Southern Linc Discounted Lifeline Plan

Residents in the states of Alabama and Georgia may be eligible to receive discounted cellular calling and unlimited texting through the Southern Linc Lifeline program. The Lifeline program was created to help low-income individuals and families afford home phone services that otherwise might have been financially difficult to buy.

Lifeline Plan and Features

Southern Linc currently has two lifeline plans. One is a wireless phone plan and the other is a data plan. Below is a summary of the two plans:

1. The wireless phone plan includes a Sonim XP5s phone. Although the phone is not free, the cost is only $0.99 with the activation of the Lifeline Call Manager plan. The plan includes:


• 2,000 anytime cellular minutes every month
• Unlimited texting (above and beyond the 2,000 anytime minutes)
• Call Forwarding
• Caller ID
• 3-Way Calling
• Call Waiting
• Retail Price:$29.99 minus the Lifeline benefit of $9.25
  Monthly Cost: $20.74

One unique feature of the Southern Linc Lifeline plan is that you may not add additional talk minutes if you exhaust the 2,000 minutes before the end of the month. Their website specifically states “no mid-period replenishment available.”

2. The Lifeline Data Manager Wireless Data Plan includes a Franklin Wireless R717 Mobile hotspot. The cost of the hotspot is $149 with the activation of the plan below:


• Monthly 5GB of LTE wireless data. Can be shared with up to 15 wifi capable devices using the Franklin Wireless hotspot
• Retail Price: $52.00 less the Lifeilne Benefit of $9.25
• Monthly Cost: $42.75

Qualifying for Southern Linc Lifeline Plan

To qualify for the program, your household income must be at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or someone in your household participates in any one of the following government assistance programs:

• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamps)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
• Veteran's Pension or Survivor's Pension

In addition to the above programs, Alabama residents who participate in any of the following Bureau of Indian Affairs Programs may qualify

• General Assistance Food Distribution Program
• Tribal TANF
• Head Start
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Applying for Lifeline Benefits

If you meet the income or program participation requirement, gather the necessary documentation to prove so. If you qualify based on participating in one of the plans listed above, you must provide a copy of the official document. Make sure the document has your name (or dependent’s name), the name of the qualifying program, and the name of the agency issuing the document, and make sure the issue date was within the last 12 months. In other words, they need a current document that is not expired.

If you qualify based on income, documents such as the prior year’s income tax returns or Social Security Benefit Statement. Make sure to include the number of people in the household. If you’re using paystubs as proof of income, you’ll need 3 consecutive months of pay stubs.

After gathering the qualifying information, you’ll need to prove you are who you say you are and prove that you are alive. Below is an outline of documents that satisfy that requirement:

How to Apply

Once you have gathered the necessary documents apply for benefits by visiting the National Verifier website. If your documents are in order, approval should take about 20 to 30 minutes. After you are approved, go to the Southern Linc website or call them at 1-800-818-5462 or visit the nearest location.

Things to Think About

If 2,000 talk minutes is more than adequate for you, then this Southern Linc plan might make sense. However, the inability to replenish talk minutes mid-month might be a deal breaker for others. Please carefully consider whether or not this plan fits your monthly cell phone needs.

Things to Note

1. You must use a home address and not a P.O. Box to establish service


2. Lifeline participants are subject to annual recertification to ensure continued eligibility.


3. Only one Lifeline benefit per household.


4. Lifeline benefits are not transferable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This site was created to help people find information about free government phones. The ower of this site does not mail, activate or repair free government phones nor provide phone service. If you have questions about phone service it is suggested that you contact the phone service provider directly.

Last Modified: 10 April 2023