Cell Phones Service For Seniors

Best Buy Customers Often Prefer The Following Products When Searching For Best Cell Phone For Seniors

Cell phones are a fact of life for many seniors. They can be used to call family members, check in with people, and even keep track of weather reports. Browse the top-ranked list of best cell phones for seniors below along with associated reviews and opinions.

How We Chose The Best Cell Phones For Seniors

Each phone on our list was ranked using over 30 metrics, including price, senior-friendly features, battery life, durability, sound quality, appearance, ease of use, and provider perks. The three most influential metrics in our evaluation were:

• Senior-friendly features: All phones that made the cut have features that meet seniors specific needs and lifestyles. While these features vary by phone, they include things like big buttons or icons, bright screens, loud and adjustable speakers, hearing aid compatibility, and an easy-to-grip design
• No long-term contracts: Cell phone plans that lock you in for years are a thing of the past. All of the cell phone models and carriers on our list offer month-to-month options, so you can cancel your service at any time without hassle.
• Price vs. quality: We know that every budget is different. While some of the cell phones on our list are more expensive than others, weve only included phones where we believe the quality matches or exceeds the price. Weve made sure to include budget-friendly cell phones on our list, along with somewhat pricier high-tech devices, so you can find the phone thats right for both your wallet and your needs

Using the above criteria, along with our research, testing, and rankings, we created this years best cell phone list to help you choose the best senior-friendly cell phone.

Best Cell Phones For Seniors

With so many cell phones on the market and a slew of complicated features, finding the right phone for an older adult can be tough. Whether youre shopping for yourself or a loved one, were here to make finding the best cell phone for seniors as easy as possible.

Lets go over things to keep in mind, features to look for and a list of some of the best cell phones for older adults.

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Choose The Best Senior Phone Plan For You

Whatever phone plan you choose, take the time to understand the different options and choose the one that’s best for you and your usage patterns. If you’re not a senior social media maven and don’t use your cell phone much at all, your needs are going to be quite different from your friend who can’t wait to get their hands on the latest gadget.

Consider A Smart Watch Made For Seniors

Replacing standard watches with smart watches can be a good way to supplement a cell phone for seniors and make one-touch responses that much easier. Helpful features include a high-contrast background for readability and simple buttons to manage dexterity issues.

Take a look at: The Verizon Care Smart watch offers both pre-loaded messages and a limited number of 10 pre-approved contacts to minimize the risk of fraud calls.

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What Are The Best Cell Phones For Seniors

The best cell phone for seniors varies based on the functionality you desire. Some seniors will want the latest technology, like control over IoT environments and tracking for their keys. Others will want a basic flip phone with call and text functionality and not much else. Weve selected the best cell phones for seniors in several categories.

• Nokia 3310 by Nokia

Tracfone And Overage Charges

Unlike many other providers, Tracfone does not have overage charges. When you use up your monthly allowance of minutes, messages, or data, your service is simply cut off.

Considering other providers charge extra money by the minute, message, or MB of data, this can be a handy feature. Some, however, may find it annoying to have to purchase extra coverage when they use up their allowance.

Extra minutes, messages, and data cost the following:

• $5 for 1,000 messages
• $10 for 1 GB of data

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Cell Phone Battery Life

A cell phone is only as good as its battery life. If you cannot rely on it when you need it because it has too short of battery life, then it wont do you any good. Since we cant all remember to have our phones charged at every moment of the day, it is vital that a phone has a battery life that will stay strong when not in use.

Raz Memory Cell Phone

• Designed for users with Alzheimers or dementia
• Simple picture-based menu
• Online portal for caregivers

Cost: $309 for MiniVision2 Phone and Memory Phone additional plan not included

The MiniVision2 features large buttons and a classic cell phone design, making it simple to operate, and its braille features make it completely accessible to blind people. Alternatively, the RAZ memory phone is a take on a smartphone. Great for users with dementia, this phone presents photos of each contact, making it easier to place calls. This phone also has a dedicated 911 button for emergencies.

Both phones from RAZ cost a one-time $309, and to use these phones, you must also purchase a plan from a compatible network such as T-Mobile, AT& T, or Mint Mobile. Currently, the purchase of a RAZ phone gives you three months of free service with Mint.

To learn more about this provider, read our Raz Memory Cell Phone review.

Pros

• No messages, apps, or internet access
• Relatively costly

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Other Cell Phone Plans For Seniors To Compare

Consumer Cellulars flexible wireless plans are a budget-saver for seniors. Verizon charges $70.00 per month for unlimited data, and Consumer Cellular charges only $55.00 for the same unlimited data using Verizons cellular network.

Consumer Cellular allows seniors to choose customized plans

Besides having a wide selection of senior-friendly phones at discounted prices, Consumer Cellular offers an unlimited Talk Only plan for $15.00 per month, appropriate for seniors who dont need data or texting. Cell phone plans can be easily switched each month, depending on use, without fees. Users can add two additional lines to their cell phone plan, with all three lines sharing minutes, text and data.

To learn more, please read our full product review of Consumer Cellular.

T-Mobile offers affordable unlimited service and 5G access

Even as a major cellular service provider, boasting 5G access, T-Mobile is by far the lowest priced unlimited cell phone company. With superior coverage and 5G service, seniors can use any number of senior-friendly apps such as Life360, a caregiver app, Park n Forget that directs users to their car and MediSafe, a medication reminder. The Essentials 55+ plan is only $27.50 per month, with higher-level plans offering premium options.

To learn more, please read our full product review of T-Mobile.

Reduce Eye Strain With A Large Screen Or Add

Changes in vision also often accompany aging, and for that there are two solutions: a smartphone with a larger screen or a magnifying device used in tandem with a phone. The former offers more surface area to view emails, texts and web pages the latter is like a magnifying glass but sized proportionately for smartphones.

Take a look at:The Motorola edge+ features a unique display that bends around the phones sides for even more viewing space.

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Benefits Of Cell Phones For Seniors

One Call Away

We spoke with Ava Griffiths, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in Georgia, who said she encourages cell phones for senior citizens, especially those without family assistance, enhanced medical alerts, in-home nursing, or home care service. Griffiths, who offers over-the-phone therapy for individuals with anxiety and depression, has provided services to over 200 elderly clients, those in whom, with cell phones, could contact her while away from home or on the go.

Youre More Social than You Think

Senior citizens that have limited mobility or health complications may not be able to leave their homes as often as the average person, limiting their social interactions. While house phones enable them to have conversations, theyre still confined at home and unable to see and engage with others.

Dr. Ariel Cruz, a geriatrician based in Puerto Rico, shared with us the necessity of maintaining some form of social interaction:

The human being is social. We enjoy and need to share with other people. That interaction is very important so that we dont feel alone, but instead feel important and needed within our families and communities. This helps us to manage stress, which is a factor of great importance to maintain our health.

Unlike house phones, cell phones enable us to see our family and loved ones through photos and video chats. We can also interact with and learn from other people through social media, text messages, games, and other apps.

What Is The Best Landline Phone Service For Seniors

Community Phone offers the best landline phone for seniors. Its revolutionary wireless landline service connects to cell towers in your area, eliminating the need for an internet or copper wire connection.The landline base is easy to set up and provides strong coverage across 99% of the cities in the US. With plans starting at $29/month, you can stay connected with family and friends for less.Call our landline specialists at -593-5333.

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What Is The Best Cell Phone Service For Seniors

There’s no one size fits all when it comes to phone plans. And shopping for a senior cell phone plan is no different.

Flexible plans are important so you’re not paying for features you don’t use. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice technology. If you’re tech savvy there’s still plenty of great options to choose from.

With plans in all shapes and sizes, check out some of the best low-cost carrier deals for seniors.

$5/mo** 66% Off for 3 Months

Boost Mobile 5GB plan includes unlimited mins, unlimited texts and 5GB data for only $5 per month. Boost Mobile plans offer wireless coverage on the AT& T& T-Mobile 5G and 4G LTE networks. To learn more about why this is one of the best cell phone plans, check out MoneySavingPro’s Boost Mobile review

• Nationwide coverage on AT& T& T-Mobile

• 5G & 4G LTE data speeds

• Buy online and no credit checks

• Bring your own phone

• Owned by Dish and runs on T-Mobile’s nationwide network

• Prepaid service – no contract, credit check, or extra fees

• Bring your own phone or choose from a wide selection of new phones

• Mobile hotspot allowance with all plans

• International service and roaming available as add-on packs

• Customer support available by phone – 4am – 8pm PST Monday to Friday, 4am – 7pm weekends

• No contract. No bulk buying.

• 24/7 friendly customer support

• Free international calls to 60+ countries

Cons

$15/mo** 3 Months FREE: $45 for 6 mths service

Cons

Cons

Benefits

Light Cell Phone User

The Motorola moto g is a straight-forward Android phone that is great for seniors to consider due to its excellent battery life, 6.5-inch HD+ display so you can read everything clearly, water-repellent design to protect your phone, and high quality camera. It is also has a talk back feature and it is M3/T3 hearing aid compatible. Just enough features to keep you updated on the latest.

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More Than Just Free Cell Phones For Seniors

Lifeline and ACP service providers, like Easy Wireless, provide more than just free cell phones for seniors. Through these government programs, seniors can also receive:

• FREE Unlimited Talk
• FREE Unlimited Text
• FREE Unlimited Data

Once they have activated their new phone and Lifeline service, seniors no longer need to worry about how to stay connected with friends and family, or how to get help in an emergency .

Where Can You Get Cheap Landline Phone Service For Seniors

Community Phone provide the cheapest landline phone service for seniors. It is 31-35% cheaper than traditional and digital landlines, 20-25% cheaper than VoIP, and a whopping 73% cheaper than a cell phone.âCommunity Phoneâs landline service can save you hundreds of dollars on installation costs, setup, and maintenance. Call our landline specialists at -593-5333.

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Alcatel Go Flip : Best For Budgets

Amazon.com list price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Alcatel Go Flip 3 is a workhorse of a flip phone that handles all the basics and more. Along with calling, texting, and email, it has Google Assistant built in to answer questions and provide directions.

It also has some basic accessibility features like Real Time Text for live captioning and Text Telephone for hearing impaired users. And its 7.9 hour battery may make other phones jealous.

One of the biggest complaints we saw about the Go Flip 3 was its camera. If you arent planning on snapping a lot of pictures, its not a problem. But the photos a 2 MP camera produces will look grainy and unclear compared to those from phones with 13 MP cameras.

Alcatel Go Flip 3 cell phone plans

This flip phone for seniors is available through T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile, so prices may vary. But when we checked, the phone is about $97 from T-Mobile.

If youre looking for a simple mobile phone, the Alcatel Go Flip 3 is a cheap option for just calling and texting. Reviewers on T-Mobile said navigation takes practice and the camera was a big drawback for them. That said, its great for the ultra-minimalist in your life who prefers short phone calls and a way to check emails on the go.

How Do You Get Free Landline Phone Service For Seniors

There are a few different ways one can qualify to get a free landline service for seniors. The simplest way to qualify is participation in a major government assistance program, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or food stamps.Even if you are not currently participating in any government assistance programs, anyone with household income below 135% of the federal poverty guideline is also covered. Youâll simply need to provide tax returns or pay stubs to give them proof. If you meet either of these qualifications, you can talk to landline providers in your region that participate in the Lifeline Assistance program and youâll be able to get started on an application.

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Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

Seniors who only need to use their phones for emergencies will benefit from prepaid plans. You only purchase a specific number of minutes, messages, and data, then replenish when theyâre consumed. There are no monthly contracts or monthly payments.

Lively and Consumer Cellular offer limited phone plans that can be upgraded to unlimited plans.

Top 7 Questions To Consider When Choosing A Senior Phone Plan

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Helpful Information About Cell Phones For Seniors

Cell phones, specifically smartphones, can be confusing, especially to someone who has never used a phone for anything other than making a call. A modern smartphone has the ability to predict the weather for the rest of the week. It can have a driver come and pick you up wherever you are without you even having to talk to anyone. It can even have groceries delivered to your home . Modern smartphones do so much more than what a regular phone or even a cell phone used to do, that they could easily be intimidating for senior citizens if they are not already tech-savvy. This is where cell phones for seniors come in.

Cell phones for seniors are mobile phones that have been designed with older consumers in mind. Their displays, the keypad numbers, the on-screen text, and the icons are larger than usual, in order to make the phones easier to use for those who have conditions that affect their vision. Some phones also include GPS location services and medical monitoring features, as well as an emergency call button, 24/7 access to registered nurses and doctors, check-in calls, and wellness calls.