Boost Mobile: What Are the Pros and Cons?
- Offers free phones
- Wide variety of devices sold
- Wide variety of ways to get customer support
- Phone plans for wide variety of budgets
- Prepaid and postpaid options available
- Works on three networks
- No truly unlimited data plans
- Boost's native 5G network isn't available nationwide
Phone Plans
Data Only Plans
How Boost Mobile Plans Work
A Brief History Of Boost Mobile
In 2002 Boost Mobile officially launched in the USA in a partnership with Nextel Communications. The company offered walkie talkie 2 way radio like functionality with its push to talk service over Nextel’s iDEN network. Subscribers paid a dollar a day for the service to get unlimited talk and text.
In 2006 Sprint purchased Nextel Communications and hence the Boost Mobile brand. Almost immediately the company began offering service on Sprint’s CDMA network in select markets, while still maintaining its push to talk service in many markets. It wasn’t until 2013 that Sprint and Boost Mobile fully retired Boost’s iDEN network in favor of Sprint’s CDMA network.
On July 1, 2020, Boost Mobile was officially purchased by DISH from T-Mobile. DISH also signed an MVNO agreement to use T-Mobile’s network to provide its subscribers with coverage.
In July 2021, DISH announced that it signed an agreement with AT&T to allow AT&T to provide wireless service to its MVNO partners including Boost Mobile.
On November 18th, 2021, Boost Mobile formally announced its first wireless plans to take advantage of the AT&T network. The new were named Carrier Crusher plans.
In March 2023, BestMVNO reported that DISH began to send out Rainbow SIMs to some of its Boost Mobile dealers. Rainbow SIMs allow customers to activate service using Boost’s native network, the Boost 5G network. They also allow roaming service on AT&T and T-Mobile. Since then Boost Mobile has been focusing on adding more customers onto its own native network, as well as AT&T’s network in preference over T-Mobile.
Boost Mobile is estimated to have 6.9m subscribers as of 08/03/23. DISH, now Echostar, no longer gives subscriber counts for its wireless brands, so this number had to be extrapolated from an earnings transcript provided by Tucows and remarks from their management. Tucows provides Echostar and Boost Mobile with a platform to use to onboard wireless customers.
On July 17, 2024, Boost Mobile rebranded. A new logo was released which is shown at the top of this webpage, plans were updated, and Boost Infinite, a postpaid offering, was merged into the Boost Mobile brand. As a result of the brand merger, Boost Mobile is capable of offering both prepaid and postpaid services. According to information shared by a dealer with BestMVNO, customers who finance handsets or pay for certain add-ons in stores may be migrated to from prepaid to Boost Mobile postpaid.
Boost Mobile Phone Plans Fine Print
As a result of the rebrand, Boost Mobile offers 4 wireless plans online. All plans offered are “unlimited” and guaranteed high-speed data allotments vary from 30GB to 50GB depending on the plan you are subscribed to. Customers activated on and using Boost’s native 5G network will have unlimited high-speed data. Customers using or activated on AT&T, or T-Mobile’s network will be subjected to the high-speed data limits just described. After those limits are surpassed during a monthly billing cycle data speeds are reduced to 512Kbps until the next billing cycle starts. Plan pricing ranges from $25/month to $65/month.
Some plans include taxes and fees, some do not. Boost Mobile’s “Infinite Access” plans include either a free iPhone or a free Samsung Galaxy every year with savings of up to $830 on the cost of a phone. The Infinite Access plans are considered postpaid plans and require a soft credit check. A summary of all plans can be found below.
| Unlimited | Unlimited+ | Unlimited Premium | Infinite Access (Postpaid) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Line Price | $25 (with autopay) | $50 (with autopay) | $60 (with autopay) | $65 |
| Taxes & Fees Included | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| High-Speed Data* | 30GB | 40GB | 50GB | 30GB |
| Hotspot | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Talk & Text to International Numbers | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Canada & Mexico Roaming | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*High-speed data allotment only applies to usage on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. If you go over the limit on either network your data speeds will be reduced to 512Kbps until your next billing cycle starts. Some dealers and Boost Mobile subscribers have reported to BestMVNO that high-speed data usage while connected to the native Boost 5G network is unlimited.
Available Plan Add-Ons
Boost Mobile offers several plan add-ons. If your plan is missing a feature you’d like or you need more high-speed data you can choose from the following options.
- Hotpost – add hotspot to your plan for an additional $10/month
- High-speed data – $10/month for 10GB
- Premium Visual Voicemail – $3/month – transcribe voicemails to email, text, or your visual voicemail inbox. Flag messages as high or low importance. Compose notes and attach them to messages. Create and organize folders to store your messages
- Global Talk and Text – $10/month – place calls and texts to international numbers
- North America Connect – $10/month – roam in Canada and Mexico. Includes 5GB of roaming data
- Global Roaming – talk, text, and data usage while traveling internationally. $20/month.
- Boost Protect – $8/month – phone insurance. Covers you in the event of theft or damage.
- Boost Family Guard – $10/month – parental control app. Allows parents to track their child’s location, establish safety zones and regulate screen time
- Boost Secure Connect – $4/month – VPN usage
- Unlimited Gamez – $5/month – cloud gaming platform with hundreds of ad-free games available
- Juega YA! – $5/month – cloud-based Spanish game service
- Mini-Me Videos – $5/month – Ad-free videos and shows for kids
- Mini-Me Games – $5/month – Ad-free educational games for kids
How To Port Out Of Boost Mobile
Porting out requires you to contact Boost Mobile in order to obtain your account number. A PIN number is also needed to port out. Your PIN number is the same that you use to login to your online account with.
Phone Unlock Policy
Boost Mobile will unlock your device provided that you have used it for 12 months on their network. For full details about Boost Mobile's device unlocking policy please review this post.
Boost Mobile
This wireless plan's guide is part of BestMVNO's comprehensive coverage of Boost Mobile. See BestMVNO's coverage of the latest Boost Mobile news or visit the links below to sign up for service, or configure your APN settings.