Submitted by djwhite925 (not verified) on May 26, 2008 - 4:01pm.
We went without a landline for three years, relying on cell phones.
These days we actually have a land line and keep a very basic cell phone plan for emergencies. We found we save more money that way. But then we don't use a cell phone that much to begin with, and we're both walking distance to work. We've found a prepay plan where we paid $20 for the phone and a $100 card that is good for a year. In ten months, we haven't even used half of that card's value. I say $120 for a year of cell phone is a great savings, even combined with the cost of a landline.
Vonage may be a good choice, but 911 works differently with them (we use Vonage at work). 911 calls are actually sent first to a Vonage service center who then forwards the call to a 911 service area based on the location listed in your profile. So if you have moved but haven't updated your Vonage profile, that creates a 911 dilemma. Not to mention, that extra 15-30 seconds of call transfer could be a major obstacle in an emergency.
Land line vs cell
We went without a landline for three years, relying on cell phones.
These days we actually have a land line and keep a very basic cell phone plan for emergencies. We found we save more money that way. But then we don't use a cell phone that much to begin with, and we're both walking distance to work. We've found a prepay plan where we paid $20 for the phone and a $100 card that is good for a year. In ten months, we haven't even used half of that card's value. I say $120 for a year of cell phone is a great savings, even combined with the cost of a landline.
Vonage may be a good choice, but 911 works differently with them (we use Vonage at work). 911 calls are actually sent first to a Vonage service center who then forwards the call to a 911 service area based on the location listed in your profile. So if you have moved but haven't updated your Vonage profile, that creates a 911 dilemma. Not to mention, that extra 15-30 seconds of call transfer could be a major obstacle in an emergency.