Cheap basic landline phone service

[Gypsy]

I need a very basic RELIABLE phone service. And 20 or more bucks a month is just ridiculous IMO.
I don NOT need voicemail, or call waiting or Caller ID Call Forwarding, Three-Way Calling...

Just basic plain old calling. And I don't want a special, I want a nice cheap flat rate I can depend on for at least 12 months.

Any recommendations?


TIA!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I use Ooma. You have to have wireless internet. Basically you pay for the device and the service is then free (except for about $5 a month in taxes) unless you want premium features. I love it. My one warning is that mine was bought off Amazon and it apparently was part of a Groupon deal where I had to get the premium features (caller ID with name, etc) for a year. But since my total bill is like $14.95, I just didn't worry about it.

http://www.amazon.com/Ooma-Telo-Free-Phone-Service/dp/B002O3W4LE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376454040&sr=8-1&keywords=ooma

I use a set of cordless phones and the base unit connects to the Ooma device and all the other phones work.

 

[mary poppins]

For our home phone, we use Obi which is Voice over IP (VoIP) like Ooma. We paid about $40 for the box that connects to the phone. After that it's free, but we pay $1.50 per month for 911 emergency service.

 

[Gypsy]

OK. Both great options. Thank you. Looking into both of these. We use our phone so rarely but DH won't let me get rid of it. Still what we are paying for it makes me want to cry. It's at least the equivalent of a plane ticket back east when you add up a 12 month stretch.

 

[TooPatient]

I've used Vonage (VoIP) for almost 10 years. The plan I have is unlimited calling to North America and comes in at about $30/month (after local taxes & fees are added). They also have a very basic plan for less. It also works just fine with our home security system.
The only problems I have with it are due to the furry four-legged phone cord chewers

If you need a traditional (non-VoIP) that is a bit trickier unless you can bundle but it can still be done. I think when I looked it was about $40/month through Qwest.

If you're just looking for something cheap to have sitting at home, we have a friend in California who swears by Skype. He has it set up so he's got a home phone plus the online that can be used from any computer (different settings so he can set to ring how he wants. Maybe even a different number?). Cost is something like $20/year or so. (I've never used Skype this way so can't say how reliable it is. Just tossing out there as an option.)

 

[movie zombie]

we pay $30+ for landline service only.
why?
we live in the mountains and while we have cell phones, cell phone towers can be out. hasn't happened in a while but in case of emergency we don't want to be w/o phone service.
and while we have cable for the computers, cable service does come and go in this area.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I had an ATT land line for 30yrs. If I didn't take the long-distance calling (have a prepaid cell for long distance.), no caller Id, It was about 25.00 per month. Att lets you separate the long distance from local calls but if necessary you can make long distance calls.. I just changed my service and now have wifi, and my phone hasn't worked twice in the past 6 weeks. I took a bundling pkg and might be sorry I did so. I pay 45.00 for internet and phone, which will last for a yr.

Check with your reg telephone company and ask for the chepest land line pkg they have. i think it may come to 25-30 dollars.

Annette

 

[movie zombie]

I think gypsy is in an urban area and doesn't have to worry about cell towers being out.
my minimal service that includes local calls is with ATT and is currently a bit over $30/month.
breaks my heart to pay for that but I do use it for some local calls every week.
if I were in an urban area, i'd ditch the land line.

 

[TooPatient]

Gypsy --

Are you looking for landline in the sense of it not being VoIP? (so basically the old wired stuff that everyone used to have)
Or do you just need some sort of phone service to have at home so you can call in/out? (VoIP, cable, etc okay)

 

[TravelingGal]

Gypsy --

Are you looking for landline in the sense of it not being VoIP? (so basically the old wired stuff that everyone used to have)
Or do you just need some sort of phone service to have at home so you can call in/out? (VoIP, cable, etc okay)

Because an old fashioned land line is different from VoIP. I like having the landline. It's better to call 911 (my cousin also has a land line and had to use it this weekend when her father passed away in his sleep) for faster response. I've also had the power go out and still can use my phone.

Also, because the point of a landline for us is to have it in case of emergencies, I make sure I have a CORDED phone on it. Cordless is worthless in a power outage.

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks so much all. What I need (according to Dh, I don't agree) is a phone line other than our cells.

We are in an urban area. I do like hardwire services, but if they cost too much VoIP is fine by me. Just reliable and cheap.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The Ooma has been amazingly reliable, and it should be as long as your internet is reliable. We bought the little wireless thingy to attach to it, so it doesn't have to connect to the router. I guess I have had it a year and have never had it go out. I was doing an AT&T bundle at first, but when the special price was over, they were charging $40 for the phone service and I just refuse to pay that. But I do like having free long distance on my Ooma because I can get better reception on that in my house than with my cell.

 

[movie zombie]

and therein lies the problem: "if your internet is reliable".
probably more so in urban areas than in a forest.
despite having cable, we still have "issues", especially in colder weather.
however, that dang landline just continues to do its thing even in power outages.
periodically, there may be a wire pole that gets taken out by a driver or a tree hits the lines but here for us that landline is still more reliable than cable......sigh.

 

[Gypsy]

i was thinking about this. Our current phone is through Comcast (can you say rip off). And it is dependent on our internet. So the Ooma thing would probably work just fine as a cheap substitute. Our internet is fairly stable.

If there's an earthquake... well, hopefully there will be some one who pays more that can call.