AT&T Senior phone rates

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Today an elderly cousin was telling me how much her phone service had gone up. She has AT&T for her carrier and has a land line. This got me to thinking that there possibly could be a plan that would discount services to seniors. I have been trying to do some research on this online but not having much luck finding a specific answer. Does anyone have knowledge of this? If so, I would appreciate a link or some first hand info about the service. Thanks!

[Tradd]

Is your cousin low income? Here in IL, there have been ads on the radio recently for "Circuit Breaker" phone service for low income folks (AT&T here). You might check into that. Proof of income and other documentation does need to be furnished, but if she is truly low income, it's something to look into.

I only ask if your cousin is truly low income, because I know some seniors who are constantly talking about rising prices, but they are not low income or really hurting financially (or not that much).

[Simpler at Fifty]

http://www.ehow.com/how_5796211_apply-at_t-lifeline-telephone-service.html

Try this.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Thanks Simpler at Fifty - I will look into this for her. And yes, Tradd I fully believe she does qualify as low income and the Circuit Breaker thing will be something else to look into for her. Thanks for your replies!

[awakenedsoul]

If she is open to switching to a cell phone, Jitterbug is geared towards seniors, and their rates are very reasonable. I canceled my landline with A.T.&T. and got a Jitterbug instead. It's $15.00 a month instead of $60.00.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

If she is open to switching to a cell phone, Jitterbug is geared towards seniors, and their rates are very reasonable. I canceled my landline with A.T.&T. and got a Jitterbug instead. It's $15.00 a month instead of $60.00.
Not sure how receptive she would be to a cell phone - she is in her mid 80's. It is good to know though. Thanks!

[rosarugosa]

Sad Eyed Lady: My Mom is 77 and loves her Jitterbug. It is designed to be simple and senior-friendly, with a slightly larger keypad and good audio transmission, no fancy features, and excellent customer service provided by readily-accessible humans.

[awakenedsoul]

The operators are really patient and helpful. I love mine, too. (Especially the price!)

[ToomuchStuff]

60 minutes did an interview with the inventor of the Jitterbug. The phone had a screen which displayed larger, larger numbers, has a dial tone when you hit the air button and sounded more like a corded phone used to. If it weren't tied to their service, I would have used one with my T mobile account. (no sim card). That said, here in MO, low income (poverty level) qualifies for lifeline service (although some welfare programs hands out phones, which I am hearing are now smart phones with more features then I have/could comfortably afford).

[rosarugosa]

Toomuchstuff: That must have been interesting; I would have liked to have seen that. Several years ago, I was researching phones for Mom, who wanted one primarily for emergencies. I said to DH that someone should be making a phone geared to Mom's demographic group, because surely she couldn't be the only one who wanted a simple phone for infrequent use that wasn't tied to an expensive service plan. Then we saw a Jitterbug ad, and it so perfectly described what we were seeking! It has lived up to expectations. She actually has the $10. per month plan, which doesn't include any minutes, and we buy her 100 minutes at a time for about $25.00. But I think we're going to bump up to the $15./month plan this year (we pay for her phone service as one of her xmas gifts) since she seems to be using it a little more each year. I get the statements so I can see her usage and I add minutes when she needs them, so it's totally hassle-free for her.

[rodeosweetheart]

Toomuchstuff: That must have been interesting; I would have liked to have seen that. Several years ago, I was researching phones for Mom, who wanted one primarily for emergencies. I said to DH that someone should be making a phone geared to Mom's demographic group, because surely she couldn't be the only one who wanted a simple phone for infrequent use that wasn't tied to an expensive service plan. Then we saw a Jitterbug ad, and it so perfectly described what we were seeking! It has lived up to expectations. She actually has the $10. per month plan, which doesn't include any minutes, and we buy her 100 minutes at a time for about $25.00. But I think we're going to bump up to the $15./month plan this year (we pay for her phone service as one of her xmas gifts) since she seems to be using it a little more each year. I get the statements so I can see her usage and I add minutes when she needs them, so it's totally hassle-free for her.

I had offered to get my folks on my Jitterbug plan (I love mine) and yesterday they called and asked me to do so, so I ordered them 2 phones yesterday--all done on my end, and I will be billed for their usage, so this is nice, one less bill for them to pay. They had been using TrakFone and could not figure out how to add minutes and spent 3 hours on the phone with TrakFone and were very upset. The service was in another country, Dad has hearing issues, and the lady rattled off a 20 digit number he was supposed to cope with.

Think having them on my plan will work well!

[ToomuchStuff]

Toomuchstuff: That must have been interesting; I would have liked to have seen that. Several years ago, I was researching phones for Mom, who wanted one primarily for emergencies. I said to DH that someone should be making a phone geared to Mom's demographic group, because surely she couldn't be the only one who wanted a simple phone for infrequent use that wasn't tied to an expensive service plan. Then we saw a Jitterbug ad, and it so perfectly described what we were seeking! It has lived up to expectations. She actually has the $10. per month plan, which doesn't include any minutes, and we buy her 100 minutes at a time for about $25.00. But I think we're going to bump up to the $15./month plan this year (we pay for her phone service as one of her xmas gifts) since she seems to be using it a little more each year. I get the statements so I can see her usage and I add minutes when she needs them, so it's totally hassle-free for her.

Thanks to a quick google search:

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-6506912.html

Video available through the article.

[Miss Cellane]

A number of states have plans for the disabled or elderly that will get them a discount on phone services, as well as other necessities like heat. The hard part is finding out what agency handles this--the info is usually well-buried on websites. Check under Social Services, or Health and Human Services or Elderly Care or Council on Aging and whatever else you can think of. You can also check the company she has the phone plan with; they might have their own discounts for the elderly/disabled.

[rosarugosa]

Thanks, Toomuchstuff!