Assist Wireless Free Government Phones

Assist Wireless is another provider of free government cell phones. As of this writing (April 2019), they offer service in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri and Oklahoma (tribal and non-tribal plans). While the plans are free of charge in Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri are free, Oklahoma residents have service plan options which range from free to $10 per month.

What Assist Wireless Offers

In the states of Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri, residents can choose one of the following plans:

Talk: 1,000 minutes | Text: 500 texts |Data: 50 MB

Or, you can choose the same talk and text plan as offered above without the data plan.In other words 1,000 talk minutes and 500 texts and 0 data. Since both plans are free, it seems to make sense to choose the option with 50MB of data.

If you need more data than 50 MB per month, you can purchase additional data as follows:

$4 buys 100MB per month*
$12 buys an additional 500MB per month*
$15 buys an additional 1GB per month*

*The charge is a monthly charge. For example, $4 will only buy 100MB of additional data for the month in which you purchase it. If you want 100MB for more than one month, it will cost an additional $4 for each month you wish to increase the data limit.

Oklahoma Assist Wireless Plans

There are tribal and non-tribal plan options in the state of Oklahoma. The free tribal plan provides unlimited talk and unlimited texting with 4GB of data. For $1 per month, you get an additional ½ GB of data and for $5 a month, you get an additional GB of data. The plan structure would look like this:

Tribal Plan

Free plan: Unlimited talk | Unlimited text | 4GB Data
$1 Plan: Unlimited talk | Unlimited text | 4.5GB Data
$5 Plan: Unlimited talk | Unlimited text | 5GB Data

Oklahoma Assist Wireless Non-Tribal

There are 4 non-tribal plans offered as follows:

Free Plan: 1000 talk minutes | 500 texts | 50MB data
$1/month Plan: 1000 talk minutes | unlimited texting | 50MB Data
$6/month Plan: 1000 talk minutes | unlimited texting | 500MB Data
$10/month Plan: 1000 talk minutes| unlimited texting | 1GB data

The monthly rate for purchasing additional data is the same rate as in Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri as follows:

100MB costs $4 | 500MB costs $12 | 1GB costs $15

SmartPhones

Although their website doesn’t list the types of phones they offer, Assist Wireless phones do have the common smartphone features such as three-way calling, caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting and voicemail. You do, however, have the option of using your own unlocked phone. If you’re not sure if your phone is compatible with their network, go over to the Assist Wireless compatibility check page. This way you’ll know before you apply for a free government phone.

Qualifying for Assist Wireless Free Government Phone

In order to qualify for the Lifeline free phone and service, you must currently participate in at least one of the following government assistance programs

Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance(BIA)
Federal Housing Assistance Program (Section 8)
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Food Stamps - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Medicaid
Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI)
Temporary-Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met)

Or, you must have a household income that is 135% at or below the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If you do qualify based on income, be prepared to present one of the following documents as proof of income:

Current Income Statements from Employer or Paycheck Stubs
Divorce Decree or Child Support Documents
Prior year’s State, Federal or Tribal Tax Return
Retirement/Pension Benefit Statements
Social Security Benefits Statements
Unemployment/Workers Compensation Benefits Statements
Veterans Administration Benefits Statements

In addition to providing the necessary information to prove you qualify for the Lifeline phone plan, you must provide identification to prove you are who you say you are. Acceptable forms of identification are:

Official Tribal Identification
Permanent Resident Card
State issued Driver’s License
State Issued Identification Card
Passport Card
Military ID

How to Apply for an Assist Wireless Free Phone

After you have the necessary documentation, check to see if your state is subject to the National Verifyer program. If your state participates in the National Verifyer program, you can begin the application process by visiting CheckLifeline.org. Once nationally verified, you can continue the application process by contacting Assist Wireless.

You have the option of applying online or you can call and speak to a customer representative at 1-855-392-7747. Oklahoma residents have an additional option of stopping by one of the various Assist Wireless locations and apply in person. If you choose this option, please make sure to have all of the required documentation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This site was created to help people find information about free government phones. We do not mail, activate or repair free government phones nor do we provide service. If you have questions about phone service we suggest you contact the phone service provider directly.

Last Modified: 10 September 2019