7 Reasons to Keep Your Landline Phone

These days, it seems like everyone is ditching their home phone and relying exclusively on their cell phones for their communication needs. But, before you decide to join the party, check out these things your trusty landline can do that a cell phone can’t.

• Make long distance calls without paying an arm and a leg – Cell phones typically have very high long distance rates. If you have to call out of state or out of country often, you might save big by using your landline to make those calls.

• Keep your DVR working – It’s true, DVRs need to gather programming data, and most use a landline for this. If your DVR requires a local phone line, shutting off your phone service may force you to watch your favorite show live, like we did back in the dark ages.

• Stay connected during a disaster – As anyone who lived through Hurricane Ike here in Houston can tell you, cell phone availability during an emergency is anything but solid. Having a landline gives you a reliable way to make contact during a disaster.

• Ensure people can understand what you’re saying – Call quality on cell phones hasn’t quite caught up with what’s available on landlines. Make sure your friends and family don’t get a mixed message by making calls with your landline while you’re home.

• Allow emergency operators to locate you 100 percent of the time– While strides have been made towards updating cell phone and 911 systems so that operators can locate the source of an emergency call made with a cell phone, not all systems are ready. If you make a 911 call with a landline, the operator can always locate you.

• Save on cellular overage charges – For most people, it’s quite easy to go over their monthly allotment of cell phone minutes. A landline can help ease the burden on your poor, overworked cellular plan.

• Keeping your home protection system connected – If you currently have a home protection system, chances are it’s hardwired into your landline system. In that case, discontinuing your phone service will also disconnect your alarm system.