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LifeFone

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6.1

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: January 22nd, 2024

Since 1976, LifeFone has been helping people live active, independent lives. LifeFone offers at-home and on-the-go systems at affordable prices. LifeFone's products pair with a mobile app and caregiver tools that help with aspects of daily living.

Doctors, hospitals, home health care providers, and geriatric care managers recognize LifeFone as a leading medical alert provider. 

If you want to hear from customers, read LifeFone reviews below.

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The Good

  • Affordable Cost and Price-Lock Guarantee
  • Variety of Medical Alert Packages
  • No Contract
  • Lifetime Equipment Warranty
  • 24/7 Monitoring
  • Lifetime Price Guarantee
  • Caregiver Tools
  • Mobile Apps
  • Jewelry-Style Medical Alert Necklace
  • Positive Reviews

Affordable Cost and Price-Lock Guarantee

Individuals should consider LifeFone if they are looking for an affordable medical alert system. Lifefone has an affordable monthly fee that is on par with other top-rated medical alert companies. LifeFone customers don't pay an activation fee or equipment fees. 

One of LifeFone's unique offerings is its spouse protection. Spouses are protected for free with the basic service, but automatic fall detection costs an additional $5 to $10 per month for most systems. This is a big advantage for those seeking coverage for themselves and their spouse. 

LifeFone also offers a lifetime price guarantee, which means customers lock in the initial monthly payment fee upon sign-up. This monthly charge will not change unless the customer cancels or switches to a new plan or product. The price guarantee is a huge benefit, especially for retired seniors on a fixed income. Individuals don't need to worry about the rising cost of products and inflation when it comes to their LifeFone medical alert system. 

Variety of Medical Alert Packages

LifeFone has a variety of packages to appeal to consumers with a multitude of lifestyles. All medical pendants are lightweight, waterproof, and can be worn as a necklace or wristband. 

Package details for each LifeFone plan are as follows:

At-Home Landline — $24.95 per Month

This medical alert plan is best for consumers who are looking for emergency assistance primarily in their own homes. This package includes 24/7 service with a base range signal of up to 1,300 ft. The base station includes a 32-hour backup battery in the case of a power outage, and batteries for the medical alert pendant are monitored in LifeFone's call center by the on-staff emergency responders.

The At-Home Landline plan has a two-way communication capability between the pendant and the monitoring center, which is ideal for anyone who is hard of hearing because the microphone is highly sensitive. Customers can add fall detection for an additional $5 per month.

The device also monitors the room temperature if it goes below or above a set temperature. This is important for individuals who live in areas of extreme temperature or natural disasters that may cause a loss of power to a heating or cooling system. 

At-Home Cellular — $30.95 per Month

The At-Home Cellular package is similar to the At-Home Landline package. The only difference is the At-Home Cellular plan uses AT&T's 4G cellular network instead of a landline connection, so you do not need a landline or a personal cell phone to use this package.

This plan has the same 24/7 monitoring service, the same 1,300-ft base range, and offers the same equipment as the At-Home Landline package. Optional fall detection for this emergency button is also available with this plan for an additional $5 per month.

At-Home & On-the-Go GPS VIP — $39.95 per Month

This water-resistant pendant with a lanyard is small and lightweight. It has a long-lasting battery, up to five days. It uses AT&T 4G LT cellular service in your area, so it works with LifeFone's cellular service for calling.

If your VIP is misplaced or lost, LifeFone can ring the device and use GPS to help locate it. LifeFone also has an additional location request option that allows approved responders to access your device's GPS location using text messaging. 

The range of the fall detection pendant is 1,400 ft from the base unit or up to 600 ft with a mobile device. This is one of the best base ranges offered in the medical alert industry. 

At-Home & On-the-Go Safe GPS Watch — $45.95 per Month

This at-home and on-the-go bundle package is different from the two above because it can be used anywhere in the United States as long as there is AT&T LTE cellular coverage. It is equipped with a base station for your home and a mobile medical alert device you can take with you wherever you go. You also have the option to add caregiver tools for medication reminders and a location finder. 

Additional features include the following: 

  • Heart rate monitor
  • Get emergency help
  • Step tracker
  • Weather updates
  • Low battery warning 
  • Vibration feedback 

For an additional $5 per month, you can add automatic fall detection to your plan that automatically sends an alarm signal to LifeFone's response center if you fall or press the button. 

At-Home & On-the-Go GPS, VIPx — $41.95 per Month

This product is LifeFone's smallest, lightest, most powerful medical alert system. It is a two-way voice pendant with built-in GPS. You can take the pendant anywhere in the United States (as long as there is Verizon or AT&T cellular service). The pendant is a lightweight and water-resistant necklace that comes in back, white, and silver. 

The mobile device does not require any other equipment to function. The pendant has a battery life of 10 days. LifeFone sends automatic reminders when a pendant is low on battery. 

When you purchase this plan, LifeFone will work with you to create a personalized emergency care plan. Caregivers can access the VIPx Caregiver App for an extra $8 per month. This app allows caregivers to track location, activity, motion, steps, emergency help activations, and battery levels. 

For an extra $5 per month, you can add fall detection to your pendant. You can take the alert button anywhere in the United States, and it has a five-day battery life. The necklace version of the help button is available in black or white.

No Contract

LifeFone offers members the option of a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription service with no long-term contracts. If members wish to terminate the service, they can do so at any time at no charge under LifeFone's lifetime warranty. If members have prepaid for their service, they will receive a refund on any unused prepaid service. This will provide peace of mind to any customers worried about buying out of a contract.

However, you will need to commit to a one-year contract if you plan on purchasing LifeFone's Complete Home System package that includes a medical alert system as well as fire/smoke and CO protection.

Lifetime Equipment Warranty

Every LifeFone unit is backed by a lifetime equipment warranty, which includes no-charge equipment replacement for any medical alert service device. If a piece of equipment breaks or malfunctions, customers can send it back to LifeFone and receive replacement equipment.

24/7 Monitoring

LifeFone offers 24/7 monitoring and optional fall detection with each of its systems. The company's fall detection pendants have built-in sensors that will detect a fall and instantly contact LifeFone's call center for help. 

Having 24/7 monitoring ensures the medical alert owner has protection 100 percent of the time in the case of an emergency. You can also manually press the emergency button at any time.

Caregiver Tools

LifeFone can help caregivers stay connected to their loved ones with optional service add-ons. The company offers helpful care tools, such as daily check-in services, medication reminders, activity assurance, and a subscriber location service for those who subscribe to its on-the-go systems.

The daily check-in service includes a call from a LifeFone care agent to the subscriber. The agent can ask how the subscriber is doing and pass along any daily reminders that the caregiver has set. If the subscriber doesn't answer, the care agent will call a designated family member or friend to check if the individual is home before contacting emergency services. This service is available on all systems for an additional $19 per month.

With medication reminders, an authorized caregiver can upload a maximum of four reminders per day listing up to 10 medications in each reminder. Reminders come through the base station and repeat every minute for 30 minutes or until the reset button is pressed. Subscribers can add this service to their plan for an extra $6 per month.

The Activity Assurance Service sends a daily alert that requires pressing the console button to silence. If the subscriber does not answer within 15 minutes, a customer support agent is notified and proceeds with the emergency care instructions. This service is an additional $6 per month and available to subscribers with either of the at-home medical alert systems.

The location service provides peace of mind for those who are worried about their loved one wandering. The GPS tracking service includes 30 location requests per month and the history of the last known location for mobile devices. Results usually populate within five minutes. The LifeFone GPS tracking service costs an additional $9 per month and includes medication reminders.

Mobile Apps

LifeFone offers two smartphone apps, Mobile Alert™ and Family Guard™. The Family Guard app gives families and/or caregivers the ability to configure family monitoring and tracking for the individual, while the Mobile Alert app allows the LifeFone customer to get help anywhere in the United States, as long as the mobile phone has functioning cellular service.

Jewelry-Style Medical Alert Necklace

LifeFone has a new jewelry-style help button you can add to either of the at-home medical alert systems. It's an additional pendant that has the same offerings as the other at-home buttons, including a 1,300-ft range, replaceable two-year battery, and 24/7 monitoring from LifeFone's response center. The pendant is a one-time equipment charge with the monthly monitoring already included as part of whichever plan you're enrolled in.

The style of the pendant makes it discreet and difficult to tell it's a medical alert device at all. This is great for customers looking to wear the pendant as a necklace and who prefer it to be stylish. This is a unique offering not very medical alert companies are making a part of their product lineups.

Positive Reviews

LifeFone reviews attest to exceptional customer service and monitoring service. The company has a high overall star rating average on BestCompany.com. LifeFone users felt that the customer support communication was helpful, considerate, and professional. Several customers noted the quick response times of the call center and emergency response personnel when they or their loved ones experienced a fall. LifeFone's equipment also seems to be reliable and long lasting. 

Patricia, a LifeFone reviewer, highlights the peace of mind she found when her mother-in-law started using Lifefone. 

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Customer Review: Patricia from Sheridan, IN

"I was able to utilize LifeFone services for my late Mother-in-law, who lived several states from my husband and I. She lived by herself and was a frequent faller. I could rely upon LifeFone to help me keep track of her health and safety. Her last fall landed her in the hospital and she was successfully attended to because of the quick actions of LifeFone. The medical alert company saved her life."

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The Bad

  • Lack of Recent Reviews
  • Lack of Certification Information

Lack of Recent Reviews

While LifeFone utilizes innovative technology in its products, indicating a commitment to improving product offerings with time, our repository lacks recent, verified customer reviews. If you're a LifeFone customer, please consider leaving a review below so prospective customers know what to expect with LifeFone's products and customer service.

Lack of Certification Information

Although LifeFone's monitoring team has undergone extensive training, it is difficult to determine whether or not this company and its employees are certified and accredited based on the information provided on the company's website. 

LifeFone notes on its website that it is an accredited medical alert service, but it does not list which accreditations it has. However, LifeFone reviews highlight quality customer service and efficient response times.

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The Bottom Line

LifeFone is a well-respected company within the medical alert system industry and has a long history of providing helpful services. The company offers a number of different medical alert systems that should meet the needs of anyone looking for a basic in-home system to a versatile mobile system.

LifeFone's medical alert service includes competitive pricing, no contracts, a lifetime equipment warranty, around-the-clock monitoring, two-way communication, and a variety of caregiver tools.

Based on this LifeFone review, we recommend LifeFone for individuals seeking an affordable and reliable medical alert system. 

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Star Rating

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4.6

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108 Reviews

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2 grade

4%

1 grade

4%

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Richard

It has been a while since we actually got it. All the other devices we were looking at were close in price. Their salesman talked to us about the three units that they have and the travel part of it. In the end, we just got it. I never really had to use it, thank god, but we tested it periodically and it always worked. The device satisfied my needs. They do what they are supposed to do.

6 years ago

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Darlene

There's been a couple of times we've tested it and they responded back that they cannot hear us and we try to talk to us but they cannot hear us. They've been really good anytime we had any questions or anything.

3 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

Hi Darlene, if you're still having issues please let us know so we can address this quickly. Thanks!

Aug. 4th, 2020

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Nancy

Very attentive-check on my mom-answers questions when called - very helpful with answering questions-quick responses when there is concern for mom falling

3 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

Nancy, we're happy to be there for you and your mom.

Dec. 9th, 2020

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Eileen

It's always there if I need it. Sometimes I don't fall but they call me about that and I'm not falling but I do appreciate that they're doing what they should have to do.

3 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

We want to be sure that you are safe when your system sends an alert. If you want to have a further discussion about this our customer service department can be reached at 1-800-882-2280.

May. 20th, 2020

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TJF Clarkston, MI

We've had this for a few days now and are happy with the system and the response team and intend to keep the system for the long term. After the initial sale, their customer service can be exasperating. It took several calls to get satisfactory responses to product issues, exchanges, etc. Often, promises were made to fulfill my requests but nothing happened and then additional calls were required. I finally learned out of exasperation to email [email protected] to receive prompt and effective service. I hope we're through the "growing pains" and will do well from now on.

8 years ago

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Victoria Riley Poughkeepsie, NY

We are very happy with the piece of mind having LifeFone gave me and my family. Knowing our mother is only the push of a button away from getting help if she needs it reassures us all. All the people I've dealt with, from the Central Station to billing qustions we had were, were very helpful and easy to deal with.

7 years ago

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brian davis New York, NY

was very impressed last month when my mother needed to be taken to a doctor after pressing her lifefone button. The customer service was friendly and expedient and feel peace of mind-- definitely recommend this service. BD

6 years ago

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Louis Rephlo

Rapid response and quick dispatch, as well as, cheerful attitude in telephone exchanges

3 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

Thanks for the feedback, Louis!

Dec. 9th, 2020

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Sandy Crystal Lake, IL

Good response to pushing the button. But they don't call if you fail to check in monthly

6 years ago

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Mary Hardy Charlotte, NC

The dependable equipment provided by LifeFone provided my mom with a simple, effective way of communication. The pendant proved trustworthy and easy to use.

2 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

Hi Mary, thank you for your remarks.

May. 20th, 2021

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Leah Boynton Beach, FL

So far the only thing I don’t care for at all is the cord that goes around my neck. It is very unattractive. Is there any other choice or is this it?

4 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

Hello Leah,

I'm glad that I was able to better assist you today and help you to get the system that best suits your needs. We appreciate you and your business and glad that you are continuing to be part of our LifeFone Family!

May. 3rd, 2019

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C N Campbell, CA

Would like it and rate it better if there was Japanese speaking operators

6 years ago

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Reply from LifeFone

CN, thank you for providing feedback about your service! We appreciate the opportunity to improve our customer experience. We're glad that you enjoy the service and will use this review to improve our service.

Feb. 6th, 2019

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David Eagle Point, OR

Ease of use , security and communication with emergency assistance

6 years ago