Pros and Cons of a “Cell Phone-Only” Home
It’s not unusual for people these days to cancel their landline phone service and only use their cell phones. Cell phones are sometimes a better alternative because you’re able to communicate with others no matter your location.
But while landline phones are becoming a rarity, there are a few things to consider before ditching yours. If you’re on the fence about whether to keep your landline, here’s a look at a few pros and cons of a cell phone-only home.
Pros:
- Your phone number isn’t in the phonebook
One benefit of ditching your landline is that you’re able to keep your phone number private.
Your number is no longer listed in the phonebook once you cancel your house services, which is a good thing if you don’t want to be too accessible.
Unfortunately, canceling your landline doesn’t remove your name from the phonebook. I recently discovered that although we haven’t had a landline phone in over four years, we do have a Whitepage.com listing with our name and address.
So there’s still a way for people to find us, but they can’t call us unless we give them our cell phone numbers.
- You’ll miss fewer calls
Another benefit of ditching your landline is that you’ll miss fewer important phone calls.
When someone only has your landline number, they may call when you are at work or running errands. And if the person doesn’t leave a message, you might not notice their call until later.
With a cell phone, however, you’ll get personal calls regardless of whether you are at home or somewhere else. You can answer the phone (if you want to) wherever you are, as long as there’s service.
- All calls come directly to you
Let’s be honest: how many times has a family member or roommate took a phone message, then forgot to forward you the message?
This can happen when sharing a landline phone number. On the other hand, cell phones are personal and only your name is attached to the number. All calls come to you, so you don’t have to worry about someone taking a message and never relaying this information to you.
- Saves money
One of the best reasons to ditch your landline phone is to save money.
Some people have both, which means they pay a cell phone provider and a local telephone provider every month. Yet, they might receive few (if any) calls on their house phone.
Even if your landline is fairly cheap, canceling the service keeps money in your pocket every month.
Cons:
- Iffy cell phone connections
A cell phone is only as good as your connection. And unfortunately, you might not have the best service if you live far from your provider’s cell phone tower.
A landline phone, on the other hand, provides another means of communicating with the outside world. When your cell signal isn’t strong, use your house phone to make and receive phone calls. The ability to make a call with a dead cell signal comes in handy during an emergency.
- Cell phone service is more expensive
While getting rid of your landline saves money, cell phone service tends to be more expensive than landline phone service. Depending on your cell plan, you might spend over $100 a month for services.
Keep in mind that you’re also getting more for your money with a cell phone. Cell phones are mini computers capable of handling multiple tasks. You can surf the Internet, manage your finances, take a picture and utilize other features that make these devices worth the cost.
Bottom Line
Landline telephones are slowly becoming extinct. So if you can’t remember the last time you made or took a call on your house phone, consider ditching your service and putting the savings to better use.