EA found a new way to rip us off

This isn't the first time EA has done this, and it won't be the last. Why didn't they set these in-game bonus packs to only work (timed out) when you're actually playing the game?

Because as usual, you log in, activate the bonus, then get kicked out (an unexpected error occurred), log back in, play for 5 minutes, and something happens again... losing your precious time bonus pack.

I've been playing BF6 since the beginning, and I've experienced this kind of shenanigans many times while playing, so I stopped using them because it's pointless.

Yeah I agree 

Press esc and it's in the upper right area.. Hard to miss

Curious. How do you start a multiplier during a match? I don't see the option. Not that I have any left. I'm on PC

Also if it's not working on a wide basis maybe they should fix that and throw out a couple of replacements

I'll accept incompetence as an answer too I guess

I don't think they are trying to rip you off. There's this quote from Douglas W. Hubbard that expands upon Hanlon's razor. It states the following:

Never attribute to malice or stupidity that which can be explained by moderately rational individuals following incentives in a complex system of interactions.

Your average developer is just trying to meet deadlines, stay in good graces with management and drink coffee to suppress the tiredness from having to concentrate for hours at a time. They probably didn't mean for it to work like this, but both the developer and Q&A probably took some shortcuts to test it, and didn't actually bother playing a full 30 minute match while using a 15 minute booster. They probably tested it rather quickly with a custom unit test and then OK'd it for release.

It's been widely reported since launch that boosters only apply if they are still running at the end of the round.   Never ever select them before you're in a match.