A phone is part of the learning tools for students nowadays. It’s also a crucial tool for a boarding schooler to keep in touch with loved ones back home. And the good news today is that carriers now have free student phone plans for low-income students.
While the free phone service for people on a low income isn’t something new, it’s a lifesaver for students in higher education at the moment. It helps the students save on their monthly bills, which, unfortunately, have recently been high from the skyrocketing cost of tuition, food, house rent, and everything else.
Verdict: The 5 Best Free Student Phone Plans for Low-Income Students
- Overall Best of Free Phone Plan: SafeLink Wireless
- Best of Free Phone Plan & Smartphone: AirTalk Wireless
- Best of Free Phone Plan & Tablet PC: Cintex Wireless
- Best of Free Phone Plan & Coverage: TAG Mobile
- Best of Free Prepaid Phone Plan: Red Pocket
Introducing Free Student Phone Plan for Low-Income Students
In this guide, I’ve put together everything you should know about the free student phone plan for low-income students. The first thing to point out is that the free student phone plan is part of the benefits the government funds through Lifeline and ACP.
Lifeline is a program the government created in the 80s to help people with a low income afford phone service. Until today, the program has helped millions of consumers get free cell phone service without paying any dime. But you can only apply for the program through an eligible telecommunication carrier (ETC).
In simple words, an ETC is a phone provider that has the license to participate in the Lifeline program. Once with this license, a carrier can offer free cell phones, then get reimbursements from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).
FYI: USAC is the body the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has obligated to distribute Lifeline funds. The institution is also responsible for distributing funds for the ACP.
ACP or affordable connectivity program is a program the government created in 2021 to offer broadband discounts to people with low income. The “broadband discount” covers both fixed internet and mobile broadband.
So, when we talk about the free student phone plan for low-income students, it’s both on the Lifeline and ACP. The two are separate programs, as you can apply for either individually. But with most of the ETCs, you’ll enjoy the best phone plans when you apply for the Lifeline + ACP combo.
How to Get a Free Student Phone Plan for Low-Income Students
Basically, to get the free Student phone plan from the government, you’ll have to apply for the Lifeline or ACP program. And when you apply for either program, you’ll have to qualify to get free cell phone service.
To qualify for either Lifeline or ACP, the first crucial rule is that you must pass the low-income requirement. The low-income requirement you can apply for these programs with is either a low income within poverty guidelines or participation in government-funded assistance aid.
Nevertheless, my headline today is on the free cell phone service for students. And not every student has an income or the legal age to qualify for most of the government welfare benefits. Thus, some of the learners will have to apply through other means, as we shall see below.
Get a Free Student Phone Plan with Low Income
If you’re a working student, you can use your records to get the free student phone plan for low-income students. Your records here are the information regarding your employment or income. After all, National Verifier will ask for documents proof when you apply for Lifeline and ACP program with any participating carrier.
That said, the low-income requirements between the two programs vary. If you apply for the free student phone service through the Lifeline program, your low income should be at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.
On the other hand, the free phone plan through the ACP program requires a low income at or below 200% of the poverty guidelines.
In both cases, you’ll need a copy of documents to prove your income is within the required poverty guideline cap. Some of the documents you can bring include a paycheck stub, income statement, or tax return.
Note: When applying the free student phone service through the low-income requirements, some ETCs use the Lifeline and ACP poverty guidelines cap interchangeably. They can use the 135% cap for Lifeline and ACP, or else the 200% cap.
Get a Free Student Phone Plan with Government Welfare Aid
If you don’t have income/ employment records, you can get free student phone service with government assistance benefits. The easiest assistance program that low-income students can get free phone service is the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP)- known as Food Stamps in some states.
Usually, the government only allows a single SNAP/ Food Stamps enrollment per household. But there’s an exemption where there’s a student in a higher education institution.
Once you apply for the food program and get approved, you can qualify for the free phone service through Lifeline or ACP program.
Speaking of food, the students in the School Breakfast or School Lunch program may qualify for the free phone service. I’ve used “may” as the requirement is primarily applicable when you apply through the ACP program. But some ETCs are using the eligibility pass on the Lifeline program as well.
Also, students can get free cell phone plans through a Pell Grant. The Pell Grant must be for the current award year. Thus, the phone provider will need a written document from the higher education institution to confirm participation in the benefit.
A Student Adult Back to School
As an adult who has gone back to school for higher learning, it’s also possible to get a free cell phone service plan. However, you can only qualify for the free phone plan here if you can meet the regular Lifeline or ACP eligibility requirements.
SNAP/ Food Stamps is one of the regular eligibility requirements for Lifeline and ACP programs. Other government assistance programs you can qualify with include:
- Medicaid
- Federal public housing assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans & Veteran’s Survivors Pension
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Tribal-administered assistance programs, such as Head Start
Are you a senior student aged 60 and above? I didn’t think there would be any at the moment. Hence, the reason I’ve left out the government assistance program dedicated to seniors, such as supplemental security income, off my list.
Get a Free Student Phone Plan with an Eligible Trustee
The third way one can qualify for the free student phone plan for low-income students is to use a trustee. A “trustee” in this case is someone in your family eligible for Lifeline or ACP program in the regular ways.
As you already know, the regular way to qualify for ACP or Lifeline program is to have a low income within the federal poverty guidelines cap. Or else participate in either of the accepted government assistance aid, including:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental security income (SSI)
- Federal public housing assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans & Veteran’s Survivors Pension
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)- called Food Stamps in some states
- Tribal-administered assistance programs, such as Head Start, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, et cetera.
Remember, the government only allows a single enrollment for Lifeline and ACP programs per household. So, when the “trustee” applies for the program on your behalf, none of the other family members will qualify.
Tip: The “trustee” here can be your parent, guardian, sibling, relative, or even a friend. And since you’re using the trustee’s eligibility pass, his/ her credentials (name, physical address, and others) should be used during the enrollment.
If you apply for Lifeline or ACP program with your details but show another person’s proof document for the income/ assistance program, your application won’t go through.
10+ Providers with Free Student Phone Plan for Low-income Students
At the time of writing, there are over a dozen eligible telecommunication carriers (ETCs) in the country. And as mentioned earlier, ETCs bring you a free phone service on either Lifeline, ACP or a combination of both.
If you qualify for a Lifeline + ACP combo, the free phone service plan is usually relatively better than either of the individual plans. The monthly mobile data allowance is where we have a major difference. See below.
| Carrier Network | Lifeline-Only Data | ACP+ Lifeline Data | |
| SafeLink Wireless | Verizon/ | 4.5GB (6GB California) | Unlimited (2.1TB) |
| AirTalk Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB | 15GB |
| Cintex Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB | 15GB |
| Assurance Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB (6GB California) | 25GB |
| TAG Mobile | T-Mobile/ Verizon/ AT&T | 1GB (3GB California) | 8.5GB (8GB California) |
| Q Link Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB | 28GB |
| Newphone Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB | 15GB |
| Access Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB (6GB California) | 15GB |
| TruConnect | T-Mobile | 250MB (6GB California) | 14GB |
| Life Wireless | AT&T | 4.5GB (6GB California) | 15GB |
| StandUp Wireless | T-Mobile | 4.5GB (6GB California) | 10GB |
| Gen Mobile | 4.5GB | 7GB | |
| American Assistance | T-Mobile | 4.5GB (6GB California) | 14.5GB (16GB California) |
| Assist Wireless | T-Mobile | 50MB or 3GB | 12GB |
| Safety net Wireless | AT&T | 1GB (6GB California) | 22GB |
| Easy Wireless | T-Mobile | 25MB | 7.5GB |
Key Takeaway: Regular Carriers with Free Student Phone Plan
Besides the ETCs, we also have regular carriers with free student plan for low-income students. The free phone service is available on prepaid phone providers participating in ACP, and have rate plans at or below $30 (regular price). Examples include:
| Carrier Network | Type of Service | High-speed Data Allowance | |
| Boost Mobile | AT&T/ T-Mobile | Prepaid | 10GB |
| Red Pocket | T-Mobile/ Verizon/ AT&T | Prepaid | 10GB |
| AT&T Prepaid | AT&T | Prepaid | 5GB |
| Metro by T-Mobile | T-Mobile | Prepaid | 5GB |
| Total by Verizon | Verizon | Prepaid | 5GB |
| Straight Talk | Verizon/ AT&T/ T-Mobile | Prepaid | 5GB |
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T | Prepaid | 5GB |
Recertify or Reapply for the Free Student Phone Plan
While there’s still a lot to talk about, these are the most relevant details to know about free student phone plans for low-income students. The most-most crucial point to note is that you can only qualify for the benefit through Lifeline or ACP program.
So, you must be eligible for either program, which we’ve seen is easiest with low-income, SNAP/ Food Stamps, Pell Grant, plus School Lunch/ Breakfast program. If not, you could apply for the free phone service through Lifeline or the ACP eligibility requirement of someone you know.
But whichever way you apply and qualify, you should know Lifeline and ACP enrollments only last a year. Then you’ll have to recertify your application and qualify. If you don’t qualify for the recertification or fail to recertify, your free phone plan will be disconnected.
