How Do I Check If SafeLink Service Is Available in My Area?

Introduction

SafeLink provides federal Lifeline recipients with both a free phone and a free monthly phone plan, which can be an invaluable resource. If you qualify for the Lifeline program and want to take advantage of everything that SafeLink has to offer, you should find out whether SafeLink service is available in your area. You have a few different options for doing so.

What You'll Need

As a general rule, SafeLink service is available in 49 states, in Washington D.C., and in Puerto Rico. However, it is not available in every ZIP code in these locations, nor is it available in every area of every ZIP code. State regulations and local network infrastructure play roles in availability.\If you don't want to rely on SafeLink's tools to determine how good the service is in your area, you can always do a little research among actual users of SafeLink's service in your area. Although the company does not offer an online group discussion forum for its services, there are user-started discussion groups available on social media sites such as Facebook and Reddit. People there might be able to give you a better look at what trying to use SafeLink service in your area is really like.Of course, the only way to find out what SafeLink's service coverage is actually like in your area is to find out for yourself by trying to use it. Remember, if you qualify for it, SafeLink's service is free, so you aren't really risking anything by just signing up for the service and seeing how it goes.

Go to the SafeLink home page.

SafeLink home page
To get some in-person help at a SafeLink retailer, skip to step 4.
To get some in-person help over the phone, skip to step 9.

Enter your ZIP code in the text field labeled "Enter ZIP Code."

Click on the "Start" button to find outh whether SafeLink service is available in your area.

Do not proceed with additional steps.

Go to the SafeLink store finder.

SafeLink store finder
Alternatively, you can text the word "STORE" to 611611 on any mobile phone. You will have a list of nearby SafeLink retailer locations texted to the phone number you texted from.

Enter your ZIP code in the text field labeled "Search by ZIP Code."

Choose a radius in miles from the menu labeled "Select Search Radius."

This tells the program how far outside of your ZIP code to seach for SafeLink retailers.

Click on the "Search" button.

Find a convenient SafeLink retailer location and go there.

Ask an associate for help determining whether or not SafeLink service is available in your area.
Do not proceed with further steps.

You can also get assistance by calling a SafeLink customer service representative.

SafeLink customer service

Conclusion

If you need to call SafeLink customer service, you need to call between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 pm EST from Monday to Saturday and between the hours of 8:00 am and 7:00 pm EST on Sundays.