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800, 888, 877 & 866 Toll Free Numbers

800 Toll Free Service:
Frequently Asked Questions - Part 2
go to Frequently Asked Questions - Part 1
go to the 800 toll free rates page

ARE THERE ANY FEES ASSOCIATED WITH A TOLL FREE NUMBER?
For many plans there are minimal or monthly recurring fees.  We advise you to investigate fees which may possibly incur.  

I AM UNDER CONTRACT WITH MY LONG DISTANCE CARRIER, DO I HAVE TO USE THEM FOR MY 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 SERVICE?
No. A carrier may offer great outbound rates and awful inbound rates. Many companies split out their outbound and inbound 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 service due to these pricing differences. The savings can be substantial.

WHAT IS A VANITY 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 NUMBER?  
A vanity number is a number which, when used in conjunction with the letters on the touch tone key pad, spell a word or phrase. The phrase can be anything from your name to the name of your business (1-800-MY COMPANY). It can describe your business in general or as specifically as you would like. It can inform your customers of your service or product (1-800-FREE 800). It could be a well-known term, a cliché or a popular saying (I-888-JUST DO IT). It could be a name of a city, state, or country (1-888-SAN DIEGO). It could be an easy to remember number for your child-student (1-800-I LOVE YOU). But one thing is for sure, it will be easy to remember.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF A VANITY 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 TOLL FREE NUMBER?  
Your vanity phone number works 24 hours a day; can provide prestige to your organization; it can identify your service or product; and it can be easily remembered.

HOW DO I GET A VANITY NUMBER? 
WARNING: Vanities are hard to get right now. A helpful suggestion if you don't currently have an 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 service and want a vanity (custom) number: Call the toll free number before you request it. See if it is in use. If it rings, it is taken, even if it is not answered, it is gone. If it has a quick busy or operator intercept message, it is probably, but not definitely gone.  You have a 30% chance of getting  vanity number if the line does NOT go through.

Many carriers charge a "search or retention" fee to check for 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 numbers. Some even apply the fee if the number you request is not available. These fees typically range from $5-$50 per 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 number. Many of the carriers we represent will waive this fee for our clients.

go to the 800 toll free rates page

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET A VANITY?
First, almost all of the 800 numbers are gone and most of the 888's are as well. Out of   50-60 vanity searches, typically only 2  are not taken. Many   800 numbers are regional. A landscaper in Atlanta with 1 800 LANDSCAPE, doesn't want calls from Maine, Florida or Oregon, so she just allows calls from his area code. You get a fast busy like it isn't working and she doesn't pay for your call.  Also, large companies take a block of 100- 800 numbers and only activate 10 at a time.   Additionally there is an inventory of 800 numbers on hold with the 100's of resellers and carriers, so it may be possible that a specific  800 vanity number is available, but just sitting in some carriers reserve bank.  The only way to find it, would be to get a list of each carrier and start to call them, and hope that it is not a regional carrier that doesn't serve your region in the highly unlikely event you find that number.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A 800 NUMBER UP AND RUNNING?  
If you have an existing 800 number it typically takes 5-14 business days to switch service to a new carrier. If you are requesting a new 800 number, add a couple of days to this.

WHY DO 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 COST PER MINUTES RATES VARY BY STATE?
Carriers file rates with each state for instate calling. These rates vary widely: for instance in Maine plans vary from 5 CPM to 40 CPM. In California typically the rates will be  from 4.9 CPM to 15.9 CPM. This is a very important factor in controlling your costs. You may need an 800 number for a specific state, say Florida. The 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 interstate rate may be 10.9 CPM, but the instate rate could be 20.0 CPM. Be sure to investigate both the interstate and intrastate rates before accepting a carrier. In some states, such as California, carriers may offer even lower rates for LATA (calls from within your area code) calls. This can be a significant expense for a company with a very local 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 number such as a real estate company or restaurant. 

ARE THERE ANY MONTHLY CHARGES AT ALL FOR YOUR "FREE" 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 NUMBER?  No, not usually, unless you want a listing in the national 800 directory. This typically runs $20 per month. The general rule of thumb, only list if you expect people to call and get your number. Don’t list fax machines, secondary 800 numbers or home 800 numbers, it is not worth the $20. Even large companies like Coca-Cola don’t list all their 800 numbers in the directory. They list the main number and give out the fax, service, etc., number on a case by case basis.

HOW DO I FIND TOLL FREE NUMBERS FOR COMPANIES?
You can call Toll-Free Directory Assistance at 1-800-555-1212 to get an 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 number listing. And now, their are numerous Toll-Free Internet Directories that list toll free and other numbers.

WHAT ABOUT 1 800 COLLECT or 1 800 CALL ATT?      
Your own 800 number is approximately 80% more cost effective than any collect calling plans.

go to the 800 toll free rates page

DO I NEED A SEPARATE (EXTRA) LINE FOR AN 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 NUMBER?
No, the 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 number "rings to" any existing number you have, whether your home number, the fax at work, etc. Think about which line in your office you are going to have it "ring to." If you have multiple 800 numbers you can have them all ring to the same "ring to" number or to specific line to track response.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 800 and 888 and 877 and 866 TOLL FREE NUMBERS?
They all provide the exact same service, they offer your callers toll-free convenience.  The 888's were added when we ran out of 800 numbers in March of 1996, and the 877 are being added because we are running out of 888 numbers.

IF A COMPANY HAS AN 800 NUMBER, CAN I ALSO REACH THEM BY CALLING THE 888 or 877 VERSION OF THAT NUMBER? All numbers will be unique and not interchangeable, i.e., 800-123-4567 will not reach the same part as   888-123-4567 or 877-123-4567. If you need this to occur, the same company would need to obtain both the 800 and the 888 and the 877 version of the same number, which is not always the case.

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR USING OR PUBLISHING MY TOLLFREE NUMBER? When marketing your 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 number be sure to say "Call us TOLL-FREE at 1-888-###-#####. Make your toll free number stands out visually. Print it in bold, or in a different color or type size.  Always feature your tollfree number PROMINENTLY in all your ads, promotions, press releases, advertising, catalogs, stationery and web sites.

I AM READY TO GET AN 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 NUMBER, WHAT DO I DO?  
Think about which line in your office/home you are going to have it "ring to." If you have multiple 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 numbers you can have them all ring to the same "ring to" number or to specific line to track response.

WHERE DO I THE 800 TOLL FREE RATES?
The cost for 800 - 888 - 877 - 866 numbers and long distance outbound (1+) rates vary by carrier. There are interstate rates that start at about 5 CPM to 10.9 to 11.9 CPM for users with little or no volume. 

go to Frequently Asked Questions - Part 1
go to the 800 toll free rates page