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Landlines- do you still have one?

(57 Posts)
RosiesMawagain Wed 11-Feb-26 13:34:14

Very few people ring me on my landline, just a few who presumably have the number stored from years ago, so when it rings it’s invariably a cold call..I used to have a call monitoring service but I don’t quite know what has happened to that and unless a known name flashes up when it rings I’m tempted to ignore.
BUT like most people of my generation I was brought up to answer it, so, I run out of the shower, or run round the other side of the bed, or in from the garden, play hunt the handset etc and it’s yet another “energy adviser” or double glazing or patio doors or whatever.
Unlike some people I either hang up or say No I’m not interested, thank you and hang up, as I’m not interested in scoring points off Microsoft man , but this morning was ridiculous- it was 7.35! A time reserved, in our family, for urgent phone calls.
Just rude.
OK I could just ignore it or should I give in and have the landline removed? Seems a bit drastic but this morning I could have chucked it into next week!

CariadAgain Wed 11-Feb-26 18:42:19

Yep.....still got one and planning on keeping it.

I've bought a Chatsie phone recently - which is supposed to be idiot-proof - but it's not "up and running" yet - as I've got a phoneshop guy to tell me some of the basics and I've got to go back for him to set up Facebook and Gmail on it (just in case) and I will only be using it for phonecalls/texts. It's taken longer than anticipated to date to get that dealt with - as another customer was allowed to butt in on my visit and stole my phone!!! (To which I threw 40 fits obviously - and managed to get it back again - so thats delayed things).

I can and do have great long phonecalls on my landline with farflung friends and it doesnt cost me much extra at all to have those phonecalls chucked in - whenever I please/for however long I please (even to Southern Ireland - where I have a friend I exchange calls with at regular intervals and we spend an hour or two on the phone indulging in the craic).

The mobile I've just bought is PAYG and it's there just for an emergency phone only purposes - eg if I'm stuck somewhere in the countryside with the appalling bus service here and I decide to ring for the taxi firm I use to come and fetch me. It would be very expensive to actually use it to make calls per se on as a regular thing.

fancythat Wed 11-Feb-26 18:45:57

Still got ours.

I rarely have my mobile phone on!

crazyH Wed 11-Feb-26 18:55:36

I am also PAYG - so I still have my landline.
I’ve asked this a couple of times but still understand how do you get an internet connection without a landline ?

crazyH Wed 11-Feb-26 18:55:56

Don’t understand

ViceVersa Wed 11-Feb-26 18:57:36

CariadAgain

Yep.....still got one and planning on keeping it.

I've bought a Chatsie phone recently - which is supposed to be idiot-proof - but it's not "up and running" yet - as I've got a phoneshop guy to tell me some of the basics and I've got to go back for him to set up Facebook and Gmail on it (just in case) and I will only be using it for phonecalls/texts. It's taken longer than anticipated to date to get that dealt with - as another customer was allowed to butt in on my visit and stole my phone!!! (To which I threw 40 fits obviously - and managed to get it back again - so thats delayed things).

I can and do have great long phonecalls on my landline with farflung friends and it doesnt cost me much extra at all to have those phonecalls chucked in - whenever I please/for however long I please (even to Southern Ireland - where I have a friend I exchange calls with at regular intervals and we spend an hour or two on the phone indulging in the craic).

The mobile I've just bought is PAYG and it's there just for an emergency phone only purposes - eg if I'm stuck somewhere in the countryside with the appalling bus service here and I decide to ring for the taxi firm I use to come and fetch me. It would be very expensive to actually use it to make calls per se on as a regular thing.

Get WhatsApp on your new Chatsie phone and your calls will be free.

Iam64 Wed 11-Feb-26 19:01:06

I let my landline go when negotiating a better broadband deal. I leave my mobile on overnight because I want the idea my adult children or other family couldn’t get hold of me in an emergency

Funnygran Wed 11-Feb-26 19:07:01

DH and I both wear hearing aids and calls on our mobiles now go direct to our hearing aids via Bluetooth. It’s made such a difference as our landline sometimes had very poor reception. So when we changed our broadband to Sky we got rid of the landline. All the cold calls disappeared too which was a big bonus!

butterandjam Wed 11-Feb-26 19:45:54

Yes we have a landline ( Only family and our GP call my mobile)

Telephone Preference Service is free and it works. We very, very rarely get spam calls.

www.tpsonline.org.uk/

Grammaretto Wed 11-Feb-26 19:58:52

The advantage of the landline for me is I don't need to charge it
.
Also I can use it to call myself on my mobile when I've misplaced it - which is often.
There are still a few people who call me on it.

As from tomorrow it will stop working. This is something to do with fast fibre (not very fast) and being put on yet another package with BT or is it EE.
I wish things stayed the same. It was simpler back then.

Romola Wed 11-Feb-26 20:38:13

Yesterday I got a new broadband contract and I'm giving up the landline. In a few short months, it would be digital anyway, so I can't see the point of keeping it.
DD suggested I get an extra battery for the mobile in case of a power cut. But actually I could charge it in the car.

Grammaretto Thu 12-Feb-26 05:18:33

I have a battery bank which is essential especially as so many tickets are now online.
Ryanair went paperless in November 2025 so you have to have access to your bookings or pay for a new ticket.
Now I have to remember to keep the bank charged.

mum2three Thu 12-Feb-26 05:40:48

I've never been comfortable using a mobile, I much prefer a proper phone. However, since the switch-over to broadband, my landline doesn't work. I make very few calls, and most of my incoming are scams, so I don't miss it.

Calendargirl Thu 12-Feb-26 06:58:20

crazyH

I am also PAYG - so I still have my landline.
I’ve asked this a couple of times but still understand how do you get an internet connection without a landline ?

I don’t understand it either!

But all I know is when we had full fibre broadband installed, there was a little box put outside, then more connections inside, and a new router.

All done in a couple of hours, no mess, and all worked.

Michael12 Thu 12-Feb-26 07:21:41

I did have a landline but for last few months BT/EE have switched me onto digital as to house phone .
They supplied the equipment for the changeover, once done i re did my address book ,and people I speak to including relatives have aid its a clearer voice compared to landline.
Mick

petra Thu 12-Feb-26 07:57:16

crazyH

I am also PAYG - so I still have my landline.
I’ve asked this a couple of times but still understand how do you get an internet connection without a landline ?

CrazyH
This will explain.

www.confused.com/broadband/guides/broadband-without-landline

Grantanow Thu 12-Feb-26 09:52:07

No, we kept the number and it works fine with fibre to the house. We have battery back up for the router and mobile phones of course.

twinnytwin Thu 12-Feb-26 10:06:02

We still have a landline but DH has set it up so that we can only receive calls, not make any (cheapskate). We both have mobiles but a few folk still call the landline - generally my DH calling me from the supermarket for advice on shopping as I haven't got my mobile within hearing distance! The landlines ring nice and loudly all over the house.

pably15 Thu 12-Feb-26 10:29:28

We still have a landline, I usually forget to charge my mobile , we got the new fibre last year. I find the landline much clearer then my mobile.

MiniMoon Thu 12-Feb-26 10:33:07

We also got rid of the landline when we had full fibre broadband installed. We haven't missed it at all.

Witzend Thu 12-Feb-26 10:33:59

An elder sister with no mobile or WhatsApp rings me on the landline. Ditto sometimes dds, since they know I’m not glued to my phone and will very likely take a little while to find where the hell I put it.
Certain friends/family invariably use WhatsApp to phone me for free, though, and ditto I to them.

MT62 Thu 12-Feb-26 10:51:02

That £3 is probably worth every penny an emergency GF, especially if you are on a pay as you go!
Can you not just get rid of the messages?

dotpocka Thu 12-Feb-26 11:04:24

cant operate cell one so i have a landline ,called home phones
about 10 calls from real people docs use my email

nanna8 Thu 12-Feb-26 11:40:27

I’ve just cancelled ours. Saves $30 a month. The only people ringing on it were spammers.

Cabbie21 Thu 12-Feb-26 14:21:18

I would prefer to keep my landline but it will soon go digital and my broadband provider doesn’t support it, so to keep it, I would need to change to EE. Not sure how that works as my Plusnet contract still has some months to run.
My health centre, dentist and two or three business have my landline. My mobile is usually on silent, so my family know to message me or ring the landline if they need me urgently.
I am very reluctant to give up my landline, which costs only £3 per month.

Cumbrianmale56 Sat 14-Feb-26 13:42:18

Have a mobile and the landline, though the landline is mostly kept for my internet connection, essential as I work from home 3 days a week. However, the mobile I have is purely used as a phone.