How to Get a Gratis Phone from the US Government

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Final Updated: four months ago

Lifeline Assist no longer provides free prison cell phones alongside their discounted services.  Merely you lot may observe that some of the wireless providers offering free plans through the Lifeline programme nevertheless offer a free cell telephone or free SIM kit.

Plus, about cell phone providers participating in the Lifeline program too participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which can get y'all a jail cell phone or tablet at a discounted cost of about $ten.

The US government offers a program called Lifeline Assistance that tin can give you a costless cell phone and access to an inexpensive cell phone plan if yous qualify. To authorize for Lifeline Assistance, y'all either accept to have an income at or beneath 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or exist currently enrolled in any of the following government programs:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Medicaid
  • Federal Public Housing Assist
  • Tribal-specific programs: Agency of Indian Affairs General Assist, Tribally-Administered Temporary
  • Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Head Start
  • Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit

If any of the above relates to you, then y'all deserve a complimentary cell phone and a cheap cell telephone plan to become with it.

How do I apply for Lifeline Assistance?

screenshot of lifeline assistant website

Free cell phone plans from the US government

You won't find any major cell telephone providers or new iPhone devices eligible for the Lifeline Assistance programme, but that doesn't mean you can't get a decent telephone on a reliable network. Some of these cell phone providers likewise offer complimentary phones or free SIM kits as well. (Or you may be asked to pay a small $10 co-pay.)

These are the carriers that currently are eligible with the Lifeline Assistance program:

You can find out what carriers specifically cater to your surface area by entering your aught code here.

What kind of phones can I get?

You usually won't know what kind of phone you can become until you get through the approval process, though most of the Lifeline Assistance-eligible carriers do a decent chore offering a variety of phones. Sadly, y'all probable won't find the iPhone 11, iPhone SE, or a new Android phone with these carriers, just there are still plenty of smartphones out there that you lot tin get for super cheap or fifty-fifty free. Yup, that'south right: a potential complimentary smartphone.

To give you an idea of what to expect, Assurance Wireless has its cell phone lineup public. You can discover smartphones similar the Alcatel Dawn and the Kyocera Hydro Accomplish.

You lot tin can also find other smartphones like the Coolpad Haylo, REVVL iv, and ZTE Prestige two.

Alternatives to costless government phones

If y'all don't qualify for any gratuitous phones from the government, you've withal got some cheap cell phone options and cheap cell phone plans to choose from.

And yous tin can check out the FreedomPop Free plan, which offers 10 minutes of talk, ten text letters, and 25 MB of data every 30 days. All you demand to pay is $ten for the SIM kit—that's information technology.

Tello Economy program

The cheapest cell phone plan we've come across that includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texting, and at least ane GB of data is Tello's Unlimited Text, Talk, and 1GB program for $10 a calendar month. The network coverage isn't the best, only the price is clay inexpensive.

Usa Mobile Unlimited Talk and Text plan

The only way to bring your bill lower than $10 a month is to throw out your data plan altogether. If you lot know you don't want to pay for any wireless data, the U.s. Mobile Unlimited Talk and Text plan at $3 a calendar month (for the first six months) is your best bet. Bonus, US Mobile operates on both T-Mobile and Verizon networks, which offer fantabulous coverage.

Spectrum Mobile By the Gig programme

Another style to downsize your phone bill is to pay for data as you go. Spectrum Mobile's By  the Gig programme is swell for those who need less than three GB of information a month. Spectrum Mobile is just bachelor to current Spectrum Internet users, just it's worth considering the switch. A Spectrum Internet and Mobile bundle could save you even more on your internet andphone bill. Take a peek at our Spectrum Mobile review to acquire more than.

Now that you lot know about gratis government prison cell phones and how to apply, here's your adjacent steps:

Check out our cell telephone deals page that is updated weekly.

What are the best prison cell phone carriers right now? Find out here.

Tyler Abbott

Written by

Tyler Abbott

Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports every bit efficiently as possible since the creation of the DVR. He is e'er on the lookout for the best tech in TV and wireless and then he tin can watch all the sports and still have enough time to hang out with his infant. He has written almost streaming, wireless, and Goggle box for over three years. He hopes the Lakers will somewhen get meliorate.

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