Another US carrier responds with free unlimited data for all to the coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t hit the US quite as hard as China, Italy, Iran, or Spain… just yet, but you should already try to avoid human contact as much as possible to not contribute to the rapid spread of a disease that’s killed more than 6,500 people around the world at the time of this writing.
Following T-Mobile’s suit, Mint Mobile is also “updating its service” to allow all current and new customers to add unlimited 3GB increments of data to their accounts through April 14 for free. While this is a much smaller mobile network operator with only a fraction of Magenta’s subscriber base, its move arguably deserves even more praise when you consider the incredibly low rates of Mint’s plans.
Owned by none other than Ryan Reynolds (yes, that Ryan Reynolds), the online-only MVNO normally charges a measly $15, $20, and $25 a month for plans including 3, 8, and 12 gigs of 4G LTE data respectively. The catch is you need to pay for three months of service upfront, but still, those are some crazy low prices for plans that also come with unlimited talk and text.
No matter which of the three are you subscribed to, you can now add as many 3GB high-speed data allotments as you need by tapping “account” and then “buy more data” in the latest version of the Mint Mobile app for your iPhone or Android handset. Technically, you will be charged for every such move you make, but until April 14, you will also be refunded within 24 hours for each “purchase” of extra 4G LTE data.
That system doesn’t sound… ideal, especially with banks likely to keep you waiting far longer than 24 hours for your credit card refund, but it’s the gesture that counts. Then again, we already knew we could count on the good old “merc with a mouth”, right?