Sunday, November 1, 2009

Low Income Cell Phones

Low income cell phones are gaining in popularity these days. Most Americans already have cell phones but a smaller portion of the population still do not. These are low income families that cannot afford expensive plans. If you want a low income cell phone, you have to meet federal guidelines that qualify you as low income. If you are receiving food stamps or living in subsidized housing, then you can probably qualify. Like all the other subsidy programs, the government subsidizes the cell phone plans.

In order to get your free cell phone, you can search online for a carrier that provides it. Some of the carriers include Safelink Wireless and Assurance Wireless. Some states still do not have this kind of service as states are the ones who decide whether to subsidize cell phones. But if you’ve seen commercials in your state for free cell phones, then that means it’s approved in your state. A free phone service usually has a set number of minutes each month that the user can use for free. If you wanted more minutes, then you have to buy prepaid minutes. Users typically sign up for a year and they have to prove that they are eligible. Every year users have to show proof of eligibility. If users do not qualify in a particular year, then the user would just become a regular paying customer.

Free cell phones can be particularly useful for people. Many low income families do not have phone service. Sometimes people need to call emergency or get in touch with families members. By having free cell phones, people can make emergency calls if they ever get into problems. People should not use the cell phones for talking to friends and then running down their minutes. If there ever was an emergency, you would be in trouble.