Who owns Mint Mobile?

Screen shot from Mint Mobile - T-Mobile ad
(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

Best answer: After years of using T-Mobile's massive 5G network as an MVNO, Mint Mobile was officially acquired by the carrier in March 2023. The sale, at $1.35 billion, means that the previously Ryan Reynolds-owned prepaid carrier is now officially owned by T-Mobile. We're still waiting to receive all of the details, but T-Mobile has already stated that they will keep Mint's popular $15/month plan as is. 

Mint Mobile: Starting at $15/month

Mint Mobile: <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"">Starting at $15/month

Since Mint Mobile first hit the MVNO scene back in 2015, they've reigned as one of the most popular alternative carriers around, providing excellent T-Mobile coverage with low costs and a humorous approach to marketing. They were recently purchased by T-Mobile, but you can still take advantage of their affordable data plans in 3, 6, and 12-month increments.  

What is Mint Mobile?

As detailed in our Mint Mobile review, this unique prepaid carrier sells its plans in multi-month bundles, rather than on a per-month basis. With prices starting as low as $15 per month for 4GB of data, you can buy up to a year of service at a time and save a load of cash in the process. In addition to that minimum 4GB plan, there is also a 10GB, 15GB, and Unlimited tier capped at 35GB. 

All Mint Mobile plans come with unlimited talk and text, 5G and 4G LTE coverage provided by T-Mobile, free calls to Mexico and Canada, and a 5GB mobile hotspot with select plans. And of course, like all of the best MVNO carriers, there are no contracts or hidden fees whatsoever. 

If you're curious about Mint but aren't ready to commit (comMINT?), the carrier also offers a 7-day free trial that lets you use the service right alongside your existing carrier for a full week without any interruptions. Most of the best Android phones are compatible with Mint, and the carrier is known to offer great deals that could get you a new phone and a full year of wireless service for dirt cheap. 

Mint Mobile plans

(Image credit: Mint Mobile)

Mint Mobile launched back in 2015 as a subsidiary of another MVNO called Ultra Mobile. In 2019, actor Ryan Reynolds made the highly-publicized decision to buy an ownership stake in Mint. After that purchase, Reynolds went on to star in most of the carrier's commercials, adopting a humorous persona that went hand-in-hand with the MVNO's sardonic marketing style.

In March 2023, T-Mobile announced that they had purchased both Ultra Mobile and T-Mobile. This news was shared on YouTube through a characteristically humorous advertisement starring Reynolds and Mike Sievert, the CEO of T-Mobile. You can watch that below. How will this acquisition affect Mint Mobile? Only time will tell.

Mint Mobile: New owner, same great price

Mint Mobile: <a href="https://mint-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/444520/7915?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mintmobile.com%2Fplans%2F" data-link-merchant="mintmobile.com"">New owner, same great price

Although we can no longer call Mint Mobile our "favorite Ryan Reynolds-owned wireless carrier", T-Mobile's recent acquisition of the company will hopefully spell good news for the future of prepaid wireless. While we wait to find out, you can still enjoy excellent T-Mobile coverage for as little as $15 per month with Mint Mobile. 

Patrick Farmer
eCommerce Editor

After almost a decade of working in the e-commerce space, Patrick Farmer (he/him) began his career at Android Central as a Deals and Commerce Writer before moving into a new role as AC's eCommerce Editor in 2023. When he's not hunting down the best deals and offering shopping advice for our readers, you'll often find him listening to music, camping out at a brewery, or treating his cat like a human child. 

With contributions from