Overview
Known for its popular line of Jitterbug phones for seniors, Lively is a cellular carrier that aims to simplify the wireless experience. It also offers a suite of safety features that includes urgent-response buttons and dedicated nurse hotlines that go beyond typical cell phone functions. Best of all, the provider’s plans start as low as $19.99 per month for unlimited talk and unlimited texts.
Performance
Lively uses Verizon’s network, which, in our experience, was highly reliable. All our test calls connected clearly, including our tests of the Jitterbug Urgent Response feature, which connected us to monitoring agents in a matter of seconds. Just about everything with our Jitterbug phones worked smoothly on Lively’s network. The one caveat, however, is data. Lively’s network includes only 4G data, and we noticed slight lags when browsing the internet on our Jitterbug Smart4. (Side note: The Jitterbug Flip2 doesn’t use data.)
What Lively lacks in speed, however, it makes up for in health features. Take the urgent-response button, for example. If I pushed it during an emergency, I could connect to an agent immediately. If we were actually experiencing an emergency, the agent could have sent first responders to our location, much like how a medical alert system works.
>> Read more: The Best Medical Alert Systems
Customer Service
Overall, we were impressed with Lively’s customer service. When we activated our Jitterbug over the phone, we were promptly met with a human agent. We were also impressed by the service we received with both Lively Rides and Nurse-on-Call.
With Lively Rides, we could schedule Lyft rides without having to use the Lyft app. That would be especially helpful for users who have trouble using smartphone apps. We booked a ride from home to downtown, and the charge for the ride was added to our monthly bill from Lively. Lively Rides comes standard with all Lively plans.
With Nurse-on-Call, we had a dedicated hotline staffed by nurses. They were able to answer basic health-care questions and, in the case of our managing editor, refill his monthly prescription. The feature is particularly useful, but it’s available only with Lively’s Premium plan, which costs $49.99 per month.
Pricing
With all their extra features, Lively’s plans work a bit differently than the other carriers on this list. For starters, you’ll need to choose from one of three plans: Basic, Preferred, and Premium. All three plans include unlimited talk and text.
The Basic plan, at $19.99 per month, also includes access to Lively Rides. The Preferred plan, for $39.99 per month, adds the Urgent Response feature and Lively Link, an app that allows loved ones to geographically track a user’s phone. The Premium plan, for $49.99 per month, includes unlimited use of the dedicated Nurse-on-Call hotline.
If you purchase either the Jitterbug Smart3 or Smart4, you’ll also have to purchase a data plan. They start at $5 per month for 1 GB of data and go all the way to $30 per month for unlimited data. Remember, though, that the Jitterbug Flip2 requires no separate data plan.
To learn more about Lively’s plans and features, read our full rundown of Jitterbug phones and plans.
Drawbacks
Lively offers only three phones to choose from: the Jitterbug Smart3, the Jitterbug Smart4, and the Jitterbug Flip2. The phones have some helpful features we haven’t seen elsewhere, but they’re the only phones you can use on Lively’s network. If you’re looking to bring your own phone to a network, we recommend Consumer Cellular or AT&T.
Bottom Line
With unlimited talk and text plans from $19.99 per month and some highly affordable phones, Lively is a great deal. If you’re looking to combine medical alert features with a cell phone, there’s no better network.
To learn more about this provider, read our full review of Jitterbug phones.
