In 2008, 20 percent of U.S. households had no land line phone service. In urban areas that figure was even higher. With cell phone companies offering low-cost plans that include long distance and other features, many people are considering the advantages of terminating land line service and using their cell phone as a home phone.
Instructions
1. Update all of your records to reflect your cell phone number in place of your home number. This would include bills, subscriptions, work documents and medical contacts such as your physician.
2. Temporarily place a message on your land line answering machine informing people that your number will change. This will alert anyone who calls your home number that they will soon need to dial your cell phone to reach you.
3. Examine your current cell phone plan. Think about how much time you normally spend on your home phone and decide whether or not you should increase your monthly allotment of cellular phone minutes.
4. Check with your local 911 dispatch office as to whether or not cell phone tracking in your area is available for emergency calls. If not, you may consider keeping a land line as an emergency only phone in the event that you need to dial 911.
5. Purchase a spare battery for your cell phone. Keep the spare battery charged and ready to go in the event of power outages or other situations where you may not be able to recharge your cell phone.
6. Cancel your land line phone service by calling your phone company and informing them that you wish to terminate service. You will be responsible for paying any unpaid balance on your account.
Tags: cell phone, land line, your cell, your cell phone, your home, home number, home phone
