Is 833 a toll-free number?

Is 833 a toll-free number?

Yes. 833 is one of the seven US toll-free codes ^[1]. Somos, the toll-free administrator, called it the latest in a series that already held 800, 888, 877, 866, 855 and 844 ^[5]. A call from a US landline is free for you; the company that owns the number pays ^[6].

Why were some 833 numbers auctioned?

Because too many companies wanted the same ones. The FCC opens a new code when the old pool is close to running out ^[2], and it pushed the 833 date back to 3 June 2017 to run a pre-opening round ^[2]. Earlier codes were handed out first-come, first-served ^[7].

In that round, nearly 150 RespOrgs asked for more than 72,000 numbers. Over 17,000 were wanted by more than one RespOrg, such as 833-333-3333 and 833-FLOWERS, and were frozen ^[7]. Somos then auctioned them. Bidding ran on 17 December 2019 in one sealed round; the top bidder paid the second-highest price ^[3].

How do I dial a 1-833 number from the US and from abroad?

At home in the US, dial 1, 833 and the seven digits. Abroad, put your exit code first, then 1, then the ten digits ^[8]. Keep the 1: it is the country code for the US and Canada. Mexico and the Philippines both use 00 as the exit code.

Is a call to 833 free?

From a US landline, yes ^[1]. On a US mobile without unlimited minutes, the call uses airtime ^[1]. Abroad, there is no promise: an 833 line may refuse the call, or your carrier may bill it as international ^[4]. Look for the company's overseas number before anything else.

If there is none, an internet calling app can reach the line. TwinPhone bills US$0.02 a minute for US toll-free calls, so it is cheap but not free ^[9]. Some lines accept only callers from certain states and will not connect ^[10]. See TwinPhone's notes on calling an 833 line from outside the US, and the ranking above for the alternatives. For emergencies, use a local phone, never an app ^[10].

Who is calling me from 833? Is it a scam?

An 833 caller ID proves nothing on its own. The FCC defines spoofing as deliberately faking caller ID to look like a trusted company or agency ^[11]. Two checks help: is the code real at all, and what does the caller want from you?

• No 822 number works, so any 822 call or text is spoofed ^[4]. The same holds for 880 to 887 and 889, which are set aside and not in service ^[12].
• A demand for gift cards, crypto, a payment app or a wire transfer marks a scam ^[13].
• To check a caller who names a company, hang up and call the number on its official website ^[11].

Other toll-free prefixes

833 follows 800 in number order and comes before 844. Each code has its own short page with dates and dialing notes. The toll-free prefixes overview lists every code. The basics are in what a toll-free number is and whether toll-free calls cost anything. The main guide covers every way to call.

• Is 800 toll-free?The original toll-free code
• Is 844 toll-free?The 2013 code
• All toll-free prefixesIn service and reserved codes