Consumer Cellular vs. Mint Mobile

Consumer Cellular vs. Mint Mobile: Plans and Costs

Consumer Cellular plans start at $15 per month for unlimited talk only. Most people will likely want the next tier of plan, which costs $20 per month and includes unlimited talk, unlimited text messages, and 1 GB of data. Consumer Cellular also offers plans with 10 GB of data for $35 per month, or unlimited data for $50 per month.

Consumer Cellular Plans Compared

One of our favorite things about Consumer Cellular is that additional lines come at steep discounts. So while $50 per month is a bit pricey for unlimited data, additional lines only cost $15. Two lines with unlimited data will cost you $65 ($32.50 per line), and three lines will cost you $80 ($27 per line).

Additionally, Consumer Cellular doesn’t impose overage charges. If you exceed your data allowance in a given month, you’ll simply be upgraded to the next tier of plan for that billing period.

Mint Mobile’s plans operate a bit differently. Instead of paying on a monthly basis, users must prepay in 3, 6, or 12-month increments. For example, their 5 GB plan, which they advertise as $15 per month for three months, actually requires a $45 upfront payment.

Making matters more complicated, Mint offers new customers a special discount. Normally, paying for 12 months upfront will get you the lowest monthly price overall. However, if you’re a new customer, you’ll get the 12-month price for the first three months, after which time you’ll be able to renew at the standard pricing.

All Mint Mobile plans include unlimited talk and text. The main difference is the data allowance.

Mint Mobile Plans Compared

While Mint does have an “unlimited” data plan, it’s important to note that this is a bit of a misnomer, as Mint will severely throttle your data speeds after using 40 GB of data. Because of this — and their confusing price structure — we think Consumer Cellular is the better option for both light and heavy data users.

When using a Consumer Cellular unlimited data plan, we didn’t experience anywhere near the level of data throttling that we did on Mint Mobile.

Senior Plan Availability

Mint Mobile’s senior plan starts at $15 per month and includes unlimited talk, unlimited texts, and 5 GB of data. This price, however, only applies to the first three months, and like Mint’s regular service, this three-month amount must be paid upfront, meaning you’ll pay one sum of $45.

After the initial three months, your monthly price may go up depending on how many months you choose to pay for. If you prepay for three months, it‘ll cost $25 per month ($75 total). If you prepay for six months, it'll cost $20 per month ($120 total). If you prepay for 12 months, it'll cost $15 per month ($180 total).

Consumer Cellular’s senior plan is only available to AARP members. With this plan, users get unlimited talk, text, and data for $55 for two lines, and the plan requires no contracts or upfront payments. For all other Consumer Cellular plans, AARP members can save 5 percent on their monthly bill.

Consumer Cellular vs. Mint Mobile: Phones and Devices

Both Consumer Cellular and Mint give you the option to bring your own phone and use it on their network with one of their SIM cards. To see if your current phone is compatible with their networks, you can visit their websites, where they have a tool to check compatibility. Both networks also allow you to keep your existing phone number, in some cases.

In terms of new devices, both providers offer a similar lineup of phones at similar price points. For example, both Consumer Cellular and Mint offer the senior-friendly iPhone SE at $429. For the new iPhone 14, you’ll pay $799 from Consumer Cellular and $829 from Mint. Across the board, you’ll find similar prices on the latest smartphones from Samsung, Apple, and Google.

Both providers also offer one affordable flip phone option. Mint Mobile has the Cat S22 Flip, and Consumer Cellular offers the Verve Snap. In terms of features, both of these phones are similar, each offering simplified controls and hearing aid compatibility.

As far as phones themselves, both providers have similar offerings. Since both providers let you bring your own phone, this likely won’t be a deciding factor when choosing between Mint and Consumer Cellular.

Consumer Cellular vs. Mint Mobile: Coverage

Both Consumer Cellular and Mint are MVNOs, meaning they lease their network from other providers. Mint Mobile uses T-Mobile’s network, while Consumer Cellular uses the networks of both AT&T and T-Mobile.

The downside of an MVNO is that during times of heavy data usage, T-Mobile or AT&T will deprioritize service for the MVNO users. One can expect to see this occur with both Mint and Consumer Cellular.

That said, in our tests, we didn’t notice this occurring with either provider.

Our Favorite

While both Consumer Cellular and Mint Mobile are among our favorite cellular providers, we think that Consumer Cellular is the better option for most people.

For users of minimal data, Consumer Cellular’s $20 plan comes with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 1 GB of data. While Mint Mobile’s 5 GB will initially cost $15 per month, after the first three months, this price will rise unless you choose to pay for an entire year at once ($180 total).

Additionally, unlimited data, while cheaper on Mint Mobile, isn’t truly unlimited. After 40 GB of data usage, you’ll run out of 5G and 4G data, which is no longer enough to accomplish data-intensive tasks.

Because of this, we think Consumer Cellular’s unlimited plan — particularly their AARP — deal, is the better option.

To learn more about this plan, read our full Consumer Cellular review.