We'd recommend buying in bulk (12-month periods) for the best rates. The longer you commit, the cheaper the monthly rate will be. After the first three months, you'll have the choice between committing for a three-month, six-month, or 12-month period.

Keep in mind that when you sign up for Mint, you're selecting a three-month plan with a new customer rate. Next-day air delivery was an option, too, for an extra $15. I still had to wait two to three days for Mint to deliver my 3-in-1 SIM kit. I just clicked “shop plans,” chose my plan (the Unlimited Plan for $30 per month), and gave Mint my credit card details. Mint's plans are prepaid, so you need to pay for your minutes (and data) in advance. Mint's phone compatibility checker came in handy when I wanted to see if I could “bring” my phone with me if I signed up with Mint. I just typed in my brand and model, and voilá. The final check - phone compatibility - was easy with Mint's phone compatibility checker (see below). For instance, if I had signed a three-year contract with Verizon for my iPhone, I couldn't have taken that phone and started using Mint. Unlocked phones, by the way, are just phones not tied to any particular carrier.

But first, I had to make sure it was compatible and unlocked. More on this below.) I just brought my own phone, or BYOP, as they say at Mint Mobile. So I was relieved that I didn't have to buy a phone through Mint to use their service. Rather than pushing new phones with multi-year contracts on new customers, Mint Mobile lets you bring your own phone. Running the Mint Phone Compatibility Checker In other words, when you make a call with Mint, you're actually connecting to one of T-Mobile's towers. Mint Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means it piggybacks off the infrastructure of another mobile provider in this case, T-Mobile. Did You Know: 5G connections can reach speeds of 10 gigabits per second (download).

Mint reviews