T-Mobile bought Mint Mobile in 2024, and Mint runs on T-Mobile's 5G network. Coverage is identical. What you give up on Mint is priority during congestion, a bigger hotspot, bundled streaming and travel data. What you get is a bill about a third the size, if you pay for a year upfront.
The short version
- Cheapest way onto T-Mobile's network with unlimited data → Mint Unlimited at $30/mo on a 12-month plan.
- Best for heavy hotspot use, travel abroad or busy city towers → T-Mobile Experience More at $85/mo.
- Families of four who want postpaid → T-Mobile Essentials at $25 a line.
Price, one line
| Mint Mobile | T-Mobile | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | $30/mo (12 months upfront) · $35 (6 months) · $40 (3 months) | Experience More $85/mo with AutoPay |
| Capped data | 6GB $15 · 17GB $20 · 23GB $25 (12-month rates) | No capped plans |
| Cheapest unlimited | $30/mo | Essentials Saver $50/mo |
| How you pay | Prepaid term, paid upfront | Monthly, postpaid with credit check |
| Taxes and fees | Extra | Extra, plus $5.49/line regulatory fee from Oct 12, 2026 |
Mint's headline prices need the 12-month plan paid upfront: $360 for Unlimited. New customers get the 12-month rate for their first three months on shorter terms. After that, 3-month Unlimited costs $40 a month.
What the extra $55 buys on T-Mobile
| Mint Unlimited | T-Mobile Experience More | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | T-Mobile network | T-Mobile network |
| Priority data | 50GB, then slowed during congestion | Unlimited premium data |
| Hotspot | Up to 20GB | 60GB |
| Streaming | None | Netflix Standard with ads |
| Travel | Free calls to Mexico, Canada and the UK | High-speed data in 215+ countries |
| Price guarantee | None | 5 years |
Families
T-Mobile Essentials is $25 a line at four lines ($100 total) on postpaid billing, with 50GB of premium data per line and 3G-speed hotspot. Mint charges each line on its own term, so four Unlimited lines at the 12-month rate are $120 a month, paid as $1,440 upfront. Mint's plans can be mixed by line, which helps if only one person needs unlimited.
Bottom line
Pick Mint if you're one or two lines, can pay a year upfront, and don't regularly hit crowded towers or need more than 20GB of hotspot. Pick T-Mobile if you travel abroad, tether a lot, would pay for Netflix anyway, or want monthly billing with a five-year price lock.
Mint and T-Mobile use the same map. How to read it at street level.
T-Mobile coverage map →Frequently asked questions
Is Mint Mobile the same as T-Mobile? +
Is Mint Mobile good? +
Is Mint cheaper than T-Mobile? +
Can I switch from T-Mobile to Mint and keep my number? +
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Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.