Buy in bulk
Mint Mobile
From $45/three months at Mint Mobile
Pros
- T-Mobile LTE network
- Unlimited talk and text
- Unlimited slowed data after allowance
- Free calls to Canada and Mexico
- Hotspot on every plan
Cons
- Must buy in bulk
- No unlimited option
Save money by buying in bulk. Plans come with unlimited talk and text and have no overages after you’ve used your data. Speeds are lowered, but you can upgrade your plan mid-cycle or easily add more data.
Big on data
Boost Mobile
From $35 per month at Boost Mobile
Pros
- Sprint LTE network
- Unlimited data
- Hotspot on all plans
- Unlimited music streaming
- Save with more lines
Cons
- SD video streams on two lower plans
Get a ton of data on the Sprint network for your phone and your Wi-Fi devices with Boost Mobile. With savings on multiple lines and unlimited music streaming on the 3GB plan, this is an excellent plan for streamers.
Mint Mobile is going to be cheaper overall, but Boost has a lot of features going for it and favors the data-heavy user. If you use a ton of data and need even more data for your Wi-Fi devices, then there is no question, Boost is the better plan for you. If you use more of an average amount of data and your main goal is to save money, then Mint Mobile makes a lot of sense with its bundles saving you money over time.
What even is an MVNO?
Mint Mobile and Boost Mobile are “alternative carriers” or mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). They’re not the Big Four (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile), but they lease coverage from those networks and resell it to you for less. Plans are often prepaid, and fixed contracts are few and far between.
| Network | T-Mobile | Sprint |
| Minimum | 3 months | 1 month |
| Discounts | Bundle | More lines |
Be sure to check your coverage on the Boost network and the Mint Mobile network first and foremost.
The Sprint and T-Mobile networks have both been making great strides to improving their coverage and speed, and if you live in a covered area, either network should work well for you. With Mint, you save money on bundling months together with the most significant saving coming in 12-month segments. If this is too much of a commitment for you, Boost offers ways to save by adding more lines to your account. This only works if you need more than one line, however.
Mint plans
Mint Mobile doesn’t operate with traditional contracts. You pay upfront for your term, which can be three months, six months, or 12 months, with “buying in bulk” saving you more money in the long run. All plans include unlimited nationwide talk, text, and data, though you only get so much 4G LTE per month. Unlimited international texting is included in all plans.
Right now there is a promotion at Mint Mobile that brings the price of the 8GB and 12GB plans down to the same $15 per month as the 3GB plan when you buy three months. That’s $45 upfront. You’ll need to pay attention though because after your three months end, your price will return to standard rates.
| 3 months | $15/mo. ($45) $25/mo. renewal | $15/mo. ($45) $35/mo. renewal | $15/mo. ($45) $45/mo. renewal |
| 6 months | $20/mo. ($120) | $25/mo.($150) | $35/mo. ($210) |
| 12 months | $15/mo. ($180) | $20/mo. ($240) | $25/mo. ($300) |
Add Data at a rate of $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB if you need more. You can also upgrade to the next plan up if you feel you’ll need more every month in the middle of your billing cycle.
Boost Plans
| Talk and Text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Tidal service | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Hotspot | uses data | 12GB | 30GB | 50GB |
| Video quality | SD | SD | HD | HD |
| Price 1 Line | $35 | $50 | $60 | $80 |
| Lines 2-5 | $60, $90, $120, $150 | $80, $110, $140, $170 | $100, $140, $180, $220 | $140. $200, $260, $320 |
You can add HD streaming to your plan for $10 per month if you want to take advantage of your new phone display. Keep in mind that this only impacts the two lower plans and that HD video is available on all plans if connected to Wi-Fi.
Boost also offers and insurance packages for $7 per month. This covers damage to your phone as well as loss and theft. You will need to pay a deductible of $20, $50, $100, or $150 depending on the value of your device.
International usage
With Mint, you pay by the minute, text, or MB. The rates are $0.05 per text sent, $0.25 per minute, and $0.20 per MB. These rates come down to $0.02 per text, $0.06 per minute, and $0.06 per MB for Canada and Mexico. Calls to Canada and Mexico are included with the plan, however.
Boost, however, offers international packages in the form of the Todo Mexico Plus plan for $5 per month which included calling and texting to and from Canada and Mexico as well as 8GB of data to use while visiting Mexico. The International Connect Plus plan offers unlimited texting to more than 70 countries as well as calling to landlines. 200 minutes are also included for mobile lines for $10 per month.
Which should I go with? Mint Mobile
If you’re trying to save money and only intend to call and text to numbers in the US, then Mint Mobile is the best value. Just be sure you’re covered by the network.
If you need a lot of data or expect to make a lot of calls and texts to Canada or Mexico, then Boost is going to be the best value. If you intend to travel to Mexico frequently, there is no contest as the Todo Mexico plan offers a great value.
Save in Bundles
Mint Mobile
Buy more to save more
From $45 per three month at Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile saves you money by offering plans in a bundle. Buy a large chunk to increase your savings with plenty of data on T-Mobile’s LTE network.
Big on Data
Boost Mobile
A ton of data for the social networking enthusiast
From $35 per month at Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile uses Sprint’s strong LTE network to provide a ton of data for your phone. Make the most out of your smartphone with unlimited streaming.