In today’s fast-paced world, we all need to stay connected. Every person needs access to phone services, especially the senior citizens, in case of emergencies. Many years back, before the mobile phone, landlines were the primary mode of communication.
A landline or a home phone is a service that transmits audio via the use of wires or fiber cables. Unlike a wireless cell phone, a landline is wired. What does free landline phone service for senior citizens entail? It is a free provision of free landline services from either the federal government or charity organizations like NGOs or churches.
Most landline phone service providers give you access to a landline after you buy TV services or the internet, which leads to expensive costs for someone who only needs the landline phone service. This dilemma led to making home phone services affordable to low-income families by getting benefits via the Lifeline Assistance program. Suppose you are not eligible for the program. In that case, this article will tell you to get alternatives for providers who offer free landline phone service for seniors and the providers who offer free and affordable landline phone service for seniors.
In this article, you will learn:
How to Get a Free Landline Phone Service for Seniors
If you are an active member of a federal government assistance program such as:
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- National School Lunch Program’s Free School Lunch.
- Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met)
- Medicaid
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Food Stamps
You are also eligible if your income is under 135% of the federal poverty guidelines. The Lifeline assistance programs are only limited to one participant per household and lower internet or home phone service costs per month. Investigate if there is a wireless service provider in your area that provides the Lifeline Assistance program.
This will help you to determine if you are eligible for cheap landline phone service for seniors. With a free phone, you will be exempted from connection charges, sign a yearly agreement, make a deposit or pay a monthly service charge. You must obtain yearly certification to prove you are a low-income earner to continue receiving the services.
How to Apply for Free Government Landline Phone Service for Seniors
You need to prove that you are currently a beneficiary of the above programs by getting a letter or official document from Medicaid or SNAP. Choose your preferred Lifeline service providers in your region and request to make an application.
Provide your details such as name, date of birth, address, present your ID, Social Security card, and other documentation. You may need to provide the previous year’s tax returns, child support documentation, unemployment benefits, etc. If you are in none of the programs, you need to attach proof of revenue while applying.
To get cheap home phone service, you also need to prove you are on government assistance and your income is below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines by official documentation such as:
- Social Security statement of benefits
- Current income statement from employer
- Federal notice letter of participation in General Assistance
The selected home phone service provider will proceed to process your application. If they accept the application, you will sign up, then get a Lifeline monthly discount on your phone bill.
Lifeline Landline Providers for Seniors
Some of the best free landline phone service for seniors include:
1. Verizon Landline Phone Service
Those Verizon customers who qualify for the Lifeline monthly discount get a reduced home phone service bill per month. The Verizon customers living in Tribal lands stand to receive an additional monthly discount on their landline service and new home phone service installation.
Verizon offers its customers the Home Connect Plan. For $10.74 per month, this plan gives you unlimited minutes after the Lifeline discount. The activation fee is a one-time fee of $35.
The Lifeline Assistance programs vary from state to state. Apply online using the Lifeline National Verifier.
2. CenturyLink Free Landline Phone Service
At CenturyLink, low-income earners can qualify for two assistant programs- the Telephone Assistance Program (TAP), which is an assistance program given at the state level, and the Federal Lifeline program.
Eligible lifeline customers receive a discount of $9.25 per month. In some states, customers can get additional support per month. Tribal Lands residents can receive an extra monthly discount and assistance with installing the newly subscribed customer through the Link-Up program. If you are not qualified to receive the Lifeline landline discount, you can look around for cheap landline phone service for seniors to get the best service in your region.
3. AT&T Phone Service
With AT&T, customers who are eligible for the Lifeline program can receive up to a $9.25 monthly phone bill discount. If you qualify and you live in the Tribal Lands, you can get an extra $25 discount every month on your phone bill.
Call AT&T to check whether they are available in your area. If you qualify for the AT&T landline phone service discount, you need to provide new certification per year within two months (60days) of notification to maintain the Lifeline discount.
4. Skype Phone Service
Skype is known for making wireless phone calls from computer to computer, cell phones to cell phones, cell phones to computer, or computer to cell phones. There is more to Skype, and you can make VOIP (Voice over the internet) calls that link your home phone or landline to the recipient’s home phone. It has various subscriptions that offer unlimited, limited calls, or both. The prices depend on which region you are calling from.
5. Google Voice Landline
Google Voice has phone services with call blocking, call forwarding, text messages, and voice calls for free. Google Voice redirects your home phone to your cell phone for free. You need to set up a Google account, then sign up for the free Google Voice. Read and accept the terms and conditions, then search for the number you want to call from the Google voice setting.
6. SafeLink Wireless Phone Service for Seniors
SafeLink is among the largest and the oldest government free cell phone companies in the United States that also provide free landline phone services for seniors. To become eligible, you need to be part of a federal assistance program, or your household is below the poverty guidelines. You must live in the United States and provide a valid physical address while applying. Post office addresses are unacceptable, and you must present documents that back up your income status. The same process applies to a free cell phone.
Cheap Landline Phone Service for Seniors
If you only need landline services without TV services and the internet, some service providers offer cheap voice-only home plans for seniors, but in a few select areas.
1. CenturyLink
CenturyLink has reliable phone services with an excellent and precise connection. Their cheapest home phone plan is their Basic Home Phone Plan, which offers local calls for $23.34 monthly. This landline phone service plan excludes long-distance calls and has no calling features like Caller ID, Call waiting, Voicemail, call forwarding, or 3-way calling. You have to purchase their Unlimited Home Phone Plan for more money.
2. Cox
Cox Voice Premier provides landline phone service for seniors that start at $29.99 per month and includes:
- A phone line with up to 14 calling features.
- Unlimited long-distance calls within the US.
- Canada and voicemail.
Other feature includes a directory listing and an option to get a new phone number or keep the old one.
3. Spectrum
The Spectrum Voice Package consists of unlimited local and long-distance calls,3-way calling, Call waiting, and Caller ID. The long-distance calls include calls within the US, Puerto Rico, Guam, Mexico, American Samoa, and Canada. This plan costs $29.99 per month as a landline phone plan only. When bundled with other services such as TV and internet, you pay $9.99 per month. Spectrum has no contracts. Not axes or added fees and gives you up to 28 calling features. However, they carry their voice service through phone lines, which means with lousy weather, you get outages.
4. Xfinity
Xfinity has various stand-alone home phone service plans for seniors. The cheapest plan is their Xfinity Voice Unlimited, which costs $29.99 and has crystal-clear voice services, unlimited countrywide and beyond calls, and numerous calling features. The stand-alone home phone service plans for seniors from Xfinity have no contract and have a one-year price guarantee.
FAQs
What is the Cheapest Landline Phone Service?
Verizon is the cheapest landline phone service with the Home Connect Plan. For $10.74 per month, this plan gives you unlimited minutes after the Lifeline discount. The activation fee is a one-time fee of $35.
How Can I get a Free Landline Phone?
You can get a free landline phone if you are in any federal Lifeline Assistance program like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). You also need to have other documentation such as a letter from SNAP or the previous year’s tax returns.
What is the Cheapest Phone Service for Seniors?
The cheapest landline phone service is CenturyLink with their Basic Home Phone Plan, which costs $23.34 per month stand-alone landline service. This service has unlimited calls but no extra calling features.
Are There Any Free Phones for Seniors?
Seniors can get a free phone but have to apply to a phone service provider and prove they are eligible. They have to state their age and attach the necessary documents. They should either be below the poverty guidelines or on a federal Lifeline Assistance program. Once they apply to the Lifeline provider and their application granted, they get the lifeline discount off their monthly bill depending on the provider they have signed up with.
Conclusion
Staying connected is not a luxury anymore but a necessity. If you do not want to get a free cell phone, but you want a free landline phone service for a senior, you need to follow protocol. Prove (you)the senior needs the free services, and if you are not eligible for free services, you can get alternative and cheap services.
Most seniors do not need internet, and if you want a stand-alone landline service, you can check which providers offer the service. It becomes cheaper to bundle the phone service with a TV. If you are okay with the stand-alone price, check for not only the cheapest but one with calling features. A service like Verizon’s Basic plan is cheap but comes with no calling features. Compare prices with features and check if the provider is in your area, then sign up for a seniors free landline phone.
