It goes without saying that in today’s high-paced technological world, the importance of staying connected or being available through smartphones and similar means is secondary to none. Be it education, work, or even social life, the internet and connectivity have become one of the most crucial aspects of human lives. At the same time, it is not affordable for many to buy such expensive gadgets or internet plans.
The good part is that the US government recognizes the importance of smartphones and connectivity. And so to help low-income families and less privileged people in staying connected with the world, the government introduced the Lifeline Assistance program. All the participants of other Federal Assistance Programs are automatically eligible for the Lifeline program and can get free EBT phones for SNAP Food Stamps.
In this program, the government, in collaboration with various service providers such as Assurance Wireless, TruConnect Wireless, Qlink Wireless, EnTouch Wireless, etc., offers free smartphones and discounted or free monthly service plans to eligible low-income people.
That is just not it, if you are a participant in any of the Federal assistance programs such as SNAP or Medicaid, etc., then you can easily get an EBT Free Phone through the Lifeline program. In such cases, all you need to do is, apply for the Lifeline program.
The article below contains detailed information about eligibility for the Lifeline assistance program and how you can apply to get free smartphones using an EBT card.
How to Get a Free Phone with the EBT Program? (Food Stamps)
As mentioned earlier, EBT is a distribution method of the SNAP Program. To get a free phone, you will have to apply for the Lifeline Assistance Program.
Now, suppose you are already a participant of the SNAP program. In that case, you automatically become eligible for the Lifeline Program, which offers free smartphones and other communication benefits such as free or discounted monthly cell phone plans.
So, to get a free cell phone with an EBT card, if you already have an EBT card, then all you need to do is apply for the Lifeline Assistance Program. Not just SNAP, but Lifeline accepts any of the Federal Assistance Program participants. So, to apply for Lifeline, you should first go through the eligibility criteria and then you can apply with the help of the below easy guide.
How to Apply for a free phone with food stamps?
In order to apply to get a free EBT cell phone, you can follow the below easy steps –
Step 1. First of all, make sure that you are eligible for the Lifeline Assistance Program to get a free smartphone with food stamps. You can check the above section for eligibility criteria or check the same on the official website.
Step 2. Now you will have to find a Lifeline service provider. There are a number of Lifeline service providers available all across the US.
However, not all Lifeline providers are available in all the US states. So make sure to choose the provider that offers Lifeline service in your region and offers the services that you require.
Step 3. Go to the official website of the Lifeline Program at – https://nationalverifier.servicenowservices.com/lifeline
After you have chosen your Lifeline Provider, you can apply for free services as well as a free smartphone. You can do this through their official website or via mail too. The easiest and fastest way would be to fill out the application online.
You will be required to enter essential information about yourself such as name, age, DOB, address, etc. You will also have to submit certain documents as proof.
Make sure that all the information you have mentioned in the application form is true and that the documents you have submitted alone are not fake. All the information will be cross-checked by the authorities. Otherwise, you will be barred from the program.
The authorities might even call you if they come across any issues regarding the information mentioned by you. So make sure that you are carefully filling out the form.
Soon you can expect communication from their end and you will be notified whether or not you have been admitted into the Lifeline Assistance Program.
Best Providers Who Provide EBT-Free Phone
Given below are some of the most popular lifeline service providers that offer free cell phones with EBT cards. We have mentioned the details of the lifeline provider in brief. You can get more information about these providers through their official website.
| EBT Service Provider | Information | Services Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Assurance Wireless 888-898-4888 | Assurance Wireless is a well-known network service provider that participates in the Lifeline Assistance Program. |
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| Cintex Wireless | Cintex Wireless is a Lifeline and EBB Provider. They offer devices and monthly services to eligible customers. |
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| enTouch Wireless | enTouch Wireless a well-known Lifeline Provider. To get EBT Free phone, you must be a participant in the SNAP food stamps program. |
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| SafeLink Wireless 800-723-3546 | Yet another Lifeline service provider that offers free EBT phones. You can apply easily by visiting their official website at - safelinkwireless.com |
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| TruConnect 800-430-0443 | TruConnect Mobile Virtual Network Operator is a provider of Lifeline and EBB programs. |
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Some other carriers that are eligible for the Lifeline Assistance program are – Copper Valley Telecom, Infiniti Mobile, Tag Mobile, Easy Wireless, NewPhone Wireless, True Wireless, Feelsafe Wireless, StandUp Wireless, Terracom Wireless, GCI, Life Wireless, SafetyNet Wireless, Tempo Wireless.
Other ways to get free phones – other than the EBT program
It goes without saying that not everyone would be eligible for the Lifeline Assistance program or get free phones via the EBT program. Hence to help such people out, here we have mentioned the alternatives to free government phones.
If you do not qualify for any of the government programs to get free phones, then you can try out the below options using which you can get cheap cell phone as well as cheap cellphone plans.
First of all, we will cover programs similar to EBT/SNAP food stamps, using which you can get free government phones.
- The lifeline assistance program, and other similar programs, also take into consideration the household income of the applicant. So if your household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, then you may be eligible for free government phones.
- If you or your family member is a participant of any of the Federal assisted programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance, the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, or certain Tribal Programs, such as the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Head Start, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families then you can receive free government phone even if you are not a participant of the EBT/SNAP program.
Apart from the above mentioned ways, there are different other means using which you can get a free smartphone. For instance, you can get a free smartphone from a career when you switch to their service. The boost network provider is one such carrier that offers free smartphones when people switch to their service.
You can also trade your older phone for your new smartphone in various mobile shops. Another way to get a free or discounted smartphone would be by checking websites such as Freecycle, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and so on.
There are certain cell phone plans that are quite cheap than the usual plans. You can check out the below plans to save on your money.
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US Mobile Unlimited Talk and Text plan
The US Mobile unlimited talk and text plan is one of the best ways to reduce your expenses on phone bills to less than $10 per month. There are a lot of people who rely on Wi-Fi and do not really use mobile data. So if you or someone who does not require data you can throw it out of your plan.
You can switch to the US mobile unlimited talk and text plan without wireless data which will cost you just $3 per month. If you are worried about the coverage of this network service, then that won’t be an issue since us mobile operates on both Verizon and T-Mobile which offer great coverage.
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Spectrum Mobile – By the Gig Plan
Another great way to cut down on your phone bill is by using the spectrum mobile By the Gig plan. This cell phone plan by spectrum mobile is ideal for those who do not use much data. This plan offers 3GB of monthly data and is available only to the current spectrum of internet users.
However, it is definitely considering switching to Spectrum mobile services because of this amazing plan that takes into account users who do not use mobile data as much. You can get more information about the “By the Gig plan” of Spectrum mobile on their official website.
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Tello Economy plan
Last but certainly not least, the Tello Economy plan as the name suggests, is one of the best and cheapest mobile phone plans out there. From this economic plan, one can get unlimited minutes of calling, unlimited text messages, and at least 1GB of internet data for just $10 per month. Although the network coverage is not the best, this plan is worth considering for the amount it costs.
How Do I Qualify for the EBT Program? – Eligibility for EBT Program & Lifeline Program
In order to be eligible for EBT Free Phone, the applicant must be enrolled in the SNAP program and then apply for Lifeline Program. So, if they are a participant in SNAP, they automatically become eligible for
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Eligibility for EBT SNAP Food Stamps
Since you are here on this page, we are assuming that you already have your EBT card and are enrolled in the SNAP food stamps program. However, if you are not yet a participant of the snap program, then you can apply for it on their official website.
But before you apply for SNAP assistance, make sure that you follow the criteria of eligibility. Given below is a brief of the eligibility criteria for SNAP food stamps.
- The monthly gross income of the applying household must be at or below 130% of the poverty line.
- The net income of the household must be below the poverty line.
- The assets must be below certain limits. For households without an elderly or disabled member, the assets must be $2,500 or less while for households with an elderly or disabled member, assets must be $3,750 or below.
- Certain people, even if they follow the above criteria of eligibility, cannot be eligible for SNAP if they are Unauthorized immigrants, Certain lawfully present immigrants, People who are on strike, or certain students attending college more than half of the time.
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Eligibility for the Lifeline Assistance Program-
If you are not a participant of the SNAP food stamps, then you can apply for Lifeline Assistance by following the eligibility. In order to participate in the Lifeline Assistance Program, the applicant must follow the below criteria for eligibility-
The applicant must either have an income at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in certain federal assistance programs, such as –
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income
- The Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit
- OR certain Tribal Programs such as HeadStart, Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Given below are some of the most frequently asked questions related to EBT Free Phone. A lot of people face these queries when they are looking for ways to get a free phone through food stamps. You might as well go through these questions to get more clarity about the topic.
What Is Lifeline Program?
The lifeline assistance program is a well-known government program that is administered by the FCC to help low-income families and needy people to get communication services at an affordable rate.
The lifeline service providers offer free monthly services or discounted services to eligible people. Some of the lifeline providers also offer free smartphones to eligible households.
What Kinds of File Formats Are Allowed for Uploading My Proof Documents Online?
When you are filling out the application form, there are multiple formats accepted while uploading documents as proof. You can either make physical copies of your documents and submit them to the authorities via mail or you can make digital copies in the form of photos or scan and submit them online on the official website. The most commonly accepted file formats are PDF and JPEG.
What kind of phones can I get with EBT Food Stamps?
When you are talking about EBT Free Phone, there is no particular type of phone that you can get the program. In most cases, the lifeline provider will offer you whichever phone is available with them at that moment.
You definitely cannot expect an iPhone 11, iPhone 12, or further models of the Apple devices. The same applies to Android devices as well. However, you can expect a mid-range Android smartphone at a very cheap price or even for free.
Some commonly available smartphones can be REVVL 4, Coolpad Haylo, and ZTE Prestige 2. Whatever phone the lifeline service providers offer you will be in proper working conditions. So you don’t have to worry about a lagging phone.
In the case of Assurance wireless, which is a well-known lifeline service provider, they typically have their cell phones on a public forum where they offer smartphones such as – Kyocera Hydro REACH, Alcatel Dawn, etc.
How Do I Know that they Received my Proof Documents?
When you submit your proof documents to the lifeline provider for the authorities, you will be communicated by them through email.
Closing Words
That was it all about free phone with food stamps. We hope that you will have found the article of use and already applied for the Lifeline assistance program. anyone can apply for the Lifeline program if they meet the eligibility criteria. but when you are a snap participant or a participant of any of the Federal assistance programs, it becomes quite easier for you to apply for Lifeline as you directly are eligible.
If you are a SNAP participant, you can easily get an free food stamp phone. You can also get other benefits through the program such as discounts for free monthly cell phone plans. This can be a great way to cut down on your expenses.
There are a lot of lifeline service providers that can help you with free Smartphones and affordable cell phone plans. you can check out the official website of the lifeline program to get more information and updated details.
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