American Assistance is a wireless carrier fully devoted to those eligible for the Lifeline Assistance brought to you by American Broadband & Telecommunications and supported by the Universal Service Fund.
American Assistance offers FREE mobile phones and FREE plans. Herein we will have a closer look at all the details that you need to consider before deciding whether American Assistance is the best choice for you and your household.
How Good is The American Assistance Free Phone Service?
Not only does American Assistance offer plans and smartphones completely free of charge for their Lifeline-eligible customers, but the company also provides many other benefits, which make it one of the best Lifeline providers in the country. American Assistance customers get no bills, no activation fees, and they don’t have to worry about any long-term contracts at all. Their service includes free minutes, unlimited free text messages, and free data. They also offer nationwide coverage provided by the reliable nationwide T-Mobile network.
What Type of Free Phones Does American Assistance Offer?
American Assistance Wireless offers two kinds of phones – free government cellular phones called Companion Phones and free government smartphones called Freedom Phones. American Assistance Freedom phone is an advanced smartphone with a large and vibrant touchscreen, a powerful Android operating system, a high-definition rear and front camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and other amazing features.
We will go through the process of how to get an American Assistance FREE phone from the government, have a look at the eligibility, how to apply at American Assistance, and also take a closer look at some of the phone models that you may get for FREE.
How to Get American Assistance Free Phone From Government
American Assistance is available in over 20 states and uses T-Mobile and Sprint networks for operation. If you are located in any of the following states or USA areas and meet the eligibility requirements presented below, you can get a FREE plan and a FREE phone: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, or Wisconsin.
American Assistance Free Phone Lifeline Eligibility
There are two ways to get an American Assistance FREE plan and a FREE phone:
- PARTICIPATION (at least one member of the household must participate in one of the programs listed below) IN CERTAIN PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. Here is the full list of these programs:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) General Assistance
- Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Tribal head Start
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- LOW INCOME: if a household income equals or is below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.
What Documents Need for an American Assistance Free Phone
In either of the above two cases you will need to provide the following information/copies of documents containing that information:
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Last 4 digits of your Social Security number (or Tribal identification number)
- Address
- If applying based on PARTICIPATION you will also need to provide a document proving that participation; this can be a copy of a member’s card or a cover letter issued by the organization.
- If applying based on LOW INCOME, you will need to provide documents proving low income; this will require one or more of the following:
- A copy of last year’s State or Federal income tax return
- Three consecutive months’ worth of your most current pay stubs
- Social Security benefits statement
- Veterans Administration benefits statement
- Retirement/Pension benefits statement
- Divorce decree or child support document
- Unemployment/Workers Compensation benefits statement
How to Apply for an American Assistance Free Phone
The American Assistance promotes its 3-step application process:
- Gather your “Proof of Participation” Documents and “Proof of ID”
- Take a Picture of your “Proof of Participation Documents” and “Proof of ID” (PDF, JPG, PNG, or GIF files are accepted).
- Complete the Online Application and Upload your “Proof” Pictures:
- Online Application: https://registration.americanassistance.com/
- Upload “Proof” Pictures using any of these methods:
- Email: Attach your proof document to an email and send it to freephone@americanassistance.com
- Text message: send photos to 877-266-7212
- Fax: Include a fax cover page with your name and email address and fax your document with the cover page toll-free to 1-877-211-3705.
- Mail: Send copies of your proof documents by mailing them to American Assistance, One Seagate, Suite 600, Toledo, OH 43604
NOTE: The application must be filled online.
NOTE FOR CALIFORNIANS: Californian citizens apply here: https://ambtreseller.telcoprovider.com/oss/customer-signup/index.cgi?action=orderwireless&id=257&cid=1.
American Assistance Plans
American Assistance offers two FREE plans and multiple top-up plans, which are all presented in detail below. Both free plans come with a FREE smartphone.
California Premium Lifeline plan:
California Premium Lifeline plan includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 4GB of data for free each month.
Lifeline plan (non-California residents):
Lifeline plan for non-California residents includes 500 free monthly minutes, unlimited text messages, and 3GB free data.
Top up plans:
- Talk and Text Top Ups:
- 100 Texts for $.99
- 100 Minutes for $3.49
- 100 Minutes & Texts for $4.49
- 200 Minutes for $5.99
- 250 Minutes & Texts for $6.99
- 500 Minutes for $9.49
- 500 Minutes & Texts for $10.49
- 1000 Minutes & Texts for $17.49
Data Top Ups:
- 100 MB for $4.49
- 250 MB for $5.49
- 500 MB for $8.99
- 1 GB for $15.99
- 2 GB for $24.99
- 3 GB for $29.99
- 5 GB for $44.99
How Do I Activate My American Assistance Free Phone?
To receive your free American Assistance phone and service you must be Lifeline-eligible. You can apply for their services and provide all your eligibility proof on their official website. After confirming that you are an eligible customer, American Assistance will send you your free phone and activation package. As you unpack the mobile device and SIM card, place the SIM card into the SIM card slot in the device and call American Assistance customer support. They will guide you through the activation process and your free phone will be fully activated after a few short and simple steps.
In Case I Don’t Qualify for American Assistance Free Phone, Can I Get a Free Phone From Another Company?
In case you don’t qualify for the American Assistance Lifeline program, you will probably not be able to qualify for any other Lifeline program, as all Lifeline providers follow the same set of rules, unless the issue is that American Assistance doesn’t offer service in your area. In this case, you can simply find another Lifeline provider that does offer their services in your state of residence.
Even if you don’t qualify for the Lifeline Assistance program at any of its providers, you may still get a free phone at some other carrier companies. Some carriers offer free phones for new customers in exchange for signing a contract with them for a longer period of time (usually 24 months) or adding a new line. Carrier companies and phone providers also tend to offer special deals around holidays that allow customers to win a free phone. Another way to get a free mobile device is by signing up for a family plan or by finding a ‘buy one, get one’ deal.
If none of the above works for you, you can opt for a cheaper device. Used and refurbished phones tend to be way cheaper than new ones and you can find one at any carrier, mobile phone retailer, online store, or online marketplace, such as Craigslist, OfferUp, NextDoor, Facebook Marketplace, etc. You can also try swapping your old phone for another one or paying for the device in affordable installments.
3 Best Free Phones at American Assistance
American Assistance offers free phones. Like with all carriers that offer that benefit, you are not able to choose the exact phone but it is chosen by American Assistance according to their current availability and stocks. Below are some of the models that you can expect to get as part of the FREE phone offer.
Vortex-Beat 8
Vortex Beat is an entry-level smartphone that covers all basic features. It offers a wide range of connectivity and even has NFC. Since it is an entry-level smartphone, you only get 0.5 GB of RAM, which can cover multitasking. Moreover, its cameras can help you capture moments, but don’t expect high-resolution quality. In poor light, cameras won’t perform well. This phone is suitable for those looking to cover day-to-day actions on the basic level.
Specs:
- Device RAM: 0.5 GB
- Battery Capacity: 1300 mAh
- Has Removable Battery
- Max Internal Storage: 8 GB
- 5mm Jack
- Supported Bearers: Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, HSDPA, HSPA, HSPA+, HSUPA, LTE, SMS, UMTS, WCDMA, WiFi
- Has NFC
- Display: Screen Type: LCD; Screen Size: 4.0 inch; 480 x 800 pixels; Bits Per Pixel: 18
- Camera: Back Camera Mega Pixels: 5.0 MP; Front Camera Mega Pixels: 2.0 MP
Sky Devices-Platinum 4.0
Platinum 4.0 is a very compact entry-level smartphone. One should never compare it with the latest and the best smartphones on the market, however, it is still capable of pleasing most customers’ needs. The new Platinium 4.0 is just the perfect size. A 4” inch screen with great resolution. It is equipped with a solid OS Android Marshmallow 6.0 so that you can save your juice for what matters most.
Specs:
- Display: 4.0″ WVGA 480×800 px
- Processor: Quad Core 1.2 GHz
- Operating System: Android 7.0
- Bands: 2G 850/900/1800/1900
- 3G 850/1900/2100
- Memory: 4GB ROM + 512MB RAM
- Camera: 5MP Back Camera
- Battery: 1300 mAh; Stand by 150 hrs. Talk Time 6 hrs.
- Dimensions: 124 x 64.6 x 10.6mm
NUU Mobile-A1
The NUU Mobile A1 (A1) smartphone was released in 2016 and it is an entry-level smartphone. It is powered by Mediatek MT6580 chipset, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. This smartphone has a built-in GPS receiver. GPS is a satellite-based navigation system that allows the determination of the exact geographical location on Earth. This NUU Mobile smartphone also has an FM radio receiver and many other useful features.
Specs:
- Display: 4 inches TFT capacitive touch screen; 480 x 800 px resolution; multitouch capable
- Memory: 8GB of internal storage
- Processor: Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
- Dimensions: 121.4 x 63 x 9.9 mm
- RAM: 512MB
- OS: Android OS v5.1 (Lollipop)
- Camera: Rear camera: 2 MP, 1600 x 1200 px, autofocus, Flash: Dual LED
- Connectivity: GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; Mobile network: 2G / 3G; WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth: v4.1, A2DP; GPS: A-GPS; USB: microUSB 2.0; Audio: 3.5 mm jack
- Battery: Li-Ion 1300 mAh
- Extra features: Sensors: accelerometer, light, proximity; Dual SIM
Other possible options are Amgoo-Pronto 402, SM-X422, and Sky Devices-Fuego 4.0.
Does American Assistance Offer BYOP
American Assistance doesn’t offer you an option to bring your own phone.
What to Do If an American Assistance Phone Gets Damaged, Stolen, Broken, or Lost?
If you cannot locate your phone or it is damaged, let American Access know right away and they will suspend the service. That way, once your service is suspended, no one can use your remaining balance. They can help you get a replacement phone. American Assistance usually can have it to you in just a few days. The replacement fee does vary and the Customer Service Representative can advise you on what the fee will be.
Call them at 1.877.266.7212 to suspend your account and speak with a Customer Service Representative about the replacement fee.
What Phones Are Compatible With American Assistance?
American Assistance doesn’t offer a ‘bring your own phone’ option, therefore the only phones that can be used with American Assistance and are thus compatible are the ones that you can get for free or buy at American Assistance. To see the best free phones at American Assistance, read more in the ‘3 Best Free Phones at American Assistance’ chapter.
American Assistance Free Phone Other Things You Need To Knew
Can I add minutes to my American Assistance free phone?
American Assistance provides its eligible customers with a certain number of free monthly minutes. However, you can purchase additional minutes if you wish to do so. You can add minutes on American Assistance official website at https://www.americanassistance.com/top-ups/ or call customer support at 1.877.266.7212.
What network does American Assistance use?
American Assistance is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses the nationwide T-Mobile network. By using T-Mobile’s cellular towers, their nationwide coverage reaches over 282 million people, however, the signal may not be available in some very remote rural areas.
Does American Assistance charge any cost for a free phone?
No, American Assistance phones are completely free of charge for all eligible customers. There are no activation fees or additional hidden expenses.
How long does American Assistance take to ship a free phone?
Once you have submitted your American Assistance application, the company will take around 2 to 3 working days to process and verify your proof documents. As soon as they review and accept your proof, they will send you’re your free smartphone right away. You will receive the device in a few days, depending on where you live.
Can I upgrade an American Assistance free phone without cost?
No, you cannot upgrade your American Assistance free phone without cost. In fact, you may even not be able to upgrade the device at all. For more information about the upgrade options call their customer support at 1.877.266.7212.
Can I switch an American Assistance Lifeline phone to another carrier?
While you may transfer your Lifeline benefits to another Lifeline provider at any time, American Assistance phones are locked to their network. In order to use your American Assistance phone with another carrier, you must ask American Assistance to unlock your device. Even if the device is unlocked you may still encounter some difficulties while trying to switch the carrier.
Can I use an American Assistance SIM card on other carrier’s phones?
No, you cannot use an American Assistance SIM card on other phones. American Assistance doesn’t offer an option to bring your own phone, as such their SIM cards will only work with cell phones that are provided by American Assistance.
