Tired of paying for both a landline and your cell phone?
[find-an-apartment]According to research conducted by the CDC, more than one third of Americans now use only their cell phones at home.
But before you make the leap to get rid of your landline all together, there are a few points to think about. Consider the following ideas before you ditch your apartment landline and use only your cell phone to reach out!
Before you switch
The most important item you should take into consideration before dropping your landline is whether your apartment location has the cell reception you need to reliably make and receive calls. Take your cell phone and test it in several different areas of your apartment to see if the signal is strong throughout your pad. If it stays solid in every area of your apartment, you can move on to considering the pros and cons of going it alone with your cell phone.
If cell phone reception proves to be a challenge, you may have some options. Check with your provider about a high-gain phone antenna accessory or femtocell device to boost signal strength. Consider alternative non-cell approaches, as well. Service providers like Vonage, for instance, use an existing Internet connection to stream voice calls.
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Pros of going cell phone only
One benefit to using a cell phone only is you’ll have only one phone number where people can reach you. Your friends and family will not be confused about when they should call your cell phone and when they should call your landline. Cell phone companies may also provide a better deal on long distance dialing. And there's the primary reason, of course: you'll save money on your overall phone service when you pay only one bill!
The downsides of ditching your landline
Having your cell phone as your only number could be great, as long as you remember to keep that phone handy and charged up. If your cell phone is lost or stolen, suddenly you are without phone service in your apartment!
If you have a limit on the number of minutes you can use, number of texts you can send or the amount of data you can transmit that's included in your plan, you will have to keep an eye on your usage. You don’t want to go over limits and get hit with fees. Though they are uni-taskers, landlines also don’t have these restrictions.
Weather conditions might create another caveat. Storms or other events which wreak havoc with atmospheric conditions might also affect cell signals. If the power goes out, you may still be able to use a landline, however.
When it comes down to it, the decision to ditch the landline for a cell phone is a personal one based on your needs. Once you have weighed your options, you will be able to determine which decision is right for you.
Photo credit: Shutterstock / BrAt82