LifeFone: Costs, Systems, and Plans

LifeFone Systems

LifeFone customers can choose from five emergency medical systems, which cost between $24.95 and $41.95 per month, on a monthly plan. The systems include two at-home options and three choices for more active and on-the-go older adults. I’ll discuss these LifeFone systems in detail below.

LifeFone At-Home Landline

Starting at $24.95 a month on a monthly plan, this system uses a landline to connect to emergency help. Perfect for older adults who spend the majority of their time at home, LifeFone’s At-Home Landline system includes a base unit, your choice of a help button necklace or wristband, and optional fall detection for an extra $5 each month. With an impressive range of 1,300 feet and 32-hours of backup battery life, this system is great for providing peace of mind. Additionally, it also has a unique room temperature sensor that will send an alarm if your home temperature is abnormal. You can also answer incoming calls from your landline phone simply by pressing your help button.

You can also answer incoming calls from your landline phone simply by pressing your help button.

LifeFone At-Home Cellular

At $30.95 per month on a monthly plan, LifeFone’s At-Home Cellular System is nearly identical to its At-Home Landline system. The cellular system, however, uses AT&T’s 4G cellular network and is slightly more expensive. With a range of 1,300 feet from its base station and a highly sensitive microphone, this system is a smart choice if you are hard of hearing. Unlike many other home-only medical alerts, LifeFone’s At-Home Cellular option allows you to answer phone calls by pressing a button on your help pendant. You can also add optional fall detection for this system for just $5 per month.

LifeFone At-Home and On-the-Go

For active older adults, the LifeFone At-Home & On-the-Go system offers both a base station for when you’re at home and a mobile device for when you’re out. LifeFone touts this system as two for the price of one, starting at $36.95 per month on an annual plan. If you go for the monthly plan, it’ll cost $39.95 per month. Both the base station and mobile pedant work on cellular networks, so no landline is needed. Adding an optional fall-detection pendant costs an extra $10 per month, and the range is up to 1,400 feet.

To learn more about this system, check out my hands-on LifeFone review.

At-Home & On-the-Go, VIP Active®

With the At-Home and & On-the-Go, VIP Active® system, your entire medical alert system exists inside your pendant. That means no installation; you just put it on. Starting at $39.95 per month on an annual plan, the system works anywhere in the United States that has AT&T or Verizon service. With a 30-day battery life, you can go several weeks before charging your system, which far exceeds the capabilities of most other mobile medical alerts. Bay Alarm Medical and LifeStation, for example, last three and five days, respectively. According to LifeFone, the At-Home & On-the-Go, VIP Active® system is hailed as the smallest and most powerful mobile medical alert to date.

At-Home and On-the-Go, VIPx®

This system is the newest model from LifeFone. It starts at $41.95 per month on an annual plan and includes a voice-in pendant with optional fall detection. With water resistant capabilities, you can wear the pendant in the shower without worrying about water seeping through and causing damage. The battery life is up to 16 days, which is still pretty good compared to other medical alert devices that require charging after 32 hours. For caregivers, there’s an optional VIPx® Caregiver App at an additional $8 per month, which tracks location, button presses, and battery levels.

LifeFone Systems at a Glance

LifeFone Add-Ons

LifeFone offers a far larger selection of add-on services than most personal emergency response brands. Here’s an overview of some of your options:

LifeFone Add-On Services

• Activity Assurance caregiver tool: For $6 per month, At-Home Landline and At-Home Cellular users can set up Activity Assurance. With activity assurance, you’ll receive daily check-ins from one of the company’s monitoring centers. A specific tone is played on your base unit each day, and a representative will call to check in if you don’t press a button within 15 minutes to confirm you’re safe and at home. If you don’t answer the call, the center will dispatch emergency services. Regular interaction between you and the monitoring center can provide peace of mind for your caregivers if they can’t see you every day.
• Daily check-in calls: For an additional $19 per month, you can receive a daily call from a monitoring center agent. The call is customized to fit your needs, whether it’s medication reminders, a brief conversation, or something else. The price may sound high, but a friendly voice checking in each day may be worth it. Older adults are at a higher risk of loneliness and social isolation, issues connected to dementia, anxiety, depression, heart disease, and more.
• Medication reminders: For an extra $6 per month, cellular system subscribers can receive daily or weekly medication reminders. It’s easy to forget your morning vitamins, and the older you get, the easier that kind of mistake becomes. Approximately 30 percent of hospital admissions for older adults are drug-related.
• Location services: With location services, caregivers for On-the-Go GPS subscribers can use their mobile device to access their loved one’s GPS location via the LifeFone Caregiver Portal. This service is particularly helpful for caregivers helping individuals with memory problems or who enjoy being out and about alone. Medication reminders plus 30 location requests per month cost an additional $9 per month.
• Fall detection: Depending on which LifeFone medical alert system you choose, fall detection can be added for $5 to $10 per month. I’m a big advocate for fall detection, especially if it costs as little as $5 a month. Each year, 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries. Considering what a single emergency-room visit can cost, $60 a year doesn’t seem so bad.
• Complete home package: Any medical alert system added to fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide monitoring is considered a Complete Home Package. This add-on option starts at $42.95 per month.

LifeFone Add-On Accessories

• Vanity Pendant: One of LifeFone’s newest options, the vanity pendant looks like a beautiful tiered necklace made of the finest metals. You’d never guess it was a medical alert system. This fashion statement comes at a high cost — $71.95 — but you may want to consider it if it means you’ll feel more confident wearing a medical alert.
• Hanging Master Lock Box: Designed to fit around your doorknob, the $39.95 hanging Master lockbox provides quick access to your house keys for first responders or other individuals entering your home during an emergency. Equipped with a password lock, it ensures only those who have your password can access your keys.
• LifeFone Hanging Lock Box: A $29.95 LifeFone hanging lockbox safely stores your house key so emergency services can access it with a secret code during an emergency.
• Mobile Device Charging Cradle: If you travel frequently, then you may appreciate having this convenient $39.95 extra charging cradle for your mobile system.
• Leather Carrying Case for Mobile Device: Priced at $18.95, LifeFone’s protective carrying case for the On-the-Go systems’ mobile device will keep it in the best condition possible while you aren’t wearing it.

Purchasing From LifeFone

LifeFone medical alert systems can be purchased online through the company’s website. If you have questions about your order status or which system fits you best, customer service is available by phone 24/7. You can also reach LifeFone by email for system or service needs.

LifeFone Cancellations and Refunds

To cancel your LifeFone subscription, call 1-800-940-0262 and tell the agent you are canceling your service. Since your equipment is rented, you must return it (at your own expense) to avoid further charges and receive your prorated refund.

LifeFone Warranty Policy

Every LifeFone system is backed by a 100 percent lifetime warranty for normal wear and tear, including free battery replacement. Any damage beyond normal wear and tear, such as accidents, loss, or theft, is not covered by LifeFone’s lifetime warranty. For $5 per month, the company offers a protection plan with additional equipment support. Instead of paying several hundred dollars to fix your medical alert, LifeFone’s protection plan will replace one base unit and two emergency help buttons per year.

LifeFone App

LifeFone is associated with two mobile applications — one for individual users and one for both customers and caregivers.

LifeFone Mobile Alert App

LifeFone’s Mobile Alert application can be used as an alternative to a full medical alert system or in conjunction with one as an extra measure of protection. Available for both iPhone and Android, the Mobile Alert app provides 24/7 access to the LifeFone monitoring center. In an emergency, LifeFone can use your GPS coordinates to identify your location. With three alert modes — panic, concern, and medical — Mobile Alert may be a good choice if you have an in-home system but you want to leave your home. Adding LifeFone’s Mobile Alert to a medical alert system plan costs $5.95 per month, but new customers using Mobile Alert on its own will be charged $7.95 per month.

LifeFone Family Guard App

For a one-time fee of $9.95, your caregiver can keep a closer eye on you by tracking your location in real time. As an upgrade, you may give your family members a panic button through the smartphone app. If they find themselves in a scary situation, they can click the panic button to connect to the LifeFone call center. Similar to the Mobile Alert app, the Family Guard app has four modes: location, concern, panic, and medical. The app will soon add user-defined geofencing and teen driving monitoring.

LifeFone VIPx® Caregiver App

Available on LifeFone’s VIPx® systems, the VIPx® caregiver app allows caregivers to track a number of helpful metrics from their smartphone, including, system location, battery life, steps counted, and any times the user pressed their help button. If a loved one misplaces their system, this app can also be used to generate a sound on the VIPx®, allowing you to quickly find it. This app requires an $8 monthly subscription charge.

LifeFone Monitoring

LifeFone’s subscription monitoring plans cost between $25 and $40 per month, depending on your system. Monitoring is the only recurring fee LifeFone charges unless you add accessories or services. Considered one of the best medical alerts for couples, LifeFone protects spouses at no extra cost. The free spouse coverage is an exceptional deal, since many medical alert systems charge full price to cover a second individual.

LifeFone has three monitoring centers: one primary center in White Plains, New York, and two U.S.-based backups. The company provides choices within its monitoring, such as having the monitoring center call or text your emergency contacts before requesting first responders. If you sign up for a daily check-in or your caregiver requests Activity Assurance, expect to hear from the monitoring center frequently.

Is LifeFone Worth It?

LifeFone’s medical alert systems offer top-of-the-line monitoring options along with a wide variety of products and add-ons you can customize to fit your needs. LifeFone is one of my picks for this year’s best medical alert systems.