Five Ways Mint Mobile is disrupting the mobile service industry

Gone are the days when having a phone meant signing up for a costly plan with one of the four (or now three) major carriers. These days, there are plenty of other options — and some of those options are proving to be more innovative and better value than the major options anyway. That's exactly the case for the Ryan Reynolds-owned Mint Mobile, which has been changing the game for some time.

Not convinced? There are a ton of ways in which Mint Mobile is changing things. Here's how.

Direct-to-Consumer means huge savings

Mint Mobile was the first online-only wireless brand, and the result is that it's so far ahead of the competition in offering a streamlined, online approach to wireless service.

You might notice that you've probably never seen a Mint Mobile store. That's because Mint Mobile sells its service directly to customers. The result of that is that the company can seriously cut down on how much it has to spend to keep the company running -- and that means that it can pass savings straight on to you, the customers. Ultimately, you'll pay far less on Mint than you would on one of the major, bloated carriers.

5G is free. Like actually free

Some major carriers are charging extra for a more reliable and robust network that you may not have asked for, or even need. Mint, however, is doing quite the opposite, and that's great news for you. 5G is a relatively huge evolution in mobile service. Mint has embraced 5G completely and offers 5G for Free on every single plan it offers. That means that if you're in an area where 5G is available, and have a 5G-compatible phone, you'll get 5G connectivity for free, simply as part of your usual plan, and without seeing additional charges on your bill.

The 5G network that Mint uses is pretty big too. Actually, it's the largest in the nation. Mint is an MVNO, which basically means that it piggybacks off of another network. In this case, that network is T-Mobile, and that's really good news for you considering T-Mobile has the largest, most reliable 5G network out there.

Buying in bulk means even more savings

If you've ever been to Costco, you know all about buying in bulk. Buying in bulk means that you can get more for less -- and it turns out, that applies to mobile service too. Mint Mobile allows customers to buy their mobile service in months at a time, ensuring that customers can cut down on costs and pay the cheapest service possible. Packages on Mint Mobile range from three to 12 months. Mint's best rates are on 12-month plans. What's more, if you ever need more data at any point in the year you can either add more data through a $10 add on, but the better value is typically to upgrade to the next data plan. The best part is Mint charges a prorated upgrade to the next data offering. You can always add more, but you cannot lower your data allotment until your next paid renewal.

Mint helps you make sure you're paying for what you actually need

Mint wants to make sure you get the best plan for your needs. No, really, it does, and to that end if you're paying more for a plan that you're not fully taking advantage of, the company will message you with a tailor-made plan that will better suit your needs, and cost less.

For the really high data users, Mint also has an unlimited data plan that comes at only $30 per month, which is honestly quite a lot cheaper than the competition. That said, Mint also knows that most people don't need unlimited data, which is exactly when UnliMINTed comes in. UnliMINTed is Mint's service whereby it analyzes how much data a customer is actually using, and actively suggests a lower-cost plan that might better suit their needs.

Switching is easier with eSIM

Mint Mobile may not have physical stores, but it's still easier than ever to switch to the carrier without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. Mint became the first MVNO to offer full support for the iPhone's eSIM technology, which basically means that with a compatible phone, you can simply select your plan and activate it through eSIM. We've talked to Mint and hear they are also working with select Android OS partners, and we can expect more eSIM from Mint in the future. Mint Mobile is one of the few carriers to offer this feature. In fact, other carriers have actively tried to block it. Why? Because it makes switching away from them easy, and with companies like Mint Mobile out there, that's something for them to be afraid of.

You can sign up for Mint Mobile service for yourself straight from the Mint Mobile website. Before you do, we recommend a quick search for Mint Mobile referral code. Using a referral code at checkout will get a $15 renewal credit. The referrer gets $15 too so there are lots of forums and codes out there.