A toll-free number is a telephone number that can be dialed from landlines with no charge to the person placing the call. The recipient of the call, not the caller, pays for the call. Toll-free numbers are identified by a dialing prefix similar to an area code, and they allow callers to reach businesses and individuals out of the area without being charged a long-distance fee for the call. Toll-free numbers are particularly common for customer-service calling.

Toll-free numbers usually begin with one of the following three-digit codes: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833. Although these codes are all toll-free, they are not interchangeable. Dialing a number using a 1-800 prefix would reach a different recipient than dialing that number using a 1-888 prefix. Calls to each toll-free number are routed to a particular local telephone number.

Toll-free numbers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Toll-free numbers usually capture the telephone number of the caller for billing purposes through automatic number identification, which is independent of caller ID data and functions even if caller ID is blocked. Toll-free numbers can be attached to desk phones and landlines, forwarded to mobile phones, or used virtually through a VoIP system so you can make or receive calls on any device.

Business owners often use toll-free numbers so customers and prospects can get help without worrying about expensive, long-distance phone calls. Toll-free numbers boost a companys recognition and make the business appear more legitimate than when using a personal or standard business telephone number. Toll-free numbers are relevant for businesses of different sizes, and they can h...