7 Tips on How to Find Affordable Business Phones Without Sacrificing Quality

Dialing in the savings

A phone line offers a direct connection between you and your customers and can instantly make your company appear more professional. However, finding a phone that balances cost and quality can take time, especially with the sheer volume of smartphones, landlines and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phones on offer.

At Walmart Business, we understand the need to stretch operating budgets to get the most value out of your communication options. To help, we’ve compiled these tips to help you find affordable business phones with the features you need to keep operations running smoothly.

1. Know what features you need—and what you can live without

The best cheap business phone is the one that does everything you need at an affordable price. If your phone is inexpensive but lacks features that will help you run your business, the cost savings might not be worth it. Likewise, picking out a pricier phone that has features you never use isn’t worth the added cost.

It’s important to know which features are most important for your business. At a minimum, look at phones that can make and receive calls reliably and with clear audio. Caller ID and voicemail recording features are also must-have features the best affordable business phones should have by default. 

Extras like audio or video conferencing, text messaging, call forwarding, voicemail transcripts, call queues and integration with computer systems may be helpful depending on your business needs and budget.

2. Wait for holidays or other sales periods

If you need a business phone immediately, there are plenty of affordable business phones available at online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores right now. That said, if you can afford to wait, consider holding out for sales to get the best price on a new phone.

For example, holidays throughout the year often bring prices down on business phones, especially during November’s Black Friday sales. Similarly, if a phone company is getting ready to drop a new model, look out for lower prices on last year’s model as retailers look to clear out old stock. These sales usually start in the months leading up to the new phone’s release date. Last-gen models won’t have the fastest chipsets or best features, but they’re still more than capable of handling most tasks for several years.

3. Check if providers offer free business phones with signup

Phone service providers will often bundle discounted rates and low- to no-cost phones into enticing packages for new customers. 

This is especially common for cell phone providers, which often tout free business cell phones as a perk for signing up. If you need to sign up for a new business account (or have been looking for an excuse to switch providers), look for offers like this on cell phones, landlines or VoIP phones, depending on your needs. 

4. The most affordable business phones might be the ones you already have

If you or a friend has an old mobile phone or spare landline available, you might be able to repurpose it as a business line for little or no additional cost. For landlines, setting up can be as simple as plugging into the phone jack, as long as you’ve already signed up for a business phone plan. For smartphones, you may need to contact your provider to include them on your current plan, which may incur an additional fee.

5. Help the planet (and your wallet) by buying used

You can save some extra cash by shopping for used phones. Many small businesses offload old and overstock phones at thrift stores or list them at online community marketplaces. This can be a great way to pick up affordable business phones that work as if they were brand new. Businesses may even offload equipment directly to the general public at annual clearance events, so check your local listings for a chance to score a deal. 

6. Buy in bulk

If your business plans on operating a more extensive phone network to accommodate several employees, you may be able to secure a better rate by buying phones in bulk and setting them up simultaneously.

7. Save money on phones (and much more) with Walmart Business+

Sifting through a seemingly endless list of phones, looking for the perfect feature-rich option at the best price? Don’t worry. Walmart Business+ offers a curated selection of affordable business phones and other must-have supplies at everyday low prices. Save even more with free shipping with no order minimum¹ and get 2% back in Walmart Business Rewards on orders of $250 or more.² We’ve got just about everything your business needs to get connected—sign up for an account and start saving today.

¹Excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges.

²Exclusions apply. See full terms for details.