Who owns Mint Mobile? It's actually more complicated than you think (2024)

[Editor's note] This just in! T-Mobile has announced that it's looking to acquire Mint Mobile in a recent blog post for a whopping $1.35 billion. According to the press release, all management (including Ryan Reynolds) still stay on board for the foreseeable future - with the takeover set for late 2023. Original article from 2021 follows....

Mint Mobile has really blossomed in popularity over the past few years thanks to the company's association with Deadpool star and gin connoisseur Ryan Reynolds. Of course, it also happens to offer some of the best cheap cell phone plans around right now, but its affiliation and supposed co-ownership with an A-lister has really helped it stand out in the often-too-corporate world of cell phone plans.

However, It's left many of us wondering - is Ryan Reynolds really the owner of Mint Mobile? Well, the answer is yes - sort of. To be more specific, the actor bought a part-ownership stake in the popular prepaid carrier back in 2019 in a highly publicized manner, which raised more than a few eyebrows.

Ryan Reynolds is, therefore, at least a major player and stakeholder in the company and not just the 'public face' who pops up now and again in one of the company's increasingly elaborate and off-the-wall adverts. That said, as you'd imagine, the company didn't start with him solely, and there are plenty more movers and shakers behind the scenes, especially since Mint Mobile's origins lie in another prepaid carrier altogether.

A little Mint Mobile history lesson

Mint Mobile was, in fact, founded back in 2015 as a subsidiary of another prepaid carrier - Ultra Mobile. Interestingly enough, Ultra was a relatively new carrier, having been established itself in 2011 by co-founder David Glickman, who's still a key figure at both companies. To this day, Mint Mobile technically operates as a subsidiary of Ultra Mobile, even though we assume it's just as, if not more, popular these days.

Of course, while linked, both Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile operate as separate companies and cater to different markets. Mint tends to be more online-based and, on the whole, offers more bang-for-the-buck for domestic users. On the other hand, Ultra Mobile offers a really cheap way to get free international calling, and its SIM cards are readily available at stores like 7-Eleven.

If you're currently researching Mint Mobile and are thinking about trying the carrier out, we've included details on the Mint Mobile free trial just below.

The best Mint Mobile deals this weekend

For more Mint-related content, see our Mint Mobile plans guide, the best Mint Mobile phones, or save some bucks with this week's best Mint Mobile deals.