T-Mobile finally owns the Ryan Reynolds-backed Mint Mobile

More than a year after announcing it would acquire Mint Mobile for up to $1.35 billion, T-Mobile has closed the deal. With Un-Carrier’s purchase of parent company Ka’ena Corporation, it will get not only Mint, but also internationally focused prepaid carrier Ultra Mobile and wholesale wireless provider Plum. T-Mobile also promised to keep Mint Mobile’s $15/month/5GB offering, which is among the cheapest in the US.

Mint Mobile is backed by Ryan Reynolds, who is believed to own 20 to 25 percent of the company. The purchase was announced back in March 2023, but the FCC just approved the deal last week. Mint will continue to be run as a separate brand with Reynolds as CEO and founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim joining T-Mobile to lead the brands.

Mint Mobile’s $15 plan has a few loopholes, namely that you have to pay for three months at first to get that price, then pay for a full year to keep it ($180 total). As a bonus, T-Mobile offers “unlimited” (40GB throttling, really) data for the first months. Customers will also get unlimited calls and texts in Canada, along with 3GB of roaming data.

Mint’s rivals include T-Mobile itself, which has a very similar plan but a hard 5GB limit, along with AT&T, which offers 15GB for $25, including 10GB of hotspot data. The latter requires a one-year contract and an upfront payment.

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