Toll-free area codes and prefixes

What are the toll-free area codes?

The US toll-free area codes are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833 ^[6]. Any number that starts with one of them, after the country code 1, is a toll-free number. They are shared across the North American Numbering Plan, so Canada uses the same seven codes ^[7]. NANPA's 2025 annual report names 822 as the one toll-free code still awaiting implementation ^[8].

"Area code" is a slightly odd name here. A normal area code points to a region, like 212 for New York City. A toll-free code points nowhere in particular. Technically all of these are Numbering Plan Area codes, which is why NANPA lists them next to the geographic ones. Each number is ten digits: the three-digit code plus a seven-digit number ^[10].

Are all toll-free prefixes the same?

Yes for the caller, no for the number. Somos, the US toll-free administrator, says calls to all seven codes are toll-free calls, but the numbers are not interchangeable because they are likely used by different subscribers ^[11]. So 1-800-555-0142 and 1-888-555-0142 can ring at two unrelated companies.

This is an easy mistake to make. Someone remembers "1-800" and the seven digits, but the company printed 1-877. The call reaches an unrelated company, or whoever else holds that number. Copy the code exactly as it appears on the company's own website or your bill.

Cost and rules are also the same across codes. The owner pays for every completed call ^[12]. From a US landline, a call to any of the seven is free ^[6]. A newer code does not mean a cheaper or less official line.

Why are there seven toll-free codes?

Because 800 ran out. The FCC opens a new toll-free code when the pool of available numbers is near exhaust ^[3]. 800 served alone from 1967 ^[2] until 888 began carrying calls on 1 Mar 1996 ^[1]. The other six codes all opened in the 21 years from 1996 to 2017.

• 888 was designated on 25 Jan 1995 and calls began on 1 Mar 1996 ^[1].
• 877 opened in April 1998 ^[1].
• 866 opened on 29 Jul 2000 ^[1].
• 855 opened on 9 Oct 2010, and the FCC capped each RespOrg at 100 new numbers a day for the first 30 days ^[9].
• 844 opened on 7 Dec 2013 ^[1].
• 833 opened on 3 Jun 2017 ^[3].

The 833 launch was unusual. More than 17,000 numbers had several bidders, and the FCC ordered Somos to auction them. The auction ran on 17 Dec 2019 as a single round, where the top bidder paid the second-highest bid ^[1].

Toll-free numbers are handed out first come, first served through RespOrgs ^[13], so a popular code fills up quickly. When the seven run low again, 822 is the next one in line ^[5][8]. I found no official opening date for it.

Is 822 or 880 a toll-free number?

No, not today. 822 is assigned for toll-free use in the NANPA database but has no in-service date ^[4]. AT&T says it has never been in service, so any caller ID that shows 822 is spoofed ^[5]. NANPA lists 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887 and 889 as set aside for toll-free and not in service ^[4].

You may also see claims online that Mexican callers can reach US 800 numbers by dialing 880, 881 and so on. I found no official source for that mapping, and it does not match NANPA's listing of those codes as unused. I do not recommend it.

How to tell if a number is toll-free

Look at the three digits right after the 1 or +1. If they are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833, the number is a US or Canadian toll-free number ^[6]. Anything else, including 822 or 880, is not a working toll-free number today ^[4][4].

1. Strip spaces, dashes and brackets. (800) 555-0142, 800.555.0142 and +1 800 555 0142 are the same number.
2. If it starts with +1 or 1, drop that. You should have ten digits left ^[10].
3. Check the first three of those ten against the list of seven codes.
4. If the number has letters, convert them first with the letters converter.

Lookalikes that are not US toll-free

• +855 numbers. +855 is the country code of Cambodia, not the US 855 toll-free code ^[14]. A +855 call is international. Details are on the 855 page.
• +800 numbers. A number written +800 followed by eight digits is a Universal International Freephone Number, a different global system ^[15]. See international toll-free numbers.
• 1800 in other countries. Australia, India, Ireland, Malaysia and the Philippines use 1800 for their own domestic toll-free numbers ^{[16][17][18][19][20]}. They are not US numbers and follow local rules.
• 0800 in the UK. UK Freephone uses 0800 and 0808. BT says these are free when dialled from the UK ^[21], and they have nothing to do with the US 800 code.

Do the same prefixes work in Canada and the Caribbean?

Canada uses exactly the same seven toll-free codes as the US, because both are part of the North American Numbering Plan ^[7][2]. Somos administers the toll-free pool for the US, Canada and Sint Maarten ^[2]. A Canadian bank can own an 888 number just like a US airline.

Sharing codes does not mean every number takes every caller. Each number has an Area of Service chosen by its owner: US only, US and Canada, US and the Caribbean, all three, Canada only or the Caribbean only ^[22]. A US-only 1-800 number will refuse a call from Toronto, and a Canada-only one will refuse a call from Texas.

From Canada you dial a US toll-free number the same way you would inside the US: 1 and the ten digits. No exit code is needed, since both countries share country code 1 ^[23].

How do you dial a toll-free prefix from another country?

Dial your country's exit code, then 1, then the toll-free code and the seven digits. On a mobile you can type + instead of the exit code. The prefix itself does not change how you dial: 800 and 833 follow the same pattern. What can change is whether the line accepts the call. From outside the US and Canada, toll-free numbers may not connect or may be billed as international calls ^[5].

If the line refuses you, try the company's regular number for overseas callers, or one of the methods in the ranking above. The step-by-step guide with exit codes by country is how to call a 1-800 number from abroad. Never use a calling app for an emergency; call the local emergency number from a local phone.

Is a call from an 8xx toll-free number safe?

A toll-free number on your caller ID tells you nothing about who is calling. The FTC warns that scammers can make any name or number appear on caller ID ^[24], and the FCC calls this spoofing ^[25]. A call that shows 822 or 880 to 889 is certainly faked, because those codes are not in service ^[5][4].

• If a caller says they are your bank or a government agency, hang up and call the number on your statement or the official website ^[25].
• A request for payment by gift card is a scam ^[26]. So is pressure to pay by crypto, payment app or wire transfer ^[24].
• Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM) on most mobile carriers ^[26].

Each prefix page covers the scams most often reported for that code: 855, 888, 844 and so on.

What does a toll-free prefix mean for the cost of a call?

Every one of the seven prefixes means the same thing: the owner of the number pays for completed calls ^[27]. From a US landline you pay nothing ^[6]. From a US mobile you pay only if your plan charges airtime ^[6]. Calls from abroad are a separate story.

For what toll-free numbers are and who runs them, see what is a toll-free number. For costs by phone type, see are toll-free calls free. And for plain dialing help, start with how to call a toll-free number.