The article explores the underutilization and perceived inferiority of telephone interviews in qualitative research compared to face-to-face interviews. Despite the widespread use of telephone interviews in quantitative research, they are rarely discussed in the qualitative research literature. The author argues that telephone interviews can be a valuable tool for qualitative research, offering advantages such as reduced cost, increased access to geographically dispersed subjects, and enhanced interviewer safety. However, the absence of visual cues is often cited as a major concern, leading to potential loss of contextual and nonverbal data, and compromising rapport and interpretation of responses. The review of existing literature reveals a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research, with few methodological discussions and limited empirical evidence supporting their use. While some studies suggest that telephone interviews may yield rich and high-quality data, others highlight the challenges, such as the need for short interview durations and the potential for participant distraction. The author calls for more research to compare different interview modalities, examining their impact on data quality and their effectiveness for various topics and populations. Such studies could provide evidence-based guidelines for optimizing interview data in qualitative research.The article explores the underutilization and perceived inferiority of telephone interviews in qualitative research compared to face-to-face interviews. Despite the widespread use of telephone interviews in quantitative research, they are rarely discussed in the qualitative research literature. The author argues that telephone interviews can be a valuable tool for qualitative research, offering advantages such as reduced cost, increased access to geographically dispersed subjects, and enhanced interviewer safety. However, the absence of visual cues is often cited as a major concern, leading to potential loss of contextual and nonverbal data, and compromising rapport and interpretation of responses. The review of existing literature reveals a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research, with few methodological discussions and limited empirical evidence supporting their use. While some studies suggest that telephone interviews may yield rich and high-quality data, others highlight the challenges, such as the need for short interview durations and the potential for participant distraction. The author calls for more research to compare different interview modalities, examining their impact on data quality and their effectiveness for various topics and populations. Such studies could provide evidence-based guidelines for optimizing interview data in qualitative research.