In the world of Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program providers, AirTalk is one of the most popular and generous companies. It may be a new brand, but it has already attracted many eligible low-income customers from Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. AirTalk Wireless is known for offering free monthly phone and wireless service plans with free talk, text, and high-speed data, as well as free phones (flip, Android, and iPhones) and discounted tablets.
In this article, we will take a look at AirTalk Wireless SIM card unlock – if it is possible and what does it do.
How Do I Get an AirTalk Wireless SIM Card in the First Place?
To receive an AirTalk Wireless SIM card in the first place, you must apply for the company’s government assistance program and get accepted.
However, there is one precondition – you must qualify and be able to prove it.
Getting an AirTalk SIM card will require you to go through this process:
- You must make sure that you qualify. You can qualify for Lifeline, ACP, or both. Your household is considered Lifeline-eligible if its annual income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or if a member participates in a government assistance program, such as Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, certain Tribal programs, etc. Your household is ACP-eligible if its annual income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines or if a member participates in Lifeline, any of the Lifeline-qualifying programs, WIC, Free or Reduced School Lunch Program, or if the household has received a Federal Pell Grant in the current year. Moreover, the applicant must be at least 18 years old or an emancipated minor and a resident of one of the above-mentioned states.
- You must then prove your eligibility by making copies of valid official documents that include all the vital information.
- Finally, you can apply. To do so, visit airtalkwireless.com/apply. Enter your ZIP code and press ‘Apply Now’. If the company’s services are available in your area, you will be redirected to your state’s plan offer. Choose the plan and fill out the application by following the on-screen prompts. If accepted, the company will send you a free SIM card via mail.
Are AirTalk Wireless SIM Cards Locked and Can I Unlock My AirTalk Wireless SIM Card?
Of course, AirTalk SIM cards are locked! This means that they were designed to link a specific device to AirTalk’s services. AirTalk SIM cards can only ever provide customers with AirTalk services, instead of services from another carrier. When customers put their AirTalk SIM cards into a mobile device, the device gets access to the SIM card holder’s AirTalk account, network, and free service.
However, the fact that AirTalk’s SIM card can only provide access to AirTalk’s services doesn’t mean that the mobile device you use with it must be purchased from AirTalk as well. On the contrary, AirTalk offers a Bring Your Own Phone program that allows users to bring their own compatible devices. As such, you can put your AirTalk SIM card into another phone and if the phone is compatible, it may work just fine. However, you will have to unlock the phone if it’s locked to another carrier’s services. As SIM cards cannot be unlocked, it must always be the phone that gets unlocked.
Why Would I Want to Unlock My AirTalk SIM Card and What Can I Do Instead?
If you are searching for how to unlock your AirTalk SIM card because you wish to use it with another phone, we have good news for you! You can use your AirTalk SIM card with another phone, however, the SIM card cannot be unlocked, instead, you must unlock the device you are planning to bring and thus ensure that it will work well with AirTalk’s services.
The fact that AirTalk offers a BYOP program enables customers to bring their own devices to AirTalk. However, the device must be carrier-unlocked and compatible with AirTalk’s services.
If the phone you are planning to bring is not carrier-unlocked, you must contact your phone’s original provider and ask them to unlock the device. They will be able to do so remotely if the device meets the company’s unlock eligibility criteria.
To check your phone’s compatibility with AirTalk’s SIM cards and services, go to airtalkwireless.com/byop, enter your phone’s IMEI number in the provided box, and press ‘Check Compatibility’. The provided website also contains instructions on how to find the phone’s IMEI number.
Can I Unlock My AirTalk Phone?
While we have established that AirTalk SIM cards cannot be unlocked and taken to another provider as they can only ever connect the user with an active AirTalk account, you can unlock an AirTalk phone if you want.
So why would you want to unlock your AirTalk phone? For the same reason why you may want to unlock another provider’s phone – to use it with another company’s services.
AirTalk’s phones are locked to AirTalk’s services, however, unlike its SIM cards, the phones can be unlocked and taken to another provider. In other words, you can receive or purchase a phone from AirTalk Wireless and then take it to another provider that may offer services that better fit your needs. However, AirTalk will only agree to unlock your phone if the device meets the unlock eligibility criteria.
Unfortunately, AirTalk’s website doesn’t state the exact unlock eligibility criteria. However, according to other company’s unlock requirements it’s safe to assume that AirTalk allows customers to unlock their devices if:
- The device was provided directly by AirTalk Wireless.
- The device was paid in full.
- It has been activated for at least a year.
- The device has not been reported lost, stolen, or connected to fraudulent activity.
- The user’s account is in good standing.
How to Unlock My AirTalk Wireless Phone?
To unlock your AirTalk Wireless phone, you must contact the company’s customer support service. Ask to speak to a representative and explain that you wish to unlock your phone in order to use it with another carrier. The agent will see if the device qualifies to be unlocked and if so, they will unlock it remotely in a matter of minutes.
You can contact the company online at airtalkwireless.com/contact, via email at [email protected], or by phone at +1 (855) 924-7825 (available Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM CST.
