Free landline phone service
Yes, you can get a free landline phone. Presently, the government has a program where you can get a free government cell phone in about forty states. In case you reside in a state where free mobile phones are not presently available, you can still qualify for free landline.
Most of us cannot imagine life without phone services. And we assume that we can stay in touch with friends, family members, colleagues, and even access emergency services so easily. However, low-income families often cannot access mobile phone services because of their high cost.
This has prompted the government lifeline assistance program, that partners with various major wireless providers to offer qualifying families with free landline phones and complementary services. Generally, families that are already receiving government assistance, like temporary assistance for needy families are eligible for free phones and free services. You can also qualify in case you earn less than 135% of the federal poverty guidelines for your state. Families whose children get free or decreased lunch via the federal government may also be eligible.
Is there a free landline phone?
Free residential phone service
As discussed above, you can have a landline phone free of charge. However, some come with limited facilities. Apart from the free government landline phone service, other providers offer free phone services.
For example, the Flow app. Flow app is available on Windows App Store and Google Play. It is provided by Swedish company Telavox, which also offers the landline forwarding service. Telavox develops world-leading communications sites with applications for smart and efficient telephony, PBX, chat, and others. In spite, if it involves an entrepreneur-driven startup. Televox contributes to making businesses more efficient, transparent, and accessible.
Alternatively, you can use free VoIP phone services such as Google Voice and Skype. With Google Voice, you can use conventional dial-tone phone to place and receive calls, with no charges. These little boxes, which start at around $50, are compatible with the landline phones you already have.
Obihai appliances work with Google Voice, Google’s free unlimited phone and voicemail services. This indicates you can place unlimited free calls to the United States and Canada, and also receive calls to dedicated United States Google Voice number. It is worth noting that you cannot make calls on 911 using Google Voice. However, you can add this service to your Obihai device for $15 a year. In case Google Voice is not accessible where you stay, Obihai is compatible with many other VoIP services.
Do I qualify for a free phone?
Who qualifies for free government landline phone service?
Families with low income that get assistance from the government are the ones that are eligible for free government landline phone service. In case you are in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, then you qualify for open government phone service.
The first move in determining if you are eligible for free government landline phone service is to deduce if there is a wireless service provider in your state that is part of the Lifeline Assistance Program.
In case you are eligible for a free landline phone service, you will not pay for connection fees, sign a yearly contract, pay monthly service charges, or make a deposit- but you must comply with the annual certification needs for ongoing service.
Free landline phone service for seniors
Free landline phone service for seniors is offered to income-qualified senior citizens. Mostly, this program is funded by federal government grants and is provided as part of Lifeline. Some charities also offer free, recycled cellular phone. Such services are usually available from donation service or thrift stores.
The services are accessible to the elderly and anyone else who meets the income criteria for this program. The initiative does not discriminate based on religion, age, disability, or background. Thus, any senior citizen can apply for assistance. But there may be some charity organizations that try to prioritize the elderly before others.
Free landline phone service for seniors programs are run directly by telephone companies. This indicates to get a free phone service; the senior citizen will have to contact the leading providers like Safelink. However, other major telecommunication organizations in the country, such as AT&T, Verizon, Cricket, and Tmobile also offer both free mobile phone and minutes on the customer’s account so that they can utilize them. They also can assist retirees and senior citizens.
Note that there is no age requirement for application. Therefore, an individual who is a member of the American Association of Retired Persons can be offered a free landline phone. Or a telephone can be provided to an individual who is twenty-five or just any age and is a caregiver for a senior person.
Free landline phone service for disabled
In case you have SSI or any other kind of disability, often you will find inserts in the mail from your health insurance group. In case you get food stamps, you are eligible. Various companies offer free phone service to the disabled.
Assurance Wireless which is a subsidiary of Virgin Mobile has a plan where if you are living with a disability, you receive 250 talk minutes and 250 texts for every month. After being with them a while that will upgrade to unlimited texts every month, the talk minutes remaining the same. You get a free cell phone (not a smartphone, but it’s sufficient for the options you will have available). SafeLink Wireless offers 500 talk minutes and unlimited texts for the first four months then goes to 350 talks, and the texts stay unlimited on the 5th month. Just do a search through bing or google and find the company and plan that’s best for you and that serves your area.
What is the cheapest landline phone service?
Cheap landline phone service
Thanks to some landline providers, you can have the convenience of having extensions in each room and the safety of having a dial tone when there is an emergency without breaking your pocket. Below are some of the cheap landline phone providers;
YMax MagicJack
Contrary to that with a product such as the YMax MagicJack, a Zippo-lighter-size gizmo that costs around $40 for the hardware and a full year of unlimited local and long-distance calling. After that, the service costs just $20 per year. The unit has to be inserted into a PC’s USB port, and the PC has to remain on in case you want to place or take calls. That is possibly not an ideal situation for someone seeking a full-time home phone (even though you can make it work by committing a spare PC as a phone server).
NetTalk Duo
NetTalk Duo is similar to MagicJack. They both work in a similar way. However, there is a twist. You can cork it into your computer or router, the latter yielding a phone-service experience closer to what Vonage offers. It costs a little more upfront and annually ($70 and $30, respectively), but it’s still a good plan.
Ooma Telo
Ooma Telo hits your wallet with a $250 hardware charge but promises free local and long-distance service for life. Granted, the standard package’s function is basic, with little more than caller ID and voicemail. However, putting an end to remunerating for phone service forever has some real enticement. (In case you can not live without a monthly phone service bill, you can pay $10 in a month for Ooma Premier, which comes with a ton of extra calling features.)
