Boost Mobile Long Distance Rates & Information

Boost Mobile is a prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that runs on Sprint’s network. Boost’s plans are affordable, feature-packed, include all taxes and fees—and allow you to skip a credit check. The only downside of going with Boost is coverage, since Sprint’s 4G network covers only 27% of the United States. No word yet on how Dish’s forthcoming takeover of the company will affect coverage and other services.

Before committing to a Boost Mobile phone plan, you’ll want to learn their roaming rates for both domestic and international travel. Here are the highlights:

• Unlimited domestic talk and text on all Boost Mobile plans
• 50 domestic voice roaming minutes on select Boost Mobile phones
• Domestic roaming texts and data are not included
• Some plans include unlimited international texting
• They offer affordable international calling and texting add-ons
• You can choose from budget-friendly texting and calling packages

Domestic Talk & Text Rates

All Boost Mobile smartphone plans include unlimited domestic talk and text, as well as 50 domestic voice roaming minutes, on select devices. Once you use all of your roaming minutes, your ability to make calls while roaming will be disabled until your next billing cycle. You’ll receive a free text from Boost Mobile when this happens, alerting you that you’ve exceeded your roaming minute allotment until the next billing cycle. You won’t receive any overage charges.

Domestic roaming ensures that you have coverage on a partner network when you are temporarily outside the Sprint network. Boost Mobile includes 50 domestic roaming minutes in all of their phone plans, but what about texts and data?

Roaming texts and data are not included in Boost Mobile’s plans, which means that you’ll be charged for the texts you send and data you use while you’re on a partner network. Their website doesn’t specify what the rates are, so it’s probably best to avoid texting and using data while roaming, if at all possible.

You will know that you are roaming because your phone will indicate that you aren’t on Sprint’s network and there will likely be a triangle roaming symbol next to the signal icon on the upper right of your device.

International Talk & Text Rates

Some Boost Mobile plans, such as the $80/month Ultimate Unlimited plan, include international perks free of charge, and sometimes there are limited-time Boost Mobile deals that include an international benefit with a plan that doesn’t typically include it.

Boost Mobile has a few different international add-on options for their wireless customers to choose from:

• $5/month Todo Mexico PLUS: unlimited calls to and from Mexico and Canada, unlimited international texting, and up to 8GB of roaming in Mexico on international-capable devices
• $10/month International Connect PLUS: unlimited calls to and from Mexico and Canada, unlimited international texting, unlimited calls to landlines in 70+ countries, 200 talk minutes to mobile phones in 50+ countries, and reduced calling rates to 200+ other countries
• International Minute packs: unlimited international texting, varying minute allowances and prices depending on the country
• International Text Messaging: free to receive texts, $.10/text sent

The International Minute packs are good for someone who needs to call only one country. The cheapest package is $3 for 75 minutes of calling to Mexico, to be used over the course of 90 days, and the most expensive is $20 for varying minute allowances in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, El Salvador, and Haiti.

The International Text Messaging perk is exclusively for people who don’t need to make any international calls and who don’t already have International Connect PLUS, since unlimited international texting is included with that feature.

Boost Long Distance Rates Vs. Other Sprint MVNOs

Boost Mobile offers budget-friendly phone plans with good perks, such as generous hotspot allowances, Tidal subscriptions, and international perks. Not every plan includes international benefits, though; for instance, the $50 Unlimited GIGS and $60 Boost Unlimited Plus both include Tidal and 12GB and 30GB of mobile hotspot respectively, but no global perk. That said, their add-ons are inexpensive.

If you have the Unlimited GIGS plan but want a global feature, you could add on Todo Mexico PLUS or International Connect PLUS and wind up paying $55/month or $60/month, which is still a lot cheaper than paying for the $80 Ultimate Unlimited plan that already includes International Connect PLUS. There’s not much of a reason to splurge on that expensive of a plan through Boost Mobile unless you’re in it for the 50GB hotspot allowance.

You may want to compare Boost Mobile to other Sprint MVNOs, a few of which already include global calling and texting in their cell phone plans.

Twigby International

Twigby plans allow you to use your minutes to call over 15 countries, including Canada, Mexico, and China. Plus, every Twigby plan already includes free unlimited domestic and international texting to over 180 countries. Just make sure that you’re in the U.S. before sending a text. Twigby is great because you don’t need to spend any extra money to add-on an international feature.

Tello International

Tello phone plans also include free calls to Canada, Mexico, and China and their pay-as-you-go international texting rate is as low as $.01/text sent. This prepaid carrier is an affordable and solid choice for a customer wanting to regularly call someone in any of those three countries. Plus, sending a couple texts a week won’t run up your phone bill.

Ting International

With Ting plans, you can use your minutes to call over 60 countries at no extra cost. These countries include Canada, Mexico, China, India, and more. Their pay-as-you-go international messaging rates are $.12/text sent for most countries.

Why Choose Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile is a decent option for anyone looking to get an affordable prepaid phone plan with good plan features, especially if hotspot is important to you. You’ll want to compare the pros and cons of Boost Mobile in order to discern whether this carrier is right for you and your mobile needs.

Pros

• Affordable unlimited and family plans
• Generous hotspot allowances
• Broad range of Boost Mobile phones for sale
• No credit check
• Taxes and fees are included in the plan prices

Cons

• Data deprioritization at any time
• Sprint’s 4G network is the weakest of the four main networks
• No phone financing plans available for new customers