YAY !!
Thanks Again 112059.
It may be that I even qualify for ACP 'cuz I'm old & get SS - but having a gov phone repulses me.
So now it looks like I'll grab that & some household needs to make the free shipping & then see if it can somehow be added to the same account as the 10 + 10 deal from them, or if I must make a separate, new account.
Thanks Again & Again !!
Target sells two different ones, the ACP/100, 100, 100 or the Free basic plan for wifi calling, 10 texts, and 25 MB data. Make sure you get the one for ACP/100 100 100.
From my limited research on the matter, I believe there are 2 government programs that are relevant to this topic. One is called Lifeline. The other is Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Lifeline provides a $9.25 credit for phone service. ACP gives a $30 credit for internet service.
Some people prefer to only use Lifeline for home/cellular phone service and then use ACP for home internet service. Others instead use both benefits only for the phone service to get a better cell plan. So for instance if you are a light phone user, it would be better to use ACP benefit for home internet instead.
Lifeline cell phone service is through dedicated providers who use that brand for only Lifeline customers. ACP is different in that the regular local ISP or cell providers has have a working agreement with government program. Need to check your local ISP or cell provider to see if they participate in ACP.
Each state should have a list of eligible Lifeline providers that their residents can sign up for.
A very funny subject to look into for better info.
Since so much spammy stuff about ACP & Lifeline has come in here via emails & snail mails it seemed like a bit of follow-up was in order to see if it was worth the bother.
(The local telco & ISP push the ACP opportunity constantly.)
Checking at the ACP & Lifeline sites (which are almost the same BTW) they specify income guidelines, but do not offer any specific info for SS retirement recipients.
Contacting the SSA via email got only an auto-response telling me to waste a bunch of time trying to get answers via phone.
(I was foolish enough to try that before & spent over an hour between hold times & a foreign accented script reader who knew no answers.)
So now I sent my simple queries to the ACP folks via email & time will tell if it is just another waste of time & efforts.
It is sad IMO that such programs tend to make those who could use their help to go round & round in endless circles.
the only acp benefit tied to Social Security is if you receive supplemental security income (SSI). If you simply are retired and receiving income, and don't meet any of the other criteria, then here is the income limits:
Household size 1 <=29,160, 2<=39,440.
You would have to provide a tax return or your social security benefit statement to show you income is under the limit.
here is a link to the acp application, you can use that to see if you would qualify:
Thanks Very Much for your help on this Ajzwilli.
I did see the income info & meeting that is no problem - but could not find the info confirming about retirement, nor did I see a downloadable app PDF.
Now I'll give that PDF a good look & see where I may stand.
Thanks Again.
I think the reason why companies like Spectrum and others don't show the income guidelines for the ACP may be that the guidelines may be determined by the state of residence.
Here are the guidelines for Vermont, remember you can only get one per household and the $30 credit could be more valuable for home internet vs cheap cell service.
Affordable Connectivity Program | Department of Public Service (vermont.gov)
edit: income guidelines for many states including Vermont need to be under 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
Poverty Guidelines | ASPE (hhs.gov)
Hello 112059 & Thanks.
Much to my surprise the ACP folks replied on a sunday - and here is the confirmation I was aiming for:
SS payments are considered income, you can show the income proof by submitting a current SSA benefit statement
Such a funny mechanism !!
The PDF application pointed out by Ajzwilli cleared up many less than obvious points as well & even though it is 8 pages long it is no big deal to do.
Their site makes the applicant fill out just a little at a time & does not display the full application.
Being able to see the full extent of what they demand is quite helpful.
Thanks Again Folks !!
I did finally succeed in getting the target SIM for free 100/100 GSMA.
This will be quite enough for my very few uses of AT&T as most of our service area works fine with my Twigby/Verizon phone.
I also posted the details of our target home delivery misadventue in this thread:
I gather from post history that Target (or most any big box) is not convenient for you but figured I'd mention to take a look at the FP thread as it appears there is a new, free, GSMA 100/100/100 plan SIM for sale in some Target stores
Hi Weekstonz.
Welcome here & thanks for your thoughtful reply.
We live in a small town from which getting to any shopping area means about an hour's drive in any of the 4 directions, so those are done with planning in advance when they happen at all.
Just lately we needed a big bag of dog food from BJs, and rather than making the ~hour drive just for that I made an order with a couple more things to defray the hit of the shipping charge.
Info from here DID help me to get the FP free GSMA, for which I am quite grateful !! (Used as part of an order as well to get free shipping.)