Boost Mobile recently added the Boost Mobile International Roaming Recharge becoming one of the first prepaid providers in Australia to do so.
The recharge is available in 40 countries:
Canada I China I Croatia I Czech Republic I Fiji I France I Germany I Greece I Hong Kong I Hungary I India I Indonesia I Ireland I Israel I Italy I Japan I Malaysia I Netherlands I New Zealand I Norway I Philippines I Poland I Portugal | Qatar I Samoa I Serbia I Singapore I Soloman Islands I South Korea I Spain I Sri Lanka I Sweden I Taiwan I Thailand I Tonga I Turkey I UK I USA I Vanuatu I Vietnam
AUD $40 | 5GB of Data | 60 Call Minutes | 60 SMS | 14 Day Expiry
You receive 30 minutes of inbound/outbound calls & 100 SMS for 14 days. Importantly you receive 5GB of data which is quite generous compared to other offers in the marketplace.
Once you exceed the limit you will trigger another $40 payment for 5GB of data that is valid for 14 days.
The drawback with Boost Mobile's International Recharge is that it only covers 40 countries. If you are travelling to other destinations that are not covered, you will not be able to access data which is highly inconvenient.
If you were flying with Emirates and had a stopover in Dubai you'd have to seek out another option to stay connected.
So how does the value stack up against our BNESIM eSIM Data Plans?
Let's see:
| Roaming Plan | Data | Expiry | Price (AUD) | Calls | SMS |
| Boost Mobile | 5GB | 15 Days | $40 | 30 min | 100 |
| BNESIM USA | 5GB | 30 Days | $12.86 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Singapore | 5GB | 30 Days | $19.05 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Indonesia | 5GB | 30 Days | $19.05 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Thailand | 5GB | 30 Days | $15.12 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Malaysia | 5GB | 30 Days | $22.93 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Japan | 5GB | 30 Days | $22.93 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Hong Kong | 5GB | 30 Days | $19.82* | N/A | |
| BNESIM Taiwan | 5GB | 30 Days | $20.13 | N/A | |
| BNESIM China | 5GB | 30 Days | $22.93 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Germany | 5GB | 30 Days | $11.74 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Spain | 5GB | 30 Days | $11.74 | N/A | |
| BNESIM France | 5GB | 30 Days | $11.19 | N/A | |
| BNESIM Portugal | 5GB | 30 Days | $10.13 | N/A | |
| BNESIM UK | 5GB | 30 Days | $11.74 | N/A | |
| BNESIM NZ | 5GB | 30 Days | $16.79 | N/A |
Note: The above comparison is taken from the closest equivalent BNESIM Local Data Plan in each country. BNESIM charges in Euro so the comparison pricing been adjusted at current exchange rates.
BNESIM has other data plan options for each of the above destinations. To obtain more data with Boost Mobile would require a further $40 purchase.
Boost Mobile's International Roaming Recharge includes 30 minutes of calling and 60 outbound text messages. (Inbound SMS are Free of charge). BNESIM only provides data.
However with the saving you make on the BNESIM Local Data Plans, you could purchase a $5 or $15 Boost Mobile Add On that enable you to make or receive calls at very expensive rates or to send SMS for $0.65 each.
Although calling minutes aren't included with the Flexiroam Local Plans in the comparison above, you can make calls with BNESIM using your Boost Mobile number! You simply need to confirm your Boost Mobile number via SMS in the Flexiroam X App and you are set to make calls wherever you are. Calls made are charged at 10MB per minute with the data being deducted from Global Data Plan allowance.
Conclusion
Boost Mobile's International Roaming Recharge offers customer's a convenient option for the solo traveller that travelling for a fortnight to any of the 15 destinations covered, particularly if they plan to use roughly 5GB of data.
BNESIM offers compelling value to Boost Mobile customer's that are:
- Travelling with a companion or in a group
- Travelling to any of the destinations not covered by Boost Mobile
- Are travelling for less than 2 weeks
- Are travelling for more than 2 weeks
- Are light users of data
- Are heavy users of data.
- Have an eSIM enabled device