Assurance Wireless is a telephone service subsidized by the federal Lifeline Assistance program and the new Affordable Connectivity Program – two government aid programs supported by the federal Universal Service Fund. The wireless provider is fully focused on providing free monthly wireless services and mobile devices to eligible low-income customers only.
If you have heard about Assurance Wireless before, chances are that you’ve heard it being mentioned in combination with T-Mobile. Now, what exactly does T-Mobile have to do with Assurance Wireless? Well, since the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile in 2020, Assurance Wireless is officially owned by T-Mobile.
Assurance Wireless is also a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means that it doesn’t have its own network towers, but uses a larger carrier’s (T-Mobile’s) towers instead. T-Mobile partners with lots of MVNOs, providing them with its huge nationwide 4G LTE and 5G networks. However, it only owns Metro by T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless, therefore Assurance has a natural advantage over other T-Mobile’s MVNOs when it comes to network coverage.
As mentioned before, Assurance Wireless participates in both Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program, therefore it focuses solely on its low-income subscribers. Depending on the location and the plan, eligible customers can receive many benefits, including a free monthly wireless service with free unlimited texts, minutes, and data, 10 GB of free mobile hotspot data, and a free smartphone.
As the company is generous enough to offer free smartphones to customers, it does not offer a Bring Your Own Phone program, which would allow customers to bring their own devices to Assurance Wireless. This is a shame, as many customers already have a device they love and do not wish to exchange it.
Since many other Lifeline and ACP providers offer such a program, Assurance Wireless may also change its mind in the future and enable customers to bring their own devices. If this happens, customers will only be able to bring carrier-unlocked GSM devices that are compatible with Assurance Wireless’ network and services. As Assurance is owned by T-Mobile and it uses its network, T-Mobile phones should (at least in theory) all work on Assurance Wireless. This means, that if you have purchased your phone at T-Mobile, you could easily bring it to Assurance – if and when the Lifeline provider starts offering a Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program.
Currently, Assurance Wireless does not offer a Bring Your Own Phone program, which is typically a precondition for users to use Assurance’s services on a phone that was not provided by Assurance. Officially, Assurance Wireless services only work on phones acquired directly by the provider.
Nevertheless, this may change in the future. After all, most Lifeline providers enable this simple option. Moreover, there are already several customers who claim that they use Assurance’s service on another phone.
If you could be able to use another phone on Assurance Wireless, the device would definitely have to be carrier-unlocked, GSM-enabled, and compatible with the company’s network and services. And guess which carrier’s phones check all of these boxes? T-Mobile’s! So, in theory, all of T-Mobile’s phones should be compatible with Assurance. However, as Assurance Wireless does not offer a compatibility checker (as it does not offer the BYOP program), it is impossible to know for sure.
Assuming that T-Mobile remains the owner of Assurance Wireless and that the Lifeline provider decides to offer the BYOP option, you should theoretically be able to bring any of the devices that are currently being sold at T-Mobile and those that have been sold in the past or will be sold in the future, including:
While Lifeline (a government aid program designed to help make communications services more affordable for low-income people) was around since the 1980s, at the end of 2021, the FCC launched a new government assistance program called the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The philosophy behind the program is that everyone deserves access to high-speed internet, regardless of their income. The ACP program provides discounts on monthly broadband services of up to $30 a month. It actually replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit program that was launched during the pandemic and while it offered similar benefits, it was always considered a temporary program.
T-Mobile has participated in the now-expired EBB program and has decided to participate in the new assistance program through its primary Lifeline assistance brand – Assurance Wireless, as well. However, T-Mobile itself does not participate in the ACP program and it does not provide ACP benefits.
Assurance Wireless’s ACP-eligible customers can receive free unlimited data, free unlimited texts, free unlimited calls, and free 10GB of monthly mobile hotspot data on Assurance’s unlimited plan. Customers will also automatically get access to the country’s largest 5G network with huge nationwide coverage. Qualifying users will also get a free Android smartphone (the exact phone model depends on availability), and other perks, such as Scam Shield with free Scam ID, free Scam Block, and free caller ID.
T-Mobile’s goal is to help bridge the digital divide by participating in the ACP program through its Assurance Lifeline brand.
If you are Lifeline and/or ACP-eligible, you will probably have no desire to switch to T-Mobile, as Assurance’s monthly services are free, while T-Mobile’s are not. Nevertheless, in case you are no longer Lifeline or ACP-eligible, you can switch to T-Mobile. While Assurance is only available for Lifeline and ACP-eligible customers, T-Mobile is available for everyone. The carrier offers a large variety of mobile devices from the most reputable brands, versatile plans, frequent deals and discounts, nationwide coverage, and other great services.
The company also offers a Bring Your Own Phone program, which would enable former Assurance Wireless customers to bring their phone to T-Mobile and use it there, as the device should surely be compatible with T-Mobile. However, to make sure that your Assurance Wireless free phone is compatible with T-Mobile, visit t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone#imeiextender, enter your phone’s IMEI, and press ‘Check phone’. The system will immediately inform you if you can bring your Assurance phone to T-Mobile and thus make the transition even simpler.
Lifeline and ACP-eligible customers will receive a free Android smartphone by a reputable brand from Assurance Wireless. The exact phone model you may receive depends on the plan, state, and availability, however, the device is promised to be of high quality and offer all the basic features.
As such, it is unlikely that your device would start malfunctioning within a year. Still, if that were to happen, you would probably wish to replace it as soon as possible. Luckily, all Assurance phones come with a 1-year limited warranty from the manufacturer, which will cover all malfunctions that did not result from physical abuse within a year after the shipment. In such an event, the manufacturer should cover the repair or the replacement phone
Your Assurance Wireless free phone may also get lost or stolen. What then? Well, in this case, you could also get a replacement phone, however, you will have to pay a small fee.
Regardless of why exactly you need a replacement phone, the process is always the same. You simply have to contact the Assurance Wireless customer support service (in case of loss or theft make sure to do so as soon as possible) and explain the situation in detail to the representative. They will tell you what your replacement options are.
Since T-Mobile owns Assurance Wireless, you may wonder if it is possible to replace your Assurance Wireless phone from T-Mobile. The answer is, unfortunately, no – it’s not possible to get a replacement phone from T-Mobile.
Even though T-Mobile owns Assurance Wireless, the companies offer very different services and devices. As such, it is impossible to get an Assurance Wireless free phone through T-Mobile, just as it is impossible to get an Assurance Wireless replacement phone from T-Mobile.
You can only get Assurance Wireless free phones from Assurance Wireless, as Assurance Wireless is the only brand owned by T-Mobile that offers free smartphones through their Lifeline and ACP programs for eligible customers.
T-Mobile does not offer free government-funded devices. However, the carrier does offer numerous special deals and discounts on phones and other devices and services. These deals are only available for a short period of time and they tend to update frequently. Some T-Mobile deals on phones offer huge discounts and others even provide customers with free phones.
Nevertheless, when it comes to free phones through promotional deals, it is important to keep in mind that they always have some conditions. For example, the deal may require you to pay $0 upfront and pay off the device in full in small monthly installments, to switch to their services, add a line, choose a select plan, trade in an old device in good working condition, etc.
As both wireless providers offer the same type of phones, you should be able to use your T-Mobile SIM card on Assurance’s phone. However, the phone must be unlocked and compatible with T-Mobile’s services. Check the phone’s compatibility at t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone#imeiextender.
Assurance Wireless was purchased by T-Mobile when T-Mobile merged with Sprint in 2020.
Assurance Wireless has been acquired by T-Mobile quite a while ago, in April 2020, to be exact. It was previously owned by Virgin Mobile.
Assurance Wireless is an MVNO that uses its owner’s network. It uses T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G and the largest 5G network in the country.
Yes, Assurance Wireless offers T-Mobile’s largest 5G network in the country. However, in order to connect to the 5G network, you must have a relatively advanced device that supports 5G connectivity.
As many of Assurance Wireless’s plans (depending on the state and the customer’s eligibility) offer unlimited talk, text, and monthly data, there is generally no need to buy additional services. However, if your Assurance Lifeline or ACP plan doesn’t offer enough minutes or data, you can add them through the company’s top-up plans. See the plans at assurancewireless.com/info/more-minutes-and-data-options. Nonetheless, you can only buy Assurance Wireless airtime from Assurance Wireless itself.
Check T-Mobile’s coverage in your area by visiting t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map. Enter your address or location in the provided search box and the system will tell you if the network is available in your area and at what speeds.