Link Up and Lifeline are two conjoined governmental programs that offer discounts on phone set-up (Link Up) and monthly service (Lifeline). This can allow households to have much-needed discounts on their existing phone service or even a free cell phone with 250 minutes/month. Households must be 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) to qualify.  Importantly, the application for Link Up and Lifeline also includes an application for the LITE-UP Texas program, which provide discounts from May through September for households at 125% of the FPL.

Benefits

Link Up and Lifeline

  • Link Up: 50% discount of up to $30 of the installation fee of a home phone or the activation fee of a cell phone.
  • Lifeline: Discount of $7/month of a cell phone or home phone service plan along with a discount of $6.50 for installation fee.

Free Cell Phones

Assurance Wireless (Virgin) and SafeLink Wireless both offer free cell phones with free minutes and voicemail that qualify under the Link Up and Lifeline plans. Assurance Wireless offers one plan. Safelink Wireless offers 3 that applicants can choose from.
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 Assurance Wireless  Safelink Wireless Plan 1 Safelink Wireless Plan 2 Safelink Wireless Plan 3 
 Free cell phone  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes
 Free Monthly Minutes  250  68  125  250
 Unused Minutes Carryover  No  Yes  Yes  No
 Text Message Charge  10 c/text  3 texts/1 min  1 text/1 min  1 text/1 min
 Free Int’l Long Distance  No  Yes  No  No
 Voicemail Caller ID  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes
Adding extra minutes is possible under both plans, which differ slightly. See the specific plans here:
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Eligibility

Income Requirement 

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 Link Up and Lifeline 0-150% of FPL

Government Program Participation

Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, CHIP, Federal Public Housing Assistance/Section 8, LIHEAP
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Applying

Application Form

Link Up, Lifeline, and LITE-UP Application Form: English, Spanish (or requested from 1-866-454-387)

Applicants can either request an application through the mail, print it out, or submit online, all through the above website. Name, mailing address, and e-mail address must be provided before the application can be accessed. Applications not completed online must be sent by fax or e-mail
1-877-215-8018 (Phone/fax, toll free)
liteuptexassupport@solixinic.com
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Free Cell Phone Application Form: Assurance Wireless, SafeLink Wireless
These two phone services offer their own versions of the Link Up and Lifeline application forms – these should be used if the applicant is looking to get a free cell phone.
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Income Requirement
The following documents are accepted: 4 months of consecutive pay stubs, letter from your employer, last year’s income tax return, Employer W-2 form
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Government Program Participation

The client must send a copy of a document proving program participation: Copy of Food Stamps Card, Supplemental Security Income Statement, document containing program ID
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Good to Know

Although this application involves phone and electric reimbursements, they are under different federal poverty level requirements.
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FAQ

Q: What if I get a free phone and want more minutes? Is this possible?
A: Yes, the terms and conditions can be found on the Assurance Wireless and Safelink Wireless webpages.
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