TerraCom Wireless

TerraCom Wireless is another player in the free wireless phone arena. They participate in the government Lifeline program and offer free cell phones along with at least 500 minutes of free talk time to qualified individuals. When this article was written (June 2019) TereraCom provided cell phone service in 21 states. They are Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

If your state isn’t listed here, please check their website. Changes occur frequently. If however, they do not offer service in your state, click the “State Listings” menu item above. There you’ll be able to find free phone providers that service your state.

TerraCom Wireless Lifeline Plan Options

The states of Oklahoma, Washington, Kansas and Nebraska offer plans ranging from 690 to 2000 voice minutes per month, unlimited texting and 2 GB of data. If you don’t need the 2GB of data, it is possible to select a voice and text only phone plan. Check their website for details per state.

For all other states, TerraCom offers 2 plans:

1000 Minutes of talk time and unlimited texting. Be advised, however, that unused talk minutes are not carried over to the following month. This plan does not include data.

500 Talk minutes per month unlimited texting and 2GB of data. As with the 750-minute plan, talk time is not carried over to the following month.

If the above voice and/or data limits are insufficient and you need to purchase more time/data, you can purchase more data/time with their Voice Topup or Data Topup features.

Qualifying for TerraCom Wireless Free Cell Phone

To qualify for the TerraCom free government phone/data program, you must be a participant of one of the following government assistance programs:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Medicaid

Federal Public Housing Assistance
Tribal-specific programs: Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Head Start
Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs

Or you may also qualify if your income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines

Applying for TerraCom Wireless Service

Residents in the states that participate in the National Verification program have the option of applying for benefits using the CheckLifeline.org portal. Once approved by the National Verification process, the next step is to go to TerraCom to apply for their services.

If you're living in a state not yet subject to the Natioinal Verification process, you can go to the TerraCom website directly to apply for the free Smartphone and free service. Or, call them at 1-888-716-8880.

Whether or not you're subject to the National Verification process, make sure to have all of the necessary documentation to prove eligibility. Additionally, you'll need a government issued form of identification to prove you are who you say you are. Having all of the information gathered beforehand makes the application process easier.

You will not have to pay a fee or sign a contract. Once you are approved, monitor your mailbox for the delivery of your phone. According to their website, be on the lookout for your new phone to arrive within 5 days after enrolling. If you didn’t keep track of the date of your application, you can always check the status of your application on the website.

Stolen or Lost Phones

TerraCom Wireless does not accept responsibility for lost or stolen phones. They do not send free replacements. What they offer instead is a discount on a new phone. As long as you have phone service through TerraCom you may purchase a replacement or upgrade at a discounted price.

Things to Consider

If you already have a cell number and become eligible for the free Lifeline phone, you might be able to keep your existing phone number. Call customer support to see if it's possible.

Every call made or received uses airtime minutes. Additionally, 1 minute is deducted for incoming and/or outgoing text messages. There’s a possibility that unusually long text messages may cost more. Make sure to check your plan details.

You can always check your airtime balance on your phone by pressing *646* and pressing the talk/send key. Or, if you’re not comfortable with that method, you can call customer service to check your balance.

TerraCom’s wireless plans do not include international calling.

Only one Lifeline eligible phone is allowed per economic unit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This site was created to help people find information about free government phones. We do not mail, activate or repair free government phones nor do we provide service. If you have questions about phone service we suggest you contact the phone service provider directly.

Last Modified: 7 June 2021