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January 27, 2026

Mint Mobile Review 2026: Is it worth it?

Mint's introductory prices are attractive, but you're stuck buying at least 3 months at a time.

Written by Valeria Dulava
Mint Mobile Review 2026: Is it worth it?

If you’re on the hunt for a new phone service, then it’s almost guaranteed that you’ve come across Mint Mobile as an option. And that’s not just because they’re backed by Ryan Reynolds (though it certainly helps). It’s also because of the outrageously cheap offers they’re able to make. Their “limited time offer” of $15/month for a 3-month bundle on their Unlimited Data plans is not even that limited – in fact, we see it almost every time we check on their plans. But it is quite affordable – and attractive if you’re looking to cut down your monthly expenses. So, if you’re just leaving the family phone plan, trying to save money by finding a cheaper phone plan, or looking to get your kid/teen their first phone with service, is Mint Mobile for you? It may seem like it, but the truth is, there are better (non-introductory) deals out there.

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Mint Mobile summary

Mint Mobile is generally a good option for budget-conscious users, but when looking at its regular (non-introductory) pricing and the features included in those plans, you could easily find more value elsewhere. With its 3.2/5 star rating on Trustpilot, the consensus from real customers appears to be the same.  

We’ve compiled a detailed list of all the features and fine print on Mint Mobile’s plans, so you can easily determine whether it fits your particular needs. While it is cheaper to some extent, its bundling system and introductory pricing doesn’t hold up to other phone service providers’ options on a regular monthly basis (like Visible, US Mobile, or TextNow), which offer more for a similar or even cheaper price.  

Mint Mobile pros & cons

Pros Cons
Affordable ($15/month*)

*For new customers only, then starting at $25/month. 		Can only pre-pay in increments of 3, 6, or 12 months (no month-by-month payment available).
Mobile hotspot included with plans. Mobile hotspot isn’t extra (it uses up your monthly data allotment) with a hard limit of 10GB on the Unlimited Data plan.
Range of data plans available (good for low and high data users). Unlimited Data plan does have a high-speed data cap of 35GB/month.
On T-Mobile's large network. Mint Mobile customers’ data speeds are deprioritized, meaning speeds will be slowed down during times of high traffic/congestion.
Prepaid (no credit checks.)

Final Verdict: Should you switch to Mint Mobile?

Mint Mobile is a decent option for those who are looking to save money on phone service and has the added benefit of offering both low and high data options for a diverse customer base. However, if being able to get a limited data plan (not just unlimited) is your priority, Tello has more affordable options that won’t make you prepay a lump sum in advance. And if unlimited data is truly what you’re looking for, service providers like Visible or Total Wireless have more affordable options that also provide more features like higher mobile hotspot data limits, higher high-speed data limits in general, and a few other perks.  

On paper, Mint Mobile looks like a good choice, but when you look at it more closely, the 3-, 6-, or 12-month bundles are inconvenient, the prices are deceiving (introductory only), and the features included are just not enough. So, if you’re looking for value, don’t get fooled by Ryan Reynolds’ star power, and find a service provider that will actually get you the most bang for your hard-earned buck. 

Mint Mobile detailed review

Mint Mobile plans & pricing

Mint Mobile does indeed have affordable wireless plans but beware that the flashy price is an introductory price, and there is fine print with the pricing to consider before you check out.  

5GB Data Plan 15GB Data Plan 20GB Data Plan Unlimited Data Plan
Introductory New Customer Prices (must be paid upfront)
  • 3 Months: $45
  • 6 Months: $120
  • 12 Months: $180
  • 3 Months: $60
  • 6 Months: $150
  • 12 Months: $240
  • 3 Months: $75
  • 6 Months: $210
  • 12 Months: $300
  • 3 Months: $90
  • 6 Months: $210
  • 12 Months: $360
Regular Prices After Introductory Period (must be paid upfront)
  • 3 Months: $75
  • 6 Months: $150
  • 12 Months: $300
  • 3 Months: $105
  • 6 Months: $210
  • 12 Months: $420
  • 3 Months: $135
  • 6 Months: $270
  • 12 Months: $540
  • 3 Months: $120
  • 6 Months: $240
  • 12 Months: $480
What's Included
  • 5GB of high speed data (speeds slowed down to 128Kbps after limit is reached).
  • Mobile hotspot included.
  • Free calling to Mexico, Canada & the UK.
  • 15GB of high speed data (speeds slowed down to 128Kbps after limit is reached).
  • Mobile hotspot included.
  • Free calling to Mexico, Canada & the UK.
  • 20GB of high speed data (speeds slowed down to 128Kbps after limit is reached).
  • Mobile hotspot included.
  • Free calling to Mexico, Canada & the UK.
  • 35GB of high speed data (speeds slowed down in times of congestion once limit is reached).
  • Mobile hotspot included (10GB limit).
  • Free calling to Mexico, Canada & the UK.
Our Take After the introductory period, the price per month ($25) is expensive, considering you can find an unlimited data plan with more features for the same price elsewhere. After the introductory period, the price per month ($35) is expensive, considering you can find an unlimited data plan with more features for the same price elsewhere. This pricing is more expensive than the Unlimited Data plan, which makes it not worthwhile to pick, even if you don’t need unlimited data on a monthly basis. The regular monthly price of $40/month for unlimited data is still cheaper than most postpaid carriers, however, if you’re looking for more features or a higher mobile hotspot limit, you can find it with other service providers for similar (or cheaper) prices

Mint Mobile coverage & network performance

Mint Mobile is an MVNO powered by T-Mobile's nationwide coverage. As a prepaid carrier, it doesn’t enjoy the same network priority that postpaid customers on T-Mobile's own premium plans do, meaning that during times of peak or busy usage (say, at a baseball game in a major city) Mint Mobile customers would experience slower speeds.  

Otherwise, the T-Mobile coverage is a great option for most Americans, having the most consistent quality of experience, and jointly winning (with Verizon) the Reliability Experience Award from OpenSignal’s latest 2025 update. It’s got comprehensive 4G LTE and 5G coverage in urban areas, though very rural areas will likely not have a reliable connection.  

To see how the coverage will hold up in your area, check out this map provided by Mint Mobile:

Mint Mobile Roaming

Mint Mobile does offer international roaming as an added paid upgrade with “Minternational passes,” which allow you to access talk, text, and select amounts of high-speed data while you’re traveling abroad. For short trips or moderate phone usage, they’re a decent choice, however, you can get a lot more value (i.e. more talk & text and data) from an international SIM card instead.

Check out Mint Mobile’s international passes:  

1-Day Pass 3-Day Pass 10-Day Pass 30-Day Pass
Price $5 $10 $20 $5
Features
  • 1GB of high-speed data.
  • 60 minutes of talk.
  • 60 texts.
  • 3GB of high-speed data (unlimited at slower speeds after).
  • 200 minutes of talk.
  • 200 texts.
  • 10GB of high-speed data (unlimited at slower speeds after).
  • 500 minutes of talk.
  • 500 texts.
  • No data.
  • 100 minutes of talk.
  • 100 texts.

TextNow Tip: If you're looking for a reliable and unlimited talk & text option while travelling, you can download TextNow and use your local phone number over Wi-Fi (or your own data connection) abroad for free without racking up any additional charges or meeting any limits!

Mint Mobile speed & data performance

Mint Mobile’s bandwidth fact sheet shows that typical download speeds on any of their plans fall between 79 –357Mbps, which is a decent range (100 Mbps is cited as a good baseline for “fast” internet). Latency numbers are also in a good enough range for a smooth experience if you like to game online.  

In real life, many reviewers’ speed tests showed numbers that are even higher (faster) than what Mint claims. However, other reviews claim that in urban areas, the connection is quite strong, but can deteriorate as soon as you’re in an area with less coverage (frankly, that’s expected of any carrier).

Mint Mobile's phone compatibility & deals

Like most carriers, Mint Mobile does have BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) support, made easier with their eSIMs. They also carry a range of popular phone models, both Android and iPhone, though their deals are not always the most enticing. For example, most require an upfront payment and a commitment to a 12-month plan.  

Bring your own phone to Mint Mobile

To bring your own phone to Mint Mobile, first check its compatibility on their online phone compatibility checker. Note that this will only check the phone’s compatibility with the network (whether it has the correct bands, the correct OS, etc.) It will not check if your phone is carrier-locked or not. If your phone was purchased from another service provider, or from a retailer that would only let you activate that phone with a certain service provider, it is most likely locked to that provider. Contact that provider to get instructions on how to unlock your phone before you bring it to any other service provider.  

Mint Mobile's customer service & user experience

Mint Mobile doesn’t have any physical locations, so there's no in-person support. Its chatbot support 24/7, or you can call 1-800-683-7392 daily between 5 a.m.-7 p.m. Pacific.  

For an online only carrier, that’s a pretty comprehensive support system, however, the reviews from real customers are hit-and-miss. Mint has a 3.2/5 rating on Trustpilot, but other online reviews speak of less than stellar customer support such as multiple calls to resolve the same issue, dropped calls, minimal follow-ups, and poor resolution time.  

If you’re fairly tech-savvy and prefer figuring things out online, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you like having real-time help and need more support, you may want to opt for a service that can provide either in-store assistance, or better phone support.  

Mint Mobile's security

Mint Mobile collects the standard personal data related to signing up for phone service: name, phone, email, billing and shipping addresses, logs and device details. They secure their customer passwords, and the credit card data isn’t stored on their servers for an extra measure of protection.  

There are still risks with SIM swapping, as demonstrated by their 2023 SIM/device info breach, which they’ve since mitigated by offering a Number Lock feature.  

Overall, you should take the same precautions you would with any other service – create a strong password for your account that is either changed every 6 months or backed up by a 2-factor authenticator, know how to spot and avoid phishing scams, and turn on Number Lock to protect your SIM/number.  

Mint Mobile vs. TextNow vs. Visible

If you’re on the hunt for the most affordable phone service, you probably want to shop around to find the right one. If Mint Mobile is a top contender, see how it stacks up against other similar choices, like TextNow and Visible.  

>>Read more: Check out Mint Mobile vs. TextNow for a head-to-head comparison.

Mint Mobile TextNow
Network T-Mobile Nationwide 5G
Base Plan Price $25/month (non-introductory price) on 3-month bundle for 5GB plan $0/month for Free Flex Data (talk, text, and 1GB data for select apps)
Unlimited Data Plan Price $40/month (non-introductory price) on 3-month bundle for 5GB plan $35.99/month for Unlimited plan
Data Limit Customers using over 35GB may experience slower speeds during network congestion. Up to 20GB of high-speed data (slowed down for remainder of billing cycle if limit is reached).
Mobile Hotspot Data Up to 10GB None.
Extras/Perks Free calling to Mexico, Canada, and the U.K. Free calling & texting to Mexico and Canada.

Exclusive monthly offers and discounts from brands you love, plus Rewards program for using the service.
Family Plans Yes. No.
Pros & Cons Pros:
  • Affordable if you're able to pre-pay for 12 months in advance.
  • Includes mobile hotspot data.
  • Includes sufficient amount of high-speed data in their unlimited plan.
Cons:
  • Can't pay month-by-month.
  • Discounted price only applicable in first payment as a new customer.
  • No other complimentary perks or subscriptions included.
 Pros:
  • Can always default to free base plan to keep phone service on.
  • Flexible data options that work with small budgets.
  • Includes weekly drops of discounts and free offers from brands you love.
Cons:
  • No eSIM support.
  • No mobile hotspot.
Best For Budget-conscious customers who can prepay in bulk to enjoy lower monthly prices, or who are in need of an affordable family phone plan. Low to moderate data users who are budget-conscious and want to cut down their phone bill (or remove it entirely).
Our Take Mint Mobile is a good choice for those looking to save money without any perks, but if you’re looking to get the absolute most of your monthly phone charge, there are better options out there. TextNow is the most affordable option, starting at $0/month, letting users who are looking to make even more drastic budget cuts still enjoy always-on phone service that doesn’t depend on a paycheck. Plus, you get flexibility with data plans that can be added as needed by the day, week, or month with no long-term commitments.

FAQs about Mint Mobile

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