The free Safelink wireless program is a government lifeline support program provided by Tracfone Wireless, Inc. They chose to participate in the Lifeline Program which is available to households that meet the minimum requirements, as set by the state or Federal Support Program Guidelines concerning income poverty guidelines.
Tracfone provides a no-contract service and, due to what they consider exceptional service and the value of their programs to over 20 million subscribers and counting, makes it one of the largest phone companies operating within the United States.
Safelink Wireless Cell Phone Options
To undertake the Safelink program, the company works with major manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung, and LG to provide their customers with high-quality cell phones that they will use on a daily basis. They even give their customers the option to bring their current wireless phone in so that they can keep their phone number and just switch networks.
Safelink carries the following brands:
- Tracfone Wireless
- Net10 Wireless
- Total Wireless
- Straight Talk Wireless
- Telcel
- PagePlus
- Simple Mobile
Safelink Plans
- 500-Minute Feature Phone Plan
- You receive 500 minutes that apply to local and long distance calls
- Unlimited nationwide text messaging
- You are not charged additional fees for roaming
- Includes voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting features
- You do not get data included with this plan
- Minutes do not carry over through bill cycles
- 500 MB Smartphone Plan
- You receive 350 minutes that apply to local and long distance calls
- 500 MB of data per month
- Unlimited nationwide texting
- You are not charged additional fees for roaming
- Includes voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting features
- Data and minutes do not carry over through bill cycles. If you do not use them, they are gone.
- 1 GB Plan Using Your Own Phone
- You receive 350 minutes that apply to local and long distance calls
- You receive 1 GB of data over the first three months
- After the three-month period, the 1 GB of data converts to 500 MB every month
- Unlimited nationwide texting
- No additional fees for roaming
- Includes voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting features
- Data and minutes do not carry over through bill cycles
Safelink Plan Features
There are a few options available to you through Safelink including the option to bring your phone over or even receive a free phone. All their service plans include nationwide coverage on America’s best networks.
If you choose to bring your phone, it must be an unlocked smartphone, and the plan must be compatible. If you feel that you will require more data, then there are buying options to purchase additional data plans.
How to Qualify for Safelink
Lifeline is a government assistance program that is available strictly to consumers in selected states that meet all the qualification requirements for the service. The Lifeline Program will offer consumers a discount on their cell phone service plan and the lifeline service if they qualify as a low-income customer.
To qualify for the Government Lifeline Program and receive a free government cell phone, your income should be at or below the poverty level, or you must already be receiving assistance through another state program such as:
- Medicaid
- SNAP Food Stamp Program
- Supplemental security income
- Section 8-Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit
Cell Phone Service Reviews
Safelink boasts of giving their customers the best cell phone service on some of the nation’s best networks. However, while their cell phone service may be good, the reviews show that their customer service may be lacking in some areas. The following are real life reviews from actual Safelink customers concerning the dependability and reliability of Safelink cell phone service.
Positive Reviews
Safelink Wireless-A Great Service 12/14/16 ★★★★★
“I don’t live through my phone. I don’t use it except for the bus schedules and the occasional call.
I don’t download apps, text rarely and never browse the Internet. I might, however, need it for 911. Tracfone, who administers this program, is often tedious to work with, but they are never rude and always helpful on the few times that I’ve needed them. My partner uses Tracfone, and we have never had a bad experience with them.
My only complaint is with telephoning them; they really hate to talk to you. I type so slowly that “chatting” on their website is torture for their employees and annoying for me. Not every problem can be addressed on a website, sometimes a human is necessary!
Bad attitudes and anger usually are answered with a lower level of cooperation from anyone. You do get what you deserve in my experience!”
Satisfaction Rating ★★★★☆12/04/16
“My husband has Safelink. The other company that he had which was Care Wireless Cellular opted out of the program. He’s really never had any problems with his phone. Safelink customer service is outsourced by many cellular carriers. The person who said about the free government cell phone is that it is not issued by the government. It was a program set up by the government with carriers, so if you have any problems, it’s not the government it’s with the carriers and you must remember that the phones that Safelink has are better quality than for most other companies.
Yes, it is hard sometimes to talk to a customer service rep because their English is really not that clear but, overall, we have had really no problems just as I said. Keep it on for 7 days after the first of the month to get your minutes. Also, make sure it is charged. And the one nice thing about Safelink is that if you need more minutes you can use TracFone Top-Up cards and that is really good. So, that’s all I really have to say on this subject.”
Satisfaction Rating ★★★★★07/10/16
I’ve been reading some of these reviews, and I don’t understand all the difficulty everyone’s having or why people are complaining about the phones they’re getting! I ordered my phone on 7/2/16 and got my phone yesterday (7/9/16). When I opened, the box put the battery in the phone and turned it on my minutes were already on there. I called the activation number and was on the phone for 2 minutes. I didn’t even have to talk to anyone. Not one issue! Sure, I’ll miss my iPhone and the touchscreen but how can anyone really complain about the phone itself when they’re getting it for FREE with FREE minutes every month? If you don’t like their selection of phones, they’re giving out for FREE pay for your own phone! Complaining about something you get for free is downright ridiculous!
Negative Reviews
Satisfaction Rating ★☆☆☆☆06/04/16
“They refuse to enroll anyone with a “commercial” address as designated by their faulty address look-up system. I have verified with USPS that address is residential, but the incompetent reps at Safelink refuse to use common sense. They wasted an hour on the phone just to figure out they can’t finish enrollment. Terribly idiotic management from the top down. From seeing all the hassles and incompetence of those already enrolled, guess they did me a favor. I will still complain to Attorney General and FCC, as this practice of designating apartment addresses as the commercial is discriminatory.”
Satisfaction Rating ★☆☆☆☆05/05/16
“After several application processes for my grandson, we finally succeeded in receiving a phone. It will not activate at all and my attempts to contact customer service are futile. After many prompts and waits, I always get hung up on. So, I thought I would try contacting them through the Internet. Guess what? They refer you back to the same lame telephone number again! So, this is another huge Obama waste of taxpayer’s money. This scam deserves less than 1 star, but there’s no way to give it.”
Satisfaction Rating ★☆☆☆☆05/02/16
“I received a Tracfone. It is a piece of junk! It only works a little in one location in the house. The battery is only good for about 15 minutes. I tried to change the phone number to my old number I had with Verizon. After 6 phone calls to customer service, they got it changed. I tried it, and it worked once. The next day the Tracfone was back to the old number. The customer service is mediocre if you can get someone who speaks English and the connection is not all static. I am sure glad Obama is spending our tax money for another worthless program. It must be set up by the same morons who worked on Obamacare!”
Pros of Safelink Cell Phone Service
- There are no contracts or credit checks
- Free caller ID, call waiting, and voicemail
- International long distance carries the same rate as nationwide calling
- All TracFone Airtime cards will work
- Monthly allowance is good for 12 months
- You will receive a text notification when it is close to requalification time
- You receive free minutes depending on the plan and the state in which you reside
- Additional minutes and data can be purchased
- Through the Lifeline Program, Safelink service will cost you nothing
- Choose the plan you want
Cons of Safelink Cell Phone Service
- Long wait times when trying to speak with a customer service representative
- Per-minute rates may be higher when purchasing additional minutes
- Calling minutes do expire
- Limited phone choices available
- You have to pay extra for additional features such as additional minutes and data
- Minutes and data do not roll over every month
- No available email available for Safelink currently
- No shared fax number
- Live support is not available
Overall, it seems that the people that have been most satisfied with this Cell Phone Service are the consumers that do not use their phones often. If you use your phone all the time for things such as checking email, making phone calls, texting, browsing the Internet, and downloading apps, then Safelink may not be the best choice. You will end up having to pay for additional minutes and data, and these costs can quickly add up, especially since the additional minutes and data do not roll over to the next month. If you don’t use them, you lose them.
The last point is the lack of service that consumers are receiving when calling in for customer support. Many people that left reviews have complained about long wait times and no help or call back. They also reported that they got billed for the minutes that were used to call in.
While Safelink does participate in the government-funded program, the government is not responsible for the cell service providers that participate. They simply help with the funds, and if you have a problem with the phone or service, then you must contact the cell phone provider you are using.