Free cellphone options in Western WA

RantWoman is recycling old news on the off chance that it is of interest to some of her readers.



http://seattlecvm.blogspot.com/2011/01/hi.html




Living on a low-income and can't afford a cell phone? There are a few options available to receive a free cell phone with low-cost "lifeline" pay-as-you-go plans. In fact, it's becoming a big business, with full page newspaper ads touting one brand or another. Why so much marketing money being spent on a what seems like it should be a loss-leader business?




We asked Lambert Rochfort, program manager for Seattle Community Voice Mail (CVM) and an expert on telecommunications access issues, to evaluate the two main plans available in western Washington, Assurance Wireless and Safelink Wireless. Here's what he had to say (the bulk of this originally appeared on the Seattle/King Count Community Voice Mail blog earlier this year.)



If you or someone you know would like to get a low-cost pay-as-you-go cell phone, I want to let you know about the two Lifeline prepaid cellphone programs currently available, Assurance Wireless and Safelink Wireless. SafeLink (from Tracfone) and Assurance (from Virgin Mobile) both offer a free phone, up to 250 free minutes every month plus free voice mail, caller ID and call waiting. SafeLink also offers two other options: 125 minutes that carryover to the next month or 68 international minutes (that also carryover monthly). These programs do not require a contract, monthly bills, or a credit check.



In the first few days of each month, your monthly allotment of free minutes will be added to your phone. If you use all your free minutes before the end of the month you will need to buy additional minutes, which can be purchased online, by phone and at retail stores on top-up cards. SafeLink charges 20¢ for each additional minute, while Assurance offers either 250 extra minutes for $5 or 750 extra minutes and 1000 text messages for $20. Prepaid mobile minutes are taxed at a rate of 11%. Here is a comparison chart of Lifeline cellphone programs.



Note that to apply for a Lifeline phone you must provide a unique physical mailing address; they will not send a phone to an address that has already received one, and they will not send a phone to P.O. boxes or commercial addresses. So, you will not be eligible if you live in a shelter or other group housing situation where each resident doesn't have their own unique address, or if you live in a car or on the street.



To be eligible for either Lifeline program you must either receive DSHS benefits or your income must be below 135% of poverty level. The eligible benefits are:



· Food Stamps (SNAP)



· Medical Assistance



· Supplemental Security Income (SSI)



· Disability Lifeline (General Assistance)



· Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8 )



· Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)



· Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)



· State Family Assistance (SFA)



· DSHS Chore Services



· Refugee Assistance



· Community Options Program Entry System (COPES)



SafeLink requires a DSHS client ID and last 4 digits of social security number to qualify based on program participation, Assurance only requires that you report which programs you participate in. To apply based on income your gross monthly income must be below these guidelines:



1 person household: $ 1,218

2 person household: $ 1,639

3 person household: $ 2,060

4 person household: $ 2,481

5 person household: $ 2,901

6 person household: $ 3,322

7 person household: $ 3,743

8 person household: $ 4,164

Each additional person: + $421



To qualify on income, you will need to mail them documentation of your income, such as a federal or state tax return, current income statement or W-2 form from an employer, three consecutive months of current pay stubs, Social Security statement of benefits, retirement or pension benefits statement, unemployment or Workers Comp statement of benefits, or other legal document that shows income.



To apply for Assurance Wireless call 1-800-395-2108 or print and mail their application from their website assurancewireless.com.



To apply for SafeLink fill out their application online at safelinkwireless.com or call 1-800-977-3768.



For more information, here is a brochure on Lifeline cell phone programs (it should be printed double-sided on legal-sized paper and folded four times).



Based on Community Voice Mail’s (CVM) analysis, Assurance Wireless is the best deal overall for Lifeline cell phones right now. CVM does not recommend Safelink, because they overcharge for additional minutes, require excessive personal information to apply (i.e. social security number and DSHS client ID) and have reported to have lower quality customer service.