Toll-free telephone number facts for kids

A toll-free telephone number is a special phone number where the person receiving the call pays for it, not the person making the call. This means it's free for you to dial! In North America, these numbers often start with "1-800", but they can be different in other parts of the world.

Toll-free numbers are not the same as "collect calls". With a collect call, the person making the call asks the person they are calling if they will pay for it. If the person agrees, then they get charged. But with a toll-free number, the company or person who owns the number has already agreed to pay for all incoming calls.

What is a Toll-Free Number?

A toll-free number lets people call a business or organization without paying any money for the call. It's like a free pass to talk to them! These numbers are set up so that the cost of the call is paid by the owner of the number, not by the caller. This makes it easy for customers to reach companies, no matter where they are calling from.

How Do They Work?

When you dial a toll-free number, your phone company knows it's a special number. Instead of charging you for the call, they send the charge to the company that owns the toll-free number. Businesses often use these numbers for customer service, sales, or support lines. It's a way for them to encourage people to call without worrying about phone charges.

Toll-Free vs. Collect Calls

It's easy to mix up toll-free numbers with collect calls, but they are quite different.

• Toll-free calls: The company or person who owns the number always pays for the call. You, as the caller, never pay.
• Collect calls: The person you are calling has to agree to pay for the call before it connects. If they say no, the call doesn't go through.

So, with a toll-free number, the payment is already arranged. With a collect call, it's decided on the spot.

Where Are They Used?

Toll-free numbers are used all over the world, but the numbers themselves can look different.

• In North America, they usually start with 1-800, 1-888, 1-877, 1-866, 1-855, 1-844, or 1-833.
• In other countries, they have different starting numbers. For example, in the United Kingdom, they might start with 0800 or 0808. In Australia, they often start with 1800.

These numbers are very popular for customer support, helplines, and ordering products. They make it simple for anyone to get in touch with a business or service without worrying about the cost.

Images for kids

• 

  NTT Communications trade mark for free dial, often used in print advertising.

See also

In Spanish: Número 900 para niños