A landline phone is so different to cellphone. However, they are both meant to purposely make and receive calls. Landline phone, also known as home phone, is a phone service that helps to transmit an audio through use of a wire or fiber cable. Unlike cell phone, landline phone is wired. What does free landline phone service for seniors mean? It is provision of free landline services from the government or any other charity organization like churches and non-governmental organizations.
Phone services are top necessities to the elderly to ask for help during emergency. In collaboration with phone service companies, the federal government saw it necessary to provide free landline phone services to seniors through a program known as lifeline. This assistance is not only provided to the elderly, but anyone who is in need of it irrespective of the age. However, our main interest in this page is on the elderly. Only eligible seniors qualify for free landline services from the government. The government also has discounted and cheap landline phone service for seniors. Let us now understand how to get free landline phone service for seniors and who is eligible to acquire them.
Steps To Get A Free Landline Phone Service For Seniors 2023
Here are some of the requirements you need to have before applying for a free government landline phone service.
Generally, households who get various government assistance like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Nutrition assistance program do qualify for these plans. You can also be eligible for your income is below 135 % of the federal poverty guidelines for your country: Additionally, families whose kids get reduced or free lunch via the federal government might qualify.
First, find out if there is a wireless service provider in your region that offers the Lifeline Assistance program. This will assist you in determining your eligibility for cheap landline phone service for seniors. If you get a free cell phone, you won’t be required to pay connection charges, must sign an annual agreement, pay monthly service charges, or make a deposit. However, you must comply with the yearly certification for the requirement for ongoing services.
How To Qualify For Free Landline Phone Service For Seniors
You must be in any of the following programs to qualify for these services.
- Medicaid
- Food Stamps
- Women and Infant Children (WIC)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Low-Income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
How To Apply For Free Government Landline Phones
You can enroll in this program by using a lifeline phone provider in your country. However, you will need to prove that you are eligible by providing documentation like previous year tax returns, payroll from your current employer, letter to prove social security benefits, child support, retirement, and unemployment benefits.
- Call your preferred landline phone service provider to request for application.
- Fill and sign the application.
- Attach evidence of membership of any of the programs mentioned above. If you are not in any of the program, you can show proof of revenue in your application.
How To Get Lifeline Assistance
Qualifying clients will complete the four steps with their preferred company to get a lifeline discount.
A person qualifies for a lifeline via the government assistance program or your revenue. You might be required to prove your eligibility for lifeline benefit via:
- Award letter or card to prove membership of SNAP, Medicaid or any other program
- A tax return or pay stub to prove your revenue is less than 135% of the state poverty level.
Some of the ways to qualify for a lifeline include:
- Based on the revenue
- If you use Medicaid, SNAP or other programs
- One person per family
How To Prove Income
You need to present a tax return or pay stub to show your income is at or below 135% of the state poverty guidelines. To prove your income, present any of the following items.
- The previous year’s federal, state or tribal tax return
- Paycheck stub or recent revenue statement from an employer
- Workers Unemployment’s compensation statement of benefits
- Child support award Divorce decree, or any other official document that contains income details
How To Prove Participation
When proving participation in the lifeline assistance programs, you need to submit a document that includes:
- Name of the person applying for these services
- Name of the program, like Medicaid
- Tribal or government administrator or managed care organization (MCO) that provided the document
- Date of insurance with the last one or a future date of expiry that matches with the benefit period.
- If your family’s revenue is less than 135% of the state poverty guidelines, you might qualify for a lifeline program discount.
Alternative Way To Get Free Landline Phone Service For Seniors
While is rare to hear successful upcoming service providers, the existing ones are facing some challenges with the advancement of new technology and new telecommunication companies that have reduced the demand for convectional phones and network from copper wire. Are you weary of paying for voice mail, caller ID or long-distance calls? This is the right time you reduce your commitments to a phone service provider or ignore it entirely by choosing other cost-efficient alternatives. Here are the top 5 best free landline phone service plan for seniors.
1. magicJack
magicJack “https://www.magicjack.com/account/mjLandingpages.do?page=index” is a free landline service that is compared to the olden Volp providers but with a couple of exceptions. It lets users link their VolP adapter directly to the PC. The USB adapter lets you connect your phone cord to the PC, importantly using your PC instead of the VolP router. Therefore, this means that your PC must be in operation all the time to make sure the phone is live. Note that you won’t need any extra chunky device. This is one of the cheapest cell phone plans for seniors.
The cost of the adapter is $20, and the annual cost of the MagicJack service is $20. That cost covers services to Canada but can support calls to other countries with a moderate fee per minute. The greatest drawback of this plan is that it doesn’t let you port your current home telephone number. However, the service provider has addressed this issue as they have introduced a matchbox-sized gadget that plugs directly to the electric socket. You need to have an internet connection, and it will relay the dial tone to all standard telephones.
2. Setup Landline With Google voice.
Are you living in US and tired of paying huge bills on phone services? Then worry not. This is because Google voice “https://voice.google.com/u/0/about” has home phone services with call forwarding, call blocking, voice calls and text messages for free. Google voice directs all your calls to several calls at one time. I mean, it connects your phone number to your recipient’s number for free. It also directs your home phone number to your mobile phone, thus eliminating extra cost. How does it do this?
All you need to do is sign up a Google account. This process is completely free. Then sign up for free Google voice. After, read, understand and accept the terms and search for the recipient number that u want to call for free from the Google voice setting.
3. Phone. Com provider.
This is another landline service provider with the best and reliable free VOIP services for eligible seniors. Phone.com landline plan cost as low as 19.99$ for unlimited call minutes. Amazing, right? More to that, it has features like call queuing, blocking and voicemail to mail.
Rather than plans for seniors, phone.com is also known to provide the best VOIP business plan at a cost of 19.99$.
4. Skype
More often than not, Skype “https://www.skype.com/en/” is known to make phone to phone or computer to computer wireless calls. Surprisingly, there is more of skype than that. Skype has VOIP services that link your landline or home phone to your recipient’s home phone. It has several subscriptions with either limited, unlimited calls or both. However, their prices vary depending on the region or country you are calling from.
5. Safelink Wireless
Safelink Wireless “https://www.safelinkwireless.com/Enrollment/Safelink/en/Web/www/default/index.html#!/newHome” is one of the oldest and largest free government cell phone company in America. The carrier offers cell services to more than 2 million clients in 31 nations, including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The company also provides free landline phone service to seniors. You will get 500 minutes for the first 30 days. You will also get unlimited texts every month if you qualify. The carrier is part of the lifeline support service and is owned by TracFone.
How To Apply : To be eligible for a free Safelink wireless and cell phone services, clients must take part in an assistance program supported by the federal government. You can also get these services if your household income is below the poverty guidelines of the country. Additionally, the person applying must live in the US, and provide a physical and valid address in the application. Note that they don’t accept post office box addresses. Applicants should present documents to back up their application details concerning their income and federal assistance.
6. Assurance Wireless
Assurance Wireless “https://www.assurancewireless.com/” is another great provider of federal cell service in America, managed by Virgin mobile. The carrier offers participants a free cell phone, unlimited messages, and monthly income. Registering for the Assurance Wireless is easy. Additionally, your application will be accepted easily if you are a member of programs such as SNAP and Medicaid. However, if you are not in any of those programs, you have to prove that your income is low, as per the poverty level guidelines of your state.
7. Reachout Wireless
Reachout Wireless “https://reachoutwirelessphone.com/” is the third biggest carrier in the US that offers free government phones to financially disadvantaged families. However, the beneficiaries of this program must be compliant with the lifeline assistance program provided by the federal government. Like many carriers in the market, Reachout offers 250 minutes of talk time in various cities, unlimited talk time for California residents and 350 minutes for those in Oklahoma. Additionally, every message sent or received will be counted as one minute of the allowance.
California plan: eligible applicants who are staying in California receive a good deal. Like what other leading carriers are doing, both text and voice usage is unlimited.
8. Budget Wireless
Budget Wireless provides a range of flexible plans that are perfect for clients with various financial problems. The carrier’s basic free method comprises 250 minutes of talk time and 250 minutes of texts per month. You can pay $5 if you want additional minutes and text messages.
Furthermore, Budget Wireless Mobile provides a range of prepaid plans that are accessible in an increment of $5. These plans don’t offer many minutes and messages for a similar amount of cash, but the prepaid plans might be convenient for some clients. There are no fees or contracts for any of the carrier’s plan, and there is a countrywide coverage, even if the program is not accessible in every region. Call waiting, caller ID and voicemail are also available.
Why Keep A Landline Home Phone Service?
Almost four out of ten American families have disconnected their landline home phones and depend on cell phone service to stay connected. If you are contemplating to join the mobile-money bandwagon, you may need to reconsider. Here are some of the reasons to continue using your home phone.
A Landline Sounds Better Than Cellular : The quality of listening and talking via a cordless home phone is better than that of a cell phone. That is important if you have hearing problems, your family is noisy, or you spend more time on the phone, particularly the home phone.
A Landline Offers Improved Security : Mobile phone utilize a GPS-based technique to report your IP address in a 911 emergency. That is great when you are traveling, but if you stay in a high rise apartment, it will not show your exact floor. On the other hand, a landline is connected to your IP address and the number of the apartment. Therefore, the 911 operator will know where help is required.
Additionally, a telephone with a corded base can still function during a power shortage provided it is connected to the traditional VolP or landline service with battery backup.
Another benefit is that home security systems need a landline connection to monitor burglar and fire alarm detectors. If you don’t own one, the alarm company will install a device that interacts with their office through the cell phone connection.
Recent Cordless Phones Are Good Than Old Models : If you don’t like the old cordless phones, then it’s time for you to upgrade. Latest models come with numerous convenience features such as big, easy to read display, soft-touch buttons, and backlight that is good when in dim places. Additionally, receiving a caller ID speaks the caller’s number or name such that you won’t have to look for a phone to know who’s calling.
Final Word
Bills for making phone calls and texts are expenses that you have to accept as part of life. The phone is a basic need, and the majority of families opt to use an open conventional phone line. As many exciting alternatives of telecommunications are becoming easy to access, carries will experience stiff competition. For that reason, we offer you a chance to bargain for better deals when it comes to finding the best free cell phone for seniors and disabled.