It would be difficult for people to imagine going without a telephone today. While in years past there may have been people who didn’t have a phone, it’s something that we feel we can’t go without now. We live in a country where phones take center stage and they are used daily by a good majority of the people. The issue for some people, however, is being able to afford having one. The good news is that there is help with telephone bills.
There are ways to have a phone and get help paying the bill or be able to keep the monthly expense from it lower. It is all about knowing how to go about getting the help you need to ensure that your telephone remains affordable. There are programs that will help ease the burden of your telephone bill, providing you meet the qualifications for the program. Be sure to contact all the programs that seem like a good fit, so that you can find one that will work for your situation. By contacting multiple programs you will increase your chances of getting help with your phone bill.
Ways to Get Help with Telephone Bills
Many people are familiar with the “Obama phone” term, but may not know what it means. During time of the Barrack Obama presidency, he passed a bill that provided people with free phones and minutes. His administration wanted to ensure that everyone could have access to a telephone, even if they couldn’t afford one. The program became known around the country as the Obama phone. In order to receive a free Obama phone you have to meet the low income guidelines. That program is now known as the Lifeline program, with details provided below.
Lifeline – The Lifeline phone program provides people help paying for their phone bill. The program provides those who qualify with a free phone, free calling and texting, as well as free data. Those who are approved for the program will receive a free Smartphone. There is no monthly bill with this program, no activation fees, no contracts, and no credit checks. If your household receives other assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), then you should be approved for this program as well. The one issue that you may run into is that only one person in your household can get a Lifeline phone account. If you have separate households that are living at one place, such as a shelter or group home, will be allowed to have multiple accounts at the same address. To get more information and apply for a Lifeline phone, click here.
211 – By calling this free referral service, the United Way, will help you locate programs in your area that may help with your unique situation. Anyone in the country can call them and let them know what type of assistance they need. They will provide free referrals to programs that may be able to help. The service is free to use and available to anyone in the country. To learn more about the 211 referral service program, click here.
Providers – If you currently have a phone that you need help paying the bill for, try calling your service provider. Let them know what you are struggling to pay the bill, and ask if they have any programs that would help you out in this matter. They will at times have programs in place that will reduce your monthly bill or find other ways to help you so that phone service is not shut off due to falling behind on paying for it. Asking them to reduce the bill is a great way to get help with paying the bill. They may have programs that they can put you in that will give you new terms and lower rates.
Organizations – Some organizations, such as Catholic Charities and Salvation Army, may be willing to help you pay for your phone bill. They are more likely to help you pay for it if you have a medical need or condition and need to have a phone in the home. Being able to have quick access to emergency medical assistance may give them a good reason to help you pay for the bill. If it’s not for something like that they may not be willing to pay the bill. Check with the organizations in your area to see if they will provide this service.
Churches – Similar to the organizations, they do help a lot of people in the communities where they are located. They try to help people with necessities and meeting basic living needs. If you have to have a phone for work or health reasons they may be willing to help you pay the bill for it. Contact the churches in your area to see if you can get assistance with paying the bills for your phone. You do not have to be a member of the church in order to get help from them. Most churches have a mission to help people in their community who are in need of assistance.
Side Hustle – The average single phone line is around $75-100 per month. If you cannot find programs that will reduce your monthly bill or help you pay it, then you may want to consider taking on a side hustle. By having a side hustle, you can earn a little money each month that will be used just to pay the phone bill. There are many side hustles that you can do that will provide you with $75-100 per month so that you can maintain having a phone. For example, you can sell items in the Facebook Marketplace or on eBay, start a blog and make money from advertisers, become a TikTok content creator, babysitting a few hours per week, mowing one lawn per week, pulling weeds, etc. There are many jobs that you can do on your own that don’t take a lot of time, but will give you the extra money to keep your phone bill paid.
