Looking for a new phone? Boost will give you a year of free service with purchase of a 5G phone

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

It’s no secret that Dish’s ambitions to become one of the big carriers haven’t quite panned out yet, despite its efforts to build its own 5G network while utilizing competing networks to fill in the gaps. Recently, we’ve seen a few moves from Dish-owned Boost designed to win over more customers, including more seamless integration between its prepaid and postpaid plans. Now, Boost’s next big move is to give you an entire year’s service for free.

For a limited time, Boost is offering new and existing customers the chance to get the $25 Unlimited plan free for twelve months, though you’ll need to purchase an eligible 5G device first. This includes not only includes some of the best phones like the iPhone 15 series and Galaxy S24 series but also a few budget devices.

Be aware that this new promotion only applies to those who are buying the phone at full price upfront, as special promotional pricing and payment plans aren’t eligible for the offer. You may be able to find many of these phones for cheaper with a different Boost promotion, but you’ll typically save more with the free service promotion.

For example, the Galaxy A25 can be purchased for as little as $99 from Boost with a one-year commitment, but this deal wouldn’t give you a year of free service, meaning the total investment would actually work out to $400. For those keeping score, that’s $100 more than the price you’d pay for the phone outright.

What if you decide Boost isn’t right for you and want to switch carriers halfway through? That’s honestly a bit less clear.

Looking at Boost’s unlock policy, the company indicates that if you buy a phone outright for use on postpaid, you’ll be eligible for an unlock immediately. In most cases, this will happen automatically within two days; otherwise, you’ll receive an email asking you to contact Boost to complete the process. For prepaid devices, Boost will unlock the phone automatically after a year. The confusion lies in the fact that Boost’s $25 Unlimited plan is technically available in both prepaid and postpaid formats.

Considering you’re buying the phone outright for this deal with no contract, I assume this counts as a prepaid promotion, even if you intend to switch to postpaid once the first year is over. Of course, I could be wrong.

For now, I’d most recommend this plan to those who are certain that Boost’s network will satisfy their needs. If it turns out you can switch services right away if you’re unhappy, that takes away a bit of the risk, especially if you were already looking to buy a new phone. We’ve reached out to Boost Mobile for clarification and will update this post when we hear back.

There’s also no clarity on how long this deal will last, so if you’re at all interested, we’d suggest moving sooner rather than later.

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