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Assurance Wireless Free Cell Phones

Free smartphone, 350 free minutes, unlimited free texts and 500 MB data.
IN CALIFORNIA: Unlimited Talk and Text, plus 500MB data!

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Assurance Wireless, a Sprint/Nextel company, is currently available in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. And, as with their competitors, they’ll be coming soon to other states across the country.

If you qualify for an Assurance Wireless government phone, and requirements vary from state to state, you will get a free Android smartphone, 350 minutes of voice and unlimited text messages at absolutely no cost. If up 350 minutes are not enough, you can get more minutes for a low monthly fee, or more minutes can be added as needed with Virgin Mobile Top-Up cards, available from thousands of retailers nationwide. In addition, you’ll get 500 MB of data usage each month.

THE CALIFORNIA FREEDOM PLAN: UNLIMITED TALK & TEXT — Residents of the nation’s most populous state get the best deal of all: unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, 500MB of data, and a free Android smartphone of course. Unbelievable, but true. The only other companies that provide unlimited voice and text is Budget Mobile and Tag Mobile, so be sure to check them out as well.

Assurance Wireless is one of the biggest and fastest growing companies offering free cell phones through the federal Lifeline Assistance program, and it continues to grow rapidly because it is a subsidiary of Virgin Mobile, which itself is a subsidiary of Sprint/Nextel. They are the second largest company, behind Safelink Wireless. Although with their aggressive plans they’ve recently released, Safelink needs to be looking over their shoulder.

Are You Eligible?

Eligibility requirements for an Assurance phone and minutes often vary slightly from state to state, but you probably qualify for a phone from the company if you participate in any of the following government aid programs:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
  • Medicaid
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
  • Veterans Pension and Survivor's Benefit.
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)
  • Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
  • Tribal Head Start (only those households meeting its income qualifying standard)
  • Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

If you are not on a government assistance program that is Lifeline-approved for your state, you can still qualify if your household income meets certain government guidelines in your area — namely, if it is at our below 135-150% (may vary upon state) of the federal poverty level. Submit your Assurance Wireless application online or via mail, or call the Assurance Wireless phone number to see if you qualify.

Features and Plans

Assurance Wireless phones are modern mobile phones with a wide range of standard features such as voicemail, call waiting and caller id. The basic plan is a free phone and 250 free minutes plus unlimited domestic text messages each month (unused minutes do not rollover into the next month). But there are specials, differences in some states, and additional plans you can purchase. Here’s the rundown:

California Plan: Unlimited voice and text.

Basic Plan: 350 free voice minutes and unlimited free texts.

Current Bonus: an extra 150 free voice minutes each month for the first 4 months of service.

Extra $5 per month: additional 250 voice minutes.
Extra $30 per month: add unlimited voice and web.

* Buy Virgin Mobile Top-Up cards from thousands of stores across the country. Or use credit, debit or PayPal.

Be Sure to Compare Assurance Wireless with Other Options in Your State

Assurance Wireless is just one of the many Lifeline Cell Phone providers in your state. Some states have over a dozen cell phone providers to choose from. Plans and phone choices often vary substantially between providers and you owe it to yourself to look at them all. To begin your comparison shopping, please see our phone providers by state page and click on your state.

Contact Assurance Wireless

www.AssuranceWireless.com
Assurance Wireless
P.O. Box 686
Parsippany, NJ 07054

Assurance Wireless Customer Service
1-888-898-4888
https://www.facebook.com/AssuranceWireless
Email: ourteam@assurancewireless.com or awsocialcare@sprint.com

Further Reading on Assurance Wireless

Latest News on Assurance Wireless

Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?- Now that the FCC's new Lifeline rules have gone into effect, we though it might be interesting to see which companies are offering the best texting plans. And which ones are offering the worst plans.
Don’t enroll at a street tent: Check around before you choose a free government cell phone company- We know it's tempting to enroll with a street vendor when he says, "It's free!" But the truth is that other companies probably offer other plans that are far better than the one that guy sitting in a booth is offering you.
California Lifeline explosion: More companies, more unlimited plans, more great paid plans- The competition in free government cell phones is getting stiffer in California and that's great for consumers because more companies are now offering free unlimited minutes and text plans.
National disgrace: Why don’t military veterans qualify for free government cell phones?- Thirteen of the fourteen leading Lifeline free government cell phone companies offer absolutely nothing for veterans. It's nothing less than a national disgrace.
Which free government cell phones offer special devices for the hearing, vision and speech-impaired?- Over the years readers have asked if any Lifeline Assistance companies offer special devices for customers who are hearing, vision or speech-impaired. We decided to find out.
We’re number three! We’re number three! Life Wireless tops one million free government cell phone customers- The Georgia-based company says it has topped the 1,000,000 customer barrier and climbed into the number three position in the Lifeline Assistance free government cell phone business, trailing only long-time industry leaders Safelink Wireless and Assurance Wireless.
The 2016 List of Leaders: Who’s who in the free government cell phone business- conducts a comprehensive analysis of the latest USAC numbers to come up with the an accurate look at the who’s who and what’s what in the Lifeline Assistance industry.
Which free government cell phone companies offer smartphones?- So many readers ask us which companies offer smartphones that we decided it was time to survey all the top-ranking Lifeline Assistance companies.
Which free government cell phone companies allow you to make international calls?- So we put on our researcher hats and set out to find the international call policy of each Lifeline Assistance company.
What to do if your free government cell phone is lost, stolen or damaged- We get so many questions and comments about lost or stolen free government cell phones that we thought our readers would appreciate a complete rundown of replacement policies for each of the leading service providers.

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Before you post your comment...

  1. If you are going to ask "how do I get a cell phone?" go here instead.
  2. If you are going to ask "how do I get a replacement phone," go here instead
  3. We are not your cell phone company. All technical questions should be asked of your vendor.
  4. Your comments are moderated, and we will manually approve those worth publishing within 24 hours.

Comments

  1. This is Timothy hall,
    I was just wondering if you guys have received my application yet to get a new phone?
    You can send an email back to me at ******@gmail.com thanks…

    Reply

    • “We” haven’t received it because we are not Assurance Wireless. This is an indpendent informational website. You need to contact Assurance’s customer service team.

      Reply

  2. HOW CAN I DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION ONLINE?
    I HAVE SURF YOUR SITE AND I CANNOT SEEM TO FIND A PLACE
    WHERE TO DOWNLOAD ONE.

    Reply

    • You don’t find an Assurance application on this website because we are not Assurance Wireless. This is an independent informational website. You’ll need to visit the Assurance website. We provide all the contact info you need in the article above.

      Reply

  3. I seriously cannot believe the ridiculous number of people that are leaving comments directed at you as if you are their service provider!! I’d have thought the fact that they aren’t at the assurance wireless website would have been a dead giveaway but what do I know? Thanks for keeping up the good work even though it’s gotta be irksome.

    Reply

    • Our comment moderators always try to be polite and helpful, but we completely understand when one of them occasionally loses it when they answer the same question for the twentieth time in a day.

      Reply

  4. I understand you can’t pin point if one carrier gets better coverage than the other. My problem is AT&T isn’t even in my area of CA, so before I apply I need to know if service is available in my area. Can’t seem to find out unless I apply, can’t shop around if I apply FIRST!
    SUZI in Valley Center,CA

    Reply

  5. hello i trued to go on assurance to inform you my phone was lost but they keep saying no such number i’m Judith Alziadeh my number is 734 752 ****…please turn this off so if whom ever has it does not use it…i have no phone to call you so im at the WYANDOTTE library to inforn you of this matter..thank you so very much…..Respectfully Judith Alziadeh

    Reply

    • Sorry, Judith, but we are not your service provider, so there is nothing we can do to help you. You need to inform Assurance customer service directly.

      Reply

  6. I cannot get ANY assistance from your stupid computer phone system because I forgot my idiotic password and your phone system won’t let me speak to al live person. Please contact ******@gmail.com ASAP. Your service sucks. Thomas F. Armstrong.

    Reply

    • There’s one other possibility, Tom. That would be that your reading comprehension sucks. WE ARE NOT YOUR SERVICE PROVIDER. This is an independent informational website.

      Reply

  7. Hi i am trying to find out on how can i be able to get my account number from Assurance Wireless. i am trying to switch over my phone number into a new account. but i’m not able to do so without my account number. so if you could please help me to provide what i ask for i would be very thankful. .

    Reply

    • Well, this may seem obvious, Elsa, but have you attempted to call Assurance customer service to ask for your account number?

      Reply

  8. My name are John W. Manning and I mailed you all proff of my food stams letter, but if you all need me to send you all a copy of my SSI letter from the Social Security Office please let me know and the Email address to Email it to.

    Reply

    • Not us, John. This is an independent informational website, NOT a Lifeline service provider. You need to contact the company’s customer service team.

      Reply

  10. I have a password lock on my phone and I need to know how to reset the phone to change my password. My email is *******@gmail.com. thanks.

    Reply

  11. Assurance is profiting billions of US tax dollars just like all other corporations that feed off tax revenue intended for “benefits” to qualified recipients. The”government” is just as guilty, it feeds itself first, corporations second, everyone gets their part of the pie. It starts with the lawmakers and lobbyists that represent Sprint, everyone is in bed together at some point or another.
    If there were no middleman corporations involved, at a fraction of the tax dollars, you would receive benefits directly and enough to purchase one of the newer cell phones with unlimited service. As with all government assistance programs you end up with a crumb of pie crust.
    After the initial skimming at the government level, instead of sending you a voucher which would allow you to choose your provider and obtain normal competitive quality product and service, your tax dollars in the form of an assistance benefit that you qualify for are given directly to the major cell phone carrier corporation itself, Sprint, also known as Assurance Wireless.
    Here’s what your crumb of pie crust looks like:
    1) An outdated, disposable cell phone.
    2) The worst in outdated technology signal service.
    3) Minimal usage. Because Sprint makes billions more profit selling you what you should have had in the first place.
    3) Terrible customer service and a website that does not function properly. The benefits that should be sent directly to you are paying Sprint executives, sales commissions and eventually a person with an OUTSOURCED job, in a foreign country, trained to tell you rudely that you should be grateful to them for anything you get from them because they are giving it to you for free!
    It’s a no gamble situation for Sprint, they are given the massive profit before even offering any product or service.
    In reality, aside from profit and salaries, you qualifying for this program pays for all the people involved in the pie feast (including that rude broken English speaking call center rep in the Philippines) to have real cell phones and quality unlimited service. Your crumb on the floor gets you a worthless phone, 350 minutes of unreliable signal, and a slap in the face by them insisting that they are giving you something that you do not deserve.

    Reply

  13. Yes, I was able to qualify for the Virgin mobile cell phone. Got it at the end of December had problems with it sent it back. Got phone #2 had other problems sent that one back. On 1/8/19 received my 3rd phone still having problems & some of the problems are the same problems I had with the first two phones. I inquired that I paid $20.00 dollars to 2 men in N.B., MA that were representing Assurance wireless. Had 3 options 1 was free 2nd one cost $20.00 & the 3rd was $30.00 I believe. So I purchased the $20.00 one. I would like to get my money back but they said that wasn’t possible. Well if I have to I will contact the BBB & speak to the Attorney General of MA on this matter!

    Reply

    • The way we understand your comment, you bought your phone for $20 for two guys on the street who said they worked for Assurance Wireless? Are we the only ones who think this sounds somewhat less than on the up-and-up?

      Reply

    • If you mean that you are changing service providers, you must tell your new service provider’s customer service rep that you want to “port over my current phone number.” It’s a pretty simple, straightforward process, but repeat it several times in your conversation and confirm that it has been done before you hang up.

      Reply

  15. Michelle reviewed Assurance Wireless

    “Worst customer service ever!”

    If I could remove stars I would give -10. I was talked into contacting Assurance for a Lifeline phone to help make things easier for appointments. The first flag I ignored was their absolute requirement for a physical building address, even though I did not have a fixed address. Shame on me. About a year later, I finally get a place to allow me to use their address. Got the phone. I’m not big on technology, so didn’t use it much, but noticed a few months later that the screen would black out when trying to make a call or check voice mail, and it was a real $#*! to try to get it to come back on. I thought it was just a fluke until it started doing it every single time. So I got the bright idea to call and ask for a replacement. The account verification process was a head-banger, especially since I forgot some of the info from what turns out to be a year and a half ago. 30 minutes later, finally get to the point where they can order a new phone… and oh, by the way, there is a $5 shipping charge. Um, ok. I guess that’s what I’ve got to do. Color me surprised when I see a $6.39 charge on my bank account they cannot explain. They finally come up with the lame excuse that the IRS collects that…??? I’m no idiot, but the IRS DOES NOT COLLECT STATE SALES TAX. And no state anywhere charges a 28% sales tax rate! Multiple requests for an itemized receipt were ignored, messages that were received were patronizingly stupid. Requests for the tracking number that SHOULD have been issued within 3 days of ordering the phone, per the clerk on the other end of the line, were ignored, and phone has yet to be received. After confirming the mailing address twice on the phone, I’m told that they need yet ANOTHER confirmation…….

    I have a pretty solid case of CPTSD, and this stirs it right up. I have no room for stupidity and dishonesty. Overcharging me and then lying about it equates to theft.

    I did NOT get involved with Assurance so that I would have an unnecessary source of stress to deal with. Stay far away from these people. You’ll be glad you did.

    Reply

    • Definitely stay away from assurance wireless. Junk phones had two and mailed old one back but bcuz they can’t find it cut service off but still registered as customer to keep me from getting a phone else where
      Alina. Had phone stolen they actually said they have no way to shut the service down on the stolen phone unless I buy a replacement phone for 35.00$. They’re all a scam one way or another. Good luck to anyone needing a phone but has no income or resources to be able to get contacted for appts or possible job is not happening

      Reply

  16. How do I get started?? Some how I keep coming back to this page I’m trying to see if I can get this assistance I don’t know if I qualify because all I get is social security benefits and my kids do too?

    Reply

  17. I had assurance wireless and missed the annual recertification. I have no phone at all, disabled and on ssi and desperately need one asap

    Reply

  18. My disabled mother on Medicaid lives in Connecticut with my sister who is also on state assistance and has a free phone. Can we get my mom a phone of her own? Sister was told no only one phone per household.

    Reply

    • That is correct, Gordon. Only one phone per household UNLESS each phone applicant lives separately. For example, they must each have their own room, buy their own food, pay a portion of the rent.

      Reply

  19. Because my mother lives in a small town where you get your mail at the post office and not delivered to your house this program does not apply to her?? I have met with a representative currently in our area, tried to apply online, and called customer service. Does not apply to my mother who lives on SSI with an annual income of less than $12,000.

    Reply

    • Unfortunately, you have stumbled into one of the biggest flaws in this program. What they are telling you is true, and the USAC tells us that they are “working on it,” but so far that work has not paid off for potential customers in your situation.

      Reply

  20. yes i have a phone through u an ive had nothing but problems with it im getting calls for the pervious owner of the phone an it keeps frezzing up on me an kicking me out of my facebook is there any way i can get a different phone an maybe alil bit bigger plz an thank u

    Reply

    • You are mistaken, Steven. You do NOT have a phone through us because this is an independent informational website that is NOT affiliated with any free government cell phone company. You need to contact your service provider’s customer service team by calling 6-1-1 on your Lifeline phone.

      Reply

  22. I swap my old phone out and got new phone I’m tying to additive my after six times one line and twice by call I’ve gotten no were, Case#81629672 help please

    Reply

      • LMAO!! Reading these questions are entertaining & there are no words for some but it’s hard to believe that these are adults asking these same questions that’s been answered too many times and the fact that NOONE CAN COMPREHEND THE FACT THAT Y’ALL ARE NOT THE ACTUAL PHONE COMPANY WITH WHOM THEY HAVE SERVICE!! WTH??

        Reply

    • We have an extension cord somewhere here around the office, Judy. But we don’t think it’s long enough to reach your house.

      Reply

    • Of course it’s not charging. It’s free.
      Sorry, but we couldn’t resist. We can’t help you because we’re not your service provider. You need to contact its customer service team by dialing 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone. If your phone is dead, you can call the number shown in the article above.

      Reply

  25. I have used Assurance Wireless for several years. Sometimes the service has worked well (but not now) but customer service never works well. They require me to use a ZTE model N817 HW version CQ5110V2.0 phone which they supply. While there are numerous problems, the most troublesome ones are that the system will not pay attention to the location of the center of my finger and unless I use a tool I specially designed with a .12″ diameter tip will execute near by functions rather than what is under the center of my finger, so I have to keep the tool with me to perform most functions. The second problem is that to answer a call, I have to put my fingers on a bar and slide them down. The bar should follow but usually does not. If I slide my fingers sown too far with the bar not following, a bunch of messages pop up from the bottom and there is no way to retry. Many calls go unanswered due to this.
    There is a annual re certification of eligibility requirement that has never worked properly. I weas trying to change phone companies so delayed the process this year. Now I find the plan I was intending to use is discontinued so I am trying the recertification. They encourage me to recertify over the phone. The service is for people with low income but one year the system ask me to certify that my income was less than some ridiculously large number and since then it requests me to certify that my income qualifies without revealing what that means. Then it would require me to say that inorder to continue my life line service I do not now have any, so recertification could not be completed. Now when I start the process, it asks me to agree that the name they have in file is my full legal name. They have never ask for my full legal name so it is not and the machine says I have to send them a paper application with proof of name change. Since my name has never changed, there can be no such proof. The materials they send me says my current service expires on December 14, but on December 5 I discovered that it was not working when a friend came to check on me because I did not reply to her SMS messages. Then I found that I could not send SMS messages or place phone calls. Their so-called customer service has been of no use in fixing the problem.

    Reply

      • I use Assurance also. I first received a ZTE . When I needed a new phone they sent me a ANS. I do like it better. I love Assurance. I get great coverage and their customer service is wonderful

        Reply

  27. Where is your office located? I would like to get a job wif u. You guys keep answering the same questions and get to abuse da peeple who rite in. It sounds like your company really sucks and Cintex treats peeple like shit, but what do you expect for free? It’s grate that Obama did this and made everybody else pay for it.

    Reply

    • It’s impossible for us to answer that question, Tracy. Each company offers a number of makes and models and they are handed out randomly. So the person before you may get one phone, you get another, and the person after you gets a third completely different make and model.

      Reply

  29. I was on your website looking into lifeline. Please send me the most basic phone. Talk and text with a physical QWERTY Keyboard. In addition, I would like to know why your website causes pain in the wrist? Whats up with that?

    Thank you.

    Reply

    • We can’t send you anything, Fred, because this is an independent informational website, NOT a free government cell phone company. You need to contact one of the companies offering Lifeline plans in your state.

      Reply

  31. To whom this may concern At the Assurance Wireless Phone Company well i got a free Phone and today something popped up on the screen saying the phone has stopped so I tried to exit that off the Screen and it wouldn’t let me and i even tried to Power Off My Phone and it wouldn’t let me do that either so i got to thinking about maybe i can take the Battery out and reset it that way but no i didn’t get that far because i noticed that something liquid was leaking out around the Battery so i just laid my phone down and decided that i was going to try to Contact you all which is The Assurance Wireless Phone Company and see about getting a Replacement Phone because that phone was junk it didn’t last maybe a week and i don’t understand why and what happened to the Phone so please let me no what i have to do to get a Replacement Phone or what i need to do so that i can get My New Replacement Phone please and THANK YOU SO SO VERY MUCH

    Reply

    • We are not Assurance, Lois. You need to contact the company directly using the contact info we provide in the article above.

      Reply

  33. My name is Linda Schmidt. I have been with assurance wireless for years. But everytime I”ve been sent a replacement phone there was always something wrong with it. So, I switched over th a Samsung p0hone, which I got it last Saturday and it didn”t work either, I returned the Samsung phone for a refund. Right now I don”t have a cell phone. I would like to go back to Assurance Wireless. I would liek to know how I can fill out a application on the internet so I can start recieving my smartphone from Assurance Wireless. Thank-You, Sincerely, Linda Schmidt

    Reply

    • You need to contact Assurance customer service using the contact info we provided in the article, Linda.

      Reply

  35. My name’s Andre Johnson ..from Mankato MN….I have been waiting for my cell phone.. I sent in all the information needed…..been waiting over 2 months for my free cell…how long does it take to get it…already have a cell pin but no phone yet… patiently waiting…..but like to be informed when an how long it takes…thnx..

    Reply

    • Two months is too long to wait, Andre. You should contact customer service at the company you enrolled with to check your status.

      Reply

    • For god’s sake, man, what is wrong with our readers today? This isn’t the Assurance Wireless website, CarMell. You need to enroll directly with Assurance.

      Reply

    • You need to enroll with a company that offers plans in your state, Theodora. Click on “States” at he top of this page.

      Reply

  38. Cheap is the key word here. My assurance wireless phone cracked and broke way too easily 904 894 ****. I need a new phone Ralph Nasco

    Reply

    • You need to speak to Assurance customer service, Ralph. This is an independent informational website, so we cannot provide you with a new phone.

      Reply

  39. I am leaving a comment because I sent my shipper and have a little time and never received my phone I want to know was going on

    Reply

    • We cannot answer your question, Martha, because this is an independent informational website that’s NOT affiliated with any free government cell phone company. You must contact customer service at the company you enrolled with.

      Reply

  40. Where do I send the application to? USAC – Lifeline Support Center, or Assurance Wireless?

    Do I send the whole 8 pages, or just the ones that I needed to fill out?

    Reply

    • Send it to the company you are enrolling with. We don’t know what the other pages are, but we’d send them all the pages if it were us.

      Reply

    • First thing you need to do is to Google the make and model of your cell phone plus the words “user manual.” Once you find the manual, you can look up the solution to your problem.

      Reply

  42. I have put in a application for a government phone how long do it take for me to hear from yall my name is catherine burkes

    Reply

    • You will wait forever to hear from us, Catherine, because this is an independent informational website, NOT a free government cell phone company. You must contact one of the service providers using the contact info we provide.

      Reply

  44. My sister is with Assurance Wireless and the phone she recieved is very difficult for her to use.
    Can I give her my old phone or buy one that is truly useable by a person with memory problems?

    Reply

    • You may work, Cheryl, but you need to speak to Assurance customer service or tech support to make sure that your phone or the one you want to purchase is compatible with the Assurance network. Not all cell phones are compatible with all cell networks, so PLEASE confirm that the replacement phone is compatible before you purchase it.

      Reply

  45. I have forgot my password on my other cell phone the one assurance wireless and you’ll send me another one but I was trying to find out if you’ll can give me a free new phone number with it

    Reply

    • We are not Assurance Wireless, Darlene. Speak to customer service at Assurance to get your question answered accurately.

      Reply