This is my review of Mint Mobile's $30 unlimited plan.
It's one of the best value plans out there,
but to achieve this price point,
Mint had to make some compromises.
So in this review,
I'm sharing what my experience has been like
using Mint Mobile for the past three months,
why I think they're a great option for a lot of people,
but why they're not for everyone.
Hi, I'm Stetson and I review cellphone plans.
My goal is to help you find an affordable plan
that meets your needs so you can reduce your cellphone bill.
I also designed and built bestphoneplans.net
to help make it easy to find and compare plans.
With that said, let's jump into it.
Let's start with how this plan is similar
to all of Mint's plans.
It uses the same network for coverage,
which is the T-Mobile Network,
and it supports the same premium features
you've come to expect:
WiFi calling, voice over LTE, the mobile hotspot,
and even 5G access on T-Mobile's 5G network.
International calling to Canada and Mexico
are also now included for free with all of Mint Mobile plans
and you can make calls to over 160 countries
at affordable rates,
which you can find on Mint Mobile's website.
International data roaming is also available via add-ons
if you'd like to get coverage when you travel abroad.
And the newest feature Mint Mobile is rolling out is eSIM.
eSIM lets you scan a QR code
to activate the embedded SIM card in your phone.
This is a slow rollout
and currently only works with compatible iPhones,
but it should be coming to more devices soon.
Either way, there are two key differences
between the features on Mint Mobile's unlimited plan
and the other plans.
The first difference is in hotspot data.
On Mint Mobile's other plans,
you could use all of your available high-speed data
as hotspot data.
On Mint Mobile's unlimited plan,
you can only use up to five gigs of data as hotspot data.
So this means that Mint Mobile's
12 gig plan for 25 bucks a month
actually includes more hotspot data here
as you can use up to all 12 gigabytes.
And the second difference is in video streaming quality.
Mint's previous plans had no limitations whatsoever
on video streaming speeds
so you could stream up to full 4K video if you wanted to.
With Mint Mobile's unlimited plan,
video streaming is capped to four ADP.
This means video content is limited
to two megabits per second.
Thankfully, there is an easy way around this.
In fact, there's an easy way to stream HD video
on all plans, even the ones that don't support it,
and that is by using a VPN.
VPNs work by hiding what kind of content you are consuming.
Your carrier can't tell the difference
between video content, browsing websites,
or browsing social media.
By using a VPN, you get full uncapped video streaming speeds
and you can enjoy your shows in up to 4K quality.
If you're interested in getting a VPN,
consider my affiliate partner ExpressVPN.
They're one of the top rated VPNs
for streaming Netflix content
and they have a 30-day money back guarantee
no questions asked.
Plus, they're offering my audience three months free
when you sign up for the 12 month plan
at expressvpn.com/stetson.
So consider ExpressVPN
if you'd like to enjoy your shows in HD quality.
And I appreciate your support.
There is one more thing we need to talk about here
and it's that Mint Mobile's unlimited plan
actually isn't unlimited.
That's right, this plan includes 35 gigs of high-speed data
before unlimited data at 2G speeds
or 128 kilobits per second.
The thing is for most people, this is totally fine.
Cisco's 2020 annual internet report
shows that only 4% of consumers
used over 50 gigs of data per month.
And Reach Mobile did a survey
where they found 85% of the 400 people they surveyed
used less than 10 gigs of data per month.
Other articles have also stated average consumers
use between four to six gigs of cellular data per month.
And there was even a report on Statista
projecting the average usage
to be about 8.9 gigabytes in 2021.
So the point is this,
by including 35 gigs of high-speed data,
Mint Mobile can effectively meet the needs
of something like 85 to 95% of consumers
while having the plan feel like an unlimited plan.
And not only that, it's one of the best deals out there.
Mint Mobile's plan comes in
at under half the price of T-Mobile Magenta
and it can save single-line users upwards of $480 per year.
And the cherry on top is at the end of your three months
with Mint Mobile's unlimited plan,
they will email you with your average usage.
And if it turns out you're using less than you think,
Mint Mobile will actually recommend
you switch to a more affordable plan.
In my case, they recommended I switch to the three gig plan
and save a cool $300 extra per year.
That's what I'm talking about.
I'm all about helping people save money
on their cellphone bill.
So I absolutely love what Mint Mobile is doing.
And the final difference
between Mint Mobile's unlimited plan
and their other plans is the application.
The features and functionality of the application
remain the same.
However, on Mint's eight gig plan,
which is my personal line right here, you can see it shows
how much high-speed data I have remaining.
Whereas on the unlimited plan, it says unlimited
and then it will show you
how much high-speed data you've used.
So a slightly different approach
to the dashboard of the application.
Either way, not only have I been using Mint Mobile
for the past three months testing out their unlimited plan,
but I've actually been using them
for the past two years as my personal provider.
And I have to say,
I really do feel Mint Mobile is doing things right.
They've made great improvements to their mobile application
which I actually have a full video on
if you'd like to check that out.
They've rolled out Mint Family
so you can manage up to five lines under one account.
They're rolling out eSIM support
and they're recommending even cheaper plans
to their customers so you can save even more money.
I love to see that.
I think that's awesome.
Their unlimited plan starter kit comes preloaded
with three months of service for $90.
And at the end of three months,
you have the option to renew the plan
for either three, six, or 12 months
with the 12-month option, of course,
giving you the best value.
Or if Mint Mobile emails you and lets you know
one of their more affordable plans meets your needs,
you could also opt for their $15 three gig plan,
their $20 eight gig plan, or their $25 12 gig plan,
which Mint Mobile is actually updating on January 28th
so they'll become a $15 four gig plan,
a $20 10 gig plan,
and a $25 15 gig plan.
You can see why I love Mint Mobile. That's awesome.
Mint definitely isn't for everyone,
but if you get good T-Mobile coverage in your area,
I think they can help save you
a heck of a lot of money per year
and that's what I'm all about.
That's gonna be it for this video.
Click the like button if you found this video helpful
and share this video with one friend
who is interested in saving money on their cellphone bill
or learning more about Mint Mobile's unlimited plan.
I'm Stetson.
Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next time.