How Can I Get a Free Tablet for Low-Income People?
As tablets are the perfect blend of a computer and a mobile device, they have become one of the most popular electronic devices in every home. They are light and portable enough to be used as smartphones, yet large enough to provide premium entertainment, work, education options, and more.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to buy a new tablet. Luckily, there are various other ways to receive a free tablet, including by getting a carrier deal, taking advantage of a retailer’s special offer, entering an online giveaway, becoming a reviewer, becoming a marketing agent, and so on.
In addition, low-income people also have two other options:
- To Receive a Free Tablet From the Government: The government offers certain government assistance programs, such as Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program that help low-income households get affordable or free phone or internet services and connected devices.
- To Receive a Free Tablet From a Charity or Non-Profit Organization: Additionally, there are certain charities and non-profits that offer free tablets to low-income households. Some of these organizations include Adaptive.Org, Causes, Computers For Learning, Cty.Org, EveryoneOn, Komputers 4 Kids, Microsoft Registered Refurbished, On it Foundation, Smartriverside, Technology Assisting People In Need, The Salvation Army, and World Computer Exchange.
Which Companies Provide Government Free Tablets?
Free government tablets tend to be provided by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers. There are many ACP providers in all U.S. states, however, most of them only offer discounts on monthly internet services. Only a few also offer a one-time discount on connected devices (tablets, laptops, or desktop computers). You can see a list of all ACP providers at fcc.gov/affordable-connectivity-program-providers. The ones that have a tick under ‘Offering Connected Devices’ are the ones that also offer device discounts. However, not all of them offer free tablets – some offer free laptops, desktops, or even smartphones instead.
Note: Government free tablets from ACP providers are not completely free of charge. According to the government rules, an eligible customer must pay a co-pay of more than $10 and less than $50 to receive the device.
Most ACP free tablet offers are subject to state and availability, therefore their offers change regularly. Currently, however, the following ACP providers also offer free tablets:
- Q Link Wireless
- StandUp Wireless
- Maxsip Telecom
- Excess Telecom
- Cintex Wireless
- NewPhone Wireless
Does NewPhone Wireless Offer Free Tablets?
NewPhone Wireless is one of the few nationwide Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers that offer free tablets. The provider offers both Lifeline and ACP discounts and to ensure maximum benefits for low-income customers, it has decided to offer a combined Lifeline + ACP government assistance program.
Now, before we reveal who qualifies for the NewPhone Wireless combined Lifeline and ACP program and can thus receive a NewPhone Wireless free tablet, let’s take a closer look at the Lifeline and ACP program.
Lifeline is a government benefits program by the FCC. It has been established in the 1980s with a simple goal – to help make communications services more affordable for low-income households. The benefit offers a monthly discount of up to $9.25 ($34.25 for eligible households on Tribal lands) on monthly wireless services. Some Lifeline providers also offer free cell phones.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, on the other hand, is a new government assistance program that was launched on December 31, 2021, and has replaced the old Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which offered similar benefits. This FCC program was designed to help ensure that low-income people can afford to purchase internet services they need for work, education, healthcare, emergency services, and more. The program offers a discount of up to $30 a month (or $75 for eligible households on qualifying Tribal lands) on broadband service. Some ACP providers also offer a one-time discount on connected devices (tablets, laptops, or desktops) of up to $100 if the customer contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
NewPhone Wireless free tablets are offered through the provider’s ACP program.
Who Qualifies for a NewPhone Wireless Free Tablet?
We have established that NewPhone Wireless offers free tablets through their ACP program. However, they only offer free devices and services to eligible low-income customers.
To qualify for a NewPhone Wireless free tablet through the ACP benefit, a household or one of its members must meet at least one of the ACP eligibility criteria below:
- A household must have an annual household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- A household member must participate in a qualifying federal or Tribal assistance program, such as:
- Lifeline
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
- A household must be approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year.
- A household must have received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
- A household must meet the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program.
While the NewPhone Wireless free tablet offer is available to ACP-eligible customers, some other NewPhone Wireless benefits are available for customers who qualify for both ACP and Lifeline programs. A household is Lifeline-eligible if the household or any of its members meet at least one of the Lifeline eligibility criteria below:
- A household must have an annual household income at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- A household member must participate in a qualifying federal or Tribal assistance program, such as:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
In addition, to qualify for a NewPhone Wireless free tablet and services, you must be a resident of one of the states where NewPhone offers its ACP benefits. NewPhone Wireless ACP benefits are available to residents of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
What Documents are Required to Apply for a NewPhone Wireless Free Tablet?
During the application process, you will be required to prove your eligibility and verify your identity, address, and age. To do so, you may be asked to provide certain documents as proof. To ensure a smooth and fast application process, make sure to prepare some of the following documents.
To prove your Lifeline and ACP eligibility, you will be required to provide one of the following documents (depending on your eligibility criteria):
- To prove your income-based eligibility, you may be asked to provide an official document that shows your annual income and your full name, such as
- A retirement/pension statement of benefits
- A Social Security statement of benefits
- Child support award
- Current income statement from your employer or a paycheck stub
- Divorce decree
- Prior year’s state, federal, or Tribal tax return
- Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation statement of benefits
- Veterans Administration statement of benefits
- To prove your program-based eligibility, you may be asked to provide an official document that proves your participation and includes your full legal name, the name of the qualifying program, the name of the government, Tribal entity, program administrator, school, school district, university, or college that issued the document, and an issue date within the last 12 months or a future expiration date, such as :
- Approval letter
- Benefit award letter
- Benefit verification letter
- School documentation
- Statement of benefits
To prove your identity, you may be asked to provide an official document that includes your first and last name and date of birth, such as:
- A Valid government, military, state, or Tribal ID
- Birth Certificate
- Certificate of U.S. Citizenship or Naturalization
- Government assistance program document
- Passport
- Permanent Resident Card or Green Card
- U.S. Driver’s license
To prove your address, you may be asked to provide an official document that includes your first and last name and your physical address, such as:
- A valid government, state, or Tribal ID
- Driver’s license
- Mortgage or lease statement
- Most recent W-2 or tax return
- Utility bill
To prove you are old enough to participate in the program (only people of age 18 years and more and emancipated minors can participate), you may be asked to provide an official document that includes your full legal name and date of birth or a document that proves your emancipated minor status, such as:
- Court document
- Certificate of emancipation
The NewPhone Wireless application process allows you to provide all the supporting documents online by attaching them to the online application form. However, you can also send the documentation via mail. In this case, make sure not to submit originals, but copies instead.
Note: All your proofs are verified through the government’s secure system and your documents are guaranteed to be confidential.
How to Apply for a NewPhone Wireless Free Tablet?
Applying for the NewPhone Wireless government assistance program and receiving a NewPhone Wireless free tablet and other benefits is simple. All you have to do is to follow the simple instructions below:
- Make sure you qualify. To qualify, you must be Lifeline and/or ACP eligible and a resident of one of the states where the provider operates.
- Collect the documents that prove your eligibility (see the list of documents in the previous section).
- Visit apply.newphone.com. Enter your ZIP code and email address in the two provided boxes. Press ‘Apply Now’.
- You will be redirected to the company’s online application form. Complete it by providing all the necessary personal information and documentation that proves your eligibility. Once done, submit your application.
- Once your application gets approved, you will be notified. You can expect to receive your NewPhone Wireless free tablet within 7 to 10 business days, depending on availability. Shipping is free of charge.
What Tablet Brands are Provided by NewPhone Wireless?
Currently, NewPhone Wireless offers one particular tablet brand. Eligible customers can receive a brand new Alcatel Joy Tab tablet for only $10.01.
This is a limited-time offer, subject to availability. Only ACP-eligible customers can receive this tablet and other terms and conditions may apply.
What Other Benefits Does NewPhone Wireless Offer?
In addition to a NewPhone Wireless free tablet (the brand new Alcatel Joy Tab), eligible NewPhone customers can also receive other great discounts and benefits, including the following:
- A free 4G/5G LTE smartphone – a premium device, such as iPhone 6s, Samsung Galaxy S7, and others. See the full list of available NewPhone Wireless free smartphones at newphone.com/shop/free-government-phones.
- Free unlimited services every month with:
- Free unlimited talk
- Free unlimited text
- Free unlimited data
- Other benefits, such as nationwide calls, nationwide coverage, free 911, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, text and picture messaging, Wi-Fi connection, etc.
Read more about the NewPhone Wireless Lifeline and ACP benefits at apply.newphone.com.
