Mint Mobile is a prepaid wireless network service that has been available since 2012. This review will highlight the pros and cons of this service to help you decide whether or not it’s worth the money. Given the uncertainty of the 2021 economy, consumers need to be aware of what they are getting into. Especially since expenses on tech like cell phones are only going to go up, and that’s why we are writing this Mint Mobile review.
What is Mint Mobile?
Mint Mobile is a company that provides consumers with no-contract cell phone plans that provide data, talk, and text. The company that sells cell phones is Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Mint Mobile can offer its consumers the chance to save hundreds of dollars over other providers in the industry.
The founders of Virgin Mobile created the company. Its headquarters are located in Beverly Hills, CA, with offices in Minnesota, Oregon, and Virginia.
Wireless Carrier’s market share
Even though Mint Mobile has been around a while, they are still considered the new kid on the block. Their market share would be difficult to calculate, but we can assume it’s deficient given the following information.
- The top four carriers in the US are Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile
- These companies have a combined share of over 90% of the market, with smaller providers accounting for only 10%
- There is high competition between these companies to provide better service at lower prices which have led to price wars
- This has caused some customers to switch from one company to another due to their dissatisfaction with customer service or cost
Mint Mobile piggybacks off of the T-Mobile network. But we don’t think that changes the company’s market share. It’s not a deciding factor in our Mint Mobile Review, although the reality of how the market landscape looks is highly relevant for consumers thinking forward.
Mint Mobile Pros
Mint Mobile seems like an attractive option for a few reasons. The service is marketed as a shiny new thing, which it mostly delivers on. The service is viable for people looking for a quick prepaid cell phone. Some of the other advantages of Mint Mobile are:
- The signup process was relatively simple and painless.
- Getting to support the underdog in the mobile wars was a good feeling.
- The service coverage was good, but I also didn’t go anywhere.
- You can refer friends and family to receive discounts.
- The service has 5g.
- Their customer service department isn’t bad.
What I wrote previously can’t be it, can it? Maybe I’ll think of more pros when I’m in a more favorable mood. Unfortunately, even these pros that look good on paper don’t translate to a better service. We will expand on these missed opportunities in the next section of our mint mobile review.
Mint Mobile Cons
When I describe the problems with Mint Mobile’s service, one word comes to mind, Oversold. Their advertising made a lot of bold, grandiose, and borderline misleading claims. Claims like Mint Mobile is the good guy fighting vs. evil Verizon. And it’s a fight they can win with their low-cost plans.
The reality is that the low-cost plans are pretty limited regarding monthly data. I only average about an hour of screen time per day, which probably pales in comparison to the screen time of the average college kid. Some of the other cons we came up with in this Mint Mobile review are:
- The phone selection was scarce, and they were expensive
- Promotions like merch sales were gimmicky and not high quality
- One can expect the same amount or potentially less privacy than any other carrier
- Spam calls to my line were on another level
- The Mint Mobile app lacks features of similar apps
Conclusion
With all the missed opportunities, our Mint Mobile review means it doesn’t seem worth it. The service caters to a particular market that isn’t booming. Mint Mobile can’t decide if they want to be the cheap alternative to Verizon or become the next Verizon. If I or anyone wanted to join the next Verizon, we would join Verizon. So it’s pretty clear that Mint Mobile can’t compete on costs, and that’s a big red flag for consumers, and it means fees passed on to consumers are only going to go up.
