Mint Mobile is introducing higher data plans (and higher prices)

It had to happen eventually.

One of the things that makes Mint Mobile stand out against the competition is its unique pricing structure; instead of paying for one month of service at a time, you buy months in bulk. Each plan comes with unlimited talk, text, and 2G data, and you simply select your 4G data allotment and bulk amount — three, six, or twelve months at once — and pay a lump sum that's sometimes even cheaper than a single month with a major carrier.

Starting January 29th, though, those plans are going to change a bit. Mint is kicking up the amount of data you get with each plan — the baseline 2GB offering increases to 3GB, the 5GB plan bumps up to 8GB, and the top-end 10GB plan will move up to 12GB. While that's all good news at first glance, the catch is, of course, that Mint will also be charging more for these new plans.

Mint's three-month plans used to max out at $25 per month (totaling out to $75 for the bundle), but that'll soon be the cheapest option, netting you 3GB of 4G data each month. For 12GB, you'll need to shell out $45 for each month (that's $135 total, nearly double the previous price of 10GB).

Luckily, things aren't nearly as grim with the six-month plans. The previous $18/mo 2GB plan is now $20/mo for 3GB. $24/mo for 5GB becomes $25/mo for 8GB, and $30/mo for 10GB becomes $35/mo for 12GB. If you're buying your service a year at a time, the prices actually aren't changing at all — you'll get the higher data allotments for the same $15/mo, $20/mo, and $25/mo bundles.

The good news is that if you already have Mint service, you'll be grandfathered into the current pricing and still get the new, higher data allowances. That also applies to new customers that sign up before the changeover on the 29th — meaning this is a great time to sign up for Mint if you've been considering it. So long as there's solid T-Mobile coverage in your area, it's a great option to save you a ton on phone service.

Read more: Mint Mobile review: Cheaper, better prepaid cellular plans