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I don't know a single person who got rid of their cell for a landline, and for that matter I can't think of anyone without a cell. And I know A LOT of people of all ages. Who even goes around arguing people don't need or can't use cellphones? Any phone with a charge will be able to dial 911, even with no service.
But I see this is really a hot button since for some reason it was brought up criticizing "old people" on the retirement forum for having landlines.
I don't know a single person who got rid of their cell for a landline, and for that matter I can't think of anyone without a cell. And I know A LOT of people of all ages. Who even goes around arguing people don't need or can't use cellphones? Any phone with a charge will be able to dial 911, even with no service.
But I see this is really a hot button since for some reason it was brought up criticizing "old people" on the retirement forum for having landlines.
A cell phone will not work if there is no service. You can still reach 911 if you don't have an active plan. There is a difference.
Our first cell phones were a result of my wife being alone and getting in an auto accident on a major expressway in Boston at 10PM. This was in about 1990. For years we had a cheap plan using basic flip phones. We rarely used them and only our immediate family had the phone numbers. We had a land line for the home and we each had an office/business phone so people could call us on them.
When we retired in 2000 and relocated to SC. I switched our cell phone provider, got new local numbers, but still stayed with basic flip phones and limited usage.
My wife fell ill with cancer in 2010. Our need to be in communication with each other and all the support she had (doctors, hospitals, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc) dictated we switch to a better cell plan with more minutes and smarter phones. She never adapted to the smart phone so I switched her back to the simple flip phone she was used to and knew how to use and I stayed with the smart phone. She was still pretty much a land line person especially when she became some what disabled and she never went outside the house unless I was with her. She passed away 2 years ago.
I now find myself more dependent on my cell phone and less dependent on my land line. I recently got a new, smarter cell phone (Android). I am present locked into a land line, internet, cable TV package which I expect I might change in a few months. At that time I will give serious though to dumping my land line and going cell phone alone.
Safety - I ride the local transit system and occasionally there are issues.
Medical - Should I have an emergency, I want to be able to call for help.
Apps - I use a few apps a lot - Gas Buddy, shopping apps, cost savings apps and the like. And of course, the GPS apps.
When I need the phone, it is on. When I do not want to be bothered by calls, it remains in the off position. It is also helpful in that it allows me to screen calls.
We dropped the landline in 2012. In 2012, 95% of the calls received were either political, timeshare, and charity calls. There was rarely a call worth answering. With the cell phones, I receive maybe 2-3 calls per month of that nature.
Also, the cell phone service is much cheaper. I pay $20 per month for unlimited text, calls and 5 mb data. I was paying that much for a landline that we rarely used with additional charges for long distance calls.
The ONLY limitation is that I cannot make international calls from my cell phone. For an additional $5 per month, I can add Canada and Mexico. I do that occasionally when I travel to those countries.
I have a cell phone that I only use for road trips, for emergencies, so I can call AAA (hopefully, that's the only kind of emergency I'd have!) I should probably have one in the car at all times (I have a plug-in to charge the battery in the car). I guess I'm living dangerously.
I've had a cell phone since the 1980's (and way back then the cell phone was big and thick and heavy). I felt it was a safety issue when out and about in the car or where ever and it has come in handy when needed in an emergency and I was so glad that I had it! Haven't been without a cell phone since (and, lol, I still have a landline).
About seven years ago, I got a 'senior' cell phone--large buttons, extra loud, and just over $10/month. It's not a smartphone, but I can text in the rare event that I would want to do so. Previously, I've had two smart phones. My eyes aren't terrible, but I did find that it was a pain to read the tiny print and my fat fingers found the buttons awkward. Also, as my hearing is pretty bad--often could not hear any sound. Sprint sold me an expensive phone with an expensive plan for captioned calls. Captions never worked. I ended up paying to get out of the contract. My senior phone stays in my purse (off), but I keep it charged in case of emergency.
Now I have a captioned digital landline(?) that I just love. Cox sold the connection to me as a landline, but it requires the internet to work, so I'm not sure how it's a landline. Not only does the phone have captions, but the sound quality is such that I don't always need them. Furthermore, Cox sends me an email (on my computer) if I have a voice message. Very convenient.
Still, I mostly write down the number of the caller to check on my computer for identification of scammers and sales people. So much of that these days.
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