A toll free fax number is a fax number in the 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 range that costs the sender nothing to reach, with the receiving account paying for the call instead. For a business that receives faxes from customers across the country it removes the one reason a customer might hesitate to send, and it reads as a national company on letterhead. On an online fax service it is assigned like any other number and receives faxes as PDFs the same way; FAXAGE prints identical prices for its Local and Toll-Free plans, and the other vendors in the Fax Line Index catalog offer both on the plans the index prices.
Toll free versus local
The fax works identically on either. A local number in your area code reads as an established local business and is what a clinic or a law office serving one city usually wants; a toll free number reads as national and is free for anyone in the country to send to, which matters when customers or patients fax you from far away and may be on metered lines. On an online service the choice is made at sign-up and the plan price is the same for both where the vendor prints both, as FAXAGE does at $3.49 a month per line on Lite and $7.95 on Professional.
What the plan behind the number costs
The number is included; the plan is the cost. Fax.Plus prints one fax number on Basic at $6.99 a month with 200 pages and $0.10 per extra page; WestFax prints one included number on Solo at $14.99 with 500 pages and a 3 cent overage; Documo prints one number on Solo at $25 a month billed annually with 300 pages. Extra numbers, toll free or local, are priced per month where the page says: eFax at $5 a month per extra line, WestFax at $4.95 plus a $20 one-time fee, Documo at $3.00 per additional number.
Porting a toll free number you already have
A toll free fax number a business has had for years is worth keeping, and it ports to an online fax service like any other number, through the new provider's port request to the losing carrier. WestFax prints the fee at $20 one time per number, whether ported or new. The port takes a couple of weeks and the old line must stay active until it completes; the fax number porting guide on this site sets out the steps and the mismatch that most often rejects a request.
Questions people ask about toll free fax number
What is a toll free fax number?
A fax number in the 800-series ranges that is free for the sender to reach, with the receiving account paying for the call. On an online fax service it receives faxes as PDFs like any other number.
Does a toll free fax number cost more?
Not where the vendor prints both: FAXAGE prices Local and Toll-Free plans identically. The plan behind the number is the cost, and extra numbers are priced per month where the page says.
Can I keep my toll free fax number when I switch?
Yes, by porting. WestFax prints $20 one time per number; keep the old line active until the port completes.