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Boost Mobile in 2023: 11 Things To Know Before You Sign Up

1. What is Boost Mobile?

Boost Mobile is a prepaid cell phone carrier. It was originally an Australian brand founded by Peter Adderton in 2000. Boost Mobile was quickly brought to the U.S. in 2001 in partnership with Nextel Communications. 

Nextel merged with Sprint in 2005, and Boost Mobile became a Sprint prepaid carrier. Then, in 2020 Sprint merged with T-Mobile. T-Mobile sold Boost Mobile to Dish as part of the merger agreement.

Today, Dish continues to own and operate Boost Mobile. Boost Mobile will eventually use the Dish network to provide coverage, but until then it has agreements in place to use T-Mobile and AT&T for coverage. 

Boost Mobile is one of the largest prepaid brands in the U.S. Dish reported they had 8.77 million total subscribers across Boost Mobile, Ting, Republic Wireless, and Gen Mobile, with Boost Mobile having a majority of subscribers.

Boost Mobile
is a
prepaid
carrier, also known an MVNO.
MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, piggyback on existing networks to provide service instead of building their own.
In
Boost Mobile
's case, it uses the
Sprint network
to provide service.
Boost Mobile
's
prepaid
plans start at $
15
per month for a single line.
Boost Mobile
is a
prepaid
carrier. It uses the
T-Mobile
network for coverage.
Boost Mobile
's
prepaid
plans start at $
15
per month for a single line.
Boost Mobile plan features and starting price

Boost Mobile is a prepaid cell phone carrier. It was originally an Australian brand founded by Peter Adderton in 2000. Boost Mobile was quickly brought to the U.S. in 2001 in partnership with Nextel Communications. 

Nextel merged with Sprint in 2005, and Boost Mobile became a Sprint prepaid carrier. Then, in 2020 Sprint merged with T-Mobile. T-Mobile sold Boost Mobile to Dish as part of the merger agreement.

Today, Dish continues to own and operate Boost Mobile. Boost Mobile will eventually use the Dish network to provide coverage, but until then it has agreements in place to use T-Mobile and AT&T for coverage. 

Boost Mobile is one of the largest prepaid brands in the U.S. Dish reported they had 8.77 million total subscribers across Boost Mobile, Ting, Republic Wireless, and Gen Mobile, with Boost Mobile having a majority of subscribers.

Boost Mobile has a variety of plans to choose from. The most interesting plans are their multi-month plans, which are also their most affordable plans.

Curiously, some of Boost Mobile’s plans are only available to new customers. This includes their 1GB annual plan for $100/year, their 5GB annual plan for $150/year, their 2GB monthly plan for $15/month, and even their 5GB monthly plan for $25/month. 

Boost Mobile is one of the few carriers we are aware of that has such an exclusive offering for new customers. Existing customers have limited options, and it almost makes you afraid to change plans on Boost Mobile for fear of losing a good deal. 

While most plans include unlimited data at 2G speeds after your high-speed allotment, some of Boost Mobile’s plans will notably have the data shut off when you consume the high-speed allotment. 

All of Boost Mobile’s plans are no-contract service plans, include mobile hotspot, include unlimited minutes and texts, and provide coverage with either T-Mobile or AT&T.

Check out the full details of Boost Mobile’s plans below:

2. What are Boost Mobile's cell phone plans?

Boost Mobile
offers the following
prepaid
cell phone plans:
Boost Mobile 1GB Annual
: $
9
for
1GB
data
Boost Mobile 5GB Annual
: $
14
for
5GB
data
Boost Mobile 2GB
: $
15
for
2GB
data
Boost Mobile 5GB 3 Months
: $
15
for
5GB
data
Boost Mobile 15GB Annual
: $
20
for
15GB
data
Boost Mobile 5GB
: $
25
for
5GB
data
Boost Mobile Unlimited Annual
: $
25
for
35GB
data
Boost Mobile Unlimited Promo
: $
25
for
30GB
data
Boost Mobile Unlimited 3 Months
: $
30
for
35GB
data
Boost Mobile 10GB
: $
35
for
10GB
data
Boost Mobile Unlimited
: $
50
for
35GB
data
Boost Mobile Unlimited Plus
: $
60
for
35GB
data
You can see more details about each of
Boost Mobile
's plans here:
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Yes, Boost Mobile offers family plans. You can manage multiple lines from a single account. You can also take advantage of some of Boost Mobile’s family discounts.

A family of three can currently get 3 lines for $90 per month with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 35GB of high-speed data per month.

3. Does Boost Mobile offer family plans?

Yes,
Boost Mobile
offers the following family plans to choose from:
No,
Boost Mobile
does not offer family plans at this time. Each plan will need to be on its own separate account.

Yes, Boost Mobile offers family plans. You can manage multiple lines from a single account. You can also take advantage of some of Boost Mobile’s family discounts.

A family of three can currently get 3 lines for $90 per month with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 35GB of high-speed data per month.

Boost Mobile currently does not offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices.

4. Does Boost Mobile offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

Boost Mobile currently does not offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices.

No hotspot or tablet specific plans are available at this time.

Boost Mobile no longer offers a referral program.

They do, however, offer good deals and discounts on phones. Check out the current smartphone deals here.

5. Does Boost Mobile offer discounts or have a referral program?

Boost Mobile no longer offers a referral program.

They do, however, offer good deals and discounts on phones. Check out the current smartphone deals here.

No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.


6. What network does Boost Mobile use?

Boost Mobile
uses
T-Mobile
to provide coverage.

Verizon coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks Verizon as having the #1 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 96.0.

Verizon’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, and 66.

Verizon’s 5G bands are n260 and n261.

The primary bands Verizon uses for coverage are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the Verizon network.

Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

Verizon coverage map from CoverageMap.com
Community-contributed Verizon coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

AT&T coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks AT&T as having the #2 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 95.6.

AT&T’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, and 66.

AT&T’s 5G bands are n5 and n260.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the AT&T network. The primary bands AT&T uses are marked in bold.

You can AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

AT&T coverage map from CoverageMap.com
Community-contributed AT&T coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

T-Mobile coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks T-Mobile as having the third best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 90.3.

T-Mobile's LTE bands are 2, 4, 12, 25, 26, 41, 66, and 71.

T-Mobile's 5G bands are n41, n71, n260, and n261.

The primary bands T-Mobile uses are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the T-Mobile network.

Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

Community-contributed T-Mobile coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

7. What features does Boost Mobile support?

Boost Mobile supports visual voicemail, VoLTE, MMS, mobile hotspot, and 5G. International calling is available via a plan add-on.

What features does Boost Mobile NOT support?

International data, domestic roaming, and eSIM are not available from Boost Mobile.

8. What phones work on Boost Mobile?

Most phones that are unlocked will work on
Boost Mobile
.
An unlocked phone means it isn't tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Consider contacting your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked, or what the steps are to request to have it unlocked.

You can check to see if your current phone is compatible with Boost Mobile by using their IMEI checker tool

You can also consider purchasing an affordable device from Boost Mobile directly. That said, we typically recommend you purchase an unlocked phone directly from the manufacturer. This gives the flexibility to changes plans or carriers any time you want in the future. 

Check out the options below. These phones will work on Boost Mobile:


You can also consider purchasing an unlocked phone below that is compatible with
Boost Mobile
:

9. Does Boost Mobile support international calling or data roaming?

International calling and texting are available to Boost Mobile customers via a plan add-on. International data roaming is currently not supported. 

10. What plan add-ons does Boost Mobile offer?

Boost Mobile has add-ons for international calling, international texting, and more. Check out all the available add-ons, and which plans they work with, below:

Todo Mexico Plus
- $
5
/day
/week
/month

From Boost Mobile's website:

With Todo Mexico PLUS - Stay connected with friends and family in Mexico and keep in touch with everyone back home when you travel to Mexico!

  • Unlimited Calling from US to Canada and Mexico.
  • Unlimited SMS from US to 200+ countries including Canada and Mexico.
  • Unlimited Calling to US and Mexico while in Mexico.
  • Unlimited SMS to Mexico and US while in Mexico.
  • 1.5GB data while roaming in Mexico
Compatible with the following plans:

11. How do you contact Boost Mobile customer service?

Boost Mobile customer service is available by chat, by phone, or by visiting a physical store. 

Call Boost Mobile customer service at (833) 502-6678.

Customer service hours:

  • Available Monday-Friday 4am-8pm PST
  • Available Saturday-Sunday 4am-7pm PST

Should you sign up for

Boost Mobile

?

Boost Mobile offers some affordable plans, but the best deals are only for new customers.

You also should keep in mind that you can find great plans on both AT&T and T-Mobile, the networks Boost Mobile uses for coverage, from Mint Mobile and Red Pocket. In some cases, the plans from Mint Mobile or Red Pocket may be better.

It’s important to consider your options before signing up for Boost Mobile. Boost Mobile does have something strong going for it though: they are one of the few prepaid carriers that has physical stores that you can go to for customer service and support.

What is

Boost Mobile

?

Boost Mobile
is an international eSIM carrier. This means that they offer international data-only eSIM plans that are perfect for traveling abroad. An international eSIM plan gives you cellular data so you can use your phone when you travel abroad. You don't get any minutes or texts. International eSIM plans need to be activated on phones that support eSIM, like the iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer, and the Galaxy S20 or newer.

Boost Mobile is a prepaid cell phone carrier. It was originally an Australian brand founded by Peter Adderton in 2000. Boost Mobile was quickly brought to the U.S. in 2001 in partnership with Nextel Communications. 

Nextel merged with Sprint in 2005, and Boost Mobile became a Sprint prepaid carrier. Then, in 2020 Sprint merged with T-Mobile. T-Mobile sold Boost Mobile to Dish as part of the merger agreement.

Today, Dish continues to own and operate Boost Mobile. Boost Mobile will eventually use the Dish network to provide coverage, but until then it has agreements in place to use T-Mobile and AT&T for coverage. 

Boost Mobile is one of the largest prepaid brands in the U.S. Dish reported they had 8.77 million total subscribers across Boost Mobile, Ting, Republic Wireless, and Gen Mobile, with Boost Mobile having a majority of subscribers.

What are

Boost Mobile

's plans?

Boost Mobile
offers a wide selection of international eSIM data plans to choose from. They have options that work in all of the countries below. Click a country to see the available plans:
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Boost Mobile
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