Two of the bestMVNO carriers are Mint Mobile andGoogle Fi. Mint Mobile can save you a lot of money if you spend most of your time in the U.S. Thanks to the use of T-Mobile and US Cellular towers, it will have slightly better coverage. It's a good idea for people who travel internationally with no change in data cost to use the service. The costs can add up quickly if you pay $10 per gigabyte for the cheapest plan.
Mint Mobile keeps its costs low because it trims the fat in areas where it doesn't excel. Mint Mobile wants you to commit to up to a year in order to maximize savings. Mint Mobile has an unlimited plan, but it doesn't have much plan flexibility.
You'll see your service drop to zero more often if you only have access to one network in the U.S. T-Mobile's network, which Mint Mobile uses, covers most people and makes up most of the coverage on the other side of the country.
Mint Mobile | Google Fi | |
---|---|---|
Network | T-Mobile | T-Mobile The US Cellular is owned by US Cellular. |
5G support | Yes | Yes |
Family savings | None | Up to 6 lines |
Data throttling | At data cap or 35GB (unlimited plan) | Flexible plan: 15GB Simply unlimited and unlimited plus are both plans with 22 gigabytes of storage. |
Minimum term | 3 months | 1 month |
Maximum term | 12 months | 1 month |
Mint Mobile is designed to fit the needs of most people. Most people will fit into one of the T-Mobile data tiers with an unlimited option for those who don't want to risk it. Potential heavy users and travelers that may need more flexibility in their phone plan are some of the people that are targeted by the new service from the internet giant. If you need it, you'll have plenty of data, even if you pay more for it.
You only need to decide how much data you need and how long you want to pay for to use Mint Mobile. You will have to pay the full amount upfront if you commit to a full year of service. It's a good idea to try out three months at the introductory rate before committing to the full year.
If you want to know how much data you need, you can look at your phone bill or the settings menu on your phone. You can reduce your usage if you download music and videos from the internet. You can either upgrade to a bigger plan or add more data by the gigabyte.
Mint Mobile has unlimited talk and text, so you don't need to think about the amount of data you need. You can use your data to make a connection to another device. The unlimited plan only provides 5 gigabytes of data.
4GB | 10GB | 15GB | Unlimited | |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 months (introductory price) | $15/mo. ($45) | $20/mo. ($60) | $25/mo. ($75) | $30/mo. ($90) |
3 months | $25/mo. ($75) | $35/mo. ($105) | $45/mo. ($135) | $40/mo. ($120) |
6 months | $20/mo. ($120) | $25/mo. ($150) | $35/mo. ($210) | $35/mo. ($210) |
12 months | $15/mo. ($180) | $20/mo. ($240) | $25/mo. ($300) | $30/mo. ($360) |
If you run out of data, you can add more data at a cost of $10 or $20 per gigabyte. Your data will not be cut off even if you don't.
An unlimited plan is one of the plans offered by Google Fi. unlimited calling and texting to numbers in the US, free calling to Mexico and Canada, and data in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are included in each plan. You can save money by bringing additional lines with each plan, as the cost per line will come down with up to four lines.
If you use more than 22 gigabytes in a period, your data speed will be reduced. If you are a heavy user, this is worth looking at. The most expensive plan is the one that only has 100 gigabytes of cloud storage. The plan starts at $70 per month and goes down as more lines are added.
Unless you use more than 6 gigabytes per month, the Flexible plan is not a good idea. The plan starts at $20 per month with one line. You don't have to worry about rounding to the nearest gigabyte because the data you use is the only thing that counts. If you use more than 15 gigabytes, your speeds will be reduced.
The Simply unlimited plan is different from the other two in that it offers less perks and a price that is somewhere between the two. When the internet isn't available, you won't be able to tether your laptop or tablets to your phone. When traveling abroad, the plan doesn't offer unlimited texting, calling, or data, but it does offer free roaming. You'll pay the same rate if you use the Flexible plan. If you want a lot of data but not much else, the Simply unlimited plan is a good choice.
Mint Mobile works with any phone that is compatible with the T-Mobile network. You can check your phone on the website. The Mint Mobile app can be used to check it out. When you sign up for Mint Mobile, you'll be able to purchase or finance a phone directly from them. A lot of Mint Mobile compatible phones are available unlocked at the online store.
It's a bit more complicated than it sounds. If you want to take full advantage of the service, you will need one of the Designed for Fi approved devices. The phones will be able to switch between towers to make sure they have the best coverage.
One of the best ways to get the most out of the service is to use the Pixel series of phones. If you buy an unlocked phone like the mid-range Pixel 5a, you'll be able to use it with the full 5G capabilities of the company. You can purchase phones from the store. There are some of the best phones.
Most Americans are covered by T-Mobile's network, which includes fullLTE and 5G. It's important to check your coverage before signing up for a new phone plan, but if you live in an urban or suburban area, Mint Mobile more than likely has you covered but will have a few more dead spots away from cities. Most people should have great coverage even though T-Mobile's network doesn't include much of the rest of the country.
T-Mobile and US Cellular's towers are merged with those of Google Fi to create its coverage area. If you have a phone that is compatible with this network, you should be able to use it in most of the US. Coverage and network performance should be the same for most of the time.
You will need an unlocked 5G capable device if you want to use T-Mobile's network. For the best results, look for support for n41 and n 71. Most of the best phones in the world support T-Mobile's full network, and any of the 5G Designed for Fi phones will also support this network.
Mint Mobile users can call Mexico and Canada for free. Mint Mobile's international data is paid at different rates in different countries. In the countries with service, Mint Mobile's rates are $0.06 per text, $0.06 per minute, and $0.09 per MB of data. Rates have been reduced in Mexico and Canada.
If you travel outside the U.S. frequently, you can keep your phone with you, even if you change your sim card. Your data rates will not change unless you are on the Simply unlimited plan. International roaming is available in more than 200 countries with the unlimited plus and flexible plan.
If you want to make calls to other countries, you can use the free calling on the unlimited plan. Canada and Mexico are free if you're on the Simply unlimited plan. The rates apply to countries that are not included.
There are two of the best cell phone plans available today. If you use a Pixel phone and travel frequently outside the country, it's a good idea to use Google Fi. Sub 6 5G support has been improved by the company. Mint has a lot of coverage and data for most people. Mint Mobile doesn't need a special device to use its entire network. You can save a lot of money if you can work within Mint's plans.