

That last part - the lack of an extra charge for 5G users - is a huge boon for Mint, compared to other services.

If you've got a 5G phone for your Mint service, you can take advantage of T-Mobile 5G infrastructure, for no extra cost compared to regular 4G service. T-Mobile offers nationwide 5G service, and that's been extended to MVNOs like Mint. A starter kit is available at Amazon (opens in new tab) for $5 so that you can test out the service with 100MB of LTE data, 100 text messages and 60 minutes of talk time to see how coverage is you get the $5 as a bill credit if you sign up for the service. To that end, Mint provides a map on its website (opens in new tab) that will help you determine if the service will work for you. Still, it all comes down to coverage and Mint's availability in your area. I'm very well aware that in my jet lagged and panic fueled stupor I may have missed a step or forgot to change a setting, but I'd like to think I was quite thorough.Mint Mobile coverage map (Image credit: Mint Mobile)

However, I initially chose them because of their straightforward international plan.

I also tried manually connecting to o2 and Vodafone networks (the other major carriers in Germany) but wasn't able to (no surprise there).Īside from my travel woes, I've had no trouble at all with Mint Mobile. The only network I could connect to was Mint's 3G. I couldn't connect to any networks in Germany, which was strange because I couldn't walk anywhere through any city in Germany without seeing a T Mobile store. Easy, right? Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. However, I was able to successfully purchase a $5 pack and another $20 pack, so I chalked it up to a "the vending machine ate my quarters" moment.Īfter burning $20 and finally getting data I tried to connect to a network. Also, I checked my account immediately after the purchase and it never showed up in my account at all. I emailed support and they told me that I used all the data already, which I found odd because I'm quite sure I didn't burn through 20 credits of data in the span of 10 minutes. The first time I bought $20 of UpRoam Data it never showed up in my account. Texting and calling worked fine, but I ran into two problems: adding data via UpRoam, and connecting to networks. I don't see many posts about how well Mint Mobile's international data works, so I figured I'd write about my own personal experience with them during my recent trip to Germany with my OnePlus 6.
