Boost Mobile was a subsidiary of Sprint, and operated as a prepaid option for both smartphones and mobile hotspots.
As part of the merger negotiations between T-Mobile and Sprint, Sprint agreed to sell off their prepaid brand Boost Mobile to Dish Network.
The merger is complete, and the sale of Boost to Dish was finalized on July 1, 2020.
This is Dish's first entry into the mobile cellular carrier world, and they have plans to develop their own stand-alone 5G network, effectively replacing Sprint at the 4th major network provider.
As part of the government's approval of the merger and sale, Dish is required to have a network that covers 70% of of the U.S. by June 14, 2023.
Back in January of 2019, Sprint Forward (Sprint Prepaid) announced they would be migrating all Sprint Forward customers to Boost Mobile by the end of September 2019. After this date, Boost Mobile acts as Sprint's main prepaid subsidiary.
Back in January 2020, Virgin Mobile informed customers that Virgin Mobile U.S. customers would be migrated to Boost Mobile service in February of 2020.
Current Plans
- Unlimited Gigs Plan: $50/month - includes 12GB of hotspot data
- Unlimited Plus Plan: $60/month - includes 30GB of hotspot data
- $hrink It Plan: $45/month - 15GB of high speed data (monthly rate will go down with on-time payments)
- Everything You Need Plan: $35/month - 10GB of data (hard cap)
- Wi-Fi Hotspot Plan: $50/month - 50GB of data
- 3GB Plan: $35, includes unlimited talk & text
Ultimate Unlimited Plan: $80 per month - includes 50GB of hotspot data*As of March 2020, this plan is no longer available.
For Our Comparative Pricing Grid:
Guide to Cellular Data Plan Pricing
Testing Status:
We do not keep a Boost Mobile plan in our testing arsenal.
Policies & Perks:
- Carrier Networks Used: Sprint
- Carrier Relation: Prepaid Carrier Subsidiary
- Plan Types Available: Phone, Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Phones, Hotspots, Tablets, iOT
- Device Purchase Required: Device purchase (Coolpad Surf) or compatible Boost Mobile branded device required for WiFi Hotspot Plan. Device purchase not required for phone plans.
- Mobile Hotspot Use:
- Unlimited Gigs Plan: 12GB of hotspot data
- Unlimited Plus Plan: 30GB of hotspot data
- Wi-Fi Hotspot Plan: Yes
- 3GB Plan: Yes, all
- Throttling: No
- Network Management: Yes
- International Roaming: No international coverage is included on Boost's plans. Mexico data services can be added to the plans at an additional cost.
- $5/Mo: Up to 8 GB of data roaming in Mexico.
- Domestic Roaming: Voice services only.
- Plan Period: 30 days
- Data Roll Over: None
- Overage Charges: No, but you can use the restart plan option and make your full monthly payment early to re-enable all your services immediately or you can purchase a Data Pack for an additional allotment of high-speed data.
- Streaming:
- Unlimited Gigs Plan: 480p video streaming, 500Kbps music streaming, 2Mbps gaming.
- Unlimited Plus Plan: Up to 1080p video streaming, 1.5Mbps music streaming, 8Mbps gaming.
- Wi-Fi Hotspot Plan: Not specified
- 3GB Plan: 480p video streaming, 500Kbps music streaming, 2Mbps gaming.
- Lines per account: 5 - family plan pricing kicks in with additional lines, dependent on current promos and line types.
- Device Lock/Unlock Policy: The phone must have been used on Boost mobile for 12 months. Also, good luck. Their unlock policies are shifty and unclear.
- Extras:
- Boost offers an 'add-on' called "Boost TV' which offers various networks to stream via your device. The basic service is free, but you can access premium content add-ons for a fee. It is only available for Android phones.
- Unlimited music streaming if using one of the providers Boost has partnered with.
- A 6-month subscription to TIDAL music streaming service is included with the phone plans.
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