A poor family might benefit a lot from getting a free government phone that can connect to the internet. Get a free smartphone and unlimited free monthly minutes now! The Lifeline Assistance program and ACP help low-income families and people get phone service by giving them subsidies and other benefits. Under the new plan, smartphones are available and major carriers like SafeLink Wireless and Assurance Wireless are taking part. People who are poor may now be able to get in touch with the outside world more easily because mobile phone service is so common. There are two primary providers, Assurance and SafeLink, that offer free phones with service. If you stick with us, we’ll show you in detail Assurance Wireless vs SafeLink which one to get as your next provider.
What Is Assurance Wireless?
Assurance Wireless is a phone service that gets money from the federal government’s Lifeline Assistance program, which is part of the Universal Service Fund. People who are eligible for the program get a free smartphone, free monthly data, free monthly text messages, and free monthly minutes. It’s one of the best programs that give you a free phone and minutes.
Pros
- Virgin Mobile gives you a free phone that works with their network. This phone also works with the AT&T network, which has great service and is available almost everywhere.
- In theory, this package gives you a free smartphone, 350 free talk minutes, and 500 megabytes of free data.
- When you buy discounted credit, you get an extra 250 minutes for about $5.
- Those who already have a free government phone shouldn’t have to wait too long to upgrade.
Cons
- Even though the federal government helps pay for it, only a few states can join and there are other rules about who can join.
- Since the infrastructure belongs to Virgin Mobile, only Virgin Mobile phones can be used.
What Is SafeLink Wireless?
SafeLink is, at its core, a mobile phone company that does a great job of providing high-quality cell phone service to people with low incomes and people who get help from the government. This MVNO is using the Tracfone network (Mobile Virtual Network Operator).There are also cell phones and plans that are free or cheap.
Pros
- You can use your own phone and still get all the benefits of the free plan if you are eligible. There are 350 minutes of talk time and 4.5 GB of data in one package that comes with a free phone.
- Also, you can send as many SMS messages as you want. Everyone who is eligible and brings their own device that works will get the same plan.
- You will also get your refills every month at the same time.
Cons
- There may only be one type of plan available for your area if you qualify, so the basics may or may not be enough for your needs. The plans offered appear to be determined by zip code.
- Unused funds can’t be given back.
Assurance Wireless VS SafeLink: Comparison Side by Side
So, which of the best free government smartphone plans should you try first? Let’s talk about the details.
Regional Coverage
Assurance Wireless
Mobile’s Wireless Assurance Wireless gives both smartphones and regular phones access to the Internet through the T-Mobile network. When it comes to the quality of its network, T-Mobile is one of the best in the United States. It can be used in almost the entire country. Even though coverage is good most of the time, it isn’t as good in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West.
Safelink Wireless
Mobile Virtual Network Operator TracFone is the backbone on which SafeLink’s cell phone services run. Since Tracfone uses the same networks as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, you’ll get the same high-speed 4G LTE coverage all over the country and, in some places, even faster 5G speeds. This Lifeline Cell phone service is available in over 40 states, which is the vast majority of the U.S.
4G Coverage
Even though mobile service providers are talking a lot about 5G, 4G LTE is still the most popular choice for Americans. Since Tracfone uses the networks of Verizon AT&T, and T-Mobile, you will have the same 4G LTE coverage as with those companies. Because they aren’t there, T-Mobile can’t offer as many services as other networks. Both of these mobile service providers offer 4G LTE coverage all over the country.
5G Coverage
The 5G network can be used by both cell phone companies. T-Mobile, on the other hand, wins if 5G is the only factor. Most modern phones can connect to T-Mobile’s LTE entire network. One of the first companies to offer 5G service, T-Mobile was also the leader in coverage for a while. But not everyone has a phone that can use 5G yet. Even though real 5G is coming soon, the state of 5G right now is more like an improved 4G.
Here are the states you can get Assurance Wireless
| Alabama | Kansas | New Jersey | Texas |
| Arizona | Kentucky | New Mexico | Utah |
| Arkansas | Louisiana | New York | Virginia |
| California | Maine | North Carolina | Washington |
| Colorado | Maryland | North Dakota | Washington, DC |
| Connecticut | Massachusetts | Ohio | West Virginia |
| Delaware | Michigan | Oklahoma | Wisconsin |
| Florida | Minnesota | Oregon | Wyoming |
| Georgia | Mississippi | Pennsylvania | |
| Hawaii | Missouri | Puerto Rico | |
| Idaho | Montana | Rhode Island | |
| Illinois | Nebraska | South Carolina | |
| Indiana | Nevada | South Dakota | |
| Iowa | New Hampshire | Tennessee |
SafeLink Phone Service Availability
| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas |
| California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia |
| Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii |
| Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa |
| Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine |
| Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska |
| Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico |
| New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas |
| Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington |
| West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
One of the above networks, SafeLink Wireless, has better coverage than Assurance Wireless.
Learn More
Free Plans and Offers for Lifeline and ACP
Assurance Wireless
Eligible Assurance clients can now get Lifeline and ACP benefits each month at no extra cost.
Lifeline + ACP Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- Unlimited Talk
- Unlimited Text
- Unlimited Data
- 10GB mobile hotspot data
ACP Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- FREE Monthly Unlimited Data
- Unlimited Text & Minutes
- FREE Monthly 10GB Mobile Hotspot Data
Lifeline Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- Unlimited Talk
- Unlimited Text
- Unlimited Data
- 10GB mobile hotspot data
SafeLink Wireless
SafeLink Wireless lets you sign up for both Lifeline and ACP, so if you need them, you can get both types of government subsidies.
Lifeline + ACP Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- Unlimited Talk & Text
- 25GB of Monthly High-Speed Data
- 5GB of Hotspot Data
ACP Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- Unlimited Talk
- Unlimited Text
- 10GB of Monthly High-Speed Data + including 5GB of Hotspot Data
Lifeline Plan
- FREE Smartphone (Wi-Fi & Data Compatible)
- 350 Voice Minutes**
- Unlimited Texts
- 4.5GB of Monthly Data
Internet Service Offers
Assurance Wireless
Mobile’s Assurance Wireless gives both smartphones and regular phones access to the Internet through the T-Mobile network.
| Features | $15 Plan | $20 Plan | $30 Plan | $45 Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Texts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Total Data | 5GB | 5.5GB | 8.5GB | 14.5GB |
| Plan Data | 500MB | 1GB | 4GB | 10GB |
| FREE Data* | 4.5GB | 4.5GB | 4.5GB | 4.5GB |
Lower Data rates than any major Lifeline plan:
- $1 for 100MB data
- $3 for 500MB data
- $5 for 1GB data
- $10 for 2GB data
- $20 for 4GB data
- $30 for 5GB data
For Feature Phones:
- $30/month for unlimited talk, text, and web. Includes unlimited voice minutes, texts, and data at speeds up to 3G.
Here are some great prices for more voice minutes:
- $5 for 250 additional Voice Minutes each month
- 10¢ each additional Voice Minute
SafeLink Wireless
SafeLink Internet is available to about 910,927 people in 95 cities in 3 states.
| Plans | Minutes | Texts | Expiration | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | 500 | 500 | 30 days | 500 MB |
| $12 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 30 Days | 1 GB |
| $15 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days | 3 GB |
| $20 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days | 4 GB |
| $30 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days | 14 GB |
| $39 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days | 40 GB |
BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone)
Assurance Wireless
With Assurance Wireless, you can’t bring your own phone. Instead, you can only use devices that the carrier gave you for free or that you bought from their website. But if your current phone works with Virgin Mobile’s network and isn’t connected to any other network, you can introduce it to Assurance Wireless and use it there.
SafeLink Wireless
If you’re thinking about getting service from SafeLink Wireless, you might want to know if you can use the phone you already have. You can use the service with your current phone if it works with the SafeLink Wireless network. One of the best things about SafeLink Wireless is that you can Bring your own phone with them (BYOP).
International Calling
Assurance Wireless
You can buy more phone minutes, data, international calls, and international text messages, but it will cost you. With an international plan, you can send cheap texts to more than 200 countries and make cheap phone calls to Mexico and Canada.
SafeLink Wireless
With your subscription, you can call anywhere in the country for no extra charge. For international calls, however, clients will need to buy our Global Card, which will claim back minutes depending on the country being called.
Phone Compatibility
It’s annoying when you buy a new phone thinking it will work with your SafeLink subscription, only to find out it won’t. Because of this, we put together a list of phones that can be bought and are compatible with our system.
Here is a list of the best phones that SafeLink works with.
- LG221c
- Samsung S425G
- Samsung T330G
- Samsung S425G
- Samsung T330G
- LG 840G
- Samsung T245G
- Samsung S390G
- LG505C
- Samsung S125G
- LG410G
- LG221c
- LG 235C
- LG800G
- LG500G
- LG 840G
- LG420G
- LG 430G Motorola
- W376g
Here is a list of the best phones that work with Assurance.
- Alcatel Dawn
- Alcatel OneTouch Cinch
- ANS UL40
- Coolpad Avail
- Kyocera Hydro Reach
- Unimax U673c
- ZTE Prestige 2
- ZTE Quest
- ZTE Quest Plus
- ZTE Tempo x
- ZTE Quest N817 Virgin Mobile
How to Choose a Cell Phone Plan?
If you want a new phone, now is a good time to look at your cell phone provider and plan again. If you follow these rules, things will go more smoothly.
- Find the best network coverage you can.
- Check how much data you need.
- Be careful to read the fine print.
- Think about whether or not you need a new phone.
- Figure out how many lines and how much information you need.
- Taking a look at the whole price is
Which is Better Assurance Wireless or SafeLink?
Which of the free smartphone programs offered by the government should you sign up for first? It is strongly suggested that you fill out an application for Assurance. If you qualify, Virgin Mobile will give you a free smartphone and a free two-year plan with unlimited texting and up to 500 minutes of talk time. AT&T’s network makes it possible for Virgin Mobile to have such good coverage. Compared to what SafeLink has to offer, this is a great deal. SafeLink is one of your few options if you don’t live in an area where you can get Assurance, the best free government phone.
Can You Have Assurance Wireless and SafeLink at the Same Time?
No. A customer can only use the services of one provider for Lifeline or ACP at a time. If you get an ACP benefit from Assurance, you can’t get ACP benefits from another carrier, like SafeLink Wireless. So, if you want to use the ACP or Lifeline services offered by a different provider than the one you are currently with, you will need to switch carriers and then transfer your number. This will make it easy for you to keep getting Lifeline and ACP benefits from your current provider.
Final Verdict
Overall, I’d say that both SafeLink Wireless and Assurance Wireless have been great friends during this outbreak, but especially so. When it comes to talk time and free minutes for phone calls, SafeLink Wireless often gives you more for your money than its competitors. This is a good idea because both the coverage and the fact that none of the government-provided options cost anything make it so. But the Smartphone Bundle and Data Packages from Assurance Wireless were a little bit successful. We discussed all about Assurance Wireless vs SafeLink wireless, now your turn to select one.
