US Mobile vs. Mint - anyone here tried both?

[LaurenRose]

If you switched from one to the other, did it turn out to be a good choice?

Or in other words, if you favor one over the other, or don't value one of these as highly as the other,

please share your thoughts and experiences? Thanks

[lepegasus]

I passed my 7 year anniversary with Mint. Before that, I used Twigby wireless : D

I can’t speak to US Mobile, but Mint has never disappointed. I’ve also heard great things about Visible.

IMO budget wireless service is definitely well worth the hassle to switch from a big carrier.

[lostcoast2023]

US Mobile is much better. You can pick the underlying carrier, data is a higher priority, and they have better international roaming options.

[HooCares]

I've used both Mint and US Mobile. Mint will work the same as US Mobile when connected to the T-Mobile network -- same priority. I believe Mint still is running its $180 for 1 year of "unlimited" aka 40gb/mo plan. That is a better value than anything US Mobile offers currently if you need a lot of data. US Mobile lets you use Verizon and ATT networks. There are various fees involved changing your carrier with US Mobile depending on your level of service.

If Verizon works for you I think Visible and Total are the current best offers in unlimited wireless. Both are similar but there are a few differentiators which may make you choose one over the other. I am currently with Total.

[02nz]

I've used both quite a bit. Mint is fine, but US Mobile would be my choice, because they offer:

- Very flexible plans, especially the shared data plans that work very well for light to medium data users ($8/line and $2/GB)
- No commitments, you can change your plan from month to month (with Mint Mobile you need to commit to a year for best pricing, if your needs change then tough luck)
- Customer service and website that are the best in the business
- Transparency - prices include taxes and fees
- Same priority as postpaid on Verizon
- Choice of 3 networks plus the unique ability to switch among the 3 networks

[WoostaGal]

I've used both quite a bit. Mint is fine, but US Mobile would be my choice, because they offer:

- Very flexible plans, especially the shared data plans that work very well for light to medium data users ($8/line and $2/GB)
...
- Customer service and website that are the best in the business
...

I've used US Mobile for quite a few years now and overall, I'm happy with their product. I've seen several posters on BH say their customer service is good. That has not been my experience, however. Chats and phone calls usually take hours and problems can take several attempts to be resolved. Because of my negative experience with problem resolution, I would not recommend US Mobile for anyone who is not somewhat tech savvy.

[nydoc]

US mobile- $44 100 gb high speed data without any slowdown in congestion etc. I was with Verizon before and now US mobile Verizon..data speed is much much better. International roaming is free. I have visited paris, dubai and India in last one week and service is great.

[jocdoc]

I have used both 2 years ago. I started with Mint (T moile network) but in my area there were days where I had no service. I switched to US Mobile (Verizon network ) and always had service. I was satisfied with US mobile and their website making it easy to change the service plan at any time. I now use visible because they offered phone and data service in Canada without extra charge and US Mobile did not at the time I switched. .

[RXfiles]

Ive had mint mobile for about 5 years and gotten a bunch of people to switch to it. I've never had an issue. My dad is still on Verizon and there's tons of time I have service and he doesn't and I still smear it in. I think he's sunken cost fallacy on Verizon bc he's been with them for like 20+ years

[LaurenRose]

Any experiences with using US Mobile in Mexico? I frequently travel there. Thanks

[soc2003]

I first had MINT in 2024 and switched to USMobile. US Mobile is much better, their customer service chat reps are very good.

On the downside, after paying for Mexico coverage, my phone didn't work in Mexico.

[MtnTravel]

Is it safe to port your number into a startup like US mobile? Having had the same number for 10+ years, I don’t want to lose it.

And how does US mobile manage to provide such good plans at a fraction of the cost of going through the mainstream carriers? Is there a catch?

[02nz]

Is it safe to port your number into a startup like US mobile? Having had the same number for 10+ years, I don’t want to lose it.

And how does US mobile manage to provide such good plans at a fraction of the cost of going through the mainstream carriers? Is there a catch?

They've been around a while, not exactly a startup. And I've ported numbers into and out of US Mobile multiple times, no issues.

The way they provide big-carrier service at lower-than-big-carrier prices, like other MVNOs, is that they don't pay for physical stores, TV ads, naming rights to stadiums, or subsidies for expensive smartphones. There's really no catch other than that you can't walk into a store to get help (but as I said I find US Mobile's online customer service excellent), and you generally need to pay for your phone up front.

[zlandar]

I've tried both. I went with USM because VZN is the best network in my area. They offer ATT and TM network too. I can manage all of my family's line in the app. When I want to switch to a new phone I can do it through the app.

Mint is TM only. It was ok for my teenage kid. TM rural coverage still has too many holes.

[MtnTravel]

Is it safe to port your number into a startup like US mobile? Having had the same number for 10+ years, I don’t want to lose it.

And how does US mobile manage to provide such good plans at a fraction of the cost of going through the mainstream carriers? Is there a catch?

They've been around a while, not exactly a startup. And I've ported numbers into and out of US Mobile multiple times, no issues.

The way they provide big-carrier service at lower-than-big-carrier prices, like other MVNOs, is that they don't pay for physical stores, TV ads, naming rights to stadiums, or subsidies for expensive smartphones. There's really no catch other than that you can't walk into a store to get help (but as I said I find US Mobile's online customer service excellent), and you generally need to pay for your phone up front.

Thanks! I’m trying them out now. I did the $15 for 2GB and am testing out ATT to see if they have better service. They let you get a new number.

[cashistrash]

US Mobile has cheaper / lower data options compared to Mint Mobile. I am on their $8 plan.

[02nz]

Thanks! I’m trying them out now. I did the $15 for 2GB and am testing out ATT to see if they have better service. They let you get a new number.

Are you on the Light plan? That's 2GB for only $10/month, not $15. Actually, an even better choice is to create a shared data pool (you can put just one plan in the pool). That way you get 2GB for the same $10/mo cost, but with the ability to top off data for a very inexpensive $2/GB, which you can't do on the Light plan.

[mandymoo]

I've been with US Mobile since July. I have the 2GB pooled plan for 10 dollars a month. I added my parents lines for 8 dollars each and got them off their 80 dollars a month plan with US Cellular. They use flip phones so very minimal data and I'm on wifi most of the time. I have automatic 2GB topups enabled but have never needed one yet. I live in a different location so I'm on the Verizon network and they are on the Tmobile network as that works best for them. There have been absolutely no issues with the service and I did all the porting of numbers myself.

[runr]

Any experiences with using US Mobile in Mexico? I frequently travel there. Thanks

¡Qué chido!, going there next month. I heard US mobile for international is buggy, so I'm going to do Airalo data only eSIM as they use Telcel and US Mobile does not. I use US Mobile $8 month annual plan, there site is easy to use and they have TOTP, but on there Company ran subrreddit, they have been deleting posts and banning people they don't like in a bad way as times, not a fan of that but ya. They seem to be burning through VC $ and offering deals.

[Hiker-Biker]

Any experiences with using US Mobile in Mexico? I frequently travel there. Thanks

¡Qué chido!, going there next month. I heard US mobile for international is buggy, so I'm going to do Airalo data only eSIM as they use Telcel and US Mobile does not. I use US Mobile $8 month annual plan, there site is easy to use and they have TOTP, but on there Company ran subrreddit, they have been deleting posts and banning people they don't like in a bad way as times, not a fan of that but ya. They seem to be burning through VC $ and offering deals.

US Mobile international was buggy for me as I tried to activate an e-sim in S. Africa - wouldn't work so I had my money refunded. On the other hand, my wife purchased an e-sim before we left the U.S. and it worked fine.

[whodidntante]

I just switched from Google Fi to Mint today. I'm a frequent international traveler, so I'll be testing out the "Minternational" thing since it's not too expensive. If I don't like it, I'll do the local SIM thing.

Locally, it seems to be fine. Porting my number took two minutes. Both Google Fi and Mint resell T-mobile, but Google Fi has a higher priority. That may be noticeable in congested areas.

[dcb]

I switched to US Mobile a couple of years ago and have been vey satisfied with them. Good service and great rates. I have two lines with 6GB of pooled data for $26.00/mo. In addition, I have a US Mobile Homebase unit which is attached to a cordless phone system in my home for a cost of $9.99/mo, which replaced a line-line from ATT that was four times the price.

[LaurenRose]

And you all kept your same phone numbers when you switched to US Mobile?

[zlandar]

And you all kept your same phone numbers when you switched to US Mobile?

Yes.

You need to look up the process of porting out your phone number from your current cell carrier. Usually need to know your account number and a security PIN. Your new carrier will need that info when they initiate the phone number port.

You do not want to cancel service with your old cell carrier. They will know when your phone number ports out.

[Pluto9th]

Here is an article on the U.S. Mobile site on how to "port" your phone number from one carrier to another: https://www.usmobile.com/help/articles/244224

The beginning of the article is (naturally) about how to transfer your number TO U.S. Mobile. Below that is information on how to obtain the transfer ID and PIN FROM a large number of carriers (i.e. your current carrier), which I think would be a useful reference whether you are transferring to U.S. Mobile or a different carrier.

[matthewbarnhart]

I just switched from Google Fi to Mint today. I'm a frequent international traveler, so I'll be testing out the "Minternational" thing since it's not too expensive. If I don't like it, I'll do the local SIM thing.

We were Mint customers until they switched to the Minternational plan, which was a massive step-down for our use case. (Living outside the US for 3-12 months at a time and needing to receive the very-occasional SMS [2-factor auth for behind-the-times banks] or US voice call [my mother who still can't figure out FaceTime Audio].)

We've since switched to Ultra Mobile -- basically the same service as Mint, but instead of the usurious international rates of Minternational, they use the same per-minute/per-SMS charge that Mint previously offered for international roaming.

(When we're in Mexico we have physical TELCEL SIMs for data and our local phone number. Anywhere else, we just use Airalo eSIMs unless we'll be in place for a while...)

[isubrama]

I was Mint customer for many years and been with US Mobile for a year or so. US Mobile has much better coverage, rates include tax, good customer service.

[Chuckles960]

US mobile- $44 100 gb high speed data without any slowdown in congestion etc. I was with Verizon before and now US mobile Verizon..data speed is much much better. International roaming is free. I have visited paris, dubai and India in last one week and service is great.

I was in India and Qatar last month, and USM's $15 addon to TMobile service did not work for voice or data (both using LTE/5G) but did work for SMS (2G). When I complained, they said it might be a matter of manually selecting network operators. By then I was back in the US. I did not get my $15 back.

Come to think of it, I had difficulty when first getting USM---something I did with the APNs fixed the problem. So maybe USM is not for beginners.

If you have USM's Verizon service they will sell you separate eSIMs for international (non-North-America) travel, but those are expensive compared to the alternatives.

[whodidntante]

I just switched from Google Fi to Mint today. I'm a frequent international traveler, so I'll be testing out the "Minternational" thing since it's not too expensive. If I don't like it, I'll do the local SIM thing.

We were Mint customers until they switched to the Minternational plan, which was a massive step-down for our use case. (Living outside the US for 3-12 months at a time and needing to receive the very-occasional SMS [2-factor auth for behind-the-times banks] or US voice call [my mother who still can't figure out FaceTime Audio].)

We've since switched to Ultra Mobile -- basically the same service as Mint, but instead of the usurious international rates of Minternational, they use the same per-minute/per-SMS charge that Mint previously offered for international roaming.

(When we're in Mexico we have physical TELCEL SIMs for data and our local phone number. Anywhere else, we just use Airalo eSIMs unless we'll be in place for a while...)

Thanks. I'm more concerned with international data than messaging. Needs to be high speed and in useable amounts.

[artpennypacker]

I tried mint for about 30 minutes, during peak usage hours (after work on a friday) and had reception but data was so slow nothing would load.

Went back to verizon after that.

[runr]

I just switched from Google Fi to Mint today. I'm a frequent international traveler, so I'll be testing out the "Minternational" thing since it's not too expensive. If I don't like it, I'll do the local SIM thing.

We were Mint customers until they switched to the Minternational plan, which was a massive step-down for our use case. (Living outside the US for 3-12 months at a time and needing to receive the very-occasional SMS [2-factor auth for behind-the-times banks] or US voice call [my mother who still can't figure out FaceTime Audio].)

We've since switched to Ultra Mobile -- basically the same service as Mint, but instead of the usurious international rates of Minternational, they use the same per-minute/per-SMS charge that Mint previously offered for international roaming.

(When we're in Mexico we have physical TELCEL SIMs for data and our local phone number. Anywhere else, we just use Airalo eSIMs unless we'll be in place for a while...)

If I get a OXXO SIM at the OXXO store in Mexico, is that just plug and play? I went to there website and says I would need to upload an ID and make an account.

[Callisto]

I went from Mint to USM and back. The benefit of USM is you get to choose which carrier to use (Mint is TMO only), and you get higher GB/$.

The problem is a few months ago, USM began throttling speeds both on their end as well as some customers being throttled by Verizon (implemented on all non-Verizon owned MVNOs). While the Verizon thing is out of their control, they began throttling their own customers who signed up on annual plans which at the time of sign up were marketed as not throttled. Only after backlash did they generously offer a user toggle to reduce (not eliminate) the throttling, which is temporarily a free option.

If you are a light user, then you won't notice the throttle and USM is great value. However, I went back to Mint because I'd rather have less data but be able to use it however I choose to at the fastest speed, rather than more data on paper that I cannot use.

[stay_the_course]

DW and I have used US mobile for little over a year, we're satisfied customers. Responsive customer service, no complaints with coverage. I also feel they are slightly more resistant to sim swapping attacks since they don't send port out pins via chat. Instead after identity verification over chat it is sent to your registered email through an automated system.

[enad]

Depending on how you use the phone, have you considered Tracfone? If you end up with excess in any of the 3 buckets you can add a year to the plan for $50 and of course you can add to any bucket if you run short

[nydoc]

US mobile- $44 100 gb high speed data without any slowdown in congestion etc. I was with Verizon before and now US mobile Verizon..data speed is much much better. International roaming is free. I have visited paris, dubai and India in last one week and service is great.

I was in India and Qatar last month, and USM's $15 addon to TMobile service did not work for voice or data (both using LTE/5G) but did work for SMS (2G). When I complained, they said it might be a matter of manually selecting network operators. By then I was back in the US. I did not get my $15 back.

Come to think of it, I had difficulty when first getting USM---something I did with the APNs fixed the problem. So maybe USM is not for beginners.

If you have USM's Verizon service they will sell you separate eSIMs for international (non-North-America) travel, but those are expensive compared to the alternatives.

Why did you get add on? International roaming is included in their unlimited plans and it worked great for me.

[Chuckles960]

Why did you get add on? International roaming is included in their unlimited plans and it worked great for me.

I would say your question answers itself, but I have added bolding to make it even better.

I spend most of my time in places with wifi and struggle to use 2GB of wireless data in a month.

[zhiwiller]

Both allow a low or no cost trial period. Get SIMs for both and try it out in the areas you most need data. I found neither had coverage at my office, which was a dealbreaker, so I went to AT&T prepaid. I've moved since then, so maybe another would be just as good.

I did really struggle with US Mobile's customer service. They had a very hard time porting in or out for me. I know others who have not had that experience so YMMV.

[matthewbarnhart]

If I get a OXXO SIM at the OXXO store in Mexico, is that just plug and play? I went to there website and says I would need to upload an ID and make an account.

We got our TELCEL SIMs at an OXXO in the Mexico City airport, but we're also just using the top-up "Saldo Amigo" option, not a monthly plan.

Our iPhones were already unlocked -- we just inserted the SIMs and activated them. We use the TELCEL app or cash @ an OXXO to top them up as-needed (or every 3 months if we've been out of the country for a bit.)

[BetaTracker]

We have US Mobile and really like it, but when I called their customer security line and asked about setting a security PIN for our eSIM, the support rep didn’t think we needed it … he explained we already have two-factor authorization and another layer of security for our account where US Mobile will demand someone identify each line’s IMEI number, have access to our email accounts and answer three different security questions in order to do anything with our eSIM … he said setting up a security PIN for our eSIM wasn’t necessary. Does that sound correct?

[runr]

We have US Mobile and really like it, but when I called their customer security line and asked about setting a security PIN for our eSIM, the support rep didn’t think we needed it … he explained we already have two-factor authorization and another layer of security for our account where US Mobile will demand someone identify each line’s IMEI number, have access to our email accounts and answer three different security questions in order to do anything with our eSIM … he said setting up a security PIN for our eSIM wasn’t necessary. Does that sound correct?

they offer:
never SIM swap
A feature that restricts all SIM swaps on the account and enables users to request additional verification's to authorize any SIM swaps in their accounts.

no port out
A feature that can be enabled to require extra verification's before any ports are authorized.

account lock down
In addition, users can request their account be locked down such that any significant changes to the account will have to be authenticated and verified before changes are made.

But they don't offer a security PIN for our eSIM. If they did and you forgot it, they would ask you more personal identifiable info. before proceeding, but I still think they should offer it, along with self service port out PIN. I think they behave like Comcast as times.

[michaeljc70]

I'm on Mint and have used Mint (along with several family members) for years. I thought about switching to USM but read too many horror stories on Reddit.

In my area (big city) T-mobile is the best network. I typically get ~800Mbps which is extremely fast.

I got the 1 year special and used my Amex which got me $45 cash back so it was around $150 for a year of unlimited.