Toll-free phone numbers are ten-digit phone numbers with an area code like 833, 844, or 866, such as 833-999-9999. You can send texts from toll-free phone numbers if you register in advance. 

We only recommend registering for toll-free numbers if you are texting 1) at least once a month, 2) a warm list of subscribers who expect to hear from you. The industry closely monitors toll-free traffic and is quick to filter messaging from numbers that have received spam complaints or where the opt-out rate is high.

Who can use toll-free numbers?

Anyone using Scale to Win can register for toll-free numbers. Registration is free. Check out our article on how to get registered here. 

Although anyone can register for toll-free, we strongly recommend 10DLC (phone numbers with local area codes) to organizers and political advocacy groups. Political content tends to see higher opt-out rates than other content in the industry -- and on toll-free, that can mean heavy filtering or a revoked registration.

Why text on toll-free?

Toll-free has historically offered great deliverability to subscriber lists. For 501(c) nonprofits and private entities, toll-free also has the advantage of being an uncapped channel (unlike 10DLC, which has daily T-Mobile caps for 501(c) nonprofits and private entities). 

Additionally, toll-free provides additional redundancy in the unlikely event of filtering on a different phone number strategy.

What does it cost?

Right now, there are no additional costs to utilizing toll-free with Scale to Win for texts sent within the United States.

What are the downsides?

After testing toll-free at scale, we have seen next to no difference in response rates compared to local phone numbers. However, the toll-free channel is highly sensitive, and deliverability can be heftily impacted if your messages are triggering high opt-out rates and spam complaints.

Disclaimer: Deliverability is never guaranteed, and is always subject to change. Mobile carriers don’t always communicate what traffic they will and won’t allow, and filtering on toll-free is still possible.

Toll-free numbers are also subject to a number of limitations. First, they have to be used frequently, ideally at least once a month, or they may be marked as "dormant" and flagged as spam the next time they're used. Second, if opt-out rates are high enough on a specific day, toll-free numbers may be subject to a hidden daily cap after which all messages to a list will fail. Third, it's difficult to get more than 5 toll-free numbers for a registration, so if you need to assign multiple numbers to your teams, toll-free is less flexible than 10DLC.

How do I use toll-free numbers?

You will need to register to use a toll-free number to send texts. Once you’ve registered, you will be able to text from a verified toll-free number. The number will be automatically available to select in your text campaigns.

Switching between 10DLC and toll-free in Scale to Win Text

If you have successfully registered for 10DLC as well as toll-free, you can switch between phone number types in the "Sending Numbers" tab in your campaign.

GIF above: Choose the phone number used to send your texts in the "Sending Numbers" section of your campaigns.

Select "Bandwidth Toll-Free". If you have more than one toll-free number, you can also choose between those numbers. Then hit "Continue" to ensure when the texts in your campaign are sent, your contacts will see them coming from a toll-free number.

Switching between 10DLC and toll-free in Spoke

If you have successfully registered for 10DLC as well as toll-free, you can switch between phone number types in the "Phone Number" tab in your campaign by selecting the dropdown menu. 

GIF above: Choose the phone number used to send your texts in the "Phone Numbers" section of your Spoke campaigns.

Select "Toll-Free Number - SMS / MMS". Then, select “Save and Go to Next Section”. Now, when the texts in your campaign are sent, your contacts will see them coming from your toll-free number.

Note: you cannot change a phone number strategy after a campaign has launched.