Boost Mobile Cell Phone Plans Review 2020

Overview

If all you want is a prepaid phone plan with a low monthly bill and some data, then Boost Mobile might work for you. You’ll even get some nice extras, like unlimited music streaming (as long as you’re using one of Boost’s music partners).

That said, Boost Mobile is not one of our favorite prepaid providers. Its Sprint-network service can be spotty, and it has an extremely limited BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program. If you already have a phone from another carrier, you might not be able to transfer it to Boost service, a big flaw in our opinion.

Boost Mobile prepaid plans and pricing

Boost Mobile has middle-of-the-pack pricing, but it throws in some nice extras like hotspot data.

Boost Mobile’s pricing is about standard for the prepaid industry. Both its price for 3 GB of data and its unlimited plan pricing are roughly on par with the competition.

As for Boost Mobile’s actual service details, it’s a mixed bag. If you travel around the US a lot and need to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot while you’re waiting in the airport, then Boost is a great choice. It gives way more hotspot data than most prepaid providers, and even more than some of the big-name brands.

On the flip side, Boost Mobile’s Unlimited Gigs plan puts sneaky limits on music streaming and gaming. Its unlimited plans limit music speeds to 500 Kbps and gaming to 2 Mbps.

You shouldn’t really notice issues with streaming that new album or playing Alto’s Adventure, but Boost Mobile also says it can slow down your speeds “during congestion.” Which means anytime the network gets busy, your streaming can take a hit.

What about unlimited music streaming?

All of Boost Mobile’s plans give you unlimited music streaming, which means no matter how many hours you spend listening to Beyoncé on Spotify, it won’t count toward your data usage.

That’s especially cool if you have the 3 GB plan and you stream music every day on your hour-long commute. Boost’s unlimited music deal frees up high-speed data you can use on other things, like using GPS navigation to find that restaurant your friend recommended.

What happens if you go over your data or hotspot limit?

Because all of Boost Mobile’s plans are technically unlimited, there’s no automatic fee for going over a data limit. With the 3 GB plan, your speeds will just go down to a snail’s crawl for the rest of the month.

If you just can’t go without streaming YouTube on the train home and you need more high-speed data before the month ends, you can pay a fee to get more.

Data boost prices for Boost Mobile’s 3 GB plan:

• 1 GB LTE data – $5/mo.
• 2 GB LTE data – $10/mo.

Need more than 3 GB every month? You can set up a recurring data boost and just pay the fee for one or two extra gigs every month.

Boost Mobile cell phones and devices

Boost Mobile has the most popular phones in stock, which is good because you might not be able to bring your own device.

Boost Mobile has a pretty good phone selection. You can find the latest iPhone and Samsung models in stock. And that’s a good thing because Boost Mobile does not have the best BYOD program.

^{*Not a complete list.}

We recommend just buying a phone from Boost Mobile directly if you can because it makes the whole process easier. But if you love your phone and can’t imagine leaving it, you can check if it’s on Boost’s list of compatible devices.

You’ll notice some pretty weird stipulations on that list, like how you can bring over an LG X charge only if it’s from Amazon. So even if you think your phone will work, triple check before you decide to sign on with Boost Mobile.

How good is Boost Mobile’s performance?

Boost Mobile used Sprint’s network, which means it doesn’t have the best service. 

Any phone on Boost Mobile’s service gets about the same service as any phone on Sprint’s service. That sounds good until you remember Sprint’s service is not the best. Most studies rank it fourth out of the four major wireless companies.^1,2

That said, if you live in an area that happens to have good Sprint coverage, then you probably won’t have any issues keeping your phone at full bars. Check your location with Boost Mobile’s coverage tool to see if your area gets good service.

Boost Mobile customer service

Boost Mobile gives you a bunch of different ways to reach customer service reps. We recommend chat or social media. 

Just like cable providers, cell phone companies don’t have the best reputations for good customer service. But our test interactions with Boost Mobile’s customer service reps went pretty well.

You can call in, live chat someone from Boost’s website, or use social media like Twitter. We say skip calling in if you can—it’s a lot of automated menus and wait times. But Boost Mobile’s social media response to us was fast and helpful. Twitter for the win.

Recap—Is Boost Mobile any good?

Boost Mobile doesn’t top our list of favorite prepaid providers because its BYOD program is limited and its actual phone service isn’t the best out there. But we do like that Boost includes unlimited music streaming on certain platforms, and its customer service was easy to reach.

• Plans: None of Boost Mobile’s plan will cut off your data or charge you automatic overages. We generally recommend Boost’s 3 GB plan over its unlimited options, unless you want a lot of hotspot data.
• Performance: Boost Mobile uses Sprint’s network, which isn’t always the best. But Sprint does work pretty well in some areas, so just make sure your area is one of them before you sign on.
• Customer service: We had positive experiences with Boost Mobile’s customer service team. We recommend reaching out to them through live chat or social media for the fastest and easiest response.
• Overall: We appreciate Boost Mobile’s extra hotspot data and unlimited music streaming, but watch out for spotty service and be prepared to buy a new device.

Sources

<sup>1. RootMetrics, “Mobile Performance in the US Part 1: Performance across the Entire US – 2H 2017”
2. OpenSignal, “State of Mobile Networks: USA (January 2018)”</sup>