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  Mint Mobile

  Multi-month discounts

  Mint Mobile is a prepaid carrier on the T-Mobile network that offers cheap wireless service with up to 40GB of high-speed data per month. Because Mint Mobile supports a wide range of phones, just about any unlocked phone can be activated. In addition, all Mint Mobile plans get T-Mobile’s best 5G coverage with mid-band support.

  Pros

  • Cheaper service with multi-month discounts
  • Full access to the massive T-Mobile 5G network
  • Mint Family makes multi-line accounts more affordable

  Cons

  • Only 40GB of high-speed data on the unlimited plan
  • Must buy at least three months
  • Weaker rural coverage than Verizon

  From $15 per month

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  Verizon

  Incredible coverage area

  Verizon Wireless is one of the Big Three carriers, which means it builds and maintains its own network infrastructure. Verizon also has a massive LTE network with a growing 5G footprint, improving speeds. If you want coverage on one of the largest networks in the country with priority data, Verizon may be worth the higher cost.

  Pros

  • Vast Verizon network offers excellent coverage
  • Better rural coverage with roaming support
  • Multi-line discounts available

  Cons

  • Can get very expensive
  • Mid-band 5G coverage falls short of T-Mobile's
  • Weaker support for unlocked phones

  From $65 per month

Summary

• Mint Mobile offers simple, affordable plans with unlimited talk and text, high-speed data, hotspot data, and free calls to Mexico and Canada. It runs on T-Mobile's network with full 5G support and offers multi-month savings.
• Verizon's plans are feature-rich, with extras like subscription services and discounts. It offers nationwide 5G support on all plans, but Ultra Wideband 5G requires a more premium plan. Verizon has excellent coverage and reliability, especially in rural areas.
• Phone compatibility is important, and most Android phones work with both Verizon and Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile has an edge with unlocked or international models. The number of bands a phone supports affects data speeds, especially with carrier aggregation.

If you need a phone plan, Verizon may seem like the obvious choice, thanks to years of excellent 3G and LTE coverage paired with memorable marketing. Verizon's plans can get expensive fast with streaming add-ons, and its best 5G speeds requiring one of its pricier plans. Even so, Verizon has rightfully earned its reputation for great coverage, and many people are willing to pay a little more to know their call will nearly always go through.

Recently, however, prepaid carriers like Mint Mobile have been fighting back with better deals, more data, and good enough coverage for the vast majority of users. T-Mobile owns Mint Mobile, and its fast 5G network has made up a lot of ground in rural coverage with some of the highest average speeds in more developed areas. Mint's streamlined plans also give customers what they really want: fast data, low prices, and plenty of coverage in urban and suburban areas.

Mobile carrier features

Mint Mobile keeps things simple; for many people, that's exactly what they're looking for. Mint's plans include unlimited talk and text, high-speed data, hotspot data, and free calls to Mexico and Canada. In addition, the carrier runs exclusively on the T-Mobile network with full 5G support and up to 40GB of high-speed data per month.

Mint makes getting its best prices simple with multi-month discounts for those willing to pay more upfront. If you've got the cash in hand, this prepaid loyalty discount gives single-line customers a way to save on mobile data, whereas Verizon's biggest discounts come from adding multiple lines. Luckily, Mint has a promotion bringing the price down to $15 per month for the first three months on all plans.

Verizon's plans, in contrast, are dripping with features and extras ranging from subscription services to discounts on home internet. Postpaid carriers are obsessed with customer retention, so Verizon wants to get as many of the services you use onto your Verizon bill as possible. This can indeed help you get more organized in a world overflowing with easy-to-forget automatic renewals, but it also makes it harder to jump ship if another carrier offers a better deal.

Verizon includes Nationwide 5G support on all of its plans, but if you want Ultra Wideband 5G access, which includes C-band, you'll need to pay for one of its two more premium plans. Verizon has simplified its plan structure with three postpaid unlimited plans and a focus on pushing add-ons. These plans all have access to the same add-ons, meaning customers can choose based on their needs rather than which extras they want bundled in, which is a nice touch.

Mobile coverage and reception

T-Mobile owns Mint Mobile and uses T-Mobile's network for coverage with full access, including the faster mid-band 5G labeled as Ultra Capacity 5G. This fast 5G network is the largest of any carrier, but some customers outside the city may still see LTE or low-band 5G frequently. Still, T-Mobile is the clear victor regarding 5G coverage in suburban and urban areas, and most people will have coverage everywhere they go.

T-Mobile's 5G network now reaches the vast majority of Americans with their mid-band 5G network, which is miles ahead of the competition thanks to T-Mobile's purchase of Sprint. If you'd like to better understand what sort of coverage to expect, refer to Mint Mobile's coverage map.

Verizon builds and maintains its own mobile network and has done a great job doing so. Verizon has won numerous awards for its network quality and regularly wins reliability awards. When it comes to 5G, Verizon needed to wait for C-band spectrum to become available to switch on its mid-band 5G coverage, putting it behind T-Mobile, which has Sprint's 2.5GHz spectrum ready to go much sooner. Verizon's 5G coverage has made up a lot of ground with a lot of cities and towns having at least some 5G coverage, but you'll still more than likely see LTE or low-band 5G from time to time.

While Verizon's 5G network falls short of T-Mobile's in most aspects, Verizon has a coverage advantage in rural areas. So if you live in the country or frequently travel through it, there's a good chance Verizon will give you a better overall experience with roaming filling in other gaps. Speaking of roaming, if you're heading to Puerto Rico, Mint Mobile has strong 5G coverage across most of the island while Verizon uses third-party LTE roaming. Check Verizon's coverage map to determine which network is strong where you live and work.

Phone compatibility

For a phone to work with a certain carrier, it must support that carrier's wireless bands. Luckily, most of the best Android phones will happily work on either Verizon or Mint Mobile, so you'll have plenty of options with both carriers. Mint Mobile, however, has an edge when it comes to unlocked or international models. Some affordable unlocked phones, like the OnePlus Nord N30, work great on T-Mobile's network but not on Verizon's.

For the best 5G compatibility on Mint Mobile, the best Mint Mobile phones will support bands n71 for nationwide 5G and n41 for mid-band 5G. Similarly, the best Verizon phones will support bands n2 and n5, and C-band at band n77. The more bands your phone supports, the better your speeds can be, especially with carriers using multiple bands simultaneously with carrier aggregation to improve speeds.

Plans

Before you get into the details of each carrier's plans, consider the difference between a prepaid and a postpaid plan. A prepaid plan like Mint Mobile's is straightforward, with no credit checks or contracts to worry about. However, Mint's renewal will charge you before you receive service, so you don't get service if your payment doesn't clear.

On the other hand, Verizon will perform a credit check to open an account. You'll also pay for your service after using it, so make sure you can. That also means that if you weren't expecting them, the taxes, fees, and payment plans for your new phone could be surprising. Either way, you have to pay. If you're fine with prepaid or postpaid, you have many plan options.

Mint Mobile's plans

Mint has four plans available with three term lengths. You can choose from a 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, or unlimited plan in three, six, or 12-month increments. The monthly price is lower when you pay for a longer term upfront, so if you're happy with your Mint service, renewing for a year is the best way to save. Mint is running a promotion that brings the price of all of its plans to $15 per month for the first three months, so you can see how much data you'll actually need. Just be sure to select the plan you want when you renew if you've started with a bigger plan.

Mint's three base data plans come with high-speed data that can be used on your phone or with your mobile hotspot. All Mint plans also include unlimited talk and text, including calls to Mexico and Canada. If you use up your data and need more, you can add more data on the data plans at $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB. On the unlimited plan, data costs $15 for 5GB and $20 for 10GB.

Mint's unlimited plan has 40GB of high-speed data and 10GB of hotspot data. Like the other plans, calling and texting are unlimited, including calls to Mexico and Canada. If it turns out you're not using all of your data, Mint will recommend a plan that better suits your needs to save you some cash.

Mint Family is a multi-line manager that allows you to bring up to five lines to Mint Mobile. Although Mint doesn't offer a specific discount for family plans, Mint Family includes Mint's best rates, as the plan is renewed every three months instead of 12 to make the hit on your wallet a bit easier to bear.

If you're not sure which one to pick, you don't need to fret. Mint allows you to upgrade mid-cycle to a larger plan if needed. You can also get any Mint Mobile plan for $15 per month for the first three months, so you have some time to see how much data you need before renewing for a whole year.

Verizon's plans

Verizon's latest plan update saw its old plan bundles parted out into just three starting points; Unlimited Basic, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate. Verizon wants customers to attach extra services to their plans, including plan add-ons, including streaming subscriptions, plan upgrades, and even shopping. At $10 each per month, these perks — such as Walmart+, Apple One, or Disney streaming bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — are also cheaper when purchased through Verizon.

Starting with Unlimited Welcome, you get basic unlimited data with no Ultra Wideband 5G access. That means you'll be using nationwide 5G or LTE for your coverage, which is fine for most people. If you want the best data speeds, and you have Ultra Wideband coverage in your area, Unlimited Plus could be a worthwhile upgrade.

Unlimited Plus upgrades the 5G coverage to Ultra Wideband and also upgrades the general data performance with premium data. Premium data is treated as a higher priority, so in a congested area, Unlimited Plus could significantly outperform Unlimited Welcome. Unlimited Plus also gets 30GB of hotspot data and gets HD video streaming on LTE and nationwide 5G. If you're connected to Ultra Wideband, there's no streaming video quality limit or hotspot data cap. You can also get 50% off a connected device plan, such as a plan for a tablet.

Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's most recent addition includes all the perks of Unlimited Plus with a few key upgrades. The hotspot data has been upgraded to 60GB and LTE and 5G streaming gets a bump to 1080p. You can get 50% off two connected device plans as well. You get talk, text, and data in 210+ countries as well.

Autopay and paper-free billing is required for Verizon's advertised prices, with $10 added to each line if you don't use it. Of course, the best way to save with Verizon is by bringing multiple lines. All of Verizon's postpaid plans are cheaper (per line) when you bring more than one.

If you're looking to save some more money, Verizon has promo credits for those who bring their own phones to Verizon. You can get up to $180 with Unlimited Welcome or up to $540 with the two larger plans. When it's time to upgrade your phone, you also get more savings with the larger plans.

Verizon offers home internet service over fiber with its Fios service and 5G with its 5G Home internet service. If you bundle one of these home internet plans with your wireless plan, you can get a solid discount. Unlimited Welcome customers can get internet service for $40 while Unlimited Plus and Ultimate can get it for $25.

Which is right for you?

Overall, Mint Mobile is a better value. While you only get 40GB of data on Mint's largest plan, the fact of the matter is that many of us don't use that much data. Plus, using our phones on Wi-Fi doesn't count against our plan data, so usage might be much lower than expected for folks with Wi-Fi access at home and work. Check your phone's data usage in your settings or look for a summary on your last phone bill to get an idea of how much you use.

Mint Mobile also offers discounts that single-line accounts can take advantage of with multi-month savings. If you're going out on your own and want an affordable plan that works on the phone you already own, Mint Mobile could be just what you've been looking for. Furthermore, with Mint Family, Mint Mobile could very well be the right plan for your entire family.

Verizon's multi-line discounts and subscription bonuses do a lot to take the edge off Verizon's expensive plans. Verizon's excellent coverage makes it a great pick for those in rural areas, too, and the inclusion of roaming means that even if you find a dead zone, there's a good chance you'll still be able to use your phone. Verizon also often offers deals on new phones for those willing to sign up for a 36-month payment plan. With some steep phone discounts, Verizon could be a great pick for many families.

Verizon's latest plan update with Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, and Unlimited Ultimate has made the carrier more flexible than ever. These plans allow customers to pick the data features they need independently of add-ons and perks, unlike the plans of the past where perks were locked to the most expensive plans. It also means that if you want the most data but don't need streaming, you can save compared to the old plans. If you already pay for a lot of streaming services, you could build a cost-effective bundle with the carrier and vastly simplify your billing.