Toll-free number
What is Toll-free number?
A toll-free number (an 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833 number in the US and Canada) lets a caller reach a business at no cost to themselves — the called business pays for the call instead of the caller. Toll-free numbers are commonly used for customer support and sales lines, and, when used for high-volume SMS, must complete toll-free verification separately from the standard A2P 10DLC registration long codes go through.
More detail
Multiple toll-free prefixes (800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833) exist because the original 800 code eventually ran out of available numbers as demand grew.
A toll-free number used for SMS is subject to toll-free verification review rather than A2P 10DLC brand-and-campaign registration, since it's a different number type with its own carrier vetting process.
Frequently asked
- Are all toll-free prefixes (800, 888, etc.) treated the same?
- Functionally yes for callers — all route as free-to-call numbers — the multiple prefixes exist purely because the original 800 code ran out of capacity, not because of any difference in how they behave.
- Do toll-free numbers need the same registration as long codes for texting?
- No — a toll-free number sending SMS goes through toll-free verification, a separate per-number carrier review process, rather than the brand-and-campaign registration required for standard 10DLC long codes.
See also
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