Question 1

What if the specific number I want isn't available?

Accepted Answer

Less than 1% of all the possible vanity numbers are actually available. The number you’re picturing has probably been held for decades, or won’t be issued for decades. That’s the bad news.

The good news: the right number for your business is almost never the most generic one you can think of. You don’t have ATTORNEY.com or think you need it for a great website. Generic equals expensive, generic equals everybody else.

When Lyft couldn’t get LIFT they went with Lyft, and the brand turned out to be ten times more valuable because it was theirs. The same is true for phone numbers. Search by category instead of by specific term and you’ll see options you never thought of.

Question 2

What's the difference between 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833?

Accepted Answer

They all work the same way. Dial any of them from anywhere in North America and you reach the same person, free to the caller.

800 was the first toll free prefix, opened in the 1960s, so most of the good 800 numbers were taken decades ago. 888 opened in 1996, then 877, then 866, 855 (2010), 844, and 833 (2017). Newer prefixes have more available inventory and the same call quality.

The number itself matters more than the prefix. 888-BLUE-CLEAN is more memorable than 800-followed-by-random-digits. Don’t get hung up on the prefix, focus on the word.

In real customer data, 800 is still the most requested (38%), but 833 (22%) and 855 (19%) are right behind. Customers have already adapted.

Question 3

Can I have a 12-digit vanity number like 1-800-PROGRESSIVE?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with one technical caveat. Only the first 7 letters after the area code actually dial the number. PROGRESSIVE maps to PROGRES (7767737), and the rest of the word is ignored by the phone system. Callers can dial the whole word and it still connects.

The general rule of thumb is not to start a new word after the 7th digit unless it’s part of a recognizable phrase. 1-800 HOME-SWEET-HOME works. 855-SWIM-WITH-THE-SHARKS works. Progressive, Allstate, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual all use more than 7 letters in their numbers and it works fine.

Long-word vanity numbers can occasionally cause issues on local numbers more than toll free numbers, because some local cell carriers handle the extra keystrokes badly. For toll free numbers it’s a non-issue.

Question 4

Should I get a local vanity number or a toll free vanity number?

Accepted Answer

Local if your customers are in a specific area. Toll free if you serve customers nationwide.

A local number like 619-ROOFING builds trust because 83% of Americans prefer local businesses. The area code signals you’re nearby, and the word makes the number memorable.

A toll free number like 800-FLOODED works everywhere in North America. Generic toll free terms cost six figures because they’ve been advertised for decades, but a branded toll free vanity (like 800-YOUR-NAME) is reasonably priced and works nationally.

Many businesses use both. A local number for their primary market, a toll free number for everything outside it. The local site here costs $79/mo and the toll free site costs $99/mo, so you can do both for less than $200/mo.

Numbers & Availability

What if the specific number I want isn't available?

What's the difference between 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833?

Can I have a 12-digit vanity number like 1-800-PROGRESSIVE?

Should I get a local vanity number or a toll free vanity number?