I received an interesting e-mail from Mint Mobile just now:
I haven’t found anything about this on the web site yet.
After all the effort I put in to the Canada problem, they do this. I am simultaneously pleased and irritated.
At least this should be working by the time I visit a friend in Canada for her annual barbecue party.
I will still buy a North American regional eSIM profile for my next trip. I’ll believe it after I’ve seen it.
I found this FAQ on their website:
Thank you. This is useful stuff to know. Assuming this actually works it will make my trips to Canada much easier.
My next Canada trip will be some time in August. I see four possible connection results.
Highest probability, based on prior experience: Neither Mint or Boost works, and I’m dependent on an eSIM profile for any level of functionality away from WiFi.
Next level, Mint works and Boost doesn’t.
Next, Boost works and Mint doesn’t. Given that I’ve been battling first RW/Dish then Boost on the issue for 3 years, this is the less likely of the one-works-one-doesn’t outcomes.
Least likely, both carriers work.
Gee, you’d think I’ve had roaming problems in Canada. 
In the last year, Mint in Canada has gone from manageable voice charges and barking insane data charges, to completely inert on cellular if you haven’t purchased a Minternational Pass, to (if it works) free up to 3GB of data with voice and text service. The Minternatonal Pass covered Canada for, what, two or three months? I’m getting dizzy. 
If Mint does work again in Canada now, it’s good to see that they did one thing that I always mention to people about Mint. They do not cut off your data completely if you run out the high-speed allotment. The 128kbps rate will choke video and high-quality audio apps, but all other apps not blocked by the roaming carrier or geo-blocked by the app owner should function correctly, if slowly.
I’m hoping they both work, but I’m not betting on either one.
I’m placing my bet on Mint working. Remember, T-Mobile’s acquisition of Mint is now complete. The change to 3 GB of international roaming in Canada comes after the T-Mobile acquisition.
I’m not even going to hazard a guess on DISH/Boost.
What I remember from my first Canada trip after getting Mint was needing two days of chatting on the app via WiFi with support to get anything cellular working. Calling RW/Dish (via Skype Out) was even less productive. That line was inert.
The most recent round of fun was at the end of May, when while in Canada, to use Mint WiFi calling, I had to try to make a call, which went to cellular and diverted to a recording of the Mint fox trying to sell me a Minternational Pass. Then I would hang up and WiFi calling was available. Repeat every time the WiFi network changed. What is now the Boost line was inert. 2 to 3 hours on Skype Out to Boost support did not change that.
I reserve judgement until August.
I’ll check my Mint app on July 24th and see if the entry for Canada shows up.
To be clear, I have no problems with Mint domestic service. It works well and is cost-effective for me. Canadian roaming, however, has been a train wreck from the word go. I’ll be happy to see it working, but given my experiences, it is presumed broken until tested to work.
Mint is getting the word out several ways. I just received the following SMS:
Since it said “Headed Back” I am assuming I got this because the system knows I’ve been to Canada recently,
I checked my Mint App this morning. An entry for “Free Canada Roaming” has appeared under the Account menu of the Android app. I will find out next month if this means anything.
I’m heading out on my next Canada trip tomorrow. I will find out the very hard way if either of Mint or Boost handles Canada roaming worth a darn. This is because I ran into a problem with esim.me. They use a sign-on system that, to put it politely, is indicative of severe dain bramage. You put your registered address into the app (there is no reason I can see for this, it’s a local operation) and they e-mail you an authentication code. This becomes more daft than it seems at first when you are having e-mail problems. As I can’t sign in due to this problem, there is no point in buying an eSIM profile that I cannot load.
Here’s hoping that at least one of the carriers works in the Great White North. It has become normal for Waze to steer me around an hour or so worth of traffic backups on these trips. This worked back in the days of Mint charging $EEK/MB for data. Expensive, but functional.
In any event, when I eventually get the e-mail situation sorted so that I can communicate with Telco Village, I will…strongly suggest that they revise their app.
I’ll report back on the results of the trip. Both carriers will be attempted.
I made it into Canada. Mint bobbled briefly at the border, then worked.
Boost went inert immediately. After an hour talking to support, they said, again. that they think they found the problem and have submitted it to another division to fix.
Expecting to hear back after I return to the US.
Just got an email acknowledging the service call. This email gets through. Hmph.
So, how many times is this now?
About six or seven now, since we’ve been at this for three years now. Twice a year, calling from On Route centers, hotel rooms , an auto shop waiting room, and even a kitchen table.
It is sbout 10:40 on Sunday and my Boost line is still inert. I’ll be home in six hours.
The final result from the Mint angle: the new Canada roaming works. You will lose connectivity when you cross the border while your phone spends a few minutes haggling with Canadian carriers, then service will work as normal. Voice, SMS/MMS and data functioned with no issues that I could find. (Given my prior experience, this was a surprise.)
With this, I have no real reason to continue chewing on Boost about the Canada issue other than “it’s supposed to work”. I will continue to do so anyway, because “it’s supposed to work”.
I will also thump on Telco Village about the point of failure on their authentication system. I no longer need the eSIM module, but if it happened to me, it can happen to someone else.
I got a call from Boost Mobile International Tech Support at around 1:12PM.
They claim to have triple-checked it this time and Canada roaming should be working now.
Assuming that: 1) I haven’t dumped them for some reason by then, and 2) They still exist at the time, I’ll find out in May of 2025 if they got it right.
I did make the point that the turn-around time on this sort of thing should be minutes, not days. If I’d actually had to depend on this “service”, I’d have had problems. It works (mostly) in the US, and with the various credits, the cost is low enough that the redundancy is useful. Geocaching sometimes takes me out of Mint service range, and I’ve only hit one small town so far where both lines had no service.