iahawkeye83 my sanity from NOT having a cell phone losing signal and dropping the call is worth the cost
If Wi-Fi calling is enabled and “preferred”, and you have good Wi-Fi coverage at the calling location, you should not have any dropped calls, as you are not dependent on the cellular signal from towers.
If your Wi-Fi is flaky, you probably should fix that anyway, for better streaming, video calls, etc.
My Pixel phone has an awesome “hold for me” feature – when enabled, the phone goes silent (showing a live transscript of received audio), until a live agent answers. The phone speakers then beep and you tap “return to call” to speak with the agent. While waiting, you can read a book or (on another device) watch a video, catch up with the news, etc.
https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/10071878?hl=en
If your phone doesn’t have a similar feature, this may be useful:
https://www.engadget.com/google-brings-a-version-of-pixels-hold-for-me-tool-to-more-phones-and-desktop-via-search-164355224.html
Also, before calling, check whether the agency’s website provides a way to do your task online. Social Security even allows some actions that require agent assistance e.g., appeals, to be done in writing online.
Of course, you may decide to keep a landline for other reasons, e.g., as an alternate way to make an emergency call.
