The Landline Is Fading Out — But Should You Actually Pull the Plug?

Somewhere between 2000 and today, the landline quietly went from household staple to endangered species. According to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey — yes, they track this — more than 70% of American adults now live in households with no traditional landline service. That number has been climbing steadily for two decades, and it shows no signs of reversing.

But here's the thing about following a trend: just because something is popular doesn't mean it's right for everyone. The decision to ditch your landline is genuinely complicated, and it depends on factors that are deeply personal — where you live, how old you are, who's in your household, and yes, how much you want to spend every month.

So let's talk through it honestly.

Why People Are Walking Away

The financial case for dropping a landline is pretty straightforward. Traditional landline service from major carriers typically costs between $25 and $50 per month — and that's before taxes and fees pile on, which can push the real cost closer to $60–$70. For a service that most people use only occasionally (or not at all), that's a hard number to justify.

Most Americans already carry a smartphone that handles calls, texts, video chats, and every other form of communication imaginable. Paying for a separate phone line that sits on the kitchen counter and mostly collects robocalls starts to feel a little absurd when you look at it that way.

Beyond the cost, there's a generational dimension here. For younger Americans who grew up entirely in the mobile era, a landline was never part of the picture to begin with. And as older adults who grew up with landlines move through different life stages, many are reassessing whether the habit still serves them.

The Case for Keeping It

Here's where we pump the brakes a little, because the "just cancel it" argument glosses over some real concerns.

Emergency reliability is genuinely different. Traditional landlines run on dedicated copper infrastructure that operates independently of your home's power supply. During a major storm, an extended power outage, or a natural disaster — the kind of scenarios where you really need to reach 911 — a corded landline may still work when your cell phone battery is dead and the towers are overwhelmed. That's not a small thing, especially for families with elderly members, young children, or people with medical conditions.

Cell coverage isn't universal. If you live in a rural area or in a home with thick walls and poor signal penetration, your cell service might be unreliable enough that a landline provides genuine backup value. Running a speed test or checking your carrier's coverage map can help clarify this, but if you've ever had to walk to a specific corner of your house to make a call, you already know the answer.

Some people just prefer it. Particularly for older adults who find smartphone interfaces frustrating, or for households with young kids who need a simple, always-available way to call for help, a landline offers something that cell phones don't: simplicity and permanence. There's no battery to charge, no app to open, no passcode to remember.

The Financial Reality: What Are Your Actual Options?

If you've decided the landline has to go — or you're at least open to replacing it with something cheaper — here's what the landscape actually looks like.

Go Fully Mobile

For most people, this is the obvious move. If your cell service is reliable and your current mobile plan already covers your communication needs, eliminating the landline is pure savings. The question is whether your mobile plan is optimized for the role it now has to play solo. If you've been getting by on a minimal data plan because you had a landline for calls, it might be worth revisiting your coverage levels.

Switch to VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services let you make and receive calls over your internet connection rather than through traditional phone infrastructure. Services like Google Voice (free for basic use), Ooma, and others offer landline-like functionality at a fraction of the cost — sometimes as low as $0–$15 per month.

VoIP is a particularly smart option for people who want the comfort of a home phone without the traditional landline price tag. You can keep your existing number, use a regular handset, and get essentially the same experience at dramatically lower cost. The tradeoff: it requires a working internet connection and won't function during a power outage unless you have a backup power source.

Bundled Services

If you're already paying for cable internet and TV, your provider may offer a bundled phone line that adds relatively little to your monthly bill — sometimes as low as $10–$15 when packaged together. In those cases, the math might actually favor keeping it, especially if you value the emergency reliability factor.

Who Should Probably Keep Their Landline

We'll be direct here: if any of the following describes you, think carefully before cutting the cord.

• You live in an area with spotty or unreliable cell coverage
• You have elderly family members in your household who rely on a simple, easy-to-use phone
• You or someone in your home has a medical monitoring device that connects via landline
• You regularly experience power outages lasting more than a few hours
• You run a home business that requires a dedicated, professional phone line

For everyone else — particularly younger adults in urban or suburban areas with strong cell coverage and reliable internet — the case for keeping a traditional landline is getting harder to make.

The AffordaBell Take

We're in the business of helping people spend less on communication without giving up what they actually need. And here's our honest read: for most American households, the traditional landline is a legacy expense that can be eliminated or replaced with something far more cost-effective.

But "most" isn't "all." If a VoIP service or a better mobile plan can replicate everything your landline does at a lower price, that's a win. If eliminating it entirely leaves you with a genuine gap in emergency preparedness or accessibility, that's a cost worth paying.

The right answer depends on your household — not on what the trend says. Do the math, be honest about your actual usage, and make the call that makes sense for your life and your budget.