Toll free numbers useful facts
A toll free number is a service that makes it possible for other people to call you at no cost to them. Toll free numbers are a must for any business today, but they are also used by many people for different reasons - your college kids or relatives can call you free of charge and so on. This is a cost effective and practical alternative to phone cards, payphones or calling collect.
What are the toll free prefixes in use?
The prefixes in use for toll free numbers are 800, 888, 877 and 866.
What is the difference between regular and stand alone toll free?
Regular toll free service is a service that comes with an outbound line. In other words, you must switch your outbound line too when signing up for this type of service. Visit our toll free providers page for a list of good companies providing this type of service.
You can sign up for a stand alone toll free number without having to change your outbound telephone service provider. We review stand alone toll free services from Power Net Global and Kall8
Are toll free numbers portable?
Yes, portability is available for a toll free number. Therefore you can keep your number when changing carriers. Most vendors provide an online or printable form you can use to transfer your toll free number.
What are vanity numbers?
Vanity numbers use letters/words instead of the classic numeric numbers. A popular example is 1 800 CALL COLLECT. Vanity numbers have proven to be a very good marketing choice for businesses. Commercials displaying a vanity number as opposed to a regular one have increased the number of calls as well as the sales conversion rate for many companies, this being the reason why vanity numbers are used by business customers on a larger scale than regular numbers.
Kall8 is one of the well known companies providing vanity numbers combined with many features such as programmable toll free (ring to your office, car etc), international toll free numbers and more.
Will my toll free account incur payphone charges?
Yes, the $0.49 FCC mandated fee. For an additional monthly charge some carriers provide an option to block toll free calls coming from payphones.