Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: Which carrier should you use?

Comparing Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid makes perfect sense for anyone who wants reliable coverage without having to pay prohibitive prices. As far as prepaid wireless carriers are concerned, these are easily two of the best options available out there. Mint Mobile—a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that utilizes the network infrastructure of T-Mobile—its parent company. AT&T Prepaid—as its name suggests—is operated by and uses the network infrastructure of AT&T. Backed by two of the 'Big Three' carriers in the United States, these two service providers have nationwide network coverage and offer a variety of no-contract plans for you to pick from.

Mint Mobile is unique because it requires you to pay in advance for multiple months of service, thus saving you money in the long term. On the other hand, AT&T Prepaid comes with monthly plans, but you stand to save some cash by signing up for multiple lines. As awesome as both these no-contract carriers are, which one of them is the better overall option?  Let's see how Mint Mobile and AT&T Prepaid stack up against each other.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost Mobile | Tello | Cricket Wireless

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: How many lines do you need?

If you just need one line, you can save a lot of money with Mint Mobile, thanks to its low 12-month rates that are offered for the first three months as introductory rates. Of course, there's 'Mint Family' that allows you to manage up to five lines (including the account manager) via a single account, and although no multi-line discounts are available, you can get the carrier's lowest rates renewed at three-month intervals for all family members, making payments a lot more manageable. You are free to mix and match plans for the entire family group.

Conversely, AT&T Prepaid gives multi-line discounts for up to five lines (including the account manager) and majority of its plans are offered on a monthly basis. That said, there are also two multi-month discounted plans (requiring advance payment) if you need just one line. There are three plans available for multi-line discounts, and they can be mixed and matched for the whole family group. 

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: Mint Mobile's plans

Mint Mobile lets you save by offering its service in chunks of three, six, or 12 months, which means you save more by signing up for a longer service term. If you don't feel comfortable paying a lot of money upfront, you can start off with a three-month plan and renew it for 12 months, while locking in the affordable introductory pricing.

There are four plans available, and each comes with a promotion that gives you the first three months for the same monthly rate as if you've bought the service for a full year. This is great if you're unsure if Mint Mobile is the right fit for you, and if the 7-day free trial isn't enough.

You'll need to pay attention, though. After your initial three months end, your pricing will return to standard rates. Luckily, Mint Mobile will send you a message to let you know about the renewal options when the time comes.

If you need lots of data, you can get Mint Mobile's unlimited plan, which is capped at 40GB of high-speed data and offers 10GB of mobile hotspot data each month. After this 40GB, you're not cut off entirely, but connection speed is reduced.  It's still going to be enough for things like messaging and some web browsing but won't do much for video streaming and other data-heavy use cases. The unlimited plan costs $30 a month if you sign up for an entire year. The other plans offer 5GB, 15GB, and 20GB of data (with shared hotspot usage) at similarly affordable prices. Of course, all taxes and fees are extra.

If you're on any one of the three base plans, you can add more high-speed data at a rate of $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB. For the unlimited (40GB) plan, $15 gets you 5GB and $20 gives you 10GB.

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: AT&T Prepaid's plans

AT&T has a total of seven plans, including two multi-month plans. The cheapest plan comes with 5GB of data and costs $30 a month. Next is the $40 a month plan, which costs $40 a month and offers 15GB of data, while also adding international texting to over 230 countries. The two multi-month plans have effective prices of $33 a month (advance payment for 3 months) and $25 a month (upfront payment for 12 months), and offer 8GB and 16GB of monthly data, respectively.

The most expensive plan by AT&T Prepaid is the Unlimited MAX + Hotspot plan, with a cost of $55 a month. Along with usual benefits like unlimited talk, text, and data, it gives you 50GB of high-speed data, 25GB of mobile hotspot data, HD streaming, up to 100GB of cloud storage, and more.

It's worth noting that all the above-mentioned prices include autopay discounts, and all taxes and fees are extra.

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: Get the right coverage

In years past, it would've been a foregone conclusion that AT&T's network was going to be better than T-Mobile's, but thanks to continued investment and additions, the latter has made huge strides in its overall coverage. Both carriers are equally capable when it comes to the now previous-generation LTE coverage.

Of course, things change when we talk about the latest 5G. T-Mobile now claims to cover well over 300 million users through its (low-band and mid-band) 5G network, which is arguably the best in the United States right now.

Similarly, AT&T claims to cover almost 295 million users via its (low-band and mid-band) network. Things are getting better, but AT&T's coverage still trails T-Mobile's in the country. Still, we'd suggest checking the relevant carrier's coverage map before you decide to sign up with either Mint Mobile or AT&T Prepaid, so that you can get a better idea about the coverage in your area.

Fortunately, all of Mint Mobile's plans and all but one of AT&T Prepaid's plans come with 5G access, so you aren't likely to face any issues with high-speed connectivity, even more so now that even the best cheap Android phones support 5G.

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: International usage

Both Mint Mobile and AT&T Prepaid offer international calling benefits. The rates for other countries vary quite a bit, so you should check on the relevant carrier's website before you make a call. On AT&T Prepaid, you get free talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada with all but the 5GB and $40 per month Unlimited plan. Mint Mobile has Mexico and Canada usage bundled with all its plans as well. 

There are also add-on packages available for international usage with both carriers. For example, AT&T Prepaid has a $10 per month add-on (for a single line) that offers 250 minutes of calling to over 70 countries around the world. Similarly, Mint Mobile comes with a 'Minternational Pass' add-on that starts at $5 per day and includes not only calling and texting to more than 180 countries across the globe, but also data.

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: Which phones work?

AT&T Prepaid and Mint Mobile both sell phones through their websites. Mint Mobile offers many of the high-end devices you would expect from any carrier, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the Google Pixel 9 line-up. You can also choose from a variety of cheaper devices if you don't need a whole lot of bells and whistles, but only a secondary phone. The carrier even bundles some phones with its yearly plans, thus giving you more bang for your buck(s).  

AT&T Prepaid also offers phones, although majority of them are lower-end devices. There are some decent phones available too, but if you want something a little more premium, you'll need to buy it elsewhere and use the BYOD option to use it.

Both networks are compatible with nearly all of the best Android phones, although 5G on AT&T may not be supported on as many devices as it'll be with T-Mobile. You'll be able to check your phone's compatibility when you sign up for either carrier using the IMEI number of your device.

Mint Mobile vs. AT&T Prepaid: Which should you get?

Quite frankly, the answer isn't really that simple. AT&T Prepaid offers solid value for a lot of users, thanks to its multi-line and multi-month discounts, but the carrier falls behind when it comes to affordability and 5G network availability. Combined, these two prepaid operators offer some of the best cell phone plans available out there.

With Mint Mobile, you get a far more straightforward structure with simpler data plans and service terms being available in three durations. Mint Mobile also includes full access to T-Mobile's 5G network, but you don't get much in terms of multi-line or multi-month discounts.

So, if you need just a few lines, have light data needs, and don't really mind paying in advance for multiple months, Mint Mobile is definitely going to be the best option for you. However, if you're a heavy data user and want to have your entire family switch over to a no-contract service, AT&T Prepaid will suit your requirements just fine

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost Mobile | Tello | Cricket Wireless