Which Mint Mobile plan is best for iPhone users?

California-based Mint Mobile is a discount mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that provides prepaid data plans in the U.S. starting at just $15 per month. Available for unlocked phones only, the service uses T-Mobile's national network and offers plans with unlimited talk and text, plus a limited amount of 4G LTE data per month of your choice. Once the allocated 4G LTE data is exhausted, you can purchase additional gigabits on the fly or wait until the start of the next month of your prepaid plan to begin. In the interim, your data speed drops to 128 kbps.

With Mint Mobile, there are no contracts. Instead, you buy prepaid data. These are available with 3-, 8-, or 12GB of 4G LTE data per month. Plans are available for 3, 6, and 12 months at one time.

Introductory 3 month plans:

• 3GB, $15 per month, regularly $25 per month
• 8GB, $20 per month, regularly $35 per month
• 12GB, $25 per month, regularly $45 per month

6 month plans:

• 3GB, $20 per month, $120 total
• 8GB, $25 per month, $150 total
• 12GB, $35 per month, $210 total

12 month plans:

• 3GB, $15 per month, $180 total
• 8GB, $20 per month, $240 total
• 12GB, $25 per month, $300 total

The best way to determine which plan is right for you is to look at your past usage on your previous bills. Additionally, take into account that each Mint Mobile prepaid data plan includes the ability to share your data to your other devices as a mobile hotspot.

If you're about to exceed your monthly limit, you can purchase additional data, starting at $10 for 1GB through the Mint Mobile website or app. You can also recharge your data at any time or change your future plan with ease. For example, perhaps your purchased a plan with 3GB per month and now you want one with 8GB of data each month instead.

Each plan comes with a free SIM card and provides national coverage. You can also purchase international roaming calls and text credits starting at $5.