I recently did something I probably should have done years ago: I switched to a discount mobile carrier, Mint Mobile.
For many years, I’ve paid around $75 a month with AT&T. I really didn’t consider any other options, as it worked fine and seemed like a reasonable amount to pay. Plus, I assumed that the discount carriers somehow provided worse mobile coverage–why else would they cost so little?
But then I watched a Hank Green video on the subject, and I realized two things: One, discount carriers like Mint use the major networks, so coverage isn’t actually subpar. Two a huge reason why they’re so cheap compared to the major carriers is because those carriers build the cost of the phone into the monthly fee…even if that’s not how you bought your phone.
It was that second point that really got to me, as I bought my last few phones (once every 4-5 years) out of pocket, thinking I was avoiding an unecessary monthly cost. But that’s not the case: I was paying for the phone either way.
Once I realized that, I was out. I looked around at a few options and found that Mint had an option to pay for a year up front for the equivalent of $15 per month. That’s $720 in savings in a single year! It was particularly motivating to know that I was no longer paying that money for a phone I already owned.
Overall, the switch was incredibly easy–it took around 5 minutes at first (just a remote update) after plugging in some details online, followed by adding the Mint Mobile app. It’s almost seamlessly since then, with two exceptions:
One, sometimes when I’m away from the house, data is a bit slow. I tried to load a menu via a QR code at a restaurant this weekend, and it simply wouldn’t load despite multiple tries. Perhaps it was just a peak time, but that was frustrating.
Two, at first, verification codes (like when sending a wire transfer) sent via text message didn’t work. I read that restarting my phone would fix the problem, and it did as far as I can tell.
I’m curious to see how the service works when I’m traveling out of state or out of the country–that’ll be a good test. But it’s been fascinating to see on the Mint app just how little data I use on a normal month. I was paying for so much that I never used.
Have you ever tried a discount mobile carrier? How did it work for you?
Were you at Menya Rui, by chance? We struggle to get the menu to load there, and we’re on Verizon for reference.
I was at Terror Taco. I’ve been to Menya once and thought the ramen was great, but I had to wait in line for 2 hours and then another 45 minutes for the food after we were seated. Has it gotten any faster?
We went on a Friday night over the summer, right at prime time, let’s say 7, and the wait was 45 mins, 20 mins for food. Though busy, I do think it’s calmed a bit from when they got all the desereved notoriety.
Terror Taco sounds fun! Will check it out
Nice! I’ll have to give it another try. 🙂
My wife was on Republic Wireless for a long time with good experience (company now folded into Boost Mobile). I am now on US Mobile and I’m very happy with the exception of going out of state or country. They offer several networks they can work with and I had to switch networks both when I went to UK and Alaska earlier this year. It was annoying but their customer service is pretty good. I’m flying to Asia next month, I’m curious to see what kind of issues I’ll have.
I’m glad it’s worked well for you, and I’m curious if it continues to work well outside the US.
We switched in July. It’s been great.
I’m glad it’s working for you too!