What is a toll-free number?

What is a toll-free number?

A toll-free number is a phone number where the person or company that owns the number pays for every completed call. The caller pays no toll. That is the legal meaning in the US: the FCC rules define it as a number whose toll charges are paid by the toll-free subscriber ^[1]. In the US and Canada you spot one by its first three digits: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 ^[2].

"Toll" is the old word for a long-distance charge. Before flat-rate plans, a call to another city cost money by the minute. A toll-free line moved that charge from the caller to the company. Businesses still use these numbers for support lines, orders and government help desks, because callers in any state can reach them without thinking about cost.

Toll-free means free for the caller on a normal US line. It does not mean free in every situation. Mobile plans, payphones and calls from other countries each have their own rules, and I cover them below.

What is a 1-800 number?

When a company says "call the 1-800 number", it means a number like 1-800-555-0142. The 1 is not part of the number itself. It is the long-distance prefix inside the US, and the country code from abroad. The United States and Canada share country code 1 ^[6].

In everyday speech "1-800 number" has become a generic name. A company with 1-888-555-0177 or 1-833-555-0123 also has a "1-800 number" in that loose sense. The codes behave the same way, but they are not interchangeable: 800-555-0142 and 888-555-0142 are two different lines, usually owned by different companies ^[7]. Always dial the code that is printed.

Other countries use "1800" too, but for their own domestic freephone ranges. An Indian, Irish or Australian 1800 number is not a US toll-free number. It follows its own country's rules, and from abroad it often does not connect. For those, see the Australian 1800 guide, the Irish 1800 guide and the Indian 1800 guide.

What is a toll-free call, and who pays for it?

A toll-free call is any call to a toll-free number. The company that owns the number pays the carrier for the call, and you pay nothing extra on a US landline ^[2]. Somos, the FCC-appointed administrator of US toll-free numbers, puts it simply: the called party pays, not the caller ^[5].

The rule is backed by a ban on tricks. FCC rule 64.1504 tells carriers to stop any use of a toll-free number that would charge the caller for completing the call ^[8]. So a toll-free line should not bill you just for completing the call.

Where you can still pay

• Mobile phones. The FCC says mobile callers are charged airtime for toll-free calls unless they have an unlimited calling plan ^[2]. On an unlimited plan you pay nothing extra.
• Payphones. You do not need a coin to call a toll-free number from a US payphone ^[9].
• From abroad. Outside the US and Canada, a toll-free number may not connect, or it may be billed as an international call ^[4].
• Texts. Some toll-free numbers accept texts if the owner enabled it ^[2]. Your plan's normal text rules apply.

For the full cost picture, including mobile plans and roaming, see are toll-free calls free.

Toll-free vs local number: what is the difference?

The difference is who pays and where the number points. With a local (geographic) number, the caller's plan covers the call, and the area code ties the number to a place. With a toll-free number, the owner pays for each completed call ^[1], and the code (800, 888 and so on) says nothing about where the company is.

The last two rows matter most when you travel. From another country a local number is the safer choice: it is dialed as a normal international call, while a toll-free line may reject you ^[4]. That is why many companies print a second, regular number "for callers outside the US". If you see one, use it.

For a business the trade-off runs the other way. With a toll-free number the company pays for incoming calls ^[5]; with a local number the caller pays. Many companies keep both.

Which codes are toll-free in the US?

Seven three-digit codes are toll-free in the US and Canada: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833 ^[12]. They all work the same way for the caller. NANPA has also set aside 822 and 880 to 887 plus 889 for future toll-free use, but none of those is in service ^[13][13].

The FCC opens a new code only when the free numbers in the existing codes run low ^[15]. So a newer code does not mean a less trusted company. It only means the number was taken later. The toll-free prefixes guide covers the reserved codes and how to tell a toll-free number from a lookalike.

Who runs toll-free numbers: the FCC, Somos and RespOrgs

Three parties run the system. The FCC sets the rules. Somos, Inc., a not-for-profit, is the Toll Free Numbering Administrator and runs the central database ^[3][1]. Companies called RespOrgs (Responsible Organizations) manage each number's record in that database for the business that uses it ^[1].

Somos

Somos is appointed by the FCC and runs the Service Management System day to day ^[1]. It began as SMS/800, Inc., became the neutral administrator on 1 Nov 2013, and took the Somos name on 27 Oct 2015 ^[12]. Somos also administers the toll-free pool for Canada and Sint Maarten, not only the US ^[3].

RespOrgs

A RespOrg is the company a toll-free subscriber picks to manage its number's record ^[1]. In practice it is the toll-free provider: a phone company or a cloud phone service. The RespOrg decides, with the subscriber, which carrier handles the calls and which regions may call the number.

Why the database matters

Before 1993, a toll-free number was tied to one long-distance carrier, and switching carrier meant a new number. A 1993 FCC mandate created a central database, so a subscriber can now change RespOrg or carrier and keep the same toll-free number ^[16]. That is how a brand can keep the same 1-800 number for decades.

Can anyone in North America call a US toll-free number?

Not always. Each toll-free record carries an "Area of Service" that the owner chooses: US only, US plus Canada, US plus the Caribbean, all three, or Canada or the Caribbean alone ^[11]. If your region is not in that list, the call is refused, even though you dialed the right digits.

This explains a common puzzle. A Canadian caller dials a US company's 1-800 number and gets a recording that the number cannot be reached from their area. Nothing is broken. The owner did not include Canada in the number's Area of Service.

Canada, the US and Caribbean nations share the North American Numbering Plan ^[3], so they share the toll-free codes too ^[17]. A Canadian company can own an 800 number just like a US one. If a call fails, the toll-free not working guide lists the usual causes and fixes.

Do toll-free numbers work outside the US?

Sometimes, and rarely for free. AT&T states that from outside the US and Canada, toll-free numbers may not connect or may be billed as international calls ^[4]. The Area of Service options in the US toll-free registry cover only the US, Canada and the Caribbean ^[11], so the owner is not paying for your call from anywhere else.

From abroad you dial your country's exit code, then 1, then the ten digits. From the UK that looks like this:

If it fails, look for the company's regular number for overseas callers first. Many companies publish one. The ranking above lists the other ways to place the call, with costs and limits. The full method is in how to call a 1-800 number from abroad.

There is also a separate, global kind of freephone: the Universal International Freephone Number, which uses country code 800 and eight more digits ^[18]. It is not a US 1-800 number. The international toll-free numbers guide explains the difference.

How do you dial a toll-free number?

Inside the US, dial 1, the three-digit toll-free code and the seven-digit number. On a mobile, the leading 1 is often optional. In the US and Canada the exit code is 011 ^[6][6], but you do not need it for a toll-free call at home, because the number is already in your own country code.

If the number is written with letters, like 1-800-FLOWERS, convert each letter to the digit on your keypad. The 1-800 numbers with letters guide has a converter. For calling from a computer, see calling toll-free numbers online. The general walkthrough for every phone type is on how to call a toll-free number.

How does a business get a toll-free number?

A business gets a toll-free number through a RespOrg, also called a toll-free service provider. Somos says anyone who wants a number should contact one, and numbers are reserved first come, first served ^[10]. You do not apply to the FCC or to Somos directly.

1. Pick a toll-free provider (a phone company or a cloud phone service) that acts as a RespOrg or works with one.
2. Search for a free number in any of the seven codes. If you want one that spells a word, ask for a vanity number ^[19].
3. Choose the Area of Service: US only, or also Canada and the Caribbean ^[11].
4. Point the number at your regular line, mobile or call center, and pay the provider for incoming minutes.

You can move the number to another provider later and keep it ^[16]. This site is a guide for callers, so I do not compare business plans. If you only need to call toll-free numbers, you do not need one of your own.