Boost Mobile Plans & Review

2019 Finder Awards

Winner: Best Prepaid SIM (Under $40)

Boost Prepaid (20GB $30 plan)

With Boost's $30 plan, not only do you get 20GB of data on a 28-day expiry across Telstra's network but data rollover means it's easy to take advantage of what you pay for.

How we chose the winners

Compare Boost Mobile's prepaid plans here

• Read more about Boost Mobile's prepaid plans

  Boost has a solid set of prepaid mobile plans on offer. Since they're prepaid, you won't ever have to worry about paying extra for more credit – once you've used up your data or calls, your service is simply shut off.

  The main plans from Boost fall into a standard 28-day expiry range, from $20 for 5GB to $70 for 65GB. While their cheapest plan is pretty poor, their more expensive ones provide great value, offering a bonus 15GB of data on your first 3 recharges.

  All of the plans have unlimited domestic calls and text within Australia, plus free international calls to a number of countries. If you like music, you'll even get free streaming on Apple Music.

2019 Finder Awards

Winner: Best Prepaid SIM (Long Life)

Boost $150 12-month Prepaid SIM

The $150 Boost SIM card will give you 80GB of data over 12 months plus data-free Apple Music streaming and unlimited local, national and international calls to 25 destinations.

How we chose the winners

Compare Boost Mobile's long-term prepaid plans below

• Read more about Boost Mobile's long-expiry prepaid plans

  In addition to their month-to-month plans, Boost has four plans with 6- to 12-month expiries for people thinking long term. Longer expiry comes with a price tag to match, and these plans will cost you between $100 and $300 for 60 to 240GB of data. These plans suit people who don't use heaps of data but still want a fair bit over the year.
  
  This is a different system to long-expiry prepaid plans from providers like Telstra or Optus, which let you purchase long-lasting general credit but then charge you for calls and data. Considering their data charges are 7-10 cents per MB, this is a fantastic deal since 60GB of data at that rate would cost somewhere around $6,000. When you include free domestic calls and a bunch of international inclusions, this is one of the better long-expiry deals on the market.

Boost Mobile review: Why choose them?

On top of the free calls and texts in Australia, Boost has a bunch of bonus features on their prepaid plans:

• International inclusions. Depending on which plan you buy, you'll get unlimited international calls to 20 to 30 countries, including China, Brazil, France, the US, the UK and more. You'll also get 100 minutes of talk to up to 35 more. These inclusions are similar for long-expiry plans.
• Music streaming. No matter which plan you're on, you'll be able to stream as much Apple Music as your heart desires, at no data cost. However, you'll still need to own an Apple Music subscription.
• Rollover data. When you recharge before the expiry date, you get to carry over all unused data to your next recharge period.
• Add-on credit. You can either add 1GB for $5 or 3GB for $15 to your account if you need just a little bit more before recharging.
• Auto recharge. Customers on the $40 and up 28-day expiry plans can set up an auto recharge function via app or phone call so that they don't forget to recharge.
• Overseas roaming. If you're planning to head overseas but still want to make calls and texts while you're there, Boost offers a $5 or $15 add-on, which will let you do just that at the cost of some credit. Data will be disabled while roaming.

Still undecided about Boost? We've weighed out both sides of the equation for you.

Boost Mobile network coverage

Like many other small retailers, Boost uses the Telstra 3G and 4G networks for its plan coverage. Unlike some retailers, though, Boost actually utilises the entire Telstra network. Check it out in more detail on its coverage map.

• How to switch to Boost Mobile

  Switching to Boost mobile is a fairly simple process.

  1. Make sure you have an unlocked phone already to put a SIM in. Boost doesn't offer phones with plans.
  2. Purchase the plan you want online, which will come with its own SIM. If you're switching over from Telstra, you'll need to contact Boost directly for a special blank Boost SIM.
  3. Activate your SIM once it arrives. If you want to keep your own number, select the "bring my own phone number" tab and Boost will arrange the transfer with your previous provider.
  4. Your SIM should be activated and your new service ready to go in a few hours to a day.

• How to recharge Boost Mobile

  Boost provides four methods for recharging:

  • Boost app. The Boost app is available on both Apple and Android and can be downloaded from their app stores for free.
  • Online. Either visit Boost's recharge page on your desktop or go to care.boost.com.au on your mobile browser. Follow the instructions listed.
  • By phone. If you want to, you can call #111# to recharge over your handset.
  • Auto recharge. So long as you're on a $40 and up 28-day expiry plan, you can set up an auto recharge by any of the methods above and have your plan automatically refreshed every period. Remember that this payment won't stop until you cancel it, no matter whether you're using the service or not.

  Boost accepts the following payment types for all recharges:

  • Credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
  • PayPal.
  • Recharge vouchers purchased from a retailer, including Woolworths, Coles, JB HiFi and more.

Check out these Boost Mobile deals to save on your phone bill