Examined Oct 1, 2026 AutoPay required Referral paid in bill credit Boost charges a new customer $10 a month for 3 months and $25 after that, and a customer's link adds a bill credit that is half as large again for friends who activate by October 15, 2026.
Boost's plan page says: “3 months of unlimited talk, text, and data for $10/mo. After that, your $25/mo rate is locked for life.” Next to it: “New customers only.*” Against the $25 rate that is $15 a month off for 3 months, or $45 in all, plus taxes and fees. The footnote limits it to people who bring their own device or buy one priced over $1199.99, and says the discount covers up to 3 lines per web order and up to 10 lines per account.
What pays what
| A new customer on Unlimited with AutoPay, bringing their own phone | $10 a month for months 1 to 3, then $25 |
|---|---|
| The same plan with AutoPay turned off | $30 a month |
| Through a customer's link, either plan under $40 (plans under $25 excluded) | $10 credit; $15 if the friend activates by Oct 15, 2026 |
| Through a customer's link, both plans at $40 or more | $20 credit; $30 if the friend activates by Oct 15, 2026 |
| A line added to someone's existing account | $0 referral credit |
| An extra $25 line added after the original purchase | Less than 3 full months of the $10 credits |
…referrals on a plan of $40 or more will receive a $20 credit… If the Boost Mobile customer and/or their referral are on a plan of less than $40 (excluding any plan under $25 per month), … will receive a $10 credit…
Boost does not say whether a $25 plan billed at $10 for its first 3 months counts as a plan under $25.
Do this, in this order
- Settle the phone first. Bring a phone that works on Boost, or expect to buy one priced over $1199.99 for the $10 months to apply. The plan page lists cheaper phones on sale, but the offer's footnote names only those two routes.
- If a Boost customer can refer you, start from their link. They must be a single or primary account holder with 30 days at Boost. The help article says: “Your friend must use your personalized link to register and sign up with Boost Mobile.” Activate as a new account, not an added line, and give a valid email.
- Go back to the referral page after you activate. This step is easy to miss: “Afterwards, they must return to the referral program page to provide their Boost Mobile phone number.” Boost then verifies the referral before any credit is set.
- Port in your number and turn on AutoPay on day one. Both are conditions of the money-back guarantee, and AutoPay is a condition of the $10 months and of the $25 price.
- Stay 30 days, then be patient. The referral page says “Keep in mind, you’ll all have to remain active for 30 days to start to receive credits.” The help article adds: “Referral credits will be applied to your Boost Mobile account over two months and you'll see the first credit within two payment cycles of the referral validation.”
What Boost's referral terms settle, and what they leave open
The bigger credit, settled by the terms. On September 25, 2026 Boost's referral page carried the banner “REFER YOUR FRIENDS SEPTEMBER OFFER: 50% MORE CREDITS”. On October 1, 2026 it read “REFER YOUR FRIENDS 50% EXTRA”, with a line saying the bonus is extended, over a table of ranges, while its footnote and the help article give flat figures of $10 and $20. The program terms on Boost's referral site settle it: on plans of $40 or more, “$30 per successful referral instead of the standard $20”, and below that, “$15 per successful referral instead of the standard $10”. The heading reads “50% more credits for Referrer and Friend”, though each sentence giving the bigger figures names only existing customers, so the friend's bump rests on that heading.
The bump ends October 15, 2026. The terms we read on October 1, 2026 say the bump is “valid for friend activation occurring between September 1, 2026 and October 15, 2026” and is “subject to change or cancellation at any time.” The same terms first printed an end date of September 30, 2026, when we read them on September 25, 2026. After October 15, 2026 the standard $10 or $20 applies. They add that “Customers who have had a Boost Mobile account for more than 30 days are not eligible to be referred as a new customer”, and that “Rewards are not redeemable for cash.”
Leaving costs a full month. Outside the guarantee, Boost's General Terms say: “If you (or we) cancel your Service before the end of your billing period, you will be charged for the full billing cycle”. The plan page says activation fees and phone payments are non-refundable even inside the 30 days, and the account holder must be at least 18.
The Chime tie-in is a separate deal. The same plan page offers up to $300 in rewards from Chime, $25 a month for up to 12 months, if you open a Chime account, pay your Boost bill with it and set up a $500 or larger direct deposit every month. Chime's own terms sit on Chime's site, which we did not read.
Is it worth your time?
For someone with a working phone who wants a cheap unlimited plan, the $10 months are the real offer here: $45 less than three months at $25, with no one to ask. Keep AutoPay on and read the $25 as $25 plus taxes and fees. Boost's page says premium data slows after 30GB.
The referral is worth a link if a friend already has one, not a detour. On a $25 plan the flat figure is $10, spread over two months and arriving a cycle or two later, and the bigger credit reaches you only if you activate by October 15, 2026.
