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Another one bites the dust: Budget Mobile exits the free government cell phone business

There was a shocking development in the Lifeline Assistance business this week — Budget Mobile, which we rank as the fourth largest provider of free government cell phones, abruptly announced that it is exiting the program.

Google’s search cache shows that Budget was still enrolling customers just a few days ago, but then the following notice appeared on the company’s website this week:

Important notice regarding a change to your wireless service

Please be advised that Budget Mobile is seeking to relinquish its authority as an eligible telecommunication carrier (ETC) for Lifeline wireless service. Budget Mobile will no longer be providing wireless Lifeline service. If you are an existing customer with Budget Mobile, you will be required to seek wireless telephone service with another local provider.

In an effort to help with this transition of service, you may access the appropriate state specific page for links and information regarding your state’s Lifeline program. In addition, you may access the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) link to see a list of local telephone service providers in your area. This link will help you determine which telephone company is the best fit for your needs. For a list of companies in your state go to http://www.lifelinesupport.org/ls/companies/companies.aspx, or call USAC at 1-888-641-8722 and press 1 for additional assistance.

Budget Mobile would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the many years of being able to provide wireless phone services. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the change to your wireless telephone account, you can call Budget Mobile at 1-888-777-4007 and speak to a Customer Service Representative. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Wow. Just wow. What a shocking development.

In our 2016 List of Leaders article, we ranked Budget as the fourth largest Lifeline company with more than 800,000 customers (our estimates based on official USAC subsidy figures).

What happens to Budget’s customers?

And it appears that Budget is leaving its customers in the lurch in more ways than one. Not only is the company cutting off their free government cell phone service (at some as yet unspecified date), but they are doing virtually nothing to help those customers find replacement service providers. As you may have noticed over the years, we were never fans of ReachOut Wireless, but when it went out of business it had the decency to refer its customers to specific service providers.

Budget, on the other hand, is doing almost nothing to help its customers. As you can see in the above block quote, they are being told to visit the USAC website to find a list of Lifeline companies in their states. We know from long experience working with the USAC website that its listings are a hodgepodge in which large national companies that provide free phones are freely mixed with large national companies and tiny companies that provide discounts only. In our opinion, the USAC listings are so broad that they are virtually worthless.

Luckily, FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net is riding to the rescue. Budget customers who are unexpectedly losing their service can always check our “States” page to find a succinct list of all the Lifeline companies in their states.

We make it simple for you to find those companies, check all their plans to find the one that’s best for your needs (the most minutes, most texts, most data, best smartphones, etc) and all the contact info you need to enroll with a new company.

It’s what we’re here for.

A rough year in the free government cell phone business

Our 2016 List of Leaders article has been turned topsy turvy in the last twelve months, and the Budget story is just the latest upheaval.

  • Number 5 ReachOut Wireless exited the business.
  • The news that Assurance Wireless, number 2 on our List of Leaders, saw its income decline by 21% year-over-year and then announced that it was merging with Number 3 Access Wireless.
  • Number 12 Care Wireless exited the business.
  • Number 14 Alaska Communications exited the business.
  • Number 11 and Number 15, TerraCom and YourTel, merged into a single entity.
  • TotalCall Mobile, busted by the FCC and fined millions of dollars, closed up shop and sold its customer list to enTouch Wireless.

What does all this mean for free government cell phone customers? It means far less competition and far less choice.

And that’s never good for consumers.

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Comments

  1. I don’t understand what Budget Mobile did. I was with Budget from when they started the free cell program. Then my friend joined Budget about 2 years after me. When budget left the business I received a letter telling me I.. need to get a new company and my phone was shut off (I think I may have switched right before the deadline date). My friend never received a letter and they obviously turned the service over to another company. So I guess if i would have left the service alone, I would have been able to keep the number that I had. So I think I cleared up the statement that I don’t know what they did!! Thanks for listening!!

    Reply

    • You left your comment on our Budget Mobile page, but they’ve been out of business for many months now. Do you know who your service provider is? If so, you can find its contact info on the page we offer about that service provider. (Just click on “Providers” at the top of the page.)

      Reply

  3. i am a budget mobile customer i want to get another phone and have the phone # transferred to the phone as of now my budget mobile # is still active how can i transfer my # to another phone

    Reply

    • First thing you need to do is figure out who your service provider is. Budget is no longer in the free government cell phone business, so your account has undoubtedly been transferred to another company. Call 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone and you will be connected to your new service provider’s customer service team.

      Reply

  4. On May 8, 2018 my cell phone/Budget Mobile was stolen. I do now request that service be terminated ASAP. My name is Benjamin Harris. My phone number is 912/414-****. Address is ** *******, Savannah, GA. thanks I was unable to reach Customer Service at 1-888-777-4007

    Reply

    • You can’t reach Budget Mobile because they are no longer participating in the free government cell phone program, Ben. Your account was undoubtedly handed off to a different service provider. The best way to reach that new service provider is to call 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone.

      Reply

  5. I was on budget mobile about a year. They sent me a letter informing me that my service was being transferred to entouchwireless. I have had no problems with entouchwireless. And i got to keep my same number and i get 750 min a month free!

    Reply

  8. Yeah when budget mobile swith over and let them foreigners take over..them bastards wack my phone off and they talk to you so evil and they wacked me off

    Reply

  10. We lost our Budget phone and need to have the phone stopped. I had no idea about Budget . So now how do I get my phone turned off if there’s no way to contact them?

    Reply

    • We can give you three options, Peter. First, most Budget customers were taken over by enTouch Wireless. Try contacting that company’s customer service team to find out what your options are. Second, you can contact USAC.org and they will help you figure out who your service provider is. Third, leave a comment on our enTouch Wireless page because they do a great job responding to our readers’ questions.

      Reply

  11. I received this text: Help safe this lifeline program. Please complete this survey http//:bit.ly/2mZIOge Keeping your phone number is important. The link does not work. Budget Mobile

    Reply

    • Does it just say Budget Mobile or is the name of another company also on the text? Budget Mobile does not exist anymore, so we would be hesitant to click on that link.

      Reply

  12. I had a lifeline cell phone through Budget Mobile,who do I contact to see about getting a new phone today through lifeline

    Reply

  13. Every time I call i get music then it hangs up I need a replacement phone my phone finally wore out please reply to this

    Reply

  14. I have budget Mobile the phone still gets voice minutes each month and very few text I can reply to a text maybe 10 times and run out. But since discovering this article and not being able to access the BudgetMobile website how to i cancel the phone and sign up to a different lifeline carrier?

    Reply

    • also I have tried to dial the 6 -1-1 number to no avail. Keeps giving me a pop up saying this Verizon wireless app is no longer available.

      Reply

    • Virtually all Budget customer accounts were taken over by enTouch Wireless. You can find all that company’s information by clicking on our “Providers” page at the top of this page. You might want to contact enTouch before you cancel.

      If your conversation with enTouch customer service proves to be unsatisfactory, here’s an article that tells you exactly how to switch service providers:

      https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/faq/how-do-i-switch-lifeline-providers

      Reply

    • If the phone is active, you can simply call 6-1-1 on the phone and you’ll automatically be connected to customer service.

      Reply

  17. Yes please that I need reactive my budget mobile phone and I want it now to use it to call my son and my daughter.

    Reply

    • Budget is no longer in business, Rolando. Most of the accounts were taken over by enTouch Wireless, but it sounds as if your account has been inactive for so long that it was cancelled. If that’s the case, you can now enroll with any of the other free government cell phone companies offering plans in your state. Here’s where you can find them:

      https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states

      We’d recommend that you contact enTouch customer service to find out if your account is still active before you enroll with someone else.

      Reply

  18. Iam a budget Mobil customer and my phone isn’t working due to losing my battery . Would I be able to get another phone my number was 605 430 ****

    Reply

    • Your battery is the least of your problems, Deshea. As you can see in the article on this page, Budget went out of business months ago.

      Reply

    • We assume someone else has taken over your account, Miriam, because Budget no longer participates in the free government cell phone program. Most Budget customers have been taken over by enTouch Wireless. You need to contact your service provider by calling 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone.

      Reply

    • Are you a Budget customer, Mia? And how long ago did you lose it? Because Budget no longer participates in the free government cell phone program.

      Reply

  22. I have a Budget Mobile phone that was automatically switched to a new company when Budget Mobile cut off. My son uses this phone. He had an accident yesterday and landed on the phone. It will come on, but the screen is completely black. I don’t know who to contact to get a new one as I do not know which company has taken over. Can you help?

    Reply

    • You have two choices: (1) We can’t tell from your description if the phone can still be used. If it can, call 6-1-1 to be automatically connected to your service provider’s customer service team. (2) Contact the USAC at USAC.org and they can figure out who your service provider is.

      Reply

  23. Hello I have budget mobile but it’s been out of service for months. How do I switch. It shows that I’m still registered with you

    Reply

    • It shows that it is out of service because Budget has dropped out of the Lifeline free government cell phone business. Here’s where you can find a list of all the other companies that still participate in the program in your state:

      https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states

      Check out all the plans to find the one that fits your needs best. Then contact that company’s customer service team. Ask to speak to a supervisor and explain that you are a former Budget customer and need a new Lifeline company. If that supervisor cannot help you, contact the USAC at USAC.org and they can help you.

      Reply

  24. Just trying to figure out why my budget phone got cut off my name is KimZerrina Burkhamer and my budget phone number is 210-843-****

    Reply

  25. I have tried since May to get my account # but no live agents. You need your account# to keep the same number. They have been calling for us to find new service, but it is a recording. Budget Mobile 1st said it would end on July 5th, 2017, then changed it to Aug 15, 2017, which is today.

    Reply

  26. My name is Marcia king and I can’t get another phone due to budget mobile has to take me off ur services. What do I do??????? I have no phone and tried to call the number and no one would answer me.

    Reply

    • You, like many other former Budget customers, have been left in the lurch. In order to be eligible to enroll with another Lifeline free government cell phone company, you will need to apply for an exemption from the “port freeze rule” from the National Lifeline Assistance Database.

      Visit the NLAD website and click on “Dispute Resolution.” You will be walked through all the steps to see if you qualify for a port freeze exemption. And we’re about 99.9% sure that you do qualify. Here’s a link to the NLAD website:

      http://www.usac.org/li/tools/nlad/

      Reply

  27. Please call me at 580-483-****. I need a new government phone but don’t have the budget mobile cancellation letter and I’m not able to check my email

    Reply

  28. I have a government cell phone which was through budget. When I attempted, upon learning of their closing, to obtain another provider the representative informed me that I was still in the database as having Budget as a provider and that they cannot do anything until I was purged from their system. I don’t know what to do now. This was 7/20/17 and they closed in April I assume.

    Reply

    • You qualify for an exception to the USAC’s 60 day rule, because, in the USAC’s own words, “Current Lifeline service provider ceases operations or otherwise fails to provide service.”

      That means “Lifeline subscribers may cancel service and receive a new Lifeline-supported service with another provider until the end of the original 12-month period. In these circumstances, the subscriber is not required to re-verify eligibility until the end of the original 12-month period. Requests for exception are reviewed on a case by case basis by USAC.”

      Here’s a link to the USAC, where you can apply for the exception:

      http://www.usac.org/default.aspx

      Reply

  29. So I have been trying to get a phone for over 5 months from budget mobile. I had tried to cancel my service with them but without luck. I gave up and called them again and tried to get service with them again but have still yet to get even a solid approval. Yet they have me locked down to where I can not get any other service for a set amount of time. I can not figure out how to get out from under this lockdown I have never been given a phone number. Therefor I STILL have no phone. How do I get out of the lock? How do I get away from budget mobile so that I can get a different service now that budget is closing its service?

    Reply

    • That’s crazy, because Budget isn’t in the free government cell phone anymore and isn’t taking any new customers. Contact a different company offering Lifeline in your state, Karen, and explain the situation. Here’s where you can find a list of those service providers in your state:

      https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states

      Reply

  30. Budget mobile has also put a port block on people’s accounts so they can’t get another government phone. Some people are blocked until August(like me), while others are blocked until December. I’ve heard that this is illegal.

    Reply

      • This “should” be as simple as explaining the situation to a customer service supervisor at another Lifeline company. We hope it is. Please let us know what another company tells you.

        Reply

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