Sadly, Lifeline Assistance no longer provides free cell phones alongside their discounted services. But you may find that some of the wireless providers offering free plans through the Lifeline program still offer a free cell phone or free SIM kit. Scroll down to see a list of those providers below. To qualify for Lifeline Assistance, you either have to have an income at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or be currently enrolled in any of the following government programs:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Medicaid Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) Tribal-specific programs: Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations 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 you deserve a free cell phone and a cheap cell phone plan to go with it. These are the carriers that currently are eligible with the Lifeline Assistance program: To give you an idea of what to expect, Assurance Wireless has its cell phone lineup public. You can find smartphones like the Alcatel Dawn and the Kyocera Hydro REACH. You can also find other smartphones like the Coolpad Haylo, REVVL 4, and ZTE Prestige 2. And you can check out the FreedomPop Free plan, which offers 10 minutes of talk, 10 text messages, and 25 MB of data every 30 days. All you need to pay is $10 for the SIM kit—that’s it.
