Get exclusive tech offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
By signing up, you agree to the Finder
Privacy & Cookies Policy
and
Terms of Use, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy.
Boost Mobile Australia
Boost is one of only two providers in Australia to offer full Telstra coverage, without the premium price tag.
Types
Guides
Need A New Phone?
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Boost Mobile has a focus on keeping young Australians connected with a good quality mobile plan. As part of this, it likes to offer lots of data on its prepaid offerings.
It is one of only 2 MVNOs in Australia to have access to the full Telstra (99.5% of Australians covered) mobile network, rather than the wholesale version (98.8%). In many ways, Boost is a more affordable version of Telstra, with far fewer fancy features but some nice extras nonetheless.
Highlights
- Data rollover to the end of the next month
- Free Apple Music streaming
- Data add-ons available to purchase if you need more before the end of the month
- Full Telstra network coverage
Compare more mobile plans below
Compare Boost Mobile plans below
Most of Boost Mobile's prepaid plans last for 28 days, but you can pick up plans that last a week or a year instead, as you need.
What are Boost Mobile prepaid plans like?
Boost Mobile has a set of prepaid plans with expiry periods that stretch from 7 days to 28 and all the way up to 6- and 12-month long-expiry options. The 7-day plan only offers 3GB, but could be a good choice if you're only visiting Australia for a short period of time and need a quick and accessible plan.
Boost Mobile's 28-day prepaid plans explained
Boost's regular monthly plans offer unlimited calls and texts, and a data allowance for the month. You pay ahead of time for your 28 days of usage, but if you run out you can purchase small data add-ons for more.
- 5GB for $20 Unlimited talk and text
- 20GB for $30 Unlimited talk and text
- 30GB for $40 Unlimited talk and text
- 40GB for $50 Unlimited talk and text
- 65GB for $70 Unlimited talk and text
All but the cheapest plan include bonus data on the first three recharges, and all of the plans have some international destinations included for texts and calls.
Boost Mobile's long expiry prepaid plans
The long expiry plans from Boost Mobile give you a big chunk of data upfront, intended to last you 6 months to a year. The data is available all at once, though, so you're responsible for budgeting it over the expiry period.
- 30GB for $200 Unlimited talk and text on a 12-month expiry period
- 240GB for $300 Unlimited talk and text on a 12-month expiry period
The table below sets Boost Mobile's long expiry plans against one of its monthly options to show how much you can save.
| Plan | Expiry period | GB available over a year | How does it compare? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20GB for $30 | 28 days | 260GB | Over a year, you'll pay $391 for 260GB. This is equivalent to about 21.7GB per month. |
| 30GB for $200 | 365 days | 30GB | In a year, you'll spend $200 – about $191 less than the 28-day plan and less data. Works out at about 2.5GB per month. |
| 240GB for $300 | 365 days | 250GB | You're paying $300 for 240GB to last the year. This is roughly $90 cheaper than the monthly option, but you get 20GB less. Equivalent to 20GB per month. |
As you can see, the 365-day plan saves you a significant amount compared to the 28-day expiry option, but you get slightly less data overall. That said, if you're looking into grabbing a long expiry plan and you're not a heavy mobile user, 240GB for a year could still be enough for you.
Boost Mobile review: Is Boost Mobile good?
Boost Mobile is a telecommunications brand that started in Australia back in 2000, and has since expanded overseas to the United States. It was initially partnered with Optus, but has since aligned with Telstra and built a solid brand.
This doesn't necessarily make it the most competitive MVNO in existence, considering how many providers are on the market. Here's what you should know about the main features on Boost Mobile's plans:
Here are the other features included in Boost Mobile's offerings:
- Apple Music streaming. You can stream Apple Music data-free so long as you have a subscription.
- Add-on data. Ran out of data before your recharge? $5 will get you 1GB extra plus $5 talk credit. $15 will get you 3GB plus $15 of talk credit. Both last for 28 days.
- Auto recharge. You can set any 28-day expiry plan to auto-renew when the time is up.
- Refurbished handsets. If you want to pick up a pre-owned handset on the cheap, you can get one from Boost Mobile's store with a 1-year warranty and 30-day guarantee. These are locked to Boost SIMs and will cost $80 to unlock within the first 6 months, $25 after the first 6 months and $0 after 2 years.
Since Boost offers more than just calls and data, we've summarised the features it provides in the table below:
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Automatic prepaid recharge |  |
| Auto data top-ups |  |
| Entertainment extras | |
| Data-free media streaming | |
| Roll-over data | |
| Data sharing | |
| International calls/texts | |
| International roaming | |
| Rewards program | |
| Student/pensioner discounts | |
Is Boost Mobile a good option? We ask our utilities expert and writer, Sam Baran
It really depends on what you're looking for in a mobile plan. While Boost Mobile's plans may look like a good deal on the surface, its regular prepaid plans are actually very middle of the road in terms of value after the bonus data disappears. If you're looking to access Telstra's widespread coverage, then Boost Mobile might still be worth a consideration to avoid Telstra's premium mobile plan prices.
For more competitive offers on regular prepaid plans, try something like an ongoing high-value plan from ALDImobile, or even a similarly priced amaysim plan where your data allowance isn't dependent on just the first three recharges.
How does Boost Mobile compare to other providers?
To give you an idea of how Boost compares, we've lined it up against offerings from Telstra (which owns the network that Boost operates on) and amaysim (an MVNO competitor).
| Boost | Telstra | amaysim | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan name | 20GB for $30 | 8GB for $30 | Unlimited 30GB |
| Plan cost | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Data allowance | 20GB (+15GB for first 3 recharges) | 8GB (+17GB for first 3 recharges) | 30GB |
| Expiry period | 28 days | 28 days | 28 days |
| Included extras | Data rollover, international calls, free Apple Music streaming | Data rollover, international calls, data-free media streaming, Telstra Air, Telstra Plus | International calls |
Boost Mobile outshines Telstra on data value, but doesn't have anywhere near the same number of bonus inclusions. Meanwhile, amaysim blows both of them away in terms of sheer dollar for data value.
Boost Mobile's main appeal is for users who are after Telstra's comprehensive network coverage or those who are only planning to stick with them for three recharges or less. After the bonus data inclusions on the three charges, Boost's value unfortunately starts diminishing.
Boost Mobile recharge
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.
Frequently asked questions about Boost Mobile
Who is Boost Mobile owned by?
Boost Mobile is owned by Boost Tel PTY Limited, a company that offers telecommunications services through the Boost brand on the Telstra Next G Network. It was founded in 2000 in Australia by Peter Adderton.
Is Boost as good as Telstra?
Boost uses 100% of the Telstra mobile network, so you should get identical reception on a Boost Mobile plan vs a Telstra mobile plan.
In terms of how "good" Boost is compared to Telstra, it really depends what you're after in your mobile plan. Since Boost is an MVNO, it doesn't offer nearly as many extras and features on its plans as Telstra, but it has generally more competitive prices.
Is Boost Mobile coverage the same as Telstra?
Yes. Using 100% of the Telstra network means that the coverage between the two providers should be identical.
Icons made by Freepik, Prosymbols, & Pixel perfect
More guides on Finder
-
Boost Mobile discount codes and coupons January 2021
Boost Mobile is a reseller of Telstra services that promises to simplify your monthly mobile charges and keep talk, SMS and data prices competitive.
Latest mobile plan deals on Finder
Go large with unlimited mobile data
Get no excess data charges on these unlimited data mobile plans.
This month’s best SIM-only mobile plans
Save money with these top no-contract deals.
Save with a prepaid phone plan
Avoid bill shock and control your spending with the best-value offers.
Find the latest iPhone plan deals
Easily compare every Australian iPhone plan.
Ask an Expert
I need more info on what card I want.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with Boost Mobile or any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.
If you are referring to Boost Mobile SIM only plans, you are on the correct page. You may click on ‘View details’ on the side of your preferred plan to see more info or you may visit Boost mobile official site, where you can purchase the plan.
You can also go to this page and make use of the search filter to compare plans that will suit your needs.
Cheers,
Rench