In recent
times, the landline is increasingly replaced by the cellular and other
telephone services however, it has not yet been devalued completely. Though
people are increasingly moving towards more cost effective solutions, there is
little doubt about the basic advantages associated with a landline.
Irrespective of the service falling under the category of cheap landlines or not, the key advantages of a
landline service are:
·
A variety of cost effective
call plans and deals to choose from
·
High on reliability as
compared to a mobile service
·
Greater stability with
almost nil signal failure
·
Not dependent on battery
life
·
A safer option for the
household use
·
Elimination of battery
requirement and signal failure, the landline is a very choice for emergency
situations.
Before
writing off the home phone system completely, the users should have an idea
that though there is no such thing as cheap landlines, but there are measures that can certainly be adopted to make calls
at the lowest rates possible.
Some sure ways to big savings without changing
service providers are:
· Direct Debit: Some cheap
landlines providers charge extra for modes of payment like cheque, cash
etc. So it is advisable to pay by direct debit as this service is not
chargeable.
·
Social Tariff:Certain service providers have special tariff
rates for subscribers who either have a financial difficulty that makes them
unable to pay hefty bills or a disability that makes the landline very
essential.
·
Peak and Off-Peak Time: Knowing the peak hours can considerably reduce
call costs
·
Additional Features: With most providers, additional call features
like the caller ID service is no longer free, so eliminating such services can
keep the costs down
·
Redialing: Some unlimited packages include free calls
which are actually not free and are usually billed after an hour of continuous
call has been made to a particular number. So the trick is to disconnect and
redial before the stipulated time deadline is over.
·
Peer Group Call-Back Deal: Free calls in cellular services include
landline calls, however the same is not applicable to free minutes in landline
and often calls to mobile phones are chargeable. So is there is an
understanding between friends or peers to call back if the person has mobile
free minutes, then the other person can save on landline bill with business phone line and broadband internet.
·
Careful Selection of Package: Cheap home phone and home broadband packages often have anytime and
unlimited call plans but it is to be determined by the users if they really
require them. For example, a weekend free call plan may not be suitable for
every user and paying a bit extra for a weekend as well and late evening free
call package may prove more beneficial.
