 months
2. 15GB plan: $60 for 3 months
3. 20GB plan: $75 for 3 months
4. Unlimited: $90 for 3 months

The best Mint Mobile plans deliver low monthly rates, though with one catch — getting the best price at Mint requires you to pay up front. But if you're willing to prepay for a year of service all at once, you can enjoy one of four plans ranging from just 5GB of data all the way up to unlimited data, with Mint's most expensive plan working out to no more than $30 a month. Sounds like one of the best cheap cell phone plans to us. 

Mint has more going for it than just low prices, although that is a big part of the appeal. Mint uses T-Mobile's cellular network for its coverage, which includes 5G support on compatible phones. As one of the best phone carriers, 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. (Be aware, that T-Mobile snapped up Mint in a $1.35 billion deal in March 2023; we're still waiting for that deal to get regulatory approval.)

Our guide to Mint Mobile can give you all the information you need about this low-cost wireless provider, but here we're going to concentrate on the best Mint Mobile plans and how you can keep the carrier's low introductory rates in place. In our capsules for each plan, we'll list its introductory monthly rate, along with the full-year cost.

Best Mint Mobile plans

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Mint Mobile | 5GB | $15/month ($180 for full year) - <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Best overall cheap plan from Mint Mobile
One of the <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-prepaid-phone-plans" data-link-merchant="tomsguide.com"" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"">best prepaid phone plans available in terms of overall value, Mint Mobile's 5GB plan will only cost you $15 a month. As with all of Mint Mobile's other plans, that price lasts for three months. At that point, you'll have to commit to a full 12 months to continue at that $15 monthly rate, paying the full $180 up front. The savings on your monthly rate may be worth that upfront commitment, though.

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Mint Mobile | 15GB | $20/month ($240 for full year) - <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">A great mix of costs and data
For a small jump in cost, you can boost your data cap up to 15GB instead.This plan will be better suited for most people, as it offers some overhead for streaming, gaming and general usage. Like Mint's other options, you'll use either 4G or 5G on this plan, depending on which signal is stronger where you are.

Mint Mobile | 20GB | $25/month ($300 for full year) - Mint's biggest non-unlimited data offer

Mint Mobile | 20GB | $25/month ($300 for full year) - <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mint's biggest non-unlimited data offer
This is Mint's largest data plan without making the leap to the unlimited data choice below. Here, you're paying $25 a month for 20GB of data. As with the other tiered data options, you can use that 20GB as a hotspot without any speed limits. Just be careful as that hotspot data can run out quickly.

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Mint Mobile | Unlimited data | $30/month ($360 for full year)  - <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The cheapest unlimited data offer
Finally, Mint Mobile's unlimited plan has one of the cheapest prices you can get on unlimited data for one line of data. Mint will charge you just $30 a month, but there are some catches. Hotspot data is capped at 10GB. Though you get unlimited data with this plan, if you go over 40GB in a month, you may see your speeds slowed for the rest of the billing cycle. Like the options above, you'll see a rise in price after the first three months if you don't commit to an additional year. This doesn't feel like a major issue for all that data, though. 

How Mint Mobile plans work

Mint Mobile plans

(Image credit: Marko Geber)

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. 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.

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. To start, you'll pay $30 a month for the first three months — that's $90 upfront. 

At the end of three months, you can then pay $360 to keep your $30/month rate 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 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.

Does Mint Mobile offer family plans?

Mint Mobile used to only offer its services toward customers looking for service on a single line of data. It now courts families, though its approach is different from the way other carriers handle family plans.

Typically, a carrier will charge you a specific rate for one line, then add discounts as you add more lines to your plan. Take Metro by T-Mobile, which has a $40 unlimited plan for a single line of data. Add extra lines, though, and that per-line rate drops. For four lines on that same plan, Metro charges $100 total, or $25 per line. 

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.

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.

Mint Mobile deals

In addition to its low-monthly rates, Mint is known for aggressive pricing promotions, aimed at getting you to switch your service from a different phone carrier. And sometimes, those deals are compelling enough to make you want to switch.

One of the most popular Mint promotions — and one that happens to be going on right now as of this writing — is when Mint cuts the pricing on all of its plans to $15/month for the first three months of service. That means you can try out Mint's unlimited data for half off its usual cost. (At the end of those three months, each plan returns to its usual level, and you still need to prepay for a year of service to get the best rate.)

For additional ways to save on Mint's service and phones, check out our collection of Mint coupons.

Is Mint Mobile a good carrier?

Mint Mobile plans

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

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). Mint will connect to whichever cellular signal — LTE or 5G — is stronger where you are.

Mint traffic slow 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. On Trustpilot, Mint averages a rating of 3 stars out of 5, with two-thirds of the 11,500-plus reviews giving 5-star ratings.

Mint faces stiff competition from the likes of Visible, Xfinity Mobile, and Google Fi. All three carriers have their own claim to fame, like Visible's $25/mo unlimited plan including taxes and fees or Fi's overseas coverage from travelers. Even the Comcast-owned Xfinity Mobile has some attractive benefits, like a $45/mo unlimited plan where the per-line cost drops to $30 once you add a second line. The point being, Mint has a lot of benefits if you're willing to commit, but there are other equally good MVNOs with more traditional billing cycles.

The best phones on Mint Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. iPhone 15

(Image credit: Future)

When you're choosing a Mint Mobile plan, maybe you need a new phone as well. Mint also offers a selection of devices for purchase. If you're happy with your current phone, you can bring it over to Mint, provided that the phone is unlocked and compatible with a GSM network.Mint helps you double check that your phone is compatible

For people who've decided to upgrade their phone as they switch carriers, though, we'd recommend the following from Mint's selection of handsets.

Mint offers discounts on some of those devices. In other cases, you'll get six months of service for free when you purchase a phone from Mint. So it's certainly worth checking out Mint when you're in the market for one of the best phones currently available.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

With contributions from