Mint Mobile Review

Mint Mobile Coverage

T-Mobile has strong network coverage in some parts of the country, but it doesn’t have a network that covers the country as well as AT&T or Verizon. With Mint Mobile, you’ll get the same coverage as T-Mobile. You can type in your zip code to see if Mint Mobile has coverage in your area.

Mint Mobile offers a free 7-day trial so you can try out the service and see if it works well for you. The 7-day trial offers 250MB of data, 250 texts, and 250 minutes of talk time. This is enough to test if Mint Mobile is a good fit for you.

Free calling to Canada and Mexico and free hotspots

Mint Mobile offers free calling to Canada and Mexico on all plans. T-Mobile also offers wifi calling and texting, which are great ways to stay connected when the mobile network coverage is poor.

Mint Mobile offers free hotspots. Hotspot usage is limited to a 5 GB cap with the unlimited plan.  On all other plans, hotspot usage will count against your data limit.

Cost

Mint Mobile doesn’t have a monthly plan. Mint Mobile offers three introductory plans that you can buy for three, six, or twelve months. Here’s a look at the current three-month offer.

• 4GB Plan: $45 for 3 months ($15/month)
• 10GB Plan: $60 for 3 months  ($20/month)
• 15GB Plan: $75 for three months ($25/month)
• Unlimited Plan (35GB): $90 for three months($30/month)

After your introductory period is over, you can sign up for 12 months to get the lowest rate. As you can see, Mint Mobile is considerably cheaper than other wireless providers.

Slower speeds when the network is congested

Like all MVNOs, your speed will be throttled if the network is congested. This can happen if you are in a crowded area such as a stadium or during peak hours. But most of the time, you will get the same speeds as post-paid T-Mobile customers.

Ryan Reynolds connection

You will notice that actor Ryan Reynolds appears in a lot of  Mint Mobile ads. He is not a paid actor promoting T-Mobile. He invested in the company in 2019 and is rumored to own about 25% of the company.

Customer service

Mint Mobile has excellent customer service through chat, phone, or email. But it doesn’t have any physical stores. I have never had to call customer service. Mint Mobile has an excellent app that allows you to monitor usage and make payments. You can contact customer service through the app, and Mint Mobile has helpful guides to help you set things up the first time you use it.

Disadvantages of going with Mint Mobile

• Mint Mobile doesn’t have a monthly plan. You have to buy multi-month plans, which may not work for everyone.
• Your service is deprioritized and you will see slower speeds when the network is congested.
• Customer service, while excellent, is limited to online and phone support. There are no physical stores you can walk into if you have a problem.
• Mint Mobile doesn’t offer discounts for multiple lines

Phone options

Mint Mobile has a wide variety of phones, and sometimes you can get a good deal if you buy a phone and a plan together. You can also bring your own phone to Mint Mobile, but make sure it’s compatible. You can find out if your phone is compatible by going to this link.

Bottom Line

Mint Mobile is a great option if you have good T-Mobile coverage in your area. You’ll get the same level of service as post-paid T-Mobile customers, and when the network is congested, your speed will be throttled but it shouldn’t happen too often. Another downside is that you have to buy multi-month plans to save money. Overall, Mint Mobile is a great way to save money and still be on a major carrier network.

When you have phone service with an MVNO, your service will be deprioritized when the network is congested. When your service is deprioritized, you will see lower speeds. At all other times, you will get fast speeds.

MVNOs are not very transparent about how bad the deprioritization will be for their customers. Deprioritization is different from data throttling where data speeds are reduced after you consume a certain amount of data.

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MVNO Deprioritization – Deep Dive

Here’s a handy guide to understanding how the MVNOs are deprioritized.

Quality of Service Indicators

Quality of Service Indicators (QCI) indicate the priority of traffic on a network. QCI values range between 6 and 9. Higher numbers mean lower priority. For example, Q7 has a higher priority than Q9.

Here are the QCI classes used by the three major telecom providers on their LTE networks. Best post-paid customers are on the lowest QCI class (note that not all customers of Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile get the highest priority).

Verizon uses two QCI classes – QCI 8 and QCI 9
AT&T uses 3 QCI classes – QCI 7, QCI 8, QCI 9
T-Mobile uses 7 QCI classes – QCI 6, QCI 7, QCI 8, QCI 9

MVNOs are arranged by prioritization(best prioritization to the worst)

• Google Fi – QCI 6
• Mint Mobile – QCI 7
• Xfinity Mobile By The Gig Plan and Unlimited plan – QCI 8
• US Mobile – (5G devices – QCI 8)
• Total Wireless – QCI 9
• Visible Wireless – QCI 9 (Visible+ is QCI 8 )
• Cricket Wireless – QCI 9

Note that the QCI classes above only apply if the network is congested. Otherwise, you will get the full speed (that is, there is no deprioritization)

Xfinity Mobile now offers the highest priority (QCI 8) on its By the Gig and Unlimited plans

Analysis

Among the MVNOs, Google Fi has the best prioritization while Visible and Total Wireless have the worst prioritization. Google Fi uses T-Mobile and US Cellular networks and is priced higher than Visible and Total Wireless, both of which use Verizon network.

Mint Mobile offers the best of both worlds – decent prioritization and decent price.

Xfinity Mobile By The Gig Plan gets the same priority as the best Verizon post-paid customers. If you have a 5G compatible phone, you will get a higher priority irrespective of the plan you have.

Should you still go with an MVNO?

MVNOs are deprioritized only when the network is congested. Otherwise, you will realize full speeds. Congestion happens mostly happens during peak hours and in crowded locations. Most MVNO users will not notice the deprioritization.

Since you are paying much lower monthly prices compared to the big three post-paid customers and still get to use nationwide networks like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, you are getting an excellent deal financially.

What are the downsides of going with MVNOs?

• Post-paid customers of AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile get great offers on phones every 2 years. That’s not the case with MVNOs. MVNOs may offer deals when you first sign up with them. But existing MVNOs rarely get good deals on the latest phones. In most cases, you have to buy your own phones without any discounts.
• The selection of phones offered by MVNOs is limited. MVNOs don’t support all the phones. If you plan to bring your own device, check with the provider if the phone is compatible with the network.
• Customer service offered by MVNOs is not that great. Be prepared to wait in line longer compared to the big three post-paid customers.
• Big three networks have relationships with local cell phone operators in rural areas to fill their coverage gaps. But MVNOs don’t offer roaming coverage. You are limited to the native coverage offered by the parent networks. If you spend a lot of time in rural areas, this is something to consider.

Bottom Line

Signing up with an MVNO can save you money. But you need to understand that your service will be deprioritized during peak hours. The level of deprioritization varies between networks. Google Fi, Xfinity Mobile, and Mint are least affected by deprioritization whereas Visible and Total Wireless are the most affected. In addition to deprioritization, you need to consider the coverage map since MVNOs don’t offer roaming.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini Smartphone +$200 Visible Virtual Gift Card + Apple HomePod Mini – $720
Apple iPhone 13 Smartphone + $200 Visible Virtual Gift Card + Apple HomePod Mini – $816
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Smartphone + $200 Visible Virtual Gift Card + Apple HomePod Mini – $984
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Smartphone + $200 Visible Virtual Gift Card + Apple HomePod Mini – $1080

Cashback
5% Cashback from Discover if you pay with PayPal
Giving Assistant has $15-$30 cashback (I only qualified for $15, even though it says “up to  $30”)

Fine print
New customers only
Get a new number from Visible or need to port number to Visible from eligible carriers
Must maintain service for 3 months
Phone unlocks after 60 days

If you are an Xfinity customer who would like to get this phone and take it to a different provider, Xfinity will unlock the phone after it is fully paid and 60 days after activation. Xfinity is a Verizon MVNO. An unlocked Xfinity phone should work with Verizon or any Verizon MVNO. If you are taking this phone to other providers, check the supported bands to ensure compatibility.

Phone specs
6.2-inch glass OLED/FHD+; 1080 x 2340;
Operating System: Android 11
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
RAM: 6GB
Internal Storage: 128GB
Cameras: 12.2MP Rear / 8MP Front
Battery: 3885mAh

Xfinity Mobile has some cheap plans if you are a light user. You can get unlimited calling, texting, and 1 GB of data for $15/month. Unlimited plans are $45/month. You can check out all of Xfinity Mobile’s plans here.

Low monthly bills are great but the MVNOs do come with some disadvantages. Before you switch to an MVNO, you need to consider these disadvantages to avoid disappointment and to avoid having to go through the hassle of switching to another provider.

Disadvantages of MVNOs

Network Deprioritization

When the network traffic is high, MVNO customers are temporarily deprioritized. This means that their speed will be slowed down temporarily. Deprioritization is likely to occur during peak hours but MVNO customers will be fine the rest of the time. Deprioritization may become an issue if you use your phone for business purposes.

No Roaming Coverage

When you sign up for mobile phone service with MVNOs such as Visible, Xfinity, Tello, Mint Mobile, and Ultra Mobile, you don’t get roaming coverage. Your coverage will be limited to areas where the parent company (Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile) has cell phone towers. In areas, where these big players have no infrastructure, you will have no cell phone coverage.

If you a direct customer of Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, these companies have relationships with other network operators in rural areas. So these post-paid customers will have mobile phone coverage in these areas whereas MVNO customers won’t.

If you spend a lot of time in rural areas, this is an important factor to consider. You may be better off getting service directly from the big players to get roaming coverage. The other option is to sign up with a smaller cell phone service provider in the rural areas you frequent.

No Good Deals on Phones

The Big Three – Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile offer their existing customers great deals on new phones every 2 years or so. Don’t expect that from MVNOs. You may get a decent deal on a phone when you sign up with an MVNO but after that, you are unlikely to get great deals on phones.

MVNOs also offer a limited selection of phones compared to the Big Three. If you bring your own device (BYOD) to an MVNO,  understand that only certain phones are accepted by MVNOs.

Some MVNOs cap data speed (all the time)

Some MVNOs cap the max speed. That means that if network capacity is available, your speed may be capped. Check with the MVNO to find out if it has data speed caps before you sign up.

Poor customer service

Most MVNOs don’t offer great customer service. You may encounter long wait times and run into unhelpful customer service reps who are unable to resolve your problems.

Bottom Line

Despite these disadvantages, you can save up to 50% on your cell phone bills by switching to MNVOs. Understand what you are signing up for and set your expectation accordingly. Most cell phone customers won’t notice any difference when they switch to an MVNO.

What makes this offer interesting is that it is available to existing customers irrespective of the Xfinity Mobile plan. Even if you are on the $15 per month 1GB plan, you can still get $250 off on an iPhone. Most wireless providers need a minimum dollar plan to qualify for these kinds of offers.

Phones qualifying for this offer

New customers get a $250 device credit over 24 months. Existing customers get a $250 Visa gift card

Apple iPhone 12  – $24.17/month for 24-Months after Device Credit ($580.08 Total)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro – $31.25/month for 24-Months after Device Credit ($750 Total)
Apple iPhone 11 -$14.58/month for 24-Months after Device Credit ($349.92 Total)
Apple iPhone XR – $10.42/month for 24-Months after Device Credit ($250.08 Total)
Apple iPhone SE – $6.25/month for 24-Months after Device Credit ($150 Total)

Existing customers

Existing customers get a $250 Visa prepaid gift card if they purchase the qualifying phones. The gift card appears in your shopping cart when you check out. So you can be certain that you will get the gift card. Xfinity says it will take 16-18 weeks to get the gift card. Keep in mind that the credit card expires 180 days after it is issued.

New Customers

For new customers, the $250 Off on select iPhones is offered as a device credit over 24 months. If you transferring your number from another wireless provider, you must complete the port-in within 30 days of the phone purchase.

Advantages of Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile is a Verizon MVNO that uses Verizon cell phone towers to provide cell phone service. Xfinity Mobile’s prices are a fraction of what Verizon charges and will allow you to save money on cell phone bills. Though there are some trade-offs (such as lower prioritization during peak usage), most users won’t see any difference between Verizon and Xfinity. You must be an Xfinity internet subscriber to sign up for Xfinity Mobile.

Xfinity allows family members to share a plan. For example, if your family doesn’t use a lot of data, 2 or more family members can share the $15 plan (1 GB data, unlimited calling, and text). That is an excellent deal compared to what other wireless companies offer.

If you need more data, a 3GB data plan costs $30, and a 10GB data plan costs $60. All data plans can be shared and include 5G data. If you need a line with unlimited data, that costs $45 per line (unlimited lines cannot be shared).

Call Customer Service

Speak To Cancellation Department or a Manager

I call customer service at 1-800-934-6489 and request cancellation of service. I keep using the word “disconnect” and “cancellation” until the front-line customer service representative transfers the call to their cancellation group, which has more leeway to lower prices.  If you are unable to get the call transferred to the cancellation department, ask to speak to the customer service representative’s manager.

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Tell them patiently and in a friendly way (this is very important) that your bill has gone up substantially and that you are looking for ways to reduce your bill.  You are likely to be offered lower rates by upgrading to bundles. Ask them what else they can offer. Keep at it until you get the rates you are satisfied with. Tell them about what offers Xfinity’s customers have in the area.

If you are not interested in signing up for additional services in exchange for lower prices, tell them. There is no need to sign up for services you don’t need.

Research Promotions in your area

Also, look at the promotions Xfinity is offering in your area and ask for a similar deal even if you are an existing customer.  Research what Xfinity competitors are offering in the area.  That will help you in your conversation as well. This strategy works most of the time.  If you are unable to negotiate a lower price after talking to the cancellation department or a manager, move on to the following steps

Start a conversation on Reddit With Comcast

Comcast has an official subreddit called Comcast Xfinity (r/comcast_xfinity).  Here Comcast employees respond to customer complaints, requests for lower prices, and many other requests.

Here is the official intro to the sub reddit.

Welcome to the Xfinity community! Our community is your official source on Reddit for help with Xfinity services. If you have questions about your services, we’re here to answer them. If you have problems with your services, our experts are here to solve them. We can help with: technical issues, general service questions, upgrades & downgrades, new accounts & transfers, disconnect requests, credit requests and more.

You can start a public conversation with Comcast regarding your bill.  You start a public thread saying “My contract is ending, I need a better rate”.  A Comcast employee will reach out to you and you can continue the rest of the conversation through private messages.

I have found that Comcast employees on Reddit can adjust your prices down when call center employees can’t.

Reach out to Comcast customer service through Twitter

Reach out to Comcast through their Twitter account for customer service (@ComcastCares).  Start a public conversation with them.  When it is time to share your personal information such as your address, do so in private messages.

Again, I have found that Comcast Twitter employees are likely to budge on prices if the call center folks don’t.

Other Ways To Reduce Your Comcast Bill

Modem Fees

Xfinity adds $14 to your bill every month for model rental.  Consider buying your own modem and save $14 per month.  The modem will pay for itself in a few months.

Go to a lower-tier internet plan

Going to a lower-tier plan (which means lower speed) will reduce your cost. Take a look at your internet usage and see if a lower-tier plan will work for you.

Sign up for Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile is a wireless service that Xfinity offers. Xfinity is a Verizon MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – it means that Xfinity doesn’t own any cell phone towers.  It uses the Verizon network for its mobile network.

I have been using Xfinity mobile for a while and it has cut down my cell phone bills. You can sign up for a plan and share the plan with your family. Plans start at $15/GB with unlimited text and calling. If you get two lines, you can get unlimited data for $30 per month.

Bottom Line

Xfinity raises prices on its services every year. If you don’t push back, you will be paying ever-increasing prices.  Reach out to their customer service through phone, Reddit, or Twitter and bargain for a better deal.  Keep asking and eventually, you will be able to lower your Xfinity bill.

Verizon’s wireless network is probably the best in the world.  But if you try to get a wireless plan with Verizon, it can be expensive.  But Xfinity offers you access to the Verizon network for a fraction of the cost. With Xfinity Mobile, you will have access to Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks.  Also, you will have access to millions of Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots for free.

Which network tower does Xfinity Mobile use?

Xfinity Mobile does not have any cell phone network towers of its own. It uses Verizon’s cell phone towers.

MVNOs and Deprioritization

One of the reasons MVNOs can offer attractive pricing is that they can be prioritized when the network is congested.   What this means is that during times of heavy network traffic, your data speeds will slow down.

I have Xfinity Mobile service and I have barely seen my data speed slow down.  But this is something to be aware of if you sign up with Xfinity mobile.

Xfinity Mobile Eligibility Requirements

You must be an Xfinity internet customer to sign up for Xfinity Mobile.  If you are in an area where Comcast doesn’t offer internet service, you cannot sign up for Xfinity Mobile.

Canceling Xfinity internet but keeping Xfinity Mobile

Also, if you cancel your Xfinity service but would like to keep the Xfinity mobile service, Comcast will add $20 per line.  So if you are canceling the Xfinity internet plan, you should consider moving to another wireless service provider.

Xfinity Mobile Pricing

For about ~$15/month (plus taxes), you can get unlimited calling and texting, and 1 GB of data.  You can get 3GB for $30 per month and 10 GB for $60 per month.  Unused data is lost and does not roll over from month to month.

You can also get unlimited data per line for $45 per month.  If you get more than one line, your cost will be $30 per month. Note that the unlimited data is per line and cannot be shared like the By The Gig plans above.

But here’s the cool thing.  You can share your Per Gig plan with the family.  Let’s say you and your wife don’t use much data and use less than 1GB of data per month.  Both of you could have mobile phone service for about $15 per month (plus taxes).

Quality of Video Streaming

Xfinity Mobile’s By the Gig plans will reduce video resolution to 720p for phones and 1080p for tablets.

Unlimited plan users will get 480p resolution on their phones. Xfinity offers the option to upgrade to 720p resolution on phones and 1080p resolution for tablets for $20 per month.

I watch Netflix, Amazon Videos, and ESPN+ with a By The Gig on my phone.  The video quality has been more than acceptable.

Phones Selection

Not all phones are supported on the Xfinity network.  Don’t panic though. Popular iPhones, Galaxy, Pixel, and Moto phones are all supported.

You can bring your own device (BYOD). Check your phone compatibility on the Xfinity website. BYOD devices can be iOS or Android as long as they pass Xfinity’s phone compatibility check.

Xfinity Mobile Offers

From time to time, Xfinity has sales on certain phones.  Watch out to get great deals.  If you bring your own device, Xfinity offers $50 to $100 gift cards.  That can pay for 5 months of mobile phone service if you are a light user.

Bottom Line

Xfinity Mobile can help cut your mobile phone bills.  The service is not well known and you have to be an Xfinity internet customer to use it.  Xfinity Mobile uses the Verizon network.  The service quality is great even with some prioritization when the network is congested.

But there are a number of places where you cannot get a decent cellphone signal but you may have access to wifi.  Perhaps you are traveling overseas and don’t want to send an international text message, which can be expensive.  In such situations cases, knowing how to send a text message via email is very helpful.  Sending text messages by email is also free.

To send a text message to anyone via email, you only need two things

1. 10-digit phone number and
2. Email address (gateway ) of the mobile service provider

SMS Vs MMS

In most cases, when someone mentions text messages, they are referring to SMS.   SMS stands for Short Message Service and is the most widely used method of text messaging.  SMS allows you to send up to 160 characters.  Any message longer than that is typically split into smaller messages.   SMS only requires cell phone service.  No data plan is required.

MMS is an acronym for Multimedia Messaging Service.  Anytime you send a picture, video, audio content, you are sending an MMS message.  MMS requires a data plan.

How To Send Text Message Via E-mail

Find out which mobile service provider the recipient is using and send an email message substituting the receiver’s cellphone number for [number] in the email address below.

Email Gateways for SMS (text messages up to 160 characters)

• AT&T: [number]@txt.att.net
• T-Mobile: [number]@tmomail.net
• Verizon: [number]@vtext.com
• Sprint: [number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com
• Xfinity Mobile: [number]@vtext.com
• Virgin Mobile: [number]@vmobl.com
• Simple Mobile: [number]@smtext.com
• Mint Mobile: [number]@mailmymobile.net 
• Red Pocket: [number]@vtext.com
• Metro PCS: [number]@mymetropcs.com
• Boost Mobile: [number]@sms.myboostmobile.com
• Cricket: [number]@sms.cricketwireless.net
• Republic Wireless: [number]@text.republicwireless.com
• Google Fi (Project Fi): [number]@msg.fi.google.com
• U.S. Cellular: [number]@email.uscc.net
• Ting: [number]@message.ting.com
• Consumer Cellular: [number]@mailmymobile.net
• C-Spire: [number]@cspire1.com
• Page Plus: [number]@vtext.com
• Visible Wireless: [number]@vtext.com

Email Gateways for MMS (for messages with picture, video, or audio content)

• AT&T:[number]@mms.att.net
• T-Mobile: [number]@tmomail.net
• Verizon: [number]@vzwpix.com
• Sprint: [number]@pm.sprint.com
• Xfinity Mobile: [number]@mypixmessages.com
• Virgin Mobile: [number]@vmpix.com
• Tracfone: [number]@mmst5.tracfone.com
• Metro PCS: [number]@mymetropcs.com
• Boost  Mobile: [number]@myboostmobile.com
• Cricket: [number]@mms.cricketwireless.net
• Google Fi (Project Fi): [number]@msg.fi.google.com
• U.S. Cellular: [number]@mms.uscc.net
• Visible Wireless: [number]@vzwpix.com

How To Send Text Messages To Email

Sending a text message to someone’s email is just as simple  On your text app, in the To: where you would usually type a phone number, type in the recipient’s email address and send the message.

Bottom Line

Some of you may have known the trick to send and receive text messages by email for a long time.  I learned it a few years ago while I was on an international trip and it saved me money. It is extremely easy to do but you need to know the recipient’s cell phone provider.  So plan ahead and it will come in handy when you need to send text messages.