Boost Mobile phone plans review

In Australia, Telstra is undoubtedly the largest network operator, easily eclipsing the reach of its main competitors Optus and Vodafone — particularly when it comes to both remote rural areas and 5G coverage.

Of course, it will probably come as no surprise that Telstra is also the most expensive telco operating Down Under, leading many users to opt for cheaper Telstra resellers in order to access Australia's best cellular coverage for less.

ALDI Mobile, Belong, Tangerine, Mate and Numobile are just some of the better-known mobile virtual network operators (or MVNOs) who resell Telstra services. However, Boost Mobile is arguably the biggest of the lot, providing access to Telstra's entire 4G and 5G network. 

Founded in Sydney, Australia back in 2000, Boost Mobile has since expanded into 42 countries, and is currently owned by the US telecommunications giant Dish Wireless. 

Thanks to its large international reach, Boost Mobile is able to offer some excellent inclusions, making it a great option for those who regularly call and text friends and family overseas.

But while Boost Mobile is less expensive than Telstra, its plans are strictly prepaid only, with recharges offered with either 28-day or 12-month expiry periods. The latter works out to be the most cost-effective, though not everyone will be interested in paying a lump sum of AU$300 or more upfront.

Boost Mobile plans and pricing

• Pricing options more reasonable than Telstra
• Plans strictly prepaid only

Let's address the elephant in the room: Boost Mobile only provides prepaid plans, with options for 28 day and 12 month expiry periods, plus one 7-day option. 

Thankfully, prepaid has evolved significantly since the Nokia 3310 days, and like most prepaid-only providers, Boost offers an Auto Recharge option that will take funds directly out of your nominated account every 28 days (or 12 months) until you decide to opt out.

Pricing for Boost Mobile's 28 day prepaid plans starts at AU$35 for 25GB of data, although there's currently a promotion on that plan for new customers that will see them pay only AU$15 for 45GB of data for the first three recharges. From the fourth recharge, however, pricing goes back to normal. To stay connected for the whole year, that will set you back around AU$456.25. That works out to AU$1.40 per GB.

By comparison, Telstra's AU$35 prepaid plan gets you 15GB, which works out to AU$2.33 per GB. If big value is what you're after, Boost's AU$70 prepaid plan certainly delivers that, providing 90GB of data. That works out to only AU$0.78 per GB.

Of course, if you really want to save money and don't need stacks of data, Boost Mobile also offers prepaid plans with a 12-month expiry period starting at AU$230 for 170GB, which works out to AU$19.10 and 14GB per month. That's around half the total yearly cost of Boost's cheapest 28 day plan (which, as mentioned above, comes to AU$456.25).

If that amount of data doesn't seem enough to sustain you for an entire year, Boost's 12 month plans max out at AU$365 for 365GB, which works out to 30GB per month – or 1GB per day and AU$1 per GB.

Boost Mobile coverage

• Full access to Telstra's 4G and 5G networks
• Most plans capped at 150Mbps

As Boost Mobile is a Telstra reseller, you can expect its coverage to be just as wide-reaching — especially since Boost is one of the few MVNOs to provide access to Telstra's full 4G and 5G mobile network.

To put that into perspective, Telstra's 4G network reaches 99.6% of the Australian population, while its 5G network reaches roughly 87% of Australians as of early 2024.

It's worth noting, however, that most of Boost Mobile's prepaid plans are speed capped at 150Mbps. There's two exceptions to this: its 28 day AU$55 plan, which is capped at 250Mbps, and its 28 day AU$70 plan, which is uncapped. This actually gives Boost a leg-up over Telstra, whose prepaid plans are capped at 150Mbps across the board.

Boost Mobile plans: Extras, perks and offers

• Excellent international inclusions
• Data rollover on selected plans

Given that Boost Mobile is an MVNO that only deals in prepaid plans, you'd be forgiven for thinking the telco's offering of perks and extras would be on the lighter side. In fact, Boost provides some excellent benefits in areas which will actually be important to your average Aussie punter. 

Thanks to the telco's large international reach, every 28-day Boost Mobile plan includes unlimited standard calls to 20 selected countries, which is fantastic value. On top of this, each plan comes with 300 minutes of standard calls to an additional 30 countries, along with 300 standard texts to any country.

As for Boost's 12 month plans, only the AU$230 and AU$300 options offer international calls and texts. Both plans come with unlimited standard calls to 20 selected countries, with the former providing 1,200 standard minutes to 30 additional countries and 1,200 texts to any country, and the latter providing 3,600 minutes and texts, respectively.

Additionally, every 28 day plan includes data rollover to use in the next recharge, so long as you recharge before expiry. Unfortunately, data rollover is not included with 12 month plans.

Boost Mobile plans: customer service and community reviews

• Call centre location not disclosed
• Predominantly negative online reviews from customers

Boost Mobile customers have several options for getting in touch with customer support, including by chat on Boost's Australian website or Facebook page, by phone  call or via the Boost app for iOS and Android.

Chat is available every day between 7am and 11pm (AEST), though you will initially have to deal with a digital assistant. If the bot can't help you, then you'll get transferred to a human. 

You can also call Boost by phone every day between 8am and 8pm (AEST) by dialling 125 8881 (when calling from a Boost or Telstra service) or 1800 900 933 (when calling from any other service). Unfortunately, Boost Mobile does not disclose where its call centres are located, though online reviews suggest they're based off-shore.

Speaking of user reviews, Boost Mobile joins the likes of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone in having mostly negative online feedback on sites like Trustpilot, where it holds a score of 1.5 out of 5, and Product Review, where it's earned a slightly better score of 2.0 out of 5.

Sure, those scores aren't great, but it's important to remember that many people will only bother leaving a review when they've a negative experience, while satisfied customers are likely to simply go about their day.

Boost Mobile plans: Bottom line

Boost Mobile offers good value for those who want all the benefits of being on Telstra's mobile network without having to pay Telstra prices. Of course, Boost only offers prepaid plans, so you'll have to get used to paying upfront for your mobile services. And, if you're not the type of user who burns through stacks of data each month, the 12 month plans are extremely cost-effective.

• Best Telstra network mobile plans from resellers