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Independent guide — not the government, not a Lifeline provider

Cliq Mobile — independent Lifeline resource guide

Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: April 2026

The short version

Cliq Mobile is an independent consumer resource. We make money in three ways:

  1. Affiliate commissions from some of the Lifeline providers we list, when a reader applies for service through a link on our site.
  2. Retail margin on phone sales from our shop (currently the BLU C5L Max at $45 + shipping).
  3. Display advertising on some pages.

This page explains that in more detail, per the Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guidelines (16 CFR Part 255) and Florida state law.

Does this change our rankings?

No. We rank providers based on coverage, plan quality, device options, customer feedback, and application experience — not based on what they pay us. See our editorial standards for the methodology.

Some of the providers we rank highest pay us commissions. Some pay us nothing. If you notice we're ranking something suspiciously, please call it out. We want to hear it.

Which providers pay us?

Commercial arrangements change over time, but at time of writing we may earn commissions from some or all of the following providers when you apply for service through links on our site:

  • Assurance Wireless
  • SafeLink Wireless
  • TruConnect
  • AirTalk Wireless
  • TAG Mobile
  • Gen Mobile
  • Life Wireless
  • Cintex Wireless

The commission amount varies by provider and by program — from a few dollars per approved application to several tens of dollars.

Providers we don't earn commissions from

Q Link Wireless is no longer operating. We mention them only factually on our /qlink help page.

StandUp Wireless: we do not have an affiliate relationship with StandUp Wireless. We mention them only in narrow, factual context (e.g., that former Q Link customers were transferred to StandUp, per public USAC records). We do not recommend StandUp in our rankings.

Our shop

The BLU C5L Max sold in our shop is a direct retail sale by Cliq Mobile. We take inventory, we ship it, we handle returns. We earn a retail margin. Shop purchases are separate from Lifeline enrollment — buying a phone from us does not enroll you in Lifeline service.

How to identify an affiliate link

On this site, affiliate links typically:

  • Open in a new tab and take you to a provider's own site (not to another page on ours);
  • Appear in our provider cards, ranking tables, and in sentences like "apply through [Provider] →";
  • Use rel="sponsored" HTML markup for search-engine transparency.

We also include a brief disclosure above every page that contains affiliate links, per FTC guidance.

Your cost

There is no cost to you for using our affiliate links. The Lifeline benefit is free for qualifying households, and the provider pays the commission — not you. If you'd prefer to go direct, you can always search for the provider by name and apply there. We'd still appreciate it if you read our review first.

Advertising

Some pages include display advertising served by Google, Ezoic, or similar networks. These ads are labeled and are separate from our editorial content.

How to report a concern

If you think we're promoting something we shouldn't, or we're not disclosing something we should — tell us. Use our contact page. We take editorial integrity seriously because it's the only long-term thing we've got.

Governing law

This disclosure is provided under and governed by the FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) and applicable Florida state law.