4 carriers you should sign up for instead of Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is well-known for its extremely affordable, no-frills services that typically require customers to pay for months to a year ahead of time in order to get rates that are hard to beat elsewhere. This was especially true for new customers until fairly recently, as you could previously get a year of unlimited service for just $180 upfront, or what works out to an outstanding $15 a month.

Unfortunately, this promo has finally ended, and so the same price will only net new customers a 15GB a month data allotment (currently on sale for $14 per month). While Mint is known for offering recurring deals from time to time, right now, there’s less incentive to jump into an unlimited annual plan with the carrier.

Looking for similar services that might offer sharper discounts, better features, or a combination of both? Whether you’re interested in limited or unlimited data plans, here are just four carriers I’d recommend over Mint Mobile.

US Mobile is best known for two things. One, it supports all three major networks. Two, it has affordable unlimited plans, which range from $25 to $35 a month. While this might be more expensive than Mint’s now-defunct $15 annual offer, these prices compare nicely against Mint’s standard unlimited price of $360 a year (roughly $30 a month), and yet US Mobile doesn’t require you to pay ahead. For those who don’t mind paying annually, US Mobile offers even deeper discounts ranging from $17.50 for its annual-only unlimited plan to as much as $27.50 a month for its most expensive option.

Of course, Mint only has one unlimited plan, with the rest of its plans focusing on limited data packages. Luckily, US Mobile compares pretty favorably here as well, with plans ranging from 2-20GB of data per line. Pricing for one line starts at $10 a month and caps out at $35 a month. You also have the option to add secondary lines that share the same cap for $8 per line. This is perfect for those who want to add young kids or perhaps an elderly family member who uses little cellular data to their existing plan.

In contrast, Mint charges the equivalent of $15 a month for 5GB, $20 for 15GB, and $25 a month for 20GB. While Mint is admittedly a little cheaper here, US Mobile’s limited data plans don’t require a large upfront annual payment.

Ultimately, I’d say US Mobile is probably a better alternative for Mint users interested in unlimited data, as its highest-end unlimited plan costs similarly to Mint’s Unlimited plan, or even less if you pay annually. Even better, you’ll get features Mint doesn’t offer, like higher data priority for better speeds and latency in times of congestion, better international calling and roaming features, and a free smarwatch plan for those on the Dark Star network. You’ll also have the choice between AT&T (Dark Star), Verizon (Warp 5G), and T-Mobile (Light Speed) coverage, as opposed to being locked into just one network with most options like Mint.

If you really care about value, Tello is really hard to beat. Prices range from as little as $5 for 1GB of data only to as much as $25 a month for its unlimited data plan with unlimited talk and text. You also don’t have to pay annually for these great rates and can pick exactly how much monthly data and voice/text access you need in order to lock in a customized plan that works for you.

Comparing Tello to Mint’s lowest package, you’d pay just $14 a month for the same base features as Mint: unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data. That’s a dollar less for service that is nearly identical, as both run on the T-Mobile network with the same base-tier priority access. Tello is honestly the better choice if you are interested in limited data packages, but the same can’t be said for its unlimited plan. While Tello’s plan is $5 cheaper a month, Mint is owned by T-Mobile and therefore has truly unlimited data that gets slower after about 35GB of data usage during times of heavier congestion. Meanwhile, Tello drops to essentially dial-up speeds once you hit the same 35GB wall.

Like Mint, Metro is owned directly by T-Mobile and runs on the Uncarrier’s network. Unlike the budget brand, Metro offers a more postpaid-like experience, complete with in-store support via its roughly 5,000 retail stores, streaming perks on select plans, free (mostly budget) phone promos, and so much more. While it used to offer several limited plans, these days it mostly focuses on its range of unlimited plans.

While its core plans start at $40-$60 a month, or as low as $25-$35 for 4 or more lines, the good news is you don’t have to get a family plan to enjoy a killer rate. Metro offers a lesser-known Bring Your Own Phone plan that is just $25 a month for one line.

Although you’ll have to buy an unlocked device or bring an existing phone from your old provider, the only other requirement is that you switch to an existing number. As far as benefits go, this is the same as T-Mobile’s $40 base unlimited plan, which includes unlimited talk, text, and truly unlimited lower-priority data. You’ll also have access to T-Mobile Tuesday perks, just like postpaid T-Mobile customers would. That’s something Mint does not offer, for what it’s worth.

Ultimately, Metro by T-Mobile could be the perfect alternative to Mint if you’d prefer a slightly more postpaid-like experience, and yet you’ll largely pay the same for the unlimited plan as long as you bring your own device. Of course, if you don’t use much data, you’ll likely be better off with a limited data plan from Tello or another provider.

With truly unlimited data and prices that begin as low as $19 a month (for 26 months, $25 a month after), there’s a lot to love about Visible. Like Mint, you’ll get lower-priority data access, though it’s worth noting that Verizon’s deprioritized speeds are often lower than Metro’s. If you really care about speed and priority, you’ll want to at least upgrade to Visible Plus for just $26 a month for the first 26 months ($35 a month after).

If you don’t use a lot of data, you’ll likely pay less and find a better alternative with Metro or one of the other options on the list. Still, the pricing is extremely low for what you get. Not only do you get talk, text, unlimited data, and hotspot usage, but there are also perks like 5G UW, faster hotspot access, higher-quality video, and more if you sign up for a more expensive plan.

While Metro offers an official storefront presence, it is also worth mentioning that Visible now offers limited customer support through its partnership with Best Buy as well. Are you looking for a highly affordable unlimited service that runs on Verizon’s network? You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option.