Need a super-cheap cellular plan? SIMPLE Mobile, a Verizon sub-brand, is upping its data limit for new customers and offering plans as low as $15 a month for customers with Lifeline benefits.
New customers whowill receive three times the normal amount of data for their selected phone plan. So, if you join the $25 5GB plan, you’ll get 15GB of data each month. The $30 10GB plan is bumped up to 30GB, while the $40 15GB plan climbs to $45GB.
Along with this promotional offer, SIMPLE Mobile is attempting to raise awareness for the Lifeline subsidy program. Low-income familiesthat qualifyfor Lifeline will receive a $9.25 monthly discount on their phone or internet service. Combine your Lifeline benefits with the cheapest SIMPLE Mobile plan, and you get 15GB of data for $15 a month—it’s a very compelling offer.
Families with a household income 135% below the Federal Poverty Guidelines qualify for Lifeline benefits. If you already receive assistance through SNAP, Medicaid, Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, or other programs, then you automatically qualify for Lifeline. You canset up Lifeline benefits onlineor by scanning a QR code at any SIMPLE Mobile retail location.
“We know there are a lot of SIMPLE Mobile customers who qualify for Lifeline but don’t currently have it,” said David Avila, Federal Programs Director at Verizon Value. “Our customers have questions or don’t fully understand the program, so they don’t apply. Having 5,000 SIMPLE Mobile locations in friendly neighborhood retailers can hopefully reduce the intimidation factor and serve as a place for customers to go for an easy way to enroll with the availability of QR codes.”
SIMPLE Mobile is the cheapest Verizon sub-brand. That said, customers who are concerned about SIMPLE’s conservative data limits should look intoTotal Wireless,Visible, orVerizon Prepaid(all of which are owned by Verizon). There are also several non-Verizon MVNOs, likeMint Mobile, that could help you save money on your cellular bill.
Of course, Lifeline benefits aren’t limited to cheap phone plans. You may be better off applying these benefits to abundled internet and phone package, as a bundle will provide additional savings on top of the $9.25 Lifeline discount.
On a more philosophical note, I’m glad that Verizon is making an effort to tell customers about the Lifeline program. But I suspect that carriers and ISPs are using these subsidies as an excuse to keep prices higher than they should be. I also worry that families will be left without cell service or internet if the Lifeline program is ever discontinued, as that’s exactly what happened whenACP subsidieswere canceled earlier this year.
