How Much Does a Toll Free Number Cost?
How much does a toll free number cost?
If you’re thinking about getting a toll free number for your business, you may wonder how much it’s going to cost. To help answer this question, we’ve added this blog post. Here, we break down the cost of some of the most popular toll free numbers.
We also provide information on how to choose between pay by the minute (pay as you go) plans and bundled minutes plans that offer a block or package of monthly calling minutes. The pay as you go plans allow you to spend next to nothing if your call volume will be low, and the bundled plans have a higher monthly service charge, but offer lower per-minute rates that are more attractive for businesses that need a 500 or more monthly calling minutes, as examples.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the three main factors that make up the cost of a toll free number:
- The country where the toll free calls will come from (customers’ location)
- The country where the calls will be sent to (your location)
- How your calls will be answered (type of device)
From Which Country Will Your Toll Free Calls Originate?
The first thing your toll free provider needs to know is where your toll free calls will come from. This is also known as the “originating country.”
Are your customers located in the United States? If so, you’ll need a US toll free number so that your US customers aren’t charged for the call. A US toll free number will have a different monthly and rate per minute (RPM) charge than a UK or India toll free number.
What Country Will Your Toll Free Calls Be Sent To?
After the originating country has been determined, we’ll need to know where to send the incoming calls. This would be the country where you and/or your employees are located. This location is known as the “terminating country.”
Your rate per minute will vary depending on the terminating country. For instance, if a customer calls your US toll free number and the call is sent to a phone in Canada, the rate per minute will be different than if the call was sent to a phone in Australia or Brazil.
How Will Your Toll Free Calls Be Answered?
Once you’ve decided where your calls will originate and terminate, you’ll need to decide if your incoming calls will be answered via VoIP, landline, or cell phone
Cost to Receive Toll Free Number Calls by VoIP
You can receive a VoIP call through your internet connection with a softphone on your laptop computer. Because there is no phone company involvement, your rate per minute for calls sent from your toll free number to your laptop will always be much cheaper than mobile or landline calls. You can check out this article, VoIP vs. Landline Toll Free Number Cost to learn more about the differences between the two.
Cost to Receive Toll Free Number Calls by Landline
If calls to your toll free number are sent to a landline (traditional telephone), then the rate per minute will be higher because the call must be transported to its destination over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). That’s the phone company. The phone company that owns the PSTN tacks on additional charges to transmit the call.
Cost to Receive Toll Free Number Calls on Your Cell Phone
Toll free calls can be forwarded to your cell phone. These calls also cost a bit more than calls sent to VoIP or landline. The cell phone carrier charges additional fees to transmit the incoming toll free call to your cell phone.
How Much Do Toll Free Numbers Cost?
Your rate per minute (RPM) will vary, depending on where the call originates, where the call terminates, and the device you use to answer the call. VoIP calls are almost always less expensive than calls sent to a landline or mobile device. Of course, the cost of your monthly bill will depend on the toll free number provider you sign up with. No two providers have exactly the same rates.
You can learn more about cost differences between bundled minutes plans and pay by the minute plans in the article Pay by the Minute or Bundled Minutes – What’s the Difference?.
If you still have questions, please send an email to marketing@callforwarding.com and we’d be happy to answer them for you.