How to Get an 800 Number

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

A toll-free telephone number can add convenience to communicating with long-distance friends and family. For a business, an 800 number can boost your marketing by providing a free way for clients and customers to communicate with you. Many providers offer 800 numbers with a variety of plan options. Follow this guide to get your new toll-free 800 number set up in just a few minutes.

Steps

1
Decide if you need an 800 number. An 800 number is a toll-free number that doesn’t cost the caller anything, but will charge you by the minute. An 800 number is especially useful for businesses, as the number can be personalized to match the business product, and doesn’t cost potential customers anything to call.
- An 800 number allows anybody to call from anywhere in the country, or even the world, and the call will be treated as a local call for the caller. This means that the long-distance charges that would normally apply are instead taken on by the operator of the 800 number.
- An 800 number is especially important for businesses that spend a lot of time on the phone with customers. If the customer is going to have to be on the phone for 15-30 minutes per call, letting them place that call for free can be very beneficial.
- An 800 number can be transferred to your existing landline or cell phone number. You will be charged minutes on your cell phone as normal, as well as the per-minute fees for receiving calls on the toll-free number.
- Almost all services will allow you to attempt to personalize your 800 number. A personalized 800 number can make your business look MUCH more professional, and can lead to a serious increase in business.
- Besides 800, toll free can also be 888, 877, 866, and 855.
2
Contact your current service provider. You may be able to get a better deal by going through your existing service provider as opposed to setting up an account with another service.

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3
Contact another service provider. There are a large number of companies that advertise the ability to give you toll-free 800 numbers. In order to ensure that you receive the best service and support possible, it is highly recommended that you go through a reputable business to set up your number.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
Federal Communications Commission
Independent U.S. government agency responsible for regulating radio, television, and satellite, and phone communications
Go to source} Some of the more reputable solutions include:
- AT&T
- Verizon
- Vonage
- Flowroute
- 800.com
4
Compare rates. Every provider will have slightly different rates and packages. Some require a minimum monthly payment that includes a set number of minutes, while others don’t require a minimum payment but simply charge per minute.
- Incoming calls from different regions will cost you different amounts. For example, if your business is in the United States, a call coming from Canada will cost you more than a call coming from somewhere else in the US.
5
Check what other features are available. Some services offer additional features such as voicemail, caller ID, virtual office administrators, voice-to-email, and more. Find the feature package that best suits your business’s needs and budget.
6
Set up your account. Once you’ve picked your service, contact the company and set up an account. Choose the package that serves your business’s needs the best. Most services will allow you to choose your own number if it is available, which you can use to personalize it and make it easier to remember.
- Try to pick a number that matches your business. For example, if you are in the auto business, try to get a number like (800)555-CARS or (800)555-AUTO. This will make your number much easier to remember for your customers.^{[2]
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7
Assign the number to a designated line. Toll-free numbers need to be routed to existing phone lines. Routing to an existing land-line will be the cheapest and easiest, since you don’t have to worry about running out of minutes or bad reception.
- After signing up, your toll-free number should be activated in no more than one hour.

Community Q&A

Question

Why can't law enforcement trace 800 phone scammers?

Community Answer

They are built to be more anonymous. Generally they are run over internet connections rather than phone lines, so an IP address is the only thing that can be determined, which will just get you a city.
Question

Can my 800 number be transferred to another landline number?

Community Answer

For most cases yes, any phone numbers can be transferred. Contact you telecom company and ask them if they allow it.