Toll-free numbers · small teams
Toll-free number for your small business Do you actually need one?
A toll-free number makes the call free for your customer, and you pay for every incoming minute instead. For a national brand that is worth it. For a two or three person team whose customers are mostly in one region, a local number usually does the job better and costs less to run. Here is how to tell which one you are, with the minute math.
US dollars. No contract, no seat minimum, billed by the day.
- Toll-free codes
- 800 888 877 866, 855, 844 and 833 too
- Who pays the call
- You do the caller pays nothing
- Toll-free incoming on Tonet
- 3.4¢ a minute, on both plans
- Local incoming on Unlimited
- Included US calls, under fair use
What it is
A number your caller does not pay for
A toll-free number starts with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833. The call is free for the person dialing it, and the business that owns the number pays for the call instead. 800 has been around since 1966; 833 is the newest, from 2017. They all work the same way for the caller.
Toll-free numbers are not tied to a city, and you can move one from one provider to another and keep it, the same as a local number.
Prefixes, dates and who pays: Toll-free telephone number, Wikipedia.
The honest answer
Who needs one, who doesn't
Not sure? Start with a local US number and add toll-free later. Both can ring the same team.
The minute math
What incoming calls cost you each month
On a toll-free number, every incoming minute is charged to you: 3.4 cents a minute on Tonet, on both plans, and Unlimited does not include it. On a local number the same calls are 1 cent a minute on Pay As You Go and included on Unlimited. Number rental is not in these columns.
How to read it. Toll-free is worth those cents when it brings in calls you would not get otherwise. If your customers would happily dial a local number, the same calls cost you nothing extra on Unlimited, at $15 a user a month for US calls and texts under a fair-use policy.
Or both
One team, a local and a toll-free number
Some businesses keep a local number for their home market and a toll-free number for everyone else. On Tonet both numbers ring the same people, so nobody has a second phone to carry.
You add numbers in the dashboard in a minute. Users are billed by the day, only for the days they are active, so a seasonal helper answering the toll-free line costs you only the days they work.
On both Tonet plans
What comes with every number
One number, the whole team
Ring groups ring everyone at once, with an optional queue and hold music. An auto attendant, schedules for after hours and calendar dates for holidays route the rest.
Recording, transcripts, summaries
Turn on recording per number. Recorded calls are transcribed with speaker labels and answered calls get a short AI summary. Every voicemail is transcribed and emailed with the audio.
App, browser or desk phone
iOS and Android apps, the browser with nothing to install, and SIP desk phones. Pre-configured Yealink phones ship to continental US addresses.
By the day, no contract
A prepaid balance, and users are charged daily, only for the days they are active. Pay As You Go is $10 a user a month plus 1 cent a minute, Unlimited is $15 a user a month.
Shared history and chat
Every call and text in one shared list, contacts with a timeline per number, team chat, and analytics on who answers and how fast.
A real person on support
Email support@tonet.ai, call (888) 836-3006, or use the chat on tonet.ai and the ticket system in the dashboard.
Getting one
A toll-free number in about five minutes
Sign up
Create an account with email or Google and add a card.
Add $15
The first deposit becomes your balance. For one user it lasts about a month.
Pick or port a number
Choose a toll-free or local number in the dashboard, where the number prices are shown, or file a port for the one you have. Toll-free ports can take longer than local ones, up to a few weeks, and the releasing carrier controls the timing.
Comparing whole phone setups? See what a business phone line costs.
Questions
Toll-free numbers, answered
What is a toll-free number?
A toll-free number is a phone number the caller does not pay to dial. In the US they start with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833. The business that owns the number pays for the incoming calls instead.
Does a small business need a toll-free number?
Only if your customers are spread across the country or you want a number that is not tied to one city. A two or three person team whose customers are mostly local is usually better served by a local number: callers recognize the area code, and on Tonet's Unlimited plan incoming calls to a local number are included.
How much do incoming calls on a toll-free number cost on Tonet?
Incoming calls on a toll-free number are 3.4 cents a minute on both Tonet plans, and they are not included in Unlimited. 300 incoming minutes in a month comes to $10.20. The same calls to a local number are 1 cent a minute on Pay As You Go and included on Unlimited.
Is an 800 number better than 888, 877 or 833?
For the caller they all work the same way and the call is free. 800 is the oldest toll-free code, from 1966, and 833 is the newest, from 2017. Pick the one whose digits are easiest for your customers to remember.
Can a toll-free number ring my whole team?
Yes. On Tonet a toll-free number rings a ring group like any other number, so everyone on the team can answer it in the app, a browser tab or a desk phone, with a queue, an auto attendant and after-hours schedules if you want them.
Can I have a local number and a toll-free number?
Yes. Some businesses keep a local number for their home market and a toll-free number for everyone else. On Tonet both can ring the same people, and you see the number prices in the dashboard before you buy.
Can I move my toll-free number to Tonet?
Yes. Porting a number in costs nothing. Most ports complete in 7 to 10 business days, toll-free numbers can take longer, up to a few weeks, and the releasing carrier controls the timing, so no date is guaranteed. Your number keeps working with your current provider until the switch, with no downtime.
Toll-free prefixes, dates and who pays: Wikipedia. Tonet rates are from our pricing and apply to US calls.
Pick the number that fits your callers.
Start with $15, add a local or toll-free number, and ring your whole team on it.
Start with $15