You walk into a carrier store for the "free iPhone," sit for an hour, sign a mountain of paperwork, and leave with a $90/month bill and a 3-year quasi-mortgage. Boost flipped that script with a wireless subscription model: if we subscribe to Netflix and Spotify, why are we still buying phones like it's 2010? Here's what the "New Boost" actually delivers.
Quick answer
Boost is worth it for two buyers: anyone who wants the latest iPhone yearly as a subscription (Infinite Access, $65/mo including unlimited data), and anyone who wants a price-locked unlimited plan ($25/mo "Forever" with AutoPay). Skip it if you use 50GB+ a month — the 30GB throttle to 512kbps will hurt — or if you insist on a single major network.
What Boost actually is now
No longer a plain MVNO — Boost (owned by Dish Wireless since 2020) is a hybrid operator building its own 5G network while leaning on AT&T and T-Mobile to fill gaps. Newer phones get the "Rainbow SIM," which hops among Boost, AT&T, and T-Mobile towers automatically for the strongest signal; older phones land on a single partner network.
The two plans that matter
- $25/mo "Forever" Unlimited — the price never rises while AutoPay stays on. 30GB of premium data, then a hard throttle to 512kbps (fine for email, buffering hell for video).
- Infinite Access — $65/mo for unlimited data plus a new iPhone (or Galaxy S) every year: no trade-in to start, upgrade after 12 payments, keep paying the same $65. Includes Mexico/Canada roaming and Global Talk to 200+ countries.
- New-customer promo: the unlimited plan frequently runs $10/mo for the first 3 months.
Against the field
vs Visible ($25, Verizon): no hard cap and a single full network — mathematically better for heavy data. vs Mint (~$30 annual, T-Mobile): stronger polish, but requires prepaying a year; Boost is monthly with the price lock. vs Twigby (~$30, Verizon): no throttle cliff, better for rural Verizon areas. vs Red Pocket (~$30): pick-your-network predictability vs Boost's auto-switching. Boost's unique cards are the price lock and the iPhone subscription — nobody else has either.
If you must have the new iPhone every September, Infinite Access is mathematically one of the cheapest ways to do it — premium service and a flagship for less than a Verizon plan alone.
— ShopCellPlans verdict
Know before you switch
Infinite Access phones stay locked to Boost until fully paid off (36 months) — leave early and the balance comes due. Dealer stores are independent franchises, so in-person service quality varies; support is primarily chat and the BoostOne app, which you'll want anyway to track the 30GB meter.
Visible's $25 plan has no hard cap on Verizon's network — see how it compares before committing.
Read the Visible review →
Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.
Frequently asked questions
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