AT&T Discounted Lifeline Plans

Like many other telecommunications providers, AT&T participates in the Lifeline free/discount phone government program, but they do not offer free cell phones. What they offer instead is a discount on home phone lines. The discounts and qualifications vary by state and whether or not you live on Tribal lands.

Additionally, they participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and can offer additional discounts of up to $30 per month to eligible households. The discount goes up to $75 per month for households living on qualifying Tribal lands.

Currently, AT&T only offers the discounts in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, and Texas. These discounts apply to new and current customers as long as you satisfy the eligibility criteria.

What AT&T Offers Lifeline Customers

Below is a summary of AT&T's Lifeline benefits for some of the states in which they offer service. Although AT&T offers lifeline services in the states listed above, their website does not provide information for each of the states. If you live in one of the states where information is missing, please call AT&T in your area and inquire directly.

State	Anytime Minutes	Nights Weekends	Monthly Cost
Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington West Virginia	1,000	1,000	$19.74
California	Flat Rate	Unlimited local calls	$10.48/mo plus $10 connection
California Tribal	Flat	Unlimited local calls	$25 additional monthly credit and $100 credit for connection

How to Qualify for AT&T Lifeline/ACP Benefits

Below is a chart outlining the requirements to qualify for AT&T Lifeline discounts. It is recommended that you double-check and confirm your state’s eligibility requirement before applying.

State

Non-Tribal

Tribal

All States except California

At or below 135% of Federal Poverty Guidelines

Medicaid (not Medicare)
SNAP
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
Veterans Pension Survivors Benefit

Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Head Start
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

California

Medicaid/Medi-Cal
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
CalFresh, Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)
National School Lunch Program (NSL)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
Stanislaus County Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (StanWORKs)
Welfare-to-Work (WTW)
Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN)

Or At or below the California income guideline of:

$27,500 for household of up to 2 people
$31,900 for 3 people
$38,800 for 4 people
Each additional member $6,900

Tribal TANF
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
Federal Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit Program

Because the Lifeline information on AT&T’s website is rather confusing, it’s best to contact AT&T directly to apply. However, if your state is subject to the National Verification program, you can begin the application process by visiting Checklifeline.org. Once approved there, you may contact your AT&T office to complete the process.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

If you're a new customer to AT&T and haven’t chosen a plan yet, it makes sense to become familiar with their various plans to ensure you select the plan that best suits your needs. All AT&T Wireless plans are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program. They have several pre-paid wireless plans starting from $20 per month. The data limit and monthly cost vary.

AT&T also has Data-only plans for tablets, laptops, and hotspots. Make sure to read the fine print because there are varying terms, conditions, and exceptions.

Lifeline Stipulations:

You must notify AT&T within 30 days if you change your address.

Lifeline participants must recertify every year to confirm eligibility status.

Only one Lifeline benefit per household is permitted.

If the application of the ACP monthly discount brings your plan’s monthly cost to $0, you must use your service at least once every 30 days.

If you don’t use your service within 45 days, you will lose your ACP benefit and be charged the full monthly plan rate.

If your account becomes delinquent, AT&T may move you to a lower-priced plan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This site was created to help people find information about free government phones. The ower of this site does not mail, activate or repair free government phones nor provide phone service. If you have questions about phone service it is suggested that you contact the phone service provider directly.

Last Modified: 17 January 2023