getting rid of landline

[princess barbara]

Pros and cons please of getting rid of landline phone service and going with just cellular. Talked to phone company and savings is about $25.00 a month. Anybody do it?

 

[clh2]

We did this 3 years ago.

Dh was switching jobs, and needed to give up how work phone. So, we just ported over our home phone # to DH's new cell phone.

 

[Lvsdisney]

I have not but my sister has. The only issue she faced was if she wasn't home, the kids wouldn't have a phone, so she had to get my nieces cell phones. If your family already has a phone each (or wont be home alone) then you should be fine. She also has full service, so no worries about calls dropping.

 

[Annadesu]

The husband and I just have cellphones... we're fine with that. Just remember to charge them and clean out your voice message box!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

My Dh and I debate this all the time. Is there any pro or con about calling 911 from a cell phone vs the house phone.

Last week The Middle started with Frankie and Mike discussing this very thing!

 

[xlxo]

How good is that cellphone battery? Most modern phones have much better battery life for a long conversation than an older phone.

Another option to research..... before cutting your line.... transfer the number to a VOIP phone.

In my situation..... by bundling my internet and TV.... the landline was free or a very low cost.

 

[DLBDS]

My Dh and I debate this all the time. Is there any pro or con about calling 911 from a cell phone vs the house phone.

We dropped our landline at the end of 2014. Probably the smartest decision I made that year. As far as 911 goes... you can still use your landline phone to call 911. Only 911. Just leave a handset plugged in or make sure everyone knows where it's stored just in case 911 has to be called and there's no active cell phone around. We still have a dial tone on our wired phone (to call 911) but no other call will work. Not many folks know this. I certainly didn't but once I found out, it was a no-brainer. It's really throwing $ out the window to be paying for an extra phone line.

NOW, with that said... we did have to have the home security switched over to a wireless system since it was going through the phone line as well. Not a big deal at all. Just needed a tech from the security company to come out and do it. Something else to consider though if you use a security system.

 

[tvguy]

LOL. I'm about 3 years from retirement and looking forward to getting rid of our CELL PHONES and JUST having a landline!

I guess I can't say I won't ever get rid of my landland, I just don't see I will ever get rid of my primary phone line that is at home. Certainly the technology could change from a landline.

I have worked funny hours for 37 years, so I sleep funny hours and I need a phone number that nobody but my family has. That way I can turn off the ringer, and turn down the volume on the answering machine (yes, I still have one of THOSE too) when I go to bed and not be disturbed, but have a phone where I can be reach in an emergency. 6 people have our cell phone numbers.

Actually, when I retire, I think I will get a pay as you go phone cell phone to have in the car, and have a landline at home and DW and I will get rid of our regular cell phones.

I've posted this before here, but I just find cell phones too unreliable. People use them as a phone, and for internet, and for their alarm clocks, and calendars. Just tired of the battery being dead, or the phone being broken or in another room and people oversleeping and there is no way to get a hold of them. And what was the mess Apple had in December where they pushed a software update and it turned the alarms off? I had 3 co-workers oversleep that day.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Did that 16 years ago. Never looked back. So, so much easier having one number that is always in your pocket.

 

[VACamm]

I did it 6 years ago. You won't miss it.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I had Vonage for years and when I moved from Texas to Michigan I decided to cancel my service. A few months later, they sent me an offer to relaunch my service for $10 per month with calls to US and Canada included and a guarantee that the price would never go up. I jumped on that deal and am happy to say that the price is still exactly the same as it was almost 6 years later.

I personally like having the land line because DH's family lives in Canada and so we don't have to pay extra for international calling on our cellphones. It would have cost more than $10 per month to add this feature. Plus, I would rather give my cell phone number to fewer people and have everyone call the VoIP phone.

 

[amcnj]

The one advantage of keeping a landline that I wonder about is being able to give that number as a contact when asked by those you don't really want to have your cell phone number. It then becomes the recipient of all those sales and survey calls you really don't want, I assume from someone selling/giving that number to other entities. Do those of you using cell phones only find you get those calls on your cell, or have they just disappeared?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

The one advantage of keeping a landline that I wonder about is being able to give that number as a contact when asked by those you don't really want to have your cell phone number. It then becomes the recipient of all those sales and survey calls you really don't want, I assume from someone selling/giving that number to other entities. Do those of you using cell phones only find you get those calls on your cell, or have they just disappeared?

You can easily block them. Some phones and carriers let you block specific numbers, or even all anonymous numbers, directly from your phone. Others offer this as a paid service. For example, I have an iPhone on Verizon, and I can block specific numbers from the phone, and I use Verizon's paid service to block anonymous numbers entirely. Just because they have your cell phone number doesn't mean that they can reach you, because of contemporary technology.

 

[Albort]

How good is that cellphone battery? Most modern phones have much better battery life for a long conversation than an older phone.

Another option to research..... before cutting your line.... transfer the number to a VOIP phone.

My parents switched to an ooma and pay taxes only. Phone quality is decent. Get a UPS so you can still dial out when the power goes out.

 

[melanielll]

I still have a landline. I love it. No charging it. No dropped calls. No businesses calling me on my cell to remind me that my appointment is the next day. Plus - I have had that number for over 20 years and don't want to give it up. The cost doesn't bother me. I have relatively cheap cell service - $35 a month for 5 Gig of data and unlimited everything else. The landline is $40 a month - but includes free nationwide long distance. We use that because my husband only has a work cell and calls his family from the landline.

Edited to agree with tvguy - only a handful of people have my cell number. If it rings, it's probably a call I need to take.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I haven't had a landline in a few years... really haven't missed it one bit.

 

[mmmagique]

I talk on my home phone for a living, and would never give up my landline. The phone companies are pushing for it, but they are so much more reliable than cell phones, the reception is always crystal clear, and some of the companies I've worked for will not hire anyone who just wants to use a cell phone. I have one, but rarely use it.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We don't have a land line anymore and I don't miss it one bit! My home phone would just ring all the time with telemarketers. Saving about $32/month. Once my cell phone just went dead on me...no power, etc. So going forward we are getting a very basic cell phone to have in case something like that happens again. That would be my only suggestion. I just wish I discontinued landline use years ago but one reason we didn't (couldn't) was that our security system was connected to it.

 

[kymom99]

I got rid of ours in 2011. The only people who were calling it were my mother in law and telemarketers. My son was 10 and I didn't want him to have a cell phone yet so I added a line for $10 a month with a flip phone and left it in the house for when he was home alone. That line later became his line that he carries with him since we don't need an extra line anymore.

I do get nuisance calls on my cell phone but I either don't answer them or I hang up on them.

 

[loves to dive]

We only have cell phones. My honey has a landline for work but it actually is for one specific client and it goes through their internet so he doesn't pay for it. He works from home as a computer consultant.