Traditional cellphone plans can get very expensive and stressful as you try to avoid going over your limits in order to avoid incurring over-usage charges. Luckily, the providers that we’ll discuss in this article offer unlimited talk and text so that you won’t ever have to worry about paying ridiculous fees for your cellular service again. Let’s look at how to get a free sim card with free service.
There Are a Few Different Options
There are a variety of cellphone providers that offer a free sim card with free service. Usually, these are government-funded programs that use taxpayer money to pay certain cellular providers to provide a free sim card with free service to people that qualify for a certain income bracket.
These programs were originally started by Barack Obama during his presidential term when he provided free cellphones to those in need. Thus the term “Obama Phone” was coined. The number of providers available and types of services will vary depending upon your particular location.
Government Programs that Offer a Free Sim Card
The FCC’s Lifeline program is designed to provide low-income Americans with free service from carriers participating in its government assistance program. Another government assistance plan, Link-Up America, provides free sim cards and discounted services for eligible participants and their families. This service comes courtesy of select telecommunications companies that have partnered with state governments and municipalities on special phone plans that are offered at a discount.
Each state and local area can have its own eligibility requirements, so be sure to visit your State Link-Up America website to learn more about what you need before applying. Link up America is only available in certain states though so be sure you research your state’s availability before applying.
SafeLink is a wireless provider that offers a free sim card with free service to qualifying participants. They provide free phones as well to those who need one and their plans include unlimited talk and text, a limited data plan, and a limited personal hotspot plan. Assurance Wireless is another cellphone provider similar to SafeLink that offers unlimited talk and text as well as access to data (iPhone/Smartphone).
You can now get free cell phone service by enrolling in Assurance Wireless, a cell phone service program offered through the U.S. federal government, designed to help low-income families with the cost of wireless service. All you have to do is sign up and choose one of the available free phones, which you can then keep as long as you stay on their program, no matter how much you use your cell phone every month. When you get the phone you can just pop out the sim card in the phone they send you and pop it into your existing phone. Read on to learn more about how to get a free SIM card with free service through Assurance Wireless.
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What is Assurance Wireless?
Assurance Wireless is a free government program for people with limited incomes. They offer free service, including unlimited voice minutes, text messages, and 411 calls. To qualify for Assurance Wireless, you must also participate in one of several income-based assistance programs, such as Medicaid or SNAP food stamps. When you sign up for Assurance Wireless, your service will be paid by your existing government assistance program on a monthly basis without any cost to you.
Register For Assurance Wireless
To register for Assurance Wireless, you can fill out a simple online application. Once your application is approved, you’ll receive an activation code in your email inbox. You will then need to activate your sim card by calling Assurance Wireless customer service at 1-888-539-3695. This can be done over the phone or via text message.
After activating your device, log back into My Account to access your member page and complete any outstanding paperwork (if needed). Now enjoy free talk time and free unlimited nights and weekends! There are no contracts so switching carriers is easy too. Just pop out that old SIM card from another carrier and put your new sim card in its place. For most phones, swapping SIM cards takes about 30 seconds.
Wait For Your Free Sim Card to Arrive
Once you have completed your application and a qualified Assurance Wireless agent has evaluated it, they will send your new free sim card by U.S. Mail within 30 days (an email will be sent when it ships). Keep in mind that if you need service before then, you can always buy or activate an old phone and use it with our free service until yours is ready to ship. You can also get free minutes by adding Friends or Family members as Add-Ons during enrollment (they don’t need to be eligible for Assurance Wireless themselves), so they can share minutes and save on their monthly bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Requirements for Getting a Free Sim Card Through Assurance Wireless?
There are a few requirements in order to get a free sim card from Assurance Wireless, they include: being eligible for free government services, your family’s income can not exceed 133% of federal poverty guidelines and you must have an existing phone number.
You also need to be receiving at least one of these government benefits: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP), Medicaid, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
They also want you to have a valid email address and agree to receive text messages. If you do all that then they will give you a free sim card with free service! It doesn’t cost anything but filling out some information about yourself on their website. It’s a really fast and easy process that just takes a few minutes.
What Cellular Network Does Assurance Wireless Run On?
Assurance Wireless runs on Verizon’s Nationwide 4G LTE Network. This means you can take your Assurance Wireless phone or mobile hotspot and connect at no cost in more than 100,000 places across America where Verizon offers service. Coverage does not include Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico. You can check coverage for your area by entering your ZIP code on their website.
What Areas is Assurance Wireless Available In?
There are over 100 million people on the network across 24 states. To find out if Assurance Wireless service is available in your area, enter your zip code on their website. If you see an icon of a cell phone, that means it’s available in your area.
If you see a question mark and an icon of different cell phones overlapping each other, then it’s not yet available in your area. Be sure to double-check what type of phone you have too since there are some types of phones that aren’t compatible with Assurance Wireless like unlocked smartphones or tablets.
The good news is that even if your area isn’t covered by service now, they will be expanding into more areas in 2022. More details can be found on their FAQ page under Frequently Asked Questions – Why are certain areas unavailable? You can also follow them on Facebook where they frequently update subscribers when new areas become available for use.
Can I keep my phone number from my previous provider, or will it be lost if I switch over to Assurance Wireless?
In most cases, yes! Once you receive your free phone and SIM card, you can also keep your phone number. If you’re currently a T-Mobile customer but want to switch over to Assurance Wireless, there’s no need for a new number-you can keep your existing T-Mobile number and start saving money immediately. You might have a different carrier code or dialing format if you’re transferring your number from another carrier, but all of your calls will still go through as usual.
Does Assurance Wireless Offer Unlimited Talk and Text?
Yes, Assurance Wireless offers both unlimited talk and text. When you call certain international numbers or numbers in certain regions (such as China and Canada), long-distance charges apply. You can use your phone to send free text messages anywhere in the United States.
Can I make International Calls With My Assurance Wireless Plan?
You can make international calls using your Assurance Wireless phone in one of two ways. The first way is by purchasing an international long-distance package from your service provider and installing it on your phone.
If you’re not interested in a long-distance package or want a different solution, you can use an app like Skype or Google Voice to make your calls instead. These apps both allow free calling between users and very low rates for outbound calls that start as low as a penny per minute.
Note that there may be call quality issues if you’re attempting to call over Wi-Fi rather than cellular data and that both of these apps require accounts that must be activated before they can be used (call quality issues also affect regular domestic calls, so keep that in mind when making outgoing calls).
Is Data Included in My Assurance Wireless Plan?
Now that you’ve got your new Assurance Wireless phone, we want to make sure you have everything you need. One question we often get is what do I do if I go over my data? It is important to note that all data usage on Assurance Wireless plans is FREE after any monthly data allotment. Keep in mind: if you use up all of your assigned data (6GB) before the month ends, your data access will still be working until midnight EST of that day – at which point you’ll have to purchase additional data until your monthly allotment is recharged the next month.
Can I Add More Data to My Assurance Wireless Plan if I Run Out?
If you want to add more data you can call customer service and purchase more data. You can purchase additional data increments including :
100MB for $1
500MB for $3
1GB for $5
2GB for $10
5GB for $20
10GB $30
Even though you might have to pay a little extra for more data, depending on how much you use this is still going to save you a significant amount of money versus paying for a full cellphone plan.
Will my phone work on Assurance Wireless, even if it was not made by one of their approved providers?
Your phone will have to be unlocked in order to use it with your Assurance Wireless sim card. It also needs to be compatible with GSM technology, which is a network standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in addition to Assurance Wireless.
This means that both CDMA and iDEN phones are not compatible, including Sprint Nextel’s iDEN phones. Also, note that Assurance Wireless does not accept special equipment like two-way radios or satellite phones, or anything that may interfere with service quality or safety (that includes walkie-talkies and some medical alert devices).
If you can’t find your exact device on their list of approved devices, call customer care at 1-866-359-7753 before choosing another provider because they will want to know if any customizations have been made to it.
Does Assurance Wireless Have 4G LTE?
If you’re currently shopping for cell phone plans, you’ve probably come across several offers that include unlimited talk and text. But do these plans also include 4G LTE speeds? Fortunately, Assurance Wireless offers blazing fast 4G LTE data speeds. If you want to surf the web, play games, and watch videos without any lag time Assurance Wireless can handle this perfectly.
Does Assurance Wireless Include a Personal Hotspot?
If you want to use your phone as a portable WiFi modem to connect your laptop or your tablet to the internet, Assurance Wireless includes 10GB of personal hotspot data per month. All of your devices will be able to take advantage of the same blazing-fast 4G LTE speeds that your phone has access to. You connect multiple devices as well. Do note that the more devices that you connect, the faster they are going to eat up your data. Also, you cannot make or receive phone calls while a device is connected to your personal hotspot.
What phones are supported by Assurance Wireless, including older ones like flip phones and smartphones like iPhones and Android devices?
All T-Mobile and AT&T-powered phones are compatible with Assurance Wireless. Older, non-smartphones will only be able to access a voice service, but newer phones like Androids or iPhones can take advantage of a broader range of services, including text messaging and mobile data. And remember that you can bring your own phone or tablet (as long as it is compatible) into an Assurance Wireless plan.
Conclusion
All of the other government programs for a free sim card with free service work very similarly to Assurance Wireless so if you decide to go through another provider you can use this guide to reference the features they provide. It’s really incredible how powerful these free services are and they work just as well if not better than many paid cellular plans. These programs have been very lenient on the requirements during the last few years so now would still be a great time to go ahead and apply and see if you can get approved.