How to Get a Free Tablet with EBT

There are dozens of providers that offer free smartphones to users who get SNAP benefits, but did you know that some companies offer a free tablet with EBT? It’s true! There are several ways that you can get a free tablet.

Moolah Wireless

You may be able to get a free tablet with EBT from Moolah Wireless but there are some important things you need to know before you claim your device.

Moolah Wireless offers a free tablet with EBT.

This company offers free tablets through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). This program usually requires that end users pay between $10.01 to $50 in order to receive their device. There are many other ACP providers, such as QLink, that offer tablets for that low price.

However, Moolah Wireless does not require that extra fee because they have lucrative advertising partnerships that pay for the device. In fact, it’s safe to assume that Moolah Wireless makes a lot of money on the free tablets that they distribute because they require you to opt-in to a third party service in order to claim the device.

The third-party service is Moolah Mobile. This company makes money by placing advertisements and apps on your device. There are a few reasons why this is important to understand.

For example, app developers can pay Moolah Mobile to ensure that their ads come pre-installed on your device. We previously reported on a similar arrangement by another ACP participant, Assurance Wireless. Assurance was placing bloatware and malware on their users devices, which made the devices almost impossible to use. Pre-installed software can eat up your data with background usage, gather your data without your knowledge and more.

Moolah Mobile’s advertising service may also gather data from you in order to show you more targeted ads. You’d have to read their Terms and Conditions, as well as their Privacy Policy, for more information about what data they use, how it is gathered and how it is used.

Finally, the ads you are shown may be intrusive. Moolah Mobile allows advertisers to buy banner ads, full-screen interstitials, offer-walls, and pre-installed app placements. These ads may appear on your home screen and in other prominent places.

The ad placements are so valuable to Moolah Wireless that they are willing to give you a free tablet and a years’ worth of data on the condition that you agree to opt-in to their service. Given the generosity of their offer, I strongly recommend that you review all the documentation on Moolah Mobile before you claim that tablet.

You could make money with it.

On the upside, Moolah Mobile gives you reward points every time you are shown an ad. These points are saved in your Moolah Mobile wallet.

Those points can be saved and spent in the Moolah Marketplace. You can use them to purchase gift cards, upgraded services and more. If you run out of data, then you can use the points to purchase extra data too.

Is it the right tablet for you?

According to Moolah Wireless, the tablet they offer is comparable tot he Samsung A8. It has a 10″ screen and a 32 GB capacity. It has an 8 MP camera with image stabilization and 4x zoom. The front-facing camera is 5 MP.

You’ll receive the Moolah Mobile Tablet, USB-C Charger and USB Wall Charger Base when you order their tablet.

Want Moolah’s free tablet with EBT?

If you believe the Moolah Wireless tablet is right for you, then visit their website to complete the registration process.

Cathect Communications

Cathect Communications is another company that offers a free tablet under the ACP. However, they aren’t as transparent with their setup and their process is a little more complicated.

Cathect Communications offers a free tablet with EBT.

Although the tablet is free, Cathect doesn’t explain how they absorb the $10.01 cost required by the ACP. I wasn’t able to get that information from the customer support representative, Ed, that I spoke with. When I asked him, Ed said that Cathect Communications does not require you to opt-in to any particular software.

However, it’s possible that they have pre-install deals with other apps. That’s a common practice, even for leading companies like Verizon. That’s why your phones come with pre-installed apps like Candy Crush when you first set them up.

There may be service interruptions.

The way that Ed explained their service was a little confusing. The ACP program includes 20 GB of data. When it runs out, you have to reach out to the company to refresh it. Ed said that those refreshes should be free but I couldn’t find any corroborating evidence of that on their website.

Ed said that you have to request refreshed data over chat or through the customer service number. Once you request it, it can take 2-24 hours to refresh your data limits, which seems to imply that you could experience fairly frequent interruptions of service.

The device is slightly smaller than Moolah’s.

When asked about the specs of the tablet, Ed explained that the device has an 8″ display and a 32GB capacity. The main camera is 8MP and the front-facing camera is 5MP.

It’s a little smaller but it appears that you don’t have to opt-in to any intrusive advertising, so it may be worth the trade-off.

Get the Cathect free tablet.

If you’d like to get the free tablet from Cathect, you’ll need to follow up with the company on their website.

SafeLink?

We know that Safelink offers free cell phones and cell phone plans for low income customers, but does Safelink offer a free tablet with EBT? The answer is complicated.

We’ve received a lot of questions about Safelink’s alleged free tablet plan. Some websites claim that Safelink does offer this deal and others claim that they do not. In fact, even Safelink itself seems to be confused about whether or not the offer for a free tablet with EBT is real!

Earlier today, I was researching an article about whether or not you can get free tablet with EBT. Some of our users desperately need free tablets because the free smartphones just aren’t adequate to meet their needs. I’m always happy to help our readers find what they need, so I was doing some research.

I was surprised to encounter the following ad, right at the top of my Google Search. Clearly, Safelink is paying for this placement. They are spending money and someone at their company wrote this ad copy, which clearly states “Get your free tablet today!”

I clicked through the ad to see what they were offering. To my surprise, there was no mention of a tablet anywhere on the landing page. I used the search feature to look for any variation of the word tablet that I could think of. Nothing was found.

Frustrated, I reached out to their chat support. I spoke with a representative, Frank, who had no idea what I was talking about.

I asked, “Does Safelink offer free tablets with EBT?” and I received the following response. When I asked about their deceptive advertising, I was instructed to call their customer service line for details.

It’s possible that their misleading advertisement is from a prior promotion that has ended or that it is something that they had hoped to offer and never quite launched.

One of the downsides to large companies is that their are often miscommunications between departments. Since I alerted Safelink to the issues with this ad, I am hoping that the ad will eventually be corrected or removed.

Are there other other ways to get a free tablet with EBT?

If you’re willing to work with a different provider, you may be able to get a free or low-cost tablet. There are several different ways that you can go about this.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

The Affordable Connectivity Program does allow EBT users to get low-cost tablets as long as you pay at least $10.01 and less than $50 toward the purchase price of the device. For example, QLink and AirTalk Wireless offers tablets for $10.01 through the ACP.

If you don’t have the cash, there are some creative ways that you could get it. For example, many of our readers shop with Ibotta. This rewarded shopping app gives you cash back on eligible purchases. If you are a food stamps user, you can use the app when shopping with your benefits to get cash back on those purchases. If you use the cash back to pay for the ACP tablet, it’ll basically be free! You’ll usually get a sign on bonus if you sign up using this affiliate link.

Get free laptops, tablets and computers from charitable organizations.

There are many charitable organizations that offer free tablets with EBT or even without those benefits. They help people who need devices get them. For example, Tech Buddies provides free tablets and internet services to eligible low income and seniors who live in Brookline, Massachusetts.

If you would like to investigate these programs, check out our guide to getting a free computer.

Nicole Thelin

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.