What is the difference between a toll-free number and a premium number?

What is the difference between a toll-free number and a premium number?

Toll-free and premium numbers serve different purposes and have opposite billing models. Here's how they compare:

📞 Toll-Free Number

Caller Pays? ❌ No – the business pays for the call
Prefixes: 1800, 888, 877, 866 (India: usually 1800-XXX-XXXX)
Purpose: Customer support, helplines, inquiries
Caller Benefit: Free to call, improves accessibility and trust
Business Role: Covers per-minute call cost for all incoming calls

💰 Premium Number

Caller Pays? ✅ Yes – caller is charged above normal call rates
Prefixes: 0900, 1860, or other country-specific codes
Purpose: Paid services like tech support, voting lines, or content access
Caller Impact: Can result in high call charges
Business Benefit: May share in call revenue with telecom provider

🔍 Summary Table

Feature	Toll-Free Number	Premium Number
Who pays	Business	Caller
Purpose	Customer support	Paid/monetized services
Caller cost	Free	Higher than normal
Revenue to biz	No	Yes, partial call revenue
Common prefixes	1800, 888, etc.	1860, 0900, etc.

📍Need help choosing a number?

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