TalkForGood was a no-contract phone service that ran on Verizon’s network. It launched in November 2012 and gave part of each monthly bill to a nonprofit the customer picked. Plans started at $6 a month. Wikipedia lists its end date as 2013, about a year after launch.
TalkForGood is gone
TalkForGood launched in November 2012 as a Verizon reseller led by President and CEO Tom Lyons. In a January 17, 2013 interview he described plans from $6 a month, free tethering and donations to charities chosen by customers. Wikipedia lists TalkForGood among defunct US operators with an end date of 2013. No dated shutdown notice was found.
If you had a TalkForGood line
No source names a carrier that took over TalkForGood customers. The service only worked with Verizon-compatible CDMA phones. An old TalkForGood number is most likely no longer active. Ask any current carrier whether it can still be ported. If not, choose a new plan and a new number.
The 2013 end date comes from an uncited Wikipedia row, and BestCellular.com found no dated shutdown notice to confirm it.
How TalkForGood ended
- November 2012: TalkForGood launches as a no-contract service on Verizon’s network.
- January 17, 2013: CEO Tom Lyons describes plans from $6 a month and charity donations in a Prepaid Wireless Guide interview.
- 2013: TalkForGood ends, per Wikipedia.
Why TalkForGood ended
No source explains why TalkForGood closed. Its model gave part of each customer’s bill to a chosen charity while selling plans from $6 a month, a thin margin to share. In January 2013 it offered 3G data only, and 4G LTE phones had to be set up by hand. Wikipedia lists its end as 2013, about a year after launch.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified TalkForGood
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. TalkForGood counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about TalkForGood
Is TalkForGood still available?
No. Wikipedia lists TalkForGood as a defunct operator with an end date of 2013. BestCellular.com found no current plans or support pages. You cannot sign up for TalkForGood service today.
Which network did TalkForGood use?
TalkForGood ran on Verizon’s CDMA network. In January 2013 its CEO said it offered 3G data only, and that only Verizon-compatible CDMA phones would work. GSM phones from AT&T and T-Mobile were not supported.
What happened to TalkForGood customers?
No source says where TalkForGood customers went. No successor carrier was named. Former customers would have needed to move to another carrier and, where possible, port their number before service ended.
How did TalkForGood give to charity?
Customers picked a nonprofit or charity, and TalkForGood donated a portion of their monthly bill to it, according to CEO Tom Lyons in January 2013. The interview does not state the percentage donated.
Sources
Checked October 14, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists TalkForGood: Personal market, Verizon host, CDMA, end date 2013, no notes or citation (checked October 14, 2026).
- Prepaid Wireless Guide: Tom Lyons TalkForGood Wireless interview: November 2012 launch, Verizon MVNO, $6 plans, charity donations, CEO Tom Lyons (January 17, 2013).
Best Cellular. “TalkForGood: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/talkforgood/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.