While
recently looking into changing my cell plan I noticed that unlimited talk time
for domestic minutes is becoming more prevalent and at a reasonable price. It had me wondering about ditching my
landline.
For
those who are thinking the same thing you need to answer a few questions.
What
are the current costs of your landline? What does it include? I have friends who have a plan that includes
cable, internet and phone service. If they were to give up the phone service part
they would actually pay more. So they are keeping this plan and use the land
line for faxing and as an emergency phone. Does an elderly person live with you
or are you elderly? You may want to keep that landline phone regardless of the
savings. My personal landline costs $10 monthly with unlimited calls anywhere
in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Check with your landline carrier. They may
offer you an incentive to stay with them if you are inclined to keep it. If you
are not using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) – you still have phone
service in the event you lose your electricity. That said, some VOIP may have a
backup in the event you lose power.
However after Hurricane Sandy I heard that some affected by it lost backup
power. I am sure landline phones without VOIP lost service during Hurricane
Sandy as well.
Do
you fax? I presently do a limited amount
of faxing using my all in one printer. Depending
on how much faxing you do it may be beneficial to find an alternate way to send
faxes. Your smartphone can also be used to send faxes.
Do
you make international calls and if so how much? Would you be better served by getting an
international plan for your cell phone? Can you use a video application like Skype or
Facetime to make your international calls? If you are using one of these applications
you can talk anytime, no matter where either of you are for free.
Because
of the low rate I am paying and my occasional faxes I am keeping my landline
for now. The day will come where my landline
will join that rotary dial phone I had in my first apartment.
If
you have further questions about whether or not to ditch your landline, how to
keep it and pay less or other technology problems you may have I can be
contacted at (917) 572-3468 or email me at mike@computerconciergeny.com .
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provides information on the current goings on in the technology field with tips
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