Mint Mobile vs. Verizon: Which carrier is better?

Mint Mobile and Verizon are popular options that offer stellar deals for its customers.  Each carrier has its positives and negatives, but which offers better phone plans? Let’s compare them and see which is better.

In this article, we plan to discuss the details of both carriers and what they offer. We’ll also cover:

• What the coverage of both carriers looks like
• How prices of their plans compare to how much data you get
• The features each carrier offers for their plans 

We’ve compared Verizon to Mint Mobile previously, when Verizon first announced their new myPlan program in May. However, this article will dive deeper into what each carrier offers for its users and what to expect from each company. 

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Coverage & Reception

Mint Mobile is on the T-Mobile network, while Verizon is one of the major phone networks.

Mint Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. Mint Mobile is an MVNO of T-Mobile. 

Often, the quality of coverage comes down to your area. One carrier’s coverage may be better in New York, while another’s coverage may be better in California. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

However, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage and access is hailed as the best coverage overall. 

‍Plan Options

Mint Mobile offers more limited data options, while Verizon offers premium data. 

Both carriers give you unlimited talk and texting options with any plan you choose. Both companies deprioritize data, meaning you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and shopping centers. Verizon also offers premium data, which does not slow down during high traffic. 

As both Verizon plans are postpaid, you will pay for your service for the previous month. 

Mint Mobile Plans

Mint Mobile offers 4 plans, each with multiple options for lengths of service.

Mint Mobile offers plans ranging from 5GB to Unlimited (40GB) data, giving customers more options to meet their needs. Mint Mobile only offers 3, 6, or 12 month plans to sign up for. However, your data is reset every month. Their current New Customer Offer allows you to purchase a 3 month plan at the best deal. Mint Mobile also offers a deal where you can get 6 months of free service if you purchase a phone and a 6 month plan. Mint Mobile allows up to 5 lines on one account, each with their own customizable plan data to draw from.

As a T-Mobile MVNO, Mint Mobile is on tier 7 of 9 Quality of Service Class Identifiers (QCIs).

This indicates the priority level of the carrier on T-Mobile’s network compared to T-Mobile specific plans. This means they’re at a higher priority compared to MVNOs on Verizon or AT&T’s networks. As such, you may experience higher speeds while being deprioritized than other MVNOs.

Mint Mobile keeps your phone locked for the first year after purchase. After, you must request to have your phone unlocked. Taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

5GB

5GB of full speed data is included before you get unlimited data at slow speeds. 

This plan gives you 5GB of data and mobile hotspot access. The plan is again deprioritized, then slows down to 2G speeds after the 5GB allotment. With 2G speeds, users can expect to send text messages and emails or scroll the internet, but streaming video or playing games will be difficult. Hotspot data comes from the 5GB and stops after hitting that amount. The plan costs $15 per month and $45 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 5GB for $3 per GB.

15GB 

You get 15GB of full speed data, then unlimited slow data. 

This plan gets you 15GB of full speed data and mobile hotspot data. This plan is also deprioritized and slowed down to 2G speeds after 15GB. Your hotspot data comes from the 15GB allotment and stops after 15GB. The plan costs $20 per month and $80 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 15GB at $1.33 per GB. 

20GB

This plan also gives you unlimited slow data after 20GB. 

As it says in the name, you get 20GB of full speed data. This plan is deprioritized, however, and it slows down to 2G speeds after you reach the 20GB cap. The plan also includes mobile hotspot capabilities. Data comes from the 20GB allotment and stops after hitting that amount. The plan costs $25 per month and $75 for the first 3 months. To get the same deal afterwards, you need to purchase 12 months of service. At this rate, you get 20GB at $1.25 per GB. 

Unlimited

Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan gives you 40GB before slowing down speeds. 

With Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan, you get 40GB of data. Your data is deprioritized, and it slows down to 3G speeds (512 kbps) after 40GB. At 3G, you can still send texts, send emails, and scroll through social media without too many issues. Streaming video might be a bit slower. While this may be a negative for those who use large amounts of data, most users use about 20GB of data per month or less, according to Ericsson Mobility. This plan also gives you 10GB of mobile hotspot data, allowing your phone to become a WiFi connection for other devices. Data stops after 10GB. 

The plan costs $30 per month, or $90 for the first 3 months. After that, the price is $40 per month. To get the same $30 per month deal, you need to buy 12 months worth of service. At this rate, you get 50GB at $0.60 per GB. 

Verizon Plans

Verizon offers unlimited data with all of their postpaid plans.

Verizon offers 3 postpaid plans: myPlan Unlimited Welcome, myPlan Unlimited Plus, and myPlan Unlimited Ultimate. They all offer unlimited data, but at different prioritization levels. One offers unlimited deprioritized data, while the others offer unlimited premium data. The Unlimited Plus and Ultimate plans have a QCI level of 8, while Unlimited Welcome has a QCI level 9. 

You can have up to 12 lines on one Verizon plan account. Devices bought from Verizon are locked for the first 60 days after activation. Their postpaid plans renew monthly, and taxes and fees are not included with the advertised price. 

myPlan Unlimited Welcome

This plan offers unlimited, but deprioritized, data. 

This plan offers unlimited data, but your connections are subjected to deprioritization. You may experience slower speeds when in high traffic areas. The plan does not come with hotspot access, but 100GB of hotspot data can be bought as an additional add-on for $10 per month. 

The plan costs $70 per month for one line normally, and $60 per month with the Autopay discount. 

myPlan Unlimited Plus 

This plan gives you unlimited premium data. 

This plan offers unlimited premium data, which means users can use however much they want without experiencing slower speeds. The plan also includes 30GB of hotspot data, which is also premium. However, your hotspot data will be deprioritized after 30GB. The 100GB add-on is also available to include with this plan. 

The plan costs $75 per month normally, and $65 per month with the Autopay discount. 

myPlan Unlimited Ultimate 

This plan gives you unlimited premium data. 

This is Verizon’s newest and biggest plan, and it offers unlimited premium data every month. You also get 60GB of premium hotspot data, but your hotspot data becomes deprioritized after you hit that limit. 

This plan costs $85 per month without the $10 Autopay discount, which would bring the price to $75 per month.

Features

Mint Mobile offers their features included, while Verizon offers their features as additional add-ons. 

If you’re looking for a plan with more included features, such as international connection or domestic roaming data, it’s best to compare carriers with what they offer. Verizon offers more features overall, but all features are additional add-ons. As such, users must pay an additional fee to use them. All of these add-ons are $10 per month. 

Domestic Roaming Data

Mint Mobile does not include this feature. Both of Verizon’s postpaid plans include domestic roaming. 

Mexico & Canada Connection

Mint Mobile offers talk and text in Mexico and Canada included and roaming data at $0.06 per MB. Verizon includes talk, text, and 2GB of data per day in Mexico and Canada with their postpaid plans. 

International Connection

Mint Mobile gives you international text included, while international talk and data are pay-per-use. International talk is $0.25 per minute, while international data is $0.20 per MB. Verizon offers an add-on for 3 Travel Pass days per month for Welcome and Plus, but Ultimate offers international talk, text, and data included.  

Video Streaming Quality

Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan streams at 480p Standard Definition, while their limited data plans stream at 4k Ultra High Definition. The myPlan Unlimited Welcome plan by Verizon streams at 480p Standard Definition, while the myPlan Unlimited Plus and Ultimate plans stream at 4k Ultra High Definition.

Streaming Services

Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. Verizon offers several add-ons to their plans for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Apple One, which includes Apple TV+. They also offer a +Play add-on, which allows you to use credit to choose between several streaming services like Max and Netflix. They also have an add on for Walmart+, which includes a Paramount+ membership. Each is $10 per month.

Music Services

Verizon includes several add-ons for Apple Music Family and AppleOne, which includes Apple Music. Each add-on is $10 per month. Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. 

Gaming Services

Verizon offers an add-on for +Play, allows you to sign up for an XBox Game Pass. They also offer an Apple One add-on, which includes Apple Arcade. Mint Mobile which does not offer this feature. 

Cloud Storage

Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. Verizon offers an add-on for 2 terabytes (TB) of Cloud Storage for $10 per month, as well as an add-on for AppleOne, which includes iCloud+. 

Device Financing

If you buy a phone from either carrier, they allow you to pay for your device in installments over time. 

WiFi Calling

Both carriers offer WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception. 

Spam Protection

Mint Mobile does not offer this feature. Verizon offers call filtering and spam protection through their Call Filter program, but the app must be installed and enabled to work. 

Free Trial

Mint Mobile offers a 7 day free trial. Verizon does not offer this feature. 

Customer Service 

Mint Mobile does not have physical stores, leaving all of their customer service to online support. Verizon offers thousands of stores across the country, as well as online customer support. 

Mint Mobile is a digital-only carrier, meaning they only offer customer support online and over the phone. Mint Mobile offers chat support 24/7 and support over the phone at (800)-683-7392 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST every day of the week. Verizon offers thousands of locations across the country, and you can find the closest store to you with their store locator. For support over the phone, call 1-800-837-4966 or 1-800-VERIZON. Customer support is also available over chat on their website and through Facebook Messenger. 

The Verdict

Mint Mobile offers better deals for its customers.

As Mint Mobile includes hotspot access and its other features without an additional fee for all of its plans, Mint Mobile offers better deals than Verizon postpaid. However, you may be interested in an Unlimited Plus plan with Verizon because they offer unlimited premium data. This is if you use a lot of data, but a lot of people don’t use more than 20GB per month on their smartphone. 

We’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.

Want to compare other carriers?

Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!

Are you still unsure which carrier to choose, or which phone plan to pick? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!