If you have both a cellular phone and a home phone, you may have already considered ditching your landline and going "cell-only," especially if you don't use your phone line for Internet access. After all, why pay $20 or more every month in taxes and fees for a phone you rarely use? And if (like most people) you've got all the "extras" on that unused landline, such as call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID and three-way calling, you're probably paying your phone company $40 to $50 a month. That adds up to $600 a year. Ouch!
With cellular phone companies now offering "free" long-distance calling as part of their basic plans, many people are saying good-bye to their traditional "pay per minute" land lines. This trend especially applies to young adults. One study shows that 12% of adults aged 18 to 24 have already ditched their landlines, and another 28% plan to do so in the next five years. But while going cell-only could save you money, make sure it fits your lifestyle and your phone usage. Here are a few things to consider:
Reliability
There is a downside to cell phones, and reliability tops the list. Think of all the times you haven't been able to get a signal on your cell, suffered through static, or dropped calls. You simply don't have these problems with a regular phone line. If you needed to call 911, could you do so on your cell phone from any room in your house? If cellular reception is a problem in your geographic area, a landline may be a safer bet for you.
Cellular Plan Terms and Limitations
Consider your cell phone plan. How many minutes do you have and what are the terms? Realistically, could you make all your calls (from personal to business) on your cell without going over your allowed monthly minutes? Would you need to "upgrade" your plan? The good news is, many cellular carriers are now offering "free" periods of calling, such as during nights and weekends, meaning your calls don't count against your plan minutes. Also, if most of the people you call are within your carrier's network, you can often take advantage of free "cell to cell" calls, which help preserve your valuable minutes. Don't go over your plan's limits. You'll wind up paying 40 or 50 cents a minute!
Internet Access
If you rely on your landline for Internet access, it may be a better option to keep the line for your computer and use your cell phone for making calls. Just make sure it's a "no-frills" line without any expensive extras. Crunch the numbers on alternate Internet options, like cable access. With a cable modem, you can get high-speed Internet via cable TV lines, and you don't have to subscribe to cable TV to be eligible.
You could save big by dropping your landline, but first, make sure it's the right option for you.