SafeLink Wireless is a US LifeLine supported service by the federal government and some mobile company providers. To get the Safelink government phones, only eligible consumers may enroll in LifeLine program. However, Safelink Wireless is a brand provided by TracFone Wireless. To participate in the Safelink Wireless service, you must meet specific eligibility requirements outlined by each State where the service gets offered.
Moreover, the Lifeline service is limited to one member per household and is non-transferable. The documentation of income or program participation may be necessary for enrollment. Besides, to benefit from the best free government smartphone, these are requirements that entail a person’s involvement in State, Federal aid programs or the Income Poverty Guidelines criteria defined by the U.S. Government.
On the other hand, obtaining your wireless services from TracFone Wireless guarantees that Safelink Wireless is the best carrier. Tracfone, the parent company of Safelink, is the largest “No-Contract” provider in the U.S., with over 20 million subscribers. As a customer, you will enjoy the freedom of No Contracts, No Monthly Bills, and No Surprise fees. Thus, the Safelink government phone allows customers to possess a cell-free telephone, an essential tool for people’s success in today’s world.
How To Qualify Safelink Government Phone?
SafeLink Wireless serves eligible customers with an opportunity to stay connected with their daily life by provision of a free cell phone. SafeLink gives you a smartphone or SIM Card in addition to free minutes, texts, and data each month for eligible customers through the government-aided Lifeline program. You can call 1-800-723-3546 for enrollment and plan changes and 1-800-378-1684 for technical support. However, some restrictions include;
- Only a single Lifeline service account is permittable per household.
- Households may not participate in a Lifeline program from more than one Lifeline service provider.
- The Lifeline service is non-transferable
Additional Features With The Safelink Wireless Service
Apart from getting a free phone and a cell plan, there are some additions to the SafeLink Wireless Service. Notably, additional data and international service are not included in the plan. Features included with the plan for free comprise:
- Unlimited Free Voice Minutes
- Unlimited Free Texts Messages each month
- 2 GB of data
- Caller Id
- Call Waiting
- Voicemail
- 3-way calling
- Free 411 calling
- Free 911 Access
- Free calls to Customer Care
Eligibility Requirements
In general, to become a Lifeline beneficiary, subscribers must either have proof of income that lies at or under 135% of the Federal Poverty listings. Alternatively, they must participate in one of the following government assistive programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Food Stamps, Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit.
The eligibility varies from State to State, and some have designated Tribal programs under the additional eligibility section. The tribal programs include;
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)
- Tribal Head Start
- Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for (Tribal TANF) Needy Families
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Furthermore, all new subscribers must prove that they are eligible. In some states, a customer’s eligibility may be able to be determined using a database. In cases where a database is unavailable, subscribers must demonstrate proof of eligibility by proving that they meet the income threshold or participate in a qualifying program as listed above.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, which has helped low-income consumers afford phone service since 1984, you may only get enrolled in one LifeLine program per household.
However, in a scenario where you are receiving assistance from another provider and wish to change your LifeLine benefit to SafeLink Wireless, it is possible to switch. After your transfer request approval, you can even maintain your phone number.
Does Safelink Offer Bring Your Own Program?
Bring-Your-Own-Phone Program (BYOP) enables customers to switch to Safelink Lifeline account to keep their current mobile device and phone number while moving their service to its networks. Most importantly, Safelink bring your own phone requires you to have a compatible or unlocked Smartphone.
Most GSM Smartphones and some CDMA are compatible, but if your cell phone is not compatible at that time, you can use a sim or sim kit to unlock your current phone.
However, SafeLink Keep Your Own Smartphone and services are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Service found at SafeLink. SafeLink BYOP only works upon running your recent smartphone compatibility check.
Besides, some unique features are applicable for only SafeLink phones, and in BYOP, you wouldn’t receive those services. In the program of BYOP, you can use your own phone in the SafeLink BYOP program by adhering to the following conditions to get this service.
- You must have a compatible SIM card.
- You require any type of phone or smartphone which is an unlocked GSM or CDMA compatible phone.
- Need to submit proof of eligibility
- Follow the Federal Government Poverty Guideline
- Entering social security number in the database
- Considering terms and conditions
- Checking the compatibility on the SafeLink website
- Compatibility means; GSM unlocked phones or CDMA technology compatible
- You must input all of your legit information (Name, age, address, social security number
- You must become enrolled with any low-income program
- You must reside in the United States
What are The Safelink Wireless Smartphones and Cell Phones?
Safelink company offers free smartphones and free cell phones, mostly the Motorola, Nokia, LG, and Kyocera brands, to its new customers. Safelink decides on what phone to give to you, and you do not choose your favorite phone during this process.
However, as stated earlier, you can bring your smartphone or cell phone and use Safelink Wireless services as long as it’s one of the SafeLink compatible phones. A compatible phone means that any smartphone or cell phone that works with any of the Tracfone networks.
Interestingly, apart from tagging along with your current cell phone, another option enables you to upgrade to a sophisticated model of Safe Link Wireless smartphones. Thus, the Safelink phone upgrade can take place through the online store of the provider.
Overall, free Safelink Wireless cellphones are the full-featured option in the Lifeline Program. Still, high-end models such as Apple iPhone are available for sale for those who want to upgrade their smartphones.
How To Know If Your Phone Is Compatible?
Safelink Wireless accepts most of the GSM phones plus all unlocked phones and, of course, all cell phones upgraded or purchased at the Safelink store. It’s important to note that all Safelink phones come locked to their network by default.
However, if you have a locked cell phone from another carrier that you want to use with Safelink, they have an unlocking policy available in place, which means that your cellphone can become unlocked.
Safelink Phone Unlock Process
If you have a locked smartphone, you can request your Safelink phone to get unlocked. For the process to be successful, you must comply with the company’s Unlocking policy. Below are the unlocking policy’s conditions which state;
- Customers must request handset unlocking.
- Customers’ ownership of the locked device must get activated on Safelink/Tracfone services in not less than 12 months, retrieved air time cards in no fewer than 12 months, and not have had their telephone number recycled or ported.
- Customers must currently possess a Safelink/TracFone branded handset model introduced on TracFone’s service after February 11, 2014, or activated using TracFone’s service after February 11, 2015.
- Customers must own a handset that is in perfect working condition.
- Customers must own a handset that has not been reported as stolen, lost, or associated with fraudulent activity.
- Suppose a customer initiating the handset unlocking is deployed military personnel upon provision of deployment papers. In that case, Safelink will value the customer’s unlocking request by forwarding a refund for the Trade-in Value of the utilized, locked phone returned by the customer without regard for the 12 months of service activation and airtime retrieval eligibility requirements. However, all other eligibility criteria apply to Safelink’s customers who are base military servicemen.
- Customers qualify for this program only once every twelve months.
- Customers must request this interim unlocking process while their service is active or within 60 days after their active service days expire. This 60-day grace period is applicable even if the customer’s telephone number was recycled or ported.
Bottom line
SafeLink Wireless get provided by TracFone Wireless, Inc and offers a program serving eligible households through the Lifeline Service. This service program enables qualifying customers to receive free government cell phones and discounts on monthly telephone service.
If you qualify for the SafeLink Wireless Lifeline program, you will enjoy free cell phone services, a free phone or SIM card, and the promise that you will receive no bills and no contracts whatsoever.
If you want to switch to Safelink from another carrier, Safelink allows you to port in. If you have a locked device, you can request the unlock process by following the unlocking policy and conditions.