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Puerto Rico Free Cell Phones from the U.S. Government

InformationPlease.com says, “Although Puerto Rico has the most diversified and powerful industrial economy in the Caribbean, significant population growth and insufficient jobs have contributed to social and economic problems and to continued emigration.”

Fact is, residents of Puerto Rico face economic hardships that are completely unknown in the continental United States. The unemployment rate in the Commonwealth is a stunning 14.7% (as of June 2014). That puts a strain on a huge percentage of the island’s residents.

While things may look bleak, there is good news. The U.S. government’s Lifeline phone service program is now available to bring free cell phones and monthly minutes to Puerto Ricans. Over a half dozen cell phone companies are now offering the program here.

Free Cell Phone Providers in Puerto Rico:

Here’s a list of all the Lifeline Assistance free government cell phones in Puerto Rico. They all offer different plans with different numbers of minutes, different refill options, and serve different geographic areas. So click through them all and find the plan that’s best for you.

Lifeline Discount Companies in Puerto Rico

If you qualify for Lifeline Assistance, but you find that none of the companies offer free government cell phones where you live, you have another option. The companies below, while not offering free cell phone plans, do offer substantial Lifeline discounts off their regular mobile phone plans in Puerto Rico:

How to Qualify for a Free or Discounted Cell Phone in Puerto Rico:

You are eligible if you receive benefits from any of these programs in Puerto Rico:

  • 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)

In Puerto Rico, you may also qualify if your Total Household Income is at or under 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. See chart below where we’ve done the math for you:

Income Based Eligibility for Puerto Rico
Members in HouseholdAnnual income
1 member$16,389
2 members$22,221
3 members$28,053
4 members$33,885
5 members$39,717
6 members$45,549
7 members$51,381
8 members$57,213
For each additional member add $5,832 annually

Latest News for Puerto Rico:

How do Budget Wireless customers find a new free government cell phone company? - If you're one of those 800,000 abandoned Budget Wireless customers, what should you do next? How do you find another Lifeline company to replace Budget?
Lifeline fraud runs rampant in Puerto Rico - A new audit has discovered than more than 200,000 people in Puerto Rico are fraudulently taking advantage of the Lifeline Assistance program.

If you have any other questions, please refer to the links in the sidebar.

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Comments

  1. I have been using SafeLink for a few years while I was living in Pennsylvania. I got offered the service thru welfare. I moved to Puerto Rico in September 2017 I got a text telling me to re-certify since I moved. I have been trying to re-certify since Oct. 2017 and still nothing has changed with my application. They now tell me because I live in Puerto Rico now I must have to last names in order to qualify for the program. I live on SSDI and don’t even get 1000 dollars a month. So this program helps me a lot. Just because I moved from PA to PR doesn’t mean I can grow a second last name and if I don’t im not allowed to qualify.

    Reply

    • We have no idea why you would need a second last name, Jason. Seems to us that the problem is that you cannot just move from one state to another and take your Lifeline plan with you. Our understanding is that you must complete a new enrollment in order to get a new plan based in Puerto Rico.

      Please let us know what happens in this very unusual case. We think our readers will be very interested.

      Reply

      • Yes I was trying to re enroll with SafeLink but the continue to say it’s because I’m not Puerto Rican and I need to last names. One customer service rep tried to say I need to go to social security and ask them for a temporary 2nd last name. What a joke. Another rep said I was allowed to enroll with my SSI and I told her I wasn’t I was using my income from ssi. She then told me that my SSI paper stating my monthly income since last December 2016 wasn’t good enough that I needed 4 pay stubs. When I told her she was wrong and to put me thru to a supervisor. She got nasty and told me that I was wrong and the supervisor would tell me the same thing, yet when I got a hold of a supervisor he said I had to redo the application again because I needed to last names and if I don’t have two last names I can qualify for SafeLink in Puerto Rico. Am I able to change service providers if I’m not getting any minutes from them anymore even though I have around 250 service days left. Yes I wasn’t transferring service with them I was just doing an application through Puerto Rico since I moved and that’s what they tell why I can’t get benefits cause I’m not Puerto Rican and I don’t have to last names.

        Reply

        • That may be the craziest story any reader has ever posted here at FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net. Really goofy. Sorry you’re going through all this, Jason.

          First question: It doesn’t sound as if you’ve been able to enroll yet, so why do you say you have 250 days left? Are we misreading what you said?

          Second question: How long you are required to stay with a service provider is dependent on what type of plan you have. You must stay 60 days if your plan provides only voice and text. You must stay one full year if it also includes data.

          However, the FCC just announced that it is changing those rules back to 60 days for all accounts. We’re not sure when the new rules go into effect.

          Here’s an article that tells you how to switch service providers:

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

          Reply

          • My phone still say I have 250 service days left. I found a way to get around it. I called lifeline(USAC) and talked to the service reps. The say it’s crazy too and the never heard of such a thing. The service rep of lifeline gave me listings of other service providers and also gave me another number to some other reps at safelink. That’s not the normal rude and ignorant reps you when you call them from online ads. Anyways the lady I spoke with didn’t understand why my app was rejected but she did confirm that in Puerto Rico through SafeLink application requires you to have two last names. That confused here. So she redid another application and then recorded my answers, she immediately accepted my application. I resent them my SSI papers and two hours later I had my minutes on my phone. So if anyone else runs into issues like this contact lifeline(USAC) directly they are very kind and helpful and should get you in contact with the right people to get the problems solved. Hope this helps and no one else has to waste time fighting to get things resolved as long as I did (11\2 months) thanks for being here to share my issue.

          • Thanks for the update, Jason. You had one of the strangest cases we’ve ever hard of. Hope things are going well for all the people of Puerto Rico and that the island is recovering from the recent hurricane.

    • Contact your service provider’s customer service team, Angel. They’ll have an answer for you.

      Reply

  7. Mi comentario es gue a las persona de edad no los ayudan para nada solo le dan el teléfono y se acabó deberían guitar esta asistencia y no tener gue pagarle a estos vagos vagos de puerto rico por nada por gue la gente ay creen gue estado unido le debe algo mi madre le dieron el teléfono y no la ayudaron la berguenza de utuado jayuya y San Juan

    Reply

    • We tried to use Google Translate to help us comprehend Luis comment, but it didn’t quite work the way we had hoped it would:

      “My comment is gue to the older person does not help at all just give you the phone and ended should guitar this assistance and have no gue pay these lazy bums Puerto Rico by anything gue people to and believe gue been joined by owes something my mother gave him the phone and did not help the berguenza of utuado jayuya and San Juan.”

      Anyone else want to take a whack at translation?

      Reply

      • “My comment is that these guys don’t help older people. They just give them the phone and done. They should remove these services so they don’t have to pay for those lazy Puerto Rican bums. People over there think that the US owes them something. They gave my mother one of these phones, but they didn’t help her. Shame from Utuado, Jayuya, and San Juan.”

        There, I did my best.

        Reply

    • According to Google Translate, Ashley’s comment says, “I would like to close my account because my phone was stolen me.” Let’s see if Google can translate our answer in reverse:

      Póngase en contacto con el servicio al cliente y decirles que desea cancelar, Ashley.

      Reply

  10. Quiero saber, cunado y en q parte del puelo de Quebradillas, P.R., se encuentra y/o encontrarán ustedes, la cía.(Life Wireless) para, resolver un problema q tengo en el tel.(no se ve la pantalla) y no se quién me llama o cuando llamo, etc. Por tal razón, no lo puedo usar desde haces 3 semanas. X favor, me pueden proveer su # de tel.(Servicios al cliente) x si tuviera otra necesidad de servicios, si me sucediese otro problema con ustedes. Gracias mil, anticipadas xq me puedan ayudar, resolviendo mi problema.

    Reply

      • According to Google Translate, Sadann’s comment says, “Stop Going To The Motel.” Well, just who do you think you are, Sadann. We will go to the motel if we want to go to the motel. We like going to the motel.

        Reply

  16. Trabajo para el Dpto. De la familia y fui durante el día de hoy a solicitar los servicios de teléfono por la compañía WIRELESS ( PLAZA DE RIO PIEDRAS) para llevarme el mal rato de que otra persona está utilizando mi seguro social para recibir estos beneficios. Dado a que es ilegal y es robo de identidad llame a la Junta reglamentaria y me dijeron que no.podían hacer nada.
    Deseo solicitar que de inmediato cancelen ese servicio.
    Me pregunto cuan confiable y seguro es solicitar estas ayudas o beneficios si estás compañías no toman responsablemente las precauciones para evitar esto. Cuántas personas posiblemente serán víctimas de robo de identidad y lo desconocen.

    Reply

  17. Mi sueldo annual es de $22,000 ,el mensual es de $1,817.00 somos tres miembros en la familia cualifico para un cellular gratis de lifeline.. Gracias..

    Reply

  18. Budget does work in Puerto Rico also. I think you should add this one to the list.

    I did apply with Qlink wireless but it took long the process and at the end they told me they are operating in PR but that this is new so they are not shipping phones to PR. I did cancel my application with them right away. Now I did apply with Budget by phone because the online application form for PR is not available and there are not store at PR so it has to be by phone. Now Im waiting to they approve my application and get my phone. Let’s see what happens.

    Reply

    • “Budget does work in Puerto Rico also. I think you should add this one to the list.”

      Thank you, you are correct. We have added Puerto Rico.

      Reply

  19. Para esas personas que viven en PR. Hice una búsqueda con todas las compañías que si funcionan en PR y este es mi resultado.
    Blue Jay: Localizado en Hatillo.
    Life Wireless : Con diferentes puntos a nivel de la isla.
    Q Link: Puedes aplicar en su site online.
    Safe Link : Puedes aplicar en su site online.
    Absolute Mobile: Estaré llamando por tel porque no se aplica online. Aún no se si funciona en PR.

    This is the result of my research and these are the provider companies which actually work in PR.
    I think you guys should check it. The other one are not woking in PR.

    Reply

  20. Se habla, ques dos,quiote taco en grande dos cell phonio’s? Que mucho mucho less grande burrito’s el burro! Carlos dos emparico la el sid, no?

    Reply

    • We’re not Spanish speakers here, so we used Google Translate. I’m afraid something must have gotten lost in the translation:

      “There is talk, ques two big wad quiote two cell phonio’s? Much much less big burrito’s the donkey! Carlos dos emparico the sid, no?”

      Reply

  21. Saludos,

    Soy de Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. Cuando solicite este telefono, me dijeron que ya habia un telefono asignado a mi numero de seguro social. Yo nunca solicite este telefono en el pasado. Me dieron un numero de telefono para llamar y reportar el problema. Cuando llame al numero que me dieron, ellos me informaron que no aparecia ningun telefono asignado a mi numero de seguro social, que todo esta bien y que puedo solicitor el telefono.. Regrese otra vez a informar esto para obtener el telefono, pero siguen insistiendo que ya hay un telefono asignado y que ellos no pueden hacer nada. Ni siquiera pueden verificar el nombre de la persona a quien le asignaron un telefono con mi numero de seguro social. Como es esto posible? Alguien esta utilizando mi numero de seguro social o cometieron un error. Por favor, necesito saber como corregir este problema. Nadie sabe que hacer. Esto es bien frustrante.

    Reply

    • Si has solicitado el descuento que ofrece el servicio de lifeline en algun telefono o tienes deuda con una compania mobil debes llamar a esa compania y pedir que liberen tu numero de seguro social. yo tuve el mismo problema por deuda a claro y los llame y liberaron el numero y pude pedir un telefono a otra compania. te recomiendo que uses las palabras ‘ liberen mi seguro social’ asi ellos lo hacen de lo contrario solo cierran la cuenta y no lo liberan espero tengas suerte.

      Reply

  22. How do I find out who my servicer is because I have some questions about my plan but I wasn’t oriented on who to and how to contact

    Reply

  26. Safelink invited me to apply since I am a Medicaid Reforma de Salud participant here in Puerto Rico and I did in writing via mail reply. They never replied in writing. When I called they said application 1783 1285 was declined because someone already received a phone at my address. Looking into the situation we discovered that *********** Cabo Rojo , PR 00623-3743 which is my valid address is different from ******* all the way up to ****. These are separate individual houses which particular owners different one from the other. I was told since the National Register of the USPS already shows 1 household receiving the benefit I should be denied the benefit. I have contacted both Safelink and USPS to look for a clarification in this situation. Please help me.

    Reply

    • Yes, it’s frustrating how they look at duplicate addresses like that. We wish we could help, but it’s out of our hands.

      Reply

    • I’m having the same situation Ramon. That’s why I just stop trying with Safe Link. Now I’m trying with other provider. (Q Link)

      Reply