Mint Mobile's Kids plan keeps kids connected and parents in control for $15

Key Takeaways

Mint Mobile just launched Mint Kids, a new affordable phone plan designed for children that provides robust parental controls, offering 5GB of data for $15 per month.
The plan uses the T-Mobile network, providing reliable coverage and compatibility with most unlocked phones.
Parents can monitor data usage and upgrade the plan at any time.

While you may remember a time before smartphones, your kids certainly do not, so it makes sense that at some point, they’ll need a phone plan of their own. Mint Kids is a plan from Mint Mobile designed for the kids with plenty of data for a starter plan at 5GB, with all account control is left up to the parents. Mint Mobile is a prepaid carrier owned by T-Mobile that has made a name for itself with a set of multi-month data plans. Since most people don’t actually need a ton of data on their phones, many can save money by switching to one of Mint’s smaller plans.

Unveiled in a press release from T-Mobile, Mint Kids uses the same T-Mobile network as standard Mint Mobile plans, and for the most part, this plan is identical to Mint’s standard 5GB plan. Still, there are some important differences when it comes to account control and advertising that make it a better fit for your kid.

Mint Kids works like a standard Mint plan, with some key differences

Mint makes sure parents stay in control with Mint Kids

While it’s important to trust your kids, that doesn’t mean they need full access to the cell phone plan that you’re paying for. Mint Kids is essentially the same as Mint’s standard plans with a starting price of $45 for three months, which works out to $15 per month, plus taxes and fees. This plan comes with 5GB of high-speed data followed by unlimited data at 2G speeds. That 5GB of data can also be used on another device, like a Chromebook or iPad, thanks to hotspot support. If your family spends a lot of time traveling, the kids can still work on their online homework when there’s no Wi-Fi.

If you’ve got more than one kid, Mint allows you to have up to five lines per account, so two parents and three kids can all be on the same account. It’s important to note that the $15 per month price Mint Mobile advertises doesn’t tell the whole story. As an introductory rate, you can get three months of Mint Mobile service for $45 per month, which works out to $15 per month. After that, a three-month plan comes in at $25 per month, six months is $20 per month, and 12 months gets you back to $15 per month. With Mint Family set up, you can get the 12-month plan but only pay every three months, keeping the low price but making payments a little easier on the checking account.

To get a Mint Kids plan, set up a Mint plan like normal, and select the option for Mint Kids during the sign-up process. If you want to go straight to a bigger plan or want to get the best deal on a bundled phone, you can also pick up a discount year of service with the new phone from Mint’s Deals page.

Mint Kids could be the right pick for your kid’s first phone. Andrew Fried, SVP of Direct to Consumer at Mint Mobile said, “At Mint Mobile, we know how important it is for families to stay connected. We’re listening to parents who tell us they want a safe, reliable and affordable way for their kids to have a phone. With Mint Kids, we’re answering that call, offering a plan that’s easy for parents to manage and gives them peace of mind with kid-sized pricing and essential connectivity.”

Ryan Reynolds announced the plan in a new commercial.

How is it different from a standard Mint plan?

Parents are in control

So far, all of this looks a lot like Mint’s standard plans, but one key difference is that your kid won’t be able to make account changes on their own, and won’t receive marketing messages from Mint Mobile. If your kid spends a lot of time connected to Wi-Fi at school or home, 5GB of data should be plenty, but if their needs grow, you can upgrade their plan to Mint’s 15GB, 20GB, Unlimited (40GB) at any time by paying the difference in price. You’ll be able to see how much data they’re using, so you don’t need to waste any money upgrading them before they’re ready.

If you’re looking for an affordable way to help keep your kids connected, Mint Mobile is a solid choice, along with some of the other best value data plans. The T-Mobile network behind it has strong 5G coverage across the country, and the network works with most of the best unlocked phones, so you might even be able to give your kid your old phone to break, instead of buying them a new one.