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Is a Mint Mobile family plan worth the switch?

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Is a Mint Mobile family plan worth the switch?

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Stock photo of Mint Mobile fox on phone with money 2

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Mint Mobile prides itself on offering cheap phone plans for as little as $15 a month, making it a great deal for someone looking to save money on their phone bill. Recently the Ryan Reynolds-owned carrier widened its target to families as well. Is the Mint Mobile family plan worth it? Let’s dive right in and discuss.

What is included in the Mint Mobile family plan?

Like all of Mint’s plans, the Mint Mobile family plan runs on the T-Mobile network and is paid at least three months in advance.

When creating a Mint Mobile family plan, you’ll be asked to pick out specific plans for each line. For example, you could have two users on Unlimited while the third and fourth users are on the 5GB plan. You can see the full list of plans and benefits below:

Plan Cost Talk & Text Data Extras
Plan

Mint 5GB

Cost

$75 for three months
$120 for six months
$180 for 12 months

Talk & Text

Unlimited

Data

4GB LTE/5G access

Extras

Hotspot up to data limit

Plan

Mint 15GB

Cost

$105 for three months
$150 for six months
$240 for 12 months

Talk & Text

Unlimited

Data

10GB LTE/5G access

Extras

Hotspot up to data limit

Plan

Mint 20GB

Cost

$135 for three months
$210 for six months
$300 for 12 months

Talk & Text

Unlimited

Data

15GB LTE/5G access

Extras

Hotspot up to data limit

Plan

Mint Unlimited

Cost

$120 for three months
$210 for six months
$360 for 12 months

Talk & Text

Unlimited

Data

40GB premium data
Unlimited 4G/5G

Extras

10GB hotspot access

For most users, we recommend the Unlimited plan, especially right now. For a limited time, Mint is offering all of its plans for the same $ 15-a-month rate if a customer is part of a family plan. That means you can try the unlimited data plan for three months for the same price as the humble 5GB plan.

Okay, but what about savings? Most family plans give you discounts for every line you add. Unfortunately, Mint Mobile doesn’t do this. There is no discount for having a family plan. So why bother? There are some benefits to having a Mint Mobile family plan:

  • You can manage every line from one account.
  • You don’t have to pay for 12 months at once to get the lowest rates possible.

The last point is the most significant one. Normally Mint Mobile requires you to pre-pay in either 3, 6, or 12-month increments. Paying annually in one lump sum yields the best discounts. For those with at least two lines on a family plan, you’ll still be required to commit to a year’s service, but you’ll only have to pay quarterly. For families with multiple members, this means they can enjoy Mint’s great pricing without having to pay a ton of cash upfront.

Is the Mint Mobile family plan a good value?

Considering Mint Mobile has aggressive pricing for single accounts, I have to say I feel like Mint Mobile could do more to make its family plans stand out. Even a discount of, say, $1 or 2 a month per line would be something. Or maybe take a page from Verizon Prepaid and give loyalty discounts to family plan members that stick with Mint long-term. Really anything to make family plans slightly more enticing.

As it stands, Mint Mobile family plans don’t really offer any major differences from a standard account, other than you can pay in 3-month increments and still get the biggest discounts. However, that doesn’t mean the pricing isn’t still a good value for some users.

If you are considering a limited family plan, Mint Mobile has some of the cheapest rates you’re going to find. Families will pay $15 a month every three months for 4GB of data. In comparison, Tello offers a 5GB plan for $19 a month, and Fi Flexible offers four lines for $65, or what works out to $16.25 a line.

Things become slightly less impressive when you look at other unlimited family plans. Waving away any temporary pricing discounts, long-term an unlimited plan is going to cost you $30 a line for four people — or $120 a month.

$30 a line is actually pretty decent and manages to one-up several prepaid families, including the plans offered by Metro from T-Mobile and Cricket Wireless. At the end of the day, Mint Mobile has aggressive pricing for families. It’s just not the absolute cheapest if that’s important to you.

Mint Mobile family plan alternatives

Google Fi Wireless logo on smartphone with SIM card and SIM ejector next to it Stock photo 2

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

If you’re looking to save even more money on a family plan, you’ll want to consider Google Fi, Cricket, or US Mobile. The former two run T-Mobile’s network, while the latter works on Verizon or T-Mobile. Although there are other prepaid family plans out there, these are three of our favorite alternatives to Mint. 

Here’s a quick TL;DR on what both of these Mint Mobile alternatives have to offer:

Google Fi Wireless at a glance

Google Fi Wireless is a great choice for those looking for the lowest rates possible for unlimited data. As you can see, four lines will set you back just $80. That’s just $20 a month per person! Like Mint Mobile, you’ll get access through T-mobile’s network. Additionally, Fi also roams on US Cellular’s network, which could be helpful for those who live in the Midwest. All in all, Fi offers a similar experience to Mint but with a few extras, despite costing less.

See more plan details below:

Flexible Simply Unlimited Unlimited Plus

Cost

Flexible

$20/mo + $10/GB per month for 1 line
$35/mo + $10/GB per month for 2 lines
$50/mo + $10/GB per month for 3 lines
$65/mo + $10/GB per month for 4 lines
$80/mo + $10/GB per month for 5 lines
$95/mo + $10/GB per month for 6 lines

Simply Unlimited

$50 per month for 1 line
$80 per month for 2 lines ($40 per line)
$80 per month for 3 lines (previously $25 per line, now $26.67 per line)
$80 per month for 4 lines ($20 per line)
$100 per month for 5 lines ($20 per line)
$120 per month for 6 lines ($20 per line)

Unlimited Plus

$65 per month for 1 line
$110 a month for 2 lines ($55 per line)
$135 per month for 3 lines ($45 per line)
$160 per month for 4 lines ($40 per line)
$200 per month for 5 lines ($40 per line)
$240 per month for 6 lines ($40 per line)

Talk & Text

Flexible

Unlimited

Simply Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited Plus

Unlimited

Data

Flexible

$10 per GB used until you reach limit

Simply Unlimited

Up to 35GB of free, unmetered data

Unlimited Plus

Up to 50GB of free, unmetered data

Hotspot

Flexible

Full-speed at $10 per GB rate

Simply Unlimited

5GB of Wi-Fi hotspot tethering per person

Unlimited Plus

Full-speed included

International

Flexible

Free calls from US to Canada and Mexico.
On an iPhone, when you travel outside of the US, tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot options are not available.

Simply Unlimited

Free calls from US to Canada and Mexico
No international calls, texts, and data outside the US, Canada, and Mexico

Unlimited Plus

Free calls from US to over 50 countries.
Unlimited data and texts in over 200 countries or regions.

Extras

Flexible

Data free after per-month limit

Simply Unlimited

None

Unlimited Plus

100GB of Google One storage for each group plan member.

One year of YouTube Premium per user at no additional cost.

Cricket at a glance

Cricket has several family plans available. Its most affordable family plan includes unlimited data at a price of just $100 for four lines or $25 a line. If you want extras like hotspot access and the ad-supported Max service, Cricket Unlimited + 15GB Hotspot adds all this for just $130 for four lines. Although Cricket isn’t the cheapest alternative to Mint Mobile, it’s similarly priced and includes many extras (like streaming) that you won’t find elsewhere. 

See more plan details below:

5GB 10GB Cricket Unlimited Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Cost

5GB

$30 per month

10GB

$40 for one line
$70 for two lines
$90 for three lines
$110 for four lines

Cricket Unlimited

$55 for one line
$80 for two lines
$90 for three lines
$100 for four lines

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

$60 for one line
$90 for two lines
$110 for three lines
$130 for four lines

Talk and Text

5GB

Unlimited
HD Voice and Wi-Fi Calling

10GB

Unlimited
HD Voice and Wi-Fi Calling

Cricket Unlimited

Unlimited
HD Voice and Wi-Fi Calling

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Unlimited
HD Voice and Wi-Fi Calling

Data

5GB

5GB of 4G LTE or 5G data

10GB

10GB of 4G LTE or 5G data

Cricket Unlimited

Unlimited high-speed 4G LTE or 5G data

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Unlimited 4G LTE or 5G data

Streaming

5GB

Standard Definition 480p

10GB

Standard Definition 480p

Cricket Unlimited

Standard Definition 480p

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Hotspot

5GB

Not available

10GB

Not available

Cricket Unlimited

For $10 extra

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

15GB included

International

5GB

Not available

10GB

Available

Cricket Unlimited

Texts to 37 countries
Canada and Mexico usage (must not exceed 50%)

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Texts to 37 countries
Canada and Mexico usage (must not exceed 50%)

Perks

5GB

None

10GB

None

Cricket Unlimited

None

Cricket Unlimited + 15GB hotspot

Ad-supported Max subscription
150GB Cloud Storage

US Mobile at a glance

US Mobile costs the same as the base Cricket Unlimited plan, at $100 for four lines. It also offers limited data and a shared data pool plan for those that don’t want or need tons of data. While Fi offers better pricing, US Mobile comes in closely behind it. It also has the advantage of Verizon support, for those areas with weaker T-Mobile signals that want to take advantage of the Big Red network instead.

See more plan details below:

Shared Data 2-25GB Plan Unlimited Basic Unlimited Premium

Cost

Shared Data

$9 per line + $2 per GB

2-25GB Plan

$12 for 2GB
$15 for 5GB
$20 for 15GB
$25 for 25GB

Unlimited Basic

$35 for one line
$20 per line for 4

Unlimited Premium

$45 for one line
$30 per line for 4

Talk & Text

Shared Data

Unlimited

2-25GB Plan

Unlimited

Unlimited Basic

Unlimited

Unlimited Premium

Unlimited

Data

Shared Data

At $2 per GB

2-25GB Plan

2-25GB

Unlimited Basic

40GB of 5G/LTE

Unlimited Premium

100GB of 5G/LTE

Hotspot

Shared Data

At $2 per GB

2-25GB Plan

Up to plan limit

Unlimited Basic

5GB hotspot data

Unlimited Premium

50GB hotspot data

International

Shared Data

For purchase

2-25GB Plan

For purchase

Unlimited Basic

For purchase

Unlimited Premium

Up to 10GB international data

Post-paid options: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile at a glance

Of course, value isn’t the only factor in a family plan. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile offer more perks, better customer service, and a few other advantages, despite costing a lot more.  Here’s a quick breakdown of the cheapest and best plan from each of the main three carriers: 

AT&T Unlimited Starter AT&T Unlimited Premium Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus T-Mobile Essentials T-Mobile Go5G Plus

Cost

AT&T Unlimited Starter

$65 for one line
$60 for two lines
$45 for three lines
$35 for four lines

AT&T Unlimited Premium

$85 for one line
$75 for two lines
$60 for three lines
$50 for four lines

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

$65 for one line
$55 for two lines
$40 for three lines
$30 for four lines
$27 for five lines

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

$80 for one line
$70 for two lines
$55 for three lines
$45 for four lines
$42 for five lines

T-Mobile Essentials

$50 for one line
$40 for two lines
$30 for three lines
$25 for four lines

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

$90 for one line
$75 for two lines
$50 for three lines
$46 for four lines

Talk & Text

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Unlimited

AT&T Unlimited Premium

Unlimited

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

Unlimited

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

Unlimited

T-Mobile Essentials

Unlimited

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

Unlimited

Data

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Unlimited basic 4G LTE
5G access with compatible device

AT&T Unlimited Premium

100GB premium 4G LTE
Unlimited basic 4G LTE
5G access with compatible device

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

Unlimited 4G LTE
5G Nationwide

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

Unlimited 4G LTE
5G Nationwide
Wideband 5G

T-Mobile Essentials

Yes, but might slow down during congestion after

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 100GB of Premium Data

Hotspot

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Not included

AT&T Unlimited Premium

30GB per line

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

None ($10 add on exists, however)

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

30GB 4G LTE or 5G

T-Mobile Essentials

Unlimited 3G

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

50GB of hotspot data

International Service

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Unlimited texting to 120 countries

AT&T Unlimited Premium

Unlimited texting to 120 countries

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

Talk & Text in Mexico and Canada
Texting in over 200 countries

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

Talk & Text in Mexico and Canada
Texting in over 200 countries

T-Mobile Essentials

Unlimited text in 215+ countries
Unlimited talk/text in Canada/Mexico, just 128Kbps data

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

5GB of data and unlimited talk text in over 215+ countries
15GB of data and unlimited talk/text in Mexico/Canada

Extra Perks

AT&T Unlimited Starter

Device security and spam risk alerts
Standard definition streaming

AT&T Unlimited Premium

Device security and spam risk alerts
High definition streaming
Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome

480p streaming
Can add perks for $10 each, including 100GB hotspot data, Apple Music, Apple One, Disney Plus bundle, and more

Verizon myPlan Unlimited Plus

480p streaming
Can add perks for $10 each, including 100GB hotspot data, Apple Music, Apple One, Disney Plus bundle, and more

T-Mobile Essentials

480p streaming

T-Mobile Go5G Plus

Netflix Basic, one SD screen
Apple TV Plus

As you can see, postpaid offers other perks that might be useful for families too. Ultimately it comes down to if you care more about value or savings. Be sure to check out our guide to the best family plans for even more suggestions and buyer advice. 

Is a Mint Mobile family plan worth the cost, or are there better options out there?

4 votes

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