Video: Cancel your land line

We use them everyday but are we paying too much for our phones?

I’m not just asking about contracts here I’m simply talking about owning too many phones.

Today, most people are paying both for both a cell phone and a home phone. Why not give one of them up?

“My estimate is that about 95 percent of all Americans pay too much for their phone service, that is they barely use the features they pay for,“ said Michael Shames of the Utility Consumer’s Action Network.

For instance, if you’re using your cell phone as your main number, maybe it’s time to cancel that landline or home phone all together.

I know for many of you, mostly older folks, that’s a radical idea but an idea that can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Now if you’re not ready to give up your home phone, try this.

Keep your home phone but cancel the long distance service that’s connected to it.

You’re probably just using your cell phone for all your long distance calls anyway, and at the same time paying a monthly fee on your home phone for long distance service.

Michael Shames with the Utlitiy Consumer’s Action Network says you can actually cancel that service and still use the phone.

“You don’t have to use that long distance service, you can use your cell phone. You can use prepaid cards and you can save $5 a month, which is what you’re charged for hooking up to long distance,“ Shames said.

Now people can still call you long distance, you just can’t call out long distance to them on that phone, except you can still call toll free numbers.

Why pay for something you’re not using?

Now a word of caution.

If you are using some sort of bundled package that includes cable and internet connection, check with your provider first and make sure you won’t be penalized before you cancel.