Free Government Cell Phones
If you are a low income individual or come from a low income household, you may have already applied for many government assistance programs. These may include Food Stamps, Medicaid, energy assistance, and housing assistance. You may think that there are no more programs you could apply for but there is one more. Recently, I applied for the free government cell phones program. Through this program, I was able to get a free mobile phone and free airtime minutes.
There are several companies that offer this program. The two major ones are Safelink Wireless and Assurance Wireless. I picked Safelink because they had the program available where I lived. They might not be available in every state of the U.S., so you can try Assurance Wireless if that is the case. You can check to see if the program is available where you live by going to their website and putting in your zip code. The program is subsidized by the government and therefore in order to qualify you have to show proof of your income eligibility. Your household income must not reach above whatever limits the state sets. Just about anyone can apply including seniors, students, disabled people, families, or just about anyone that is in the low income range. From the Safelink website, you will find the application for the free cell phone service. Once you send in the application and everything is set, you should get your free phone and free minutes. You would probably get about 250 free minutes per month. You would also need to send in an income verification form every year that you plan on using the program.
This free phone service is meant for poor people who have no access to phones so that they can make emergency calls and keep in touch with the world. When you start using your phone, you may want to keep an eye on the amount of minutes that you use. It can be very easy to use up all those free minutes if you are not careful. They do have the option to refill your card if you were to run out but that would cost money. As for me, I never had any problem in keeping my phone usage under control. It is a great program for people like me.
Cell phones for disabled is a blessing i am in a wheel chair and if i go our and break down or anything i can call for help
The free phones came to my area today. You would be amazed at the young people who gathered to get their free phone. One guy said I called all my friends on welfare, food stamps or what ever. To go get their free phone the government is paying for them. I guess he doesn’t know who the government is. Our taxes are paying the bill. The most disturbing part was he said as soon as I got my phone I called that m fing wh that has a kid she says is mine what a pig she is. So my tax dollars paid for what????
a j smith, you show me where it cost you anything for the poor and the disabled to have government cell phones.
How dare you besmirch people who need help?
I’d like to know who the “one guy” is you talked with since I tend to think he is likely a figment of your imagination.
The cell phones are not as great as people who are not low income would like to think.
For one thing, you only get 250 minutes a month, they don’t roll over, and apparently talking to someone who calls YOU eats up YOUR phone minutes as well. There are no free nights or weekends.
This is basically an emergency phone or something you can call to get you doctor’s appointments on. That’s it. They’re nothing fancy; refurbished models that are at least five years old.
All it does is help ensure that people can get help when they need it instead of being stranded somewhere because they don’t have money for a cell phone.
it would be helpful to me as I am disabled and don’t need anything fancy.Safety is my concern as I have had some falls and hd to wait hours for help.
You can buy a Tracphone for little money…a very basic phone and for $20, you will get 60 minutes of phone service for 90 days. I find it hard to believe that there are people….even on disability …who cannot afford this….IF the phone is suppose to be for emergency purposes, then 60 minutes should be sufficient. Also, you would then be less dependent upon the government….or is that an alien conception??
Sorry…correction…alien concept…NOT conception, LOL
Sure, anyone can buy a Tracfone, Cricket or the like for $20,but some people have to decide whether to use $20 for medicine, food or gas for a car, instead of a phone. People who are disabled, or retired and are on social security, aren’t dependent on the government. Workers contribute a percentage of their income to the government specifically to fund disability and social security for when they need it. Believe it, Ginger, some people may not have $20 for a cell because of limited incomes of $500-$1000 a month. Hve you tried living on less than $1000 a month in this economy?
How can you say that you find it hard to believe that someone couldn’t afford a $20 phone… That is the most ridiculous thing I have seen someone post in a long time. Take that WHOPPING $1000 my dad gets a month and pay your house payment and homeowners insurance with it. Next try to buy the cheapest food available on the market and lets not forget gas is $4 a gallon and oh yeah you have to have insurance on your vehicle no matter what and most likely you have a car payment. By my super duper calculations I’m pretty sure that the $1000 is long gone and it’s only the first of the month for medicare recipients. I have a great idea lets let them not pay all of their utility bills instead of getting a free cell phone. actually this would be better sensing you have so much extra cash laying around that we could use a tax increase so that medicaid and medicare recipients don’t have to pay utilities at all. Don’t complain about something you don’t know jack about!!!!!
Ginger, I am pretty sure you haven’t been at a situation where you do not have enough to even buy food because you have to pay for your home and medicine. Even a dollar is hard to shell out if you have to prioritize between medicine/food/shelter over a $20/month phone.
I think the program is wonderful for people that can really use it.There
will always be the ones out there first line that abuses the system
but that’s just the way it is.