Posts Tagged ‘social programs’

You may have noticed on TV the ads for free cell phones for low income families. These are becoming popular these days since many families cannot afford the expensive cell phone plans.

Most families these days have cell phones. It has become almost a necessity now. Having a cell phone can prove very useful during times of emergencies. You can quickly dial in an emergency with a cell phone instead of having to go to a toll booth.

Not everyone is entitled to free cell phones. You and your family must be in the low income range in order to get those free phones. People living on subsidized housing and food should probably be able to get free cell phones.

A limit with free cell phones for low income families is that they have a certain amount of minutes which you can use for free each month. You can probably get about an hour of talk time. After that, you would have to buy more minutes.

Also, you have to show that you are eligible for free cell phones every year. Once you are not considered low income, then you cannot use those phones for free.

Find a cellular service provider in your area that offers free cell phones for low income families. Not all states have such a program yet, so you will need to check it out.

Fill out the necessary applications for a free cell phone. You will need to provide pay stubs and W2s to show that you qualify as low income. You have to show this information each year before you sign their contract.

Be sure you keep track of your minutes used every month. You do not want to run out of minutes when you really need it most. Check the amount of minutes you have used frequently each month. You can even make a schedule detailing how many minutes you can use each week.

Charlie Zelan is a wealth advisor with many years of experience. For further information on getting government phones for low income families, please visit his website.