Both

I would love to have a land line, but the phone lines are underground here and every time they dig out a ditch or pave a road...which is often, they dig them up. Then they lay on top of the ground for months and the county mowers run over them. In the first five years here, I bet that happened at least 20 times. Plus, coming down my road, it is very old. We finally just gave up and got cell phones. I had a cell phone and then my husband was off work for a year and I gave mine up. He still has a cell phone. If I need to get a hold of him, I send him a text from the computer. I could get a phone now, but I have to admit, that I hate talking on the phone and I find them to be a nuisance most of the time, so I haven't yet. But, I will.

I have both. If I could I would do without my land line. We do have a CB radio in the car of course.

Sue

Cell only. I had both for a while, but why when I can give out one number and you can reach me on it 24 hours/7 days a week. It's been the same number for almost a score of years now. It's better than having to give out three or four numbers and you having to try me on all of them. The one and only downside? I can't hold it under my ear like I could a landline. There is an attachment that makes it possible, but that would only work if I were to carry it around? Doesn't sound good!

We have both, I even keep a plug in corded phone to have during power outages. We have been without power for over a month at times, was very happy to have a phone!

I have both. If I could I would do without my land line. We do have a CB radio in the car of course.

Sue

Cell phones only. We gave up our land line 5 years ago and have not missed it once. As you say they can be charged in the car if necessary.

Both, and like Terilyn, I keep a corded phone in one room for those times there are power outages. One corded, three cordless, 2 cell phones. DH uses his cell for both business and other, usually carries it, while I leave mine in the car and use it only occasionally. It's a city issued phone through my BILs job (he's allowed 4), nothing fancy. I've had it about 10 yrs for $9.99 a month, bill comes to me.

we still have two landlines much to our gripes...hubster works out of the home and doesn't feel comfortable letting his work line go...I'm mostly in the basement and get horrible reception down here...I even tried an enhancer for the cell but it didn't work...so I can either give up talking in the basement or go outside...for now we're keeping both and just sucking up the cost...but if I was living on a retirement income...they'd be long gone!

Both. I rarely use my cell; for one thing, it doesn't get a reliable signal in the house. I can text from the house, but hardly ever do that.

I keep a corded phone handy for power outages--and in fact am giving two of them as Christmas gifts this year.

Cell only, for the past 3 years.

Cell only since I moved last summer. It's okay but I will eventually get a land line because I don't always hear the cell from another room.

Just a cell since I moved to Iowa 7 years ago. I always buy a car charger when I get a new phone, so I don't worry about power outages and I keep my phone charged. I was surprised when I phoned a rather old fashioned cousin on her home number and found it is her cell now. She got rid of her land line and got to keep her old number for her cell.

Both..I rarely use the cell phone and mostly keep it in the car. We have five phones all thru the house and I don't want to carry a cell phone with me everywhere I go. I don't even know my cell phone number off hand ,and I don't give it out. Only a few know it.

I have a corded land line and 1 cordless in the house. We have a Trac phone that we bought about 7 years ago when we spent part of the winter in Florida. All it does is make and recieve calls. I don't really know how to use it. It only leaves the house when we go out in our antique car for obvious reasons. I don't feel a need to be constantly 'connected', and to be honest I don't understand why anyone would want to be. I know having a cell has it's good points, but the connections aren't always that good and often, at least in my area calls are dropped or I cannot understand words being said by cell users. It is much more pleasant to talk land line to land line.

Both. I like having handsets upstairs and down. I fact I have four phones in my house. I have a corded phone upstairs and downstairs so there is one on each floor that I can find!

I don't use my cell phone much. It is a pre-paid plan. It is very handy at times. I just don't want to always be carrying it around. I have a friend with cell phone only. She is forever leaving it in her car and there is no way to reach her most of the time.

I also don't want to lose the same phone number that I have had for 38 years. If I moved, I would give cell phone only a try.

Both.

Both

dedtired--you can turn your house phone into a cell #--and then you can take it anywhere you go. There are other options (at least with Verizon) for taking an old number to a different area, but we felt the cell phone choice was the way to go for us.

I'd be tempted to give up my land line if only I could hear as good on the cell phone. I'm guilty of enjoying a long conversation with a close friend and I don't do that on a cell. Cell phones are handy but not as good quality IMHO.

Both.

Cell only. Got rid of my land line about 4 years ago. I don't always get good receiption but it works for me right now.

Both

Something to think about that I'm surprised wasn't mentioned: calling 911. I can't begin to tell you how much easier it is with a landline. We have your address from a land line. If you can't talk,breath,are choking,have an intruder and are hiding, don't want your abuser to know you called,etc etc etc,we have your address.
It is so frustrating to pick up a 911 line and hear screaming but have no idea where the person is. Also, tHe cheaper the cellular company, the worse the reception. Pay as you go phones are the worst. I can always tell when it is a tmobile,metro pcs or sprint phone. People don't realize how important this is!
Unfortunaly, most calls are from cells now. We cannot just GPS your location. We don't know where you are!
We can subpoena your house address but what if you aren't home? And it is a lengthy process to do so. It takes about 15 minutes or more for the cell company to get that info for us.
Did you know that if you don't have a land line anymore you can still plug in a phone to the line it will still call 911? Even it it has no service?
Did you know that an old cell phone that parents give to kids to play with can call 911 even tough there are no minutes or service plan? I can't tell you how many calls per day come in from kids playing on old phones. This takes away manpower that could answer a real emergency.
And please,please never call 911 to ask for the non emergency number!
Whew! Sorry for the long post. My public service message is over. Lol

Both plus my Hummer has a phone built in through onstar, I have lots of minutes for it but I never use it, I don't even know the phone number for it. I do have two of the house phones that plug in so they work with out power.
I don't use my cell phone much at all for calling, so would be lost without the land line.

Summershine, thank you for the public service message :)

Some good information there that all may not consider or think of when choosing their phone plans. So many I know any more are paying for cell service only, don't feel they need a residential phone too. I'm of an age where everyone had a household phone, and added a cell phone if they could afford it :)

I rarely rec a call from my brother or his wife unless they are on their cell phones. My hearing is great, and I strain to hear all of all sentences in a conversation, hang up wondering if I've responded appropriately to everything I should have.

I agree that talking on a land line phone is so much more comfortable and clear than cells.

Seems to me that some people who are addicted to phones don't care about the clarity since they *talk* on the phone, not *listen*! There's my PSA for the day.

I have land line and prepaid cell. Actually I would probably get along fine without the landline except I have DSL. I've thought about trying out Netzero for their free year but not sure if I want to go to the hassle.

There's a problem with cell-only situations. When I go to the bathroom I seldom take the cell phone with me. In many ways, going cell only would be much like regressing to the 1960s and before when you didn't even own your own phone! LOL History does repeat itself at times.

I have a landline in most every room. I carry the cell for emergencies and convenience when away from home. However when I get home I generally change into more comfortable clothes and don't move the cell to take with me. I'm not addicted to yakking on a phone. If people call my cell when I'm at home it likely won't get answered right away. That's why I tell people call me at home first, then the cell if I don't answer. At the same time, if I should be at the mailbox or something, the landline won't get answered then either. (Haven't put an extension at the mailbox yet) It's common sense and for most people it's push a different button to make a call so it's not an inconvenience to them. It's more of an inconvenience for me to answer so the call better be worthwhile! LOL I don't run to answer a phone.

I usually keep the cell in the holster but it falls out occasionally. I've thought about what happens when/if there's an emergency when misplaced, or left on the charger in the vehicle. What if you have it on the charger at home when the emergency strikes? It wasn't until recently that I thought about that being a plus for the landline. Seems to me the older you get, the more pluses there are to a landline.

Cost-wise it's advantageous to go cell but you don't get the other advantages, one outlined above. Another is that I can have other people pick up extensions and we can conference without using a speaker phone. People can be in different rooms or not depending on preference. Sitting around a cell and yelling into it or having someone relaying the messages is so 1930s listening-to-the-radio to me on something that's supposedly so "modern".

With cost at $5-$7/month for cell vs. about $30 for landline, I've thought about changing it but now with DSL the cost for internet would go up to offset the savings so it's not an advantage. I also like having the CID log on the computer of calls a a record. I needed it one time a few years ago for a court case and it was great not to have to get the judge to approve looking at a CID box or subpoena phone records. Plus the convenience for checking when someone called. Small advantage, yes, but still an advantage.

Clarity on a landline, even with cordless phones, is often better but not always. And there too, if you don't keep them charged, you're SOL. But with a landline, you can go to a different phone an you're back in business. Not so with cell.

I'm always curious as to what people are paying for their cells. Most wind up around $40-$80/month and then go with multiple phones. Some talk about "sharing" plans but one friend yes, "shares" 5 cells for $200 a month! Plus they share the minutes so if one talks a lot, there goes the bill. You can buy one heckuvalotta minutes for that on PAYGO.

I often need to record my calls. Well, more occasionally now than in the past but it's still far easier with a landline. I have my landline CID connected to the computer so I get a nice large display of the number when a call comes in. Couldn't do that with cell. I have need to fax on occasion. Couldn't do that through cell - would have to go via internet which is far more clumsy, BTDT. But it would work if needed.

If I move to a small town/rural setting, I probably would at least try cell only for a while. It probably would be a smaller place. Might even consider going back to more than one cell. But again, then the issue would be internet. I can't see myself hunched over a screen the size of a book of matches or pack of cigarettes to use the internet for anything more than an occasional emergency need.

Obviously the "YMMV" applies. It's like clothing, whatever fits, makes you comfortable and for some, price is no object. Cells have a purpose and so do landlines. It's all whether they meet your particular needs. Each have their advantages and disadvantages.

And I think it should be pointed out that states vary on 911 use. Here, there is NOT a "non-emergency" number to call for police or fire departments. If you need help, you call 911. If you call one of their numbers and for instance have a barking dog complaint, they'll tell you to hang up and call 911. This is so the call gets logged and routed through dispatch. Some areas only want you calling 911 in an emergency, but not all so be aware of your situation. End of second PSA. :)

I was like you, and could not see being without a land line. But then I got the divorce, and could not see paying for both. I also could not see paying to get started in several places... and lets not forget, I did end up moving again and again.

I learned to leave my cell in "one place only" in my house (and all the places I had lived) after I "lost it" several times and could not find it till someone called me.

I know people that have theirs always on them, but I am not one of those people. For one thing, I don't always have a pocket to keep it in, and I prefer not to be attached to it.

I truly have "only a phone". No internet, not even the option to take a picture. I own a dinosaur of a phone. LOL

Now, I guess, I will read the other replies.

Moni

cynic, I have dsl, and no home phone. It comes in over the phone line, but you don't have to have a land line phone.

Moni

We are cell only, but I do miss a landline for the clarity, cells don't seem to be able to broadcast 2 sounds at the same time- if someone makes any kind of noise while using their cell, it might overpower the sound of the voice, making hearing a lot harder. Also, when we have bad weather, the cell tower can lose power, too, which means we are stranded with no way to call for help if we need it. Our computer uses cell phone technology to connect, so we're screwed if the power goes off in our area. No phone, no computer, no link to the world.

So if we were rich, we'd have both, cells and a landline.

so interesting reading all the replies, and a lot of good points. Everyone's situation and needs are different.

Like some, in the other, 2-story house, I had a landline phone in almost every room--which was convenient. But now, we live in a smaller rancher the rooms we use most are only a few feet away from each other--so during the day, I keep the cell on the kitchen table, at night it sits on my nightstand by my bed--so it's not inconvenient. But I agree, with a larger house it might be an issue. Because like many of you, I don't keep mine in my pocket on a general rule.

As to when it's on the charger? The phone still rings, so that's not a problem, either. You're not supposed to answer it while it's connected, but you can unplug and talk, then recconect it.

Someone asked about cost--we have Verizon (a must for 'down here in the country'--other providers' service is pretty iffy out here) and we pay about $80/month for 2 phones, 750 minutes. More than enough for us--we've never even come close to using them yet. I'd actually go with fewer, but that's the lowest plan available.

Cell phone only, for 7-8 years now. I transferred my old house number to my cell phone.

I remember about 30 years ago, reading a story about the future, when people would have individual phones with individual numbers, and the number would follow the person, not the location. Came true. I don't know any young people now who have landlines. (I'm sure they exist, I just don't know them.) I would be willing to bet that in our children's lifetimes, landlines will cease to exist.

I did think about the security issue before I dropped the landline, but decided that, for me, the remote possibility that being without a landline would become a real issue didn't outweigh the advantages of ditching the landline. I think that's a determination every person has to make for himself or herself, just as we all decide what level of emergency preparedness is right for us.

azzalea are you sure about not answering the phone while it is on the charger???? I haven't had a problem doing so, ever... I even make calls while it is on the charger.

Moni.. who would like to know, where you got that info from

I have both. The cell phone is prepaid, and I put $15 on it every 60 days and take it when I leave the house. I also turn it on when I am on the computer in case someone needs to get in touch with me, esp. in the evening. I pay $40 a month for the landline.

gave up the land line over five years ago and just have the cell. Always got calls on land line and if i didn't answer they called cell anyway. Finally got so landline hardly ever rang so made since to just go cell. For those of you that think they can't hear the ring, lay it in a glass dish which makes the ring sound louder. We are seniors and none of our friends have landlines any more.

I misplace my TV remote enough that I don't want to be looking for my one and only phone. I have a 10 room two story house and wouldn't even hear the phone unless it was strapped on my body. I have three phones downstairs and they are always on their stands when not in use. The cell is in the car because I always forgot to bring it in the house. It's not a smart phone,( we opted for an iPad instead) just a flip top Samsung and we 're not on a program. We "buy" minutes every year and it's pretty cheap. Our phones are part of our Verizon bundle... My son has only a cell phone, no land lines and kept his old number.

Both, because the cell reception isn't good enough to rely on it alone. We have prepaid cells, so when one of us is gone, we can contact the other one.

We have a land line for DSL internet.

DH has a cell but it can barely get a signal here at the house, he has to yell into it to be heard. I have a Tracphone that can only get a signal if I walk down the road, I just keep it for emergencies.

When the power went out last night, I was glad we still have a corded land line. However, our phones are connected to the computer so when the power is out, we have a very annoying beep every 3 seconds or so.

Moni there's reports of dangers involved in using a cell phone while plugged in, there have been reports of them exploding, and catching fire, and electrocution.
Most of it stems from an email that circulated detailing a story about an electrocution. There have been some actual events but rare.
Here's a link to some of the hype and information.

I personally have used mine while charging but I prefer not to.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

We still have a land line but will be cutting it out soon. Our reception when we had AT&T was poor, plus we had limited minutes, so we kept the land line. We just switched to Verizon. The cells have great reception in the house & we now have unlimited minutes, so no reason to keep the land line (or the expense).

Have a land line phone in almost every room of the house. I have a cell (contract), DH has a cell (prepaid). We use our cell phones in an emergency or when we need to make a call on the road.

Looks like I'm in the minority here - by a long shot - I only have a landline and no cell phone. DH has a cell phone that he rarely uses.

In Canada, I don't think we get the cell phone deals that you guys do. I don't know of anyone who has ditched their landline completely here.

We have a corded phone in the bedroom, 2 cordless phones in the other rooms. 2 cells, which are rarely used. We're ditching one cell and just going to use one. We use pre-paid plans, $15/month, and if you don't top it up each and every month, you lose the accumulated minutes. So it's like having a contract, because you're forced to top it up. I have a couple of hundred dollars worth of minutes on my phone.