Assurance Wireless, Free Cell Phone Service

Welcome

Keep In Touch

Background

Find a Plan!

Broadband

International

Shopping

Other Stuff

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Assurance Wireless Free Cell Phone Service!

Assurance Wireless is a free cell phone service for eligible low income households. It not only includes free monthly service, but also a free phone. The Assurnace program is actually offered by Virgin Mobile, and is essentially a new brand that they launched to support this government subsidized offer through the Lifeline program. It's more than simply a new brand; it's a completely different offer by Virgin Mobile USA (now part of the Sprint prepaid group).

Assurance launched on December 9, 2009 offering the program in North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia. The program has been tremendously successful since then, and has expanded to numerous states, so if you think you may qualify, you can link over to their site (see the bottom of this page) to see if your state is included. Many people have complained about the quality of the free phone, however, generally speaking the program success demonstrates that people are overall pleased, and there are also options to activate certain Virgin Mobile phones on this program.

How do I qualify for Assurance?
There are a number of ways to qualify for Virgin Mobile Assurance Wireless program. While eligibility is different by state, if you participate in the following, you're likely to qualify:

Medicaid
Food Stamps/SNAP
Supplementary Security Income (SSI)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program

OR,

You have a household income that at or below 135% of Federal poverty guidelines

Note that Assurance Wireless will contact you annually to verify that you're still qualified for the program; if you're not qualified, or if you don't respond, you're service will be canceled! So definitely look out for the renewal instructions, and if you move, or don't receive them, I highly recommend that you keep track of your activation anniversary date, and proactively reach out to Assurance to ensure that you don't get disqualifed from the program. Eventually they will catch on to you as they continually audit the program as required by government regulations, so keeping on top of this is definitely worthwhile!

What are the benefits?

A free phone
Free minutes for domestic and long distance calling
No contract or fees
No monthly charges
You can buy extra minutes if you run out; still no contract!

What other services are included?

Voicemail
Call waiting
Caller ID
911 access

How many free minutes do I get?

You get 250 free minutes per month. If yo run out, you can add money using a credit or debit card, PayPal, or with cash by buying a Virgin Mobile Top-Up card.
The minutes will be added every 30 days. Minutes don't roll over from month to month. (SafeLink's program allows for rollover.)

What other services are available to buy?

$0.10/min for additional minutes over the free 250 minutes
$0.10 text messages, including Messaging Packs starting at $5 for 200 messages
$1.75/call 411 service (+ airtime charge)

What if I need more monthly minutes and/or text messages?

Add $5/month to get:

250 Free min + 250 min = 500 min/month

Add $20/month to get:

250 Free min + 750 min = 1,000 min/month + 1,000 text messages

If I'm a Virgin customer can I switch to Assurance Wireless?

From what I can see on the activation page, you CAN convert! However, keep in mind that you'll need to qualify first.

How do I apply?!

Visit www.assurancewireless.com
Call 1-888-898-4888

If you're not happy with the quality or features of the free phone you received, you can read the discussion about exactly this question over at the Changing Assurance Wireless Phone page.

Learn about SafeLink Wireless - Another Free Prepaid Cell Phone Lifeline service!

Be Heard! Let prepaid wireless providers know what you want...click to fill out our survey.

Return to Free Cell Phone Service

Return from Assurance Wireless to Prepaid Wireless Guide Homepage

Assurance Wireless Free Cell Phone Service!

New! Comments

Related Pages