Mint 55+ -- Mini-Review

Reviews
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Mint offers a cell phone plan for seniors (55 & up) called Mint 55+. We opened an account and are currently testing their service using this plan. The tests are going well. This is not an in-depth report, just sharing some of our initial findings.

You can get more details about the plan at – Cell Phone Plans for Seniors (Mint 55+) | Mint Mobile

There is some bias because we’re using old Moto G6 phones with an older version of Android and no 5G. The Motorola phones feel under powered when compared to our newer Samsung phones, but they are adequate for this initial testing. We have been able to test calling and data, including SMS/MMS and WiFi calling. The only disappointment, we cannot get visual voicemail to setup. Something like this happened with the original Republic Wireless and a Google update to the phone app (if memory serves). These tests also give us a chance to use the special 55+ support, the Mint Mobile phone app, and the web portal.

Mint advertises that the following is exclusive to Mint 55+

FREE MINTech Advisors service. These advisors help with a wide range of areas like
Full Service Activation
Transfer of your existing phone number (or setup of new number)
Cancel and transfer of your service to Mint. Advisor told this includes conducting a 3-way call with porting staff from both carriers to get the porting done.

I played the old somewhat low tech 55+ user (think I was playing :wink:). Advisor never got frustrated or made us feel rushed. They displayed a high level of knowledge (or at least had good documents to follow). Either way, we got the job done!

The advisor did an outstanding job of walking us through everything needed to get the phones operational on the Mint network. This included SIM installation all the way through complete account setup. This also included adding members to the Family Plan and other items to make the experience as painless as possible.

We find the phone app easy to use. You can determine the status of your account, data use, and any upcoming payments. Can also update or change plans in the app for all the Family members’ phones. One login – one stop – and you’re good to go for all account management needs.

The web portal is also well done and easy to use. We actually prefer the web portal over the phone app. The laptop has a larger screen for the old eyes and a full-size keyboard for the fat fingers!

A big plus in our book – we have never had more than a 3 minute wait (knock on wood) when calling the MINTech 55+ support.

Not sure if this is where we’ll end up when we leave Boost Infinite/RW. We’re still waiting for the dust to settle on the migration of our phones from RW by DISH to BI by DISH. One phone made the migration but the second one has a migration error that BI says RW must address. Don’t want to contend with both BI and RW porting processes. Fingers crossed the second phone issue gets corrected soon.

Hope this helps others considering the 55+ plan.

UPDATE 9-18-2023

The hotspot works well. We don’t use this often but it’s a nice option to have. Something that isn’t always an option in other plans!

WiFi calling is clear and reliable. You do need to enable WiFi calling in the plan and on your phone. At least we had to enable WiFi calling on the Moto phones.

We did not go into any detail in the plan pricing. That information can/probably will change and it depends on what each person needs. There are many combinations that hopefully will meet each person’s needs. FWIW - we have no problem committing to a longer term renewal for good pricing.

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It’s worth mentioning Mint generally requires a minimum three-month commitment. After that initial three months, Mint’s best pricing requires a one-year commitment. There is a seven-day trial period. After that, there are no refunds. I’m not saying this should be a deal breaker for all (it is for me). I’m not interested in paying anyone a year in advance.

Are Mint’s minimum commitments different for its 55+ plan offering? Does the 55+ offering provide any perks beyond “MINTech Advisors” (ordinarily a $15 add-on if memory serves correctly)?

Folks considering Mint might also wish to check out recent Trustpilot reviews:

Sadly, Mint’s reviews over the last year on Trustpilot are about as bad as those of RW by DISH.

Mint Mobile

Screenshot 2023-09-17 at 8.13.25 PM

Republic Wireless by DISH

Screenshot 2023-09-17 at 8.14.53 PM

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Interesting for Mint results.

I’ve been using Mint on my primary line for a little over 2.5 years, and have had no trouble with them at all. The only time I had to contact support was when some friends were migrating from T-Mobile to Mint for the savings. I used the Mint app on my phone to chat with a technician, who helped us complete the migration. The complicated part was setting up a flip phone for the wife of the couple, who can’t use smart phones due to vision issues. The process completed in under 15 minutes.

For me, paying in advance for a year was not an issue. I am used to paying up front for savings benefits in other areas, this was just the same old applied to phone service. Even with the appalling cost of Canada data roaming, I was saving far more on the base service than I lost on the roaming, and now I’ve side-stepped that problem.

I know this is the aggravating “it works for me” type of statement, but that is all I can really say. The only coverage problem I have had is that in some rural areas I will lose signal. This has proven to be more of an irritant than a severe problem. I don’t have a 5G phone, so I can’t comment on that, and I’m not much of a datavore, so I can get away with the Mintimum plan. :slight_smile:

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Coverage was the only problem I had when I did a 7-day trial. But, that was enough for me to discontinue Mint and stay with RW.

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My sense about Mint from reading through recent Trustpilot reviews and perusing their subreddit is so long as matters go as expected and coverage is adequate, one will be reasonably satisfied. It’s when help is needed from Mint support to correct something not working as expected that matters seem to go south. Given, by the time one might need meaningful assistance from Mint support, one might already be committed for up to a year, that’s problematical for those citing a negative support experience with Mint.

Each of us has our own experience. Yours is as valid as anyone else’s. The point of my calling attention to Mint’s Trustpilot reviews isn’t to refute your individual experience or that of anyone else. It’s intended as additional context one might want to be aware of when considering Mint as a potential service provider.

If Mint offered something longer than a 7-day trial before requiring a non-refundable multi-month committment, I’d be less concerned about other’s experience and, perhaps, more willing to give Mint the benefit of some doubt.

Finally, in case it matters to anyone, Mint is in the process of being acquired by T-Mobile. I find it ironic that Mint continues to market itself as an alternative to “big wireless” while in the process of selling itself to “big wireless” but to each their own.

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@rolandh – this hits the nail on the head as the primary reason I posted my experiences in the first place. The additional context from the other posts adds value to the thread.

Did not go into any detail about the pricing in the original post because that information can (probably will) change and it depends on what each person needs. There are many combinations that hopefully will meet each person’s needs if they decide to try Mint. We have no problem committing to a longer term renewal for good pricing.

Plan to add an update to the original post once we have some additional test experiences. This should help keep our findings in one easy to find place at the start of the thread.

1 Like