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What Boost announced in 2017
A contemporary report said Boost announced on September 8, 2017, that all plans would include taxes and fees, with the change applying to bills issued from that date onward for both new and existing customers. The intended benefit was straightforward: the advertised plan price would match the amount charged for service. Boost promoted the change with a “Flip Off Taxes Scavenger Hunt” and a four-line unlimited offer for $100 for new customers. Droid Life’s September 8, 2017 report is contemporary secondary coverage; it is not a substitute for the original plan terms.
So the headline was a fair description of Boost’s public announcement at the time, but its scope was the plans then offered under that policy. It does not establish that every possible charge—such as device sales tax, add-ons, activation charges, or international use outside included benefits—was waived, or that tax-inclusive pricing was guaranteed permanently.
What Boost’s current public prices and terms say
Boost’s current public materials point away from a blanket tax-inclusive policy. The plan page says taxes and fees apply to the $25 Unlimited offer, while the current Unlimited and Unlimited+ terms exclude taxes, regulatory fees, and surcharges from the monthly fee. The Unlimited Premium terms do the same. Boost’s plan page, Unlimited terms, Unlimited+ terms, and Unlimited Premium terms describe the current offers and their qualifications.
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- YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
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- NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
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| Plan or offer | Advertised monthly price | Conditions and tax treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | $25 with AutoPay; $30 without AutoPay | Taxes and fees apply. The $25 rate reflects a $5 AutoPay discount. |
| Introductory Unlimited offer | $10 for the first three months, then $25 | For eligible new customers; taxes and fees apply, and the subsequent $25 rate requires AutoPay. |
| Unlimited+ | $50 with AutoPay | Taxes, regulatory fees, and surcharges are extra under current terms. |
| Unlimited Premium | $60 with AutoPay | Taxes, regulatory fees, and surcharges are extra under current terms. |
These are advertised base prices, not guaranteed final bills. The total depends on the applicable terms, service location, AutoPay status, promotions, and any device charges or add-ons. Boost says plan terms can vary by activation date, so these current public offers should not be applied automatically to an existing account.
Why the bill can be higher than the advertised plan price
Boost says it applies taxes, surcharges, and fees based on federal, state, and local law. Its explanations include the Federal Universal Service Fund surcharge, a Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee, costs related to the Federal Telecommunications Relay Service, FCC regulatory fees, other federal regulatory-program compliance costs, and state or local taxes and assessments. See Boost’s explanation of taxes and fees.
Those charges are not a single nationwide amount: they depend on applicable rules and the customer’s location, and some regulatory charges can change as rates change. The available public information does not establish a national all-in total for any plan. Check the amount shown for your own service address at checkout and compare it with the bill.
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- Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone wireless network. Tracfone plan required, activating is easy, just 3 steps.
- DISPLAY: Immersive viewing on a 6.7-inch super-bright 120Hz display with powerful stereo speakers and Bass Boost for cinematic entertainment.
- CAMERA SYSTEM: Advanced 50MP Quad Pixel camera captures sharp, detailed photos and videos in any lighting condition
- PERFORMANCE: Lightning-fast 5G connectivity paired with a powerful processor and RAM Boost for smooth multitasking.
- BATTERY LIFE: Long-lasting 5000mAh battery with TurboPower charging technology delivers hours of power in minutes.
Also separate recurring service-plan charges from other costs that may appear on an order or account:
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- Device payments: Installments or financing are separate from the monthly service price and can create obligations beyond the plan itself.
- Add-ons and optional products: Extras, protection products, or services not included in the plan can increase the total.
- Activation or upgrade charges: These may apply where specified for an order or transaction.
- Out-of-plan use or eligibility changes: International services outside included benefits, a lost AutoPay discount, or failure to meet promotion conditions can change what is due.
For example, the Unlimited+ terms say taxes on the phone’s full pre-credit retail price and the first month’s payment are due at sale, and that a discounted phone is extra. The treatment of a device purchase should therefore be checked separately from the recurring plan-price claim.
What “unlimited” means on the $25 plan
Boost’s current Unlimited terms describe unlimited talk and text and unlimited U.S. data service, but not unlimited data at the highest speed. The terms cite up to 30 GB of premium or high-speed data before possible speed reduction; after that threshold, they cite speeds of 512 kbps. The $25 monthly rate requires AutoPay, and the terms allow up to 10 lines. Details are in Boost’s Unlimited terms.
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- YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
- MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
- NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
- BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
The advertised service price is therefore only one part of a plan comparison. Before signing up, check the premium-data threshold and post-threshold speed, hotspot allowance, international features, and coverage where you use the phone. The available terms cited here do not establish a hotspot allowance, so verify that benefit in the offer’s current details rather than assuming it from the word “unlimited.”
Promotions and device offers can add conditions
A promotional plan price may depend on being a new customer, keeping AutoPay active, or meeting other offer requirements. Device discounts can have separate qualifying-plan or service-period conditions; failing to activate a promotional device within a required period can also affect the offer. A free-service promotion, if available, should not be assumed to eliminate taxes or eligible fees.
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- TYPE IT IN. TRANSFORM IT FAST: Enhance any shot in seconds on your smartphone by using Photo Assist² with Galaxy AI.³ Add objects, restore details, or apply new styles by simply typing or tapping
- NIGHTS, CAPTURED CLEARLY: From gigs to city lights, record and capture moments after dark with clarity using Nightography so your photos and videos stay crisp and clear on your Samsung Galaxy
- MAKE IT. EDIT IT. SHARE IT: Turn everyday moments into something personal with creative tools built right into your mobile phone, whether it’s a special contact photo, custom wallpaper, an invitation or more⁴
- HELP THAT KEEPS UP: Stay in the moment while Now Nudge with Galaxy AI helps you respond faster and stay organized with smart suggestions⁵ that appear exactly when you need them on your phone
Existing and grandfathered customers may have different terms
Boost’s current legal pages say terms can vary according to activation date. A customer on a legacy or grandfathered plan may therefore have billing treatment unlike that of someone activating a new line today. That does not prove that every legacy customer still receives tax-inclusive billing, nor that current public terms automatically replace an older customer’s terms.
To check an existing account, review these items together:
- Identify the plan name and each line’s activation date.
- Read the current account-level plan terms and any promotion terms attached to the line.
- Inspect a recent bill for the service charge, taxes, fees, device payments, and add-ons as separate entries.
- Confirm whether AutoPay is active and whether the displayed price depends on it.
- Check each line separately if the account combines plans or promotions with different start dates.
Changing plans can affect grandfathered pricing, promotional credits, or device benefits, so compare the proposed new plan terms with the account’s current terms before switching.
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- ACTIVATION Promotion: Includes 1500 min, 1500 texts & 1500 MB Data + add more as you need it
- CAMERA SYSTEM: 50MP Quad Pixel camera. Capture sharper, more vibrant photos day or night with 4x the light sensitivity.
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Infinite Access is another reason not to generalize across every plan
Boost says Infinite Access for iPhone stopped being available for purchase on new lines after June 30, 2026; eligible existing customers may continue under applicable terms. Its Infinite Access terms also state that the monthly fee does not include taxes, regulatory fees, or surcharges. See Boost’s Infinite Access plan information and the Infinite Access terms. Its availability and distinct terms illustrate why a statement about “all plans” from 2017 cannot safely be carried forward to every later product.
How to find your actual total
- Open Boost’s current plan page and check the price, AutoPay condition, and “Taxes and Fees Apply” language for the offer you are considering.
- Open the legal terms for that specific plan and confirm what the monthly fee excludes, along with data limits and promotion conditions.
- Enter your service address and review checkout’s complete recurring and one-time charge breakdown before submitting payment.
- Separate service-plan taxes and fees from device sales tax, financing, add-ons, and transaction charges.
- After activation, compare the first bill with checkout and your account’s plan terms; investigate any difference through the account’s itemized charges.
For a prospective customer, the useful comparison is the expected final monthly cost after location-based charges and AutoPay—not just the base price. Also weigh data-speed management, device obligations, hotspot and international needs, and local coverage. A headline price alone cannot answer whether the plan fits your budget or usage.
Verdict
Boost did announce tax-and-fee-inclusive pricing across its plans in September 2017, according to contemporaneous reporting. In 2026, its public offers and current terms do not support the claim that all Boost plan prices include taxes and fees: those charges generally remain additional, with account-specific terms still relevant for existing customers.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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