Safelink Wireless Review | SaveonPrepaidPhones.com
Safelink Wireless Review
Safelink Wireless is a new service provided by Tracfone Wireless with the assistance of State and Federal governments for low income families and individuals (see links on the left for participating states and qualification requirements).
The Good
Since Safelink Wireless is basically free cell phone service for qualifying individuals, it is hard to find any negatives with the service. If you qualify, Safelink will provide you with a free phone and a free monthly allowance of minutes. Coverage area is provided by Tracfone so all Safelink phones will work just like any other Tracfone.
Service Features
All Safelink phones will come with Long Distance Calling, Caller ID, Call Waiting and Text messaging which is great considering this is basically a free service.
Carriers and Coverage
Since Tracfone provides the coverage area, Safelink phones will use one of the major carriers like AT&T, Verizon and TMobile. If you are in a qualifying state, the coverage area is great since it is provided by the major carriers.
Free Service
The service is absolutely free. The phone is provided free of charge and it is free to apply. Basically, as long as you stay within the monthly minute allowance, the service is totally free. It's hard to argue with FREE!
Maintaining Service
As long as you remain qualified, the service is free from month to month. Unlike Tracfone customers, Safelink users do not need to purchase minutes to keep the service active.
Easy Application Process
Applicants can visit SafelinkWireless.com to begin the application process online. Applicants can also monitor their application process online. Safelink Wireless also has an information hotline (1-800-977-3768) which applicants can call.
The Not So Good
There are no real bad things about the service, after all, it's free so it is difficult to be critical. There are, however, some limitations that you should be aware of.
Limited Phones
Since Safelink is not a traditional paid service, participants will NOT have the ability to choose which phone they will receive. You also cannot use or buy a Tracfone or any other existing phone to use with the service. That being said, it is hard to be critical since the phones are FREE. At this time, SafeLink Wireless is only offering the Motorola W175. You can read more about it HERE
Modest Minute Allowance
The monthly minute allowance is relatively low and vary from state to state. The current allowance in the states where Safelink is offered is between 68-80 minutes. Users do, however, have the option of purchasing minutes from Tracfone or Net10 depending on which phone was provided. This site also provides free bonus minute codes for all cards if you are using a Tracfone and when purchasing Tracfone airtime online. Codes are available here Free Bonus Safelink minutes
Limited Availability
Current availability is limited to Delaware,Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts,Michigan, New York, North Carolina,Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia so you will not be able to get Safelink unless you live in one of these states. There are plans to expand into Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire and District of Columbia. It would be nice to see this great program expanded into all 50 states and that may be the case eventually as they are adding states at a fast pace.
Qualification Requirements
Safelink is designed to assist low income families and individuals, so not everyone qualifies. The guidelines are pretty strict so individuals have to already be receiving some sort of State funded assistance or meet minimum income requirements. Applicants must show proof of income if trying to qualify on an income basis. Qualifications also differ from state to state. This is not really a negative just something to be aware of. Please see the links on the top left for State Qualifying information.
Conclusion
All in all this is a wonderful program for those who qualify. The service is completely free as long as you qualify and there are no application fees so it is risk free to apply. There are no real negatives to this program other than the fact that it is not available Nation wide. If live in one of the participating states and feel that you qualify, we highly recommend this wonderful service.
For more information, please visit SafelinkWireless.com or call the Safelink Wireless Information line at 1-800-977-3768.
phone stolen
my phone was stolen somebody maybe using it disconnect it
SafeLink Update for Missouri
In Missouri, the basic SafeLink® phone is an LG 300G puck. There are 3 plans available.
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All plans include:- Local calls
- National calls
- Voicemail
- Text messaging
- Roaming at no additional charge
- Free 911 calls
- No additional charge 411 directory assistance*
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Plan 1) 68 minutes with rollover, 0.3 minutes per text, and 100+ International calling destinations.
Plan 2) 125 minutes with rollover, 1.0 minute per text, and no International calling plan included.
Plan 3) 250 minutes without rollover**, 1.0 minutes per text, and no International calling plan included.
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I have used Plan 3 for a few months and decided I didn't need 250 minutes a month, so I switched to Plan 2.
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You CAN use any TracFone® with SafeLink®. The catch is, you HAVE to call their customer service line to transfer your service to the new phone. DO NOT ACTIVATE THE NEW PHONE before transferring the service. Their customer service number is: 1 800 378-1684.
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I have had no issues with SafeLink® in Missouri. No service interruptions, no dead zones, no spam texts, no spam calls. It's excellent service on a VERY basic plan.
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You can also add minutes to your SafeLink® account using any TracFone® card.
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--> http://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx
--> SafeLink® Plan Comparison Chart:
www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/images/ProgramCHART-05.png
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* Regular minute usage applies. No additional minutes charged for this service.
** Any minutes remaining at the end of the month will be deleted. This includes any minutes that were added to the account through the purchase of additional minutes.
Safelink & Tracphone NY State - SCAM
I received my first safelink tracphone and it came with the 68 minutes of airtime. I made about 3 phone calls the first month and no text messages. In the next two months I had about the same usage but in the 3rd month I started receiving large volumes of spam text messages - about 70 a day. I never gave this number to anyone - NOBODY, and I never sent a single text message. The number was a recycled number that came with the phone. Tracphone deactivated my phone (without telling me) for fraudulent use. When they deactivated me I had 174.5 minutes on my phone. These are minutes that the State of NY paid for. When I called them and explained what happened they were very helpful and agreed to send me a new phone and number. The new phone came without any minutes, tracphone will not transfer the old minutes, and essentially I am without any service until the beginning of the next month. New York State has paid for those minutes and that service but the company will not allow me to use them and now says that my service was disconnected for excessive use. Bear in mind this is a prepaid account - you CANT use it excessively. Safelink is nice in theory, but at this juncture I'm thinking it's just a scam by Safelink and Tracphone that is not getting enough oversight and is ripping off the taxpayer.
missing minutes
Tracfone did not send me the 68 free minutes for May and June in retaliation for complaining about the missing minutes to the Federal Communication Commission, The Federal Trade Commission, the Florida Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau. It took Tracfone over two months to resolve this situation. If you call them, they transfer you to an OVERSEAS Rep. who, more often than not, has no idea what he's doing, and if you call their corporate office, they hang up or leave you hanging on the phone. Many people believe that Tracfone is not sending the free minutes as a marketing tool to FORCE you to purchase airtime from them. If you want to avoid headaches, go to the Internet and type in ASSURANCE WIRELESS and click on "Search." This company is government-sponsored and they will send you a FREE cellular phone and 2OO FREE minutes per month. No contracts and no fees of any kind. You can also call them at 1-888-898-4888.
ASSURANCE WIRELESS
ASSURANCE WIRELESS is not available in all areas that Safelink is. Just make sure that you can use Assurance or Safelink in the area you live in. As with any government program there are always going to be some people and companies that will try to scam others. Just check the info and keep track of your useage.
replacement phone request-lost or stolen
enrollment id 30035561 tn- 312 479 1558 mailed auto enrollment new 250 minutes plan oct 1 made request for phone thru tech spprt plz dont send fed ex hold at security for pick up by me w id ymca building someone else stole orig phn cancel old tn# above plz issue knew phone for oct 1 enrollment status same thank you 312 506 2293 home tn........
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