How to Get Cricket Wireless Government Free Phone

What Services Does Cricket Wireless Actually Offer?

Cricket Wireless is an American wireless service provider owned by AT&T. The company attracts millions of customers throughout the country with its high-quality services and products.

At Cricket, users can purchase mobile devices from the most reputable brands, affordable and versatile cell phone plans, inexpensive prepaid rates, frequent special offers on devices, reliable wireless services on a nationwide network, and no annual contracts.

Cricket also participates in the Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program and thus provides discounts on monthly services for eligible low-income customers.

Does Cricket Wireless Offer Free Government Phones?

While Cricket does participate in certain government assistance programs and provides discounts on monthly services, the company does not offer free government phones.

As you may know, the exact offer of Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers depends on the provider itself. Some providers (including Cricket Wireless) only offer discounts on monthly services, while others also offer discounts on mobile devices, such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers.

See the list of Cricket’s government assistance benefits in the following sections.

Note: Even though Cricket does not offer free phones through the Lifeline or ACP program, the company does offer free phones through their promotional deals. See the Cricket deals at cricketwireless.com/current-phone-and-plan-deals.

What is a Cricket Lifeline and ACP Discount?

Lifeline is a government assistance program that was launched by the FCC in the 1980s when the government recognized that phone services are a basic necessity. It was designed to help make communications services more affordable for low-income households. Lifeline providers offer a discount of up to $9.25 (or up to $34.25 for eligible Tribal families) on monthly phone, wireless, or internet services.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), on the other hand, is a brand new federal benefit program that helps lower the cost of service for qualifying households. It provides a discount of up to $30 (or $75 for eligible Tribal families) on monthly broadband services.

While some Lifeline and ACP providers also offer discounts on cell phones or internet-connected devices (tablets, laptops, or desktop computers), Cricket Wireless is, as mentioned before, not one of them.

How to Qualify for Cricket ACP and Lifeline

Cricket’s ACP and Lifeline eligibility is determined through and by the National Verifier – the federal government’s application and approval process for determining eligibility. In order to qualify for Cricket’s government assistance program, you must:

Be at least 18 years old or an emancipated minor.
Be a resident of one of the states where Cricket offers its discounts. Cricket’s federal benefits are available in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Meet the FCC’s Lifeline/ACP eligibility criteria:
- Your annual household is at or below 135% (Lifeline) or 200% (ACP) of the federal poverty guidelines.
- You or another household member participates in one of the following qualifying government assistance programs:
  - Lifeline
  - Medicaid
  - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
  - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  - Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  - Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
  - Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
  - Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools
  - Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
  - Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
  - Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
  - Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
  - Received a Federal Pell Grant in the current award year

What Documentation Do I Need for Cricket Wireless Lifeline and ACP?

During the application process, you will be required to prove your eligibility to participate in Cricket’s federal benefit program. This is very important, as otherwise, customers may take advantage of the program, which would exhaust the funds that are designed to help people in need.

To prove that you need the monthly services but are unable to purchase them at full price, you will be required to provide copies (digital or physical) of official, unexpired documents. You may be asked to submit:

Identity verification, such as:
- A valid government, military, state, or Tribal ID
- Passport
- Birth Certificate
- U.S. Driver’s license
- Certificate of U.S. Citizenship or Naturalization
- Permanent Resident Card or Green Card
- Or another document that contains your first and last name and date of birth

Address verification, such as:
- Driver’s license
- A valid government, state, or Tribal ID
- Utility bill
- Mortgage or lease statement
- Most recent W-2 or tax return
- Or another document that contains your first and last name and physical address

Household income proof, such as:
- Paycheck stubs
- Prior year’s state, federal, or Tribal tax return
- Current income statement from your employer
- A Social Security statement of benefits
- A retirement/pension statement of benefits
- Veterans Administration statement of benefits
- Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation statement of benefits
- Divorce decree
- Child support award
- Or another document that contains your first and last name and annual income

Proof of participation in a qualifying government assistance program, such as:
- Benefit award letter
- Approval letter
- Statement of benefits
- Benefit verification letter
- School documentation
- Or another document that contains your first and last name, the program name, the name of the establishment that issued it, and an issue date within the last year or a future expiration date

Other potential documentation or information:
- Duplicate address
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number or Tribal ID Number
- Emancipated minor status confirmation
- Proof of life

Note: Make sure to provide clear copies and never submit original documents. You will be able to provide some of these documents during your application process.

How to Apply for Cricket Lifeline and ACP

In order to apply for the Cricket government assistance program and receive a discount on monthly services, you must follow these simple steps:

Visit the National Verifier to see if you qualify and apply for service there. To begin your ACP application visit affordableconnectivity.gov. To apply for Lifeline, visit nv.fcc.gov/lifeline.
Once your National Verifier application got approved, you can fill out Cricket’s application form. Cricket does currently not offer Lifeline enrollment, however, to apply for their ACP program, visit cricketwireless.com/affordable-connectivity-program/form. Completing this form will apply your benefit to your Cricket service.
When the enrollment process is complete, Cricket will apply your monthly discount on your next month’s service.

What Are Lifeline and ACP Program Restrictions?

Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are federal aid programs and both of them come with certain rules and program restrictions, including:

Only one Lifeline and ACP discount is available per household.
Only eligible households can apply.
You can only receive the benefits from one provider at a time, however, you can switch to another provider at any time.
You must use the benefit at least once a month in order to continue receiving it.
You must reapply once a year.
If you are no longer eligible, you must notify your provider within 30 days.

How Do You Get a Free Phone at Cricket Wireless?

As mentioned before, Cricket does not offer Cricket Wireless government free phones through their Lifeline or ACP program. Nevertheless, the company does offer free mobile devices through its promotional deals.

Cricket’s promotional deals come with certain conditions, such as:

You must switch to Cricket
You must bring your number and activate a select plan
You must add a line
You must trade in an old device in good working condition
You must buy a device at full price to receive another one for free
Etc.

Cricket updates its promotional deals on a regular basis, therefore it’s best to check the current selection of free and discounted phones at cricketwireless.com/current-phone-and-plan-deals. Nevertheless, you can see Cricket’s current deals in the following sections.

Cricket Wireless New Customer Deals Free Phones

Cricket Wireless offers discounted and free phones for both new and existing customers. In this section, we will take a look at the free phones that are available for new Cricket customers.

Free Samsung Galaxy A03s (deal is available for new customers that bring their own number and activate a $60 a month plan)
Free TCL 30 Z (deal is available for new customers that activate a new line on min $30 a month voice plan)
Free Cricket Icon 3 (deal is available for new customers that bring their own number and activate a $55 a month plan)
Free Cricket Debut (deal is available for new customers that bring their own number and activate a $55 a month plan)
Free Apple iPhone SE 64 GB (deal is available for new customers that add a new line and a new account and activate a $60 a month plan)
Free Cricket Dream 5G (deal is available for new customers that bring their own number and activate a $60 a month plan)

In case you also need information Cricket Deals for Existing Customers 2022

Switch to Cricket and Get a New Smartphone for Free

When choosing a phone at Cricket, you must first select your customer type (new or current) and then your account type. For new customers there are two options:

I’m switching to Cricket
Or I need a new number

For current customers there are three options:

I’m switching a line to Cricket
I need a new number
I’m upgrading my phone

Depending on the customer type and account type you choose, you will get different prices for the same phone. The price is $0.00 for new customers who wish to switch to Cricket for the following devices:

Samsung Galaxy A03s
TCL 30 Z
Cricket Icon 3
Cricket Debut
Apple iPhone SE 64 GB
Cricket Dream 5G