There are lots of reasons to get a second phone number.
Maybe you want to forward a publicized number to your private number. Maybe it’s for your solo business. Or maybe you’re getting a lot of spam calls and need a change, but don’t want to have to ditch your classic digits.
Whatever the reason, you don’t necessarily have to call up Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or whoever your phone provider is and ask them for a second line! These days, trustworthy websites, VoIP platforms and apps are able to provide you a second number for free, or cheap. Here’s how.
- How do I get another number?
- Can I make and send texts from a second number?
- Is porting a new number the same as getting a new line?
- What’s the benefit of a second number?
How do I get another number?
Instead of changing your number or buying a second line with your carrier (not usually ideal and may require a Dual SIM or eSIM card enabled cell phone), you can get an additional phone number through an online number provider like NumberBarn or Google Voice.
This is the cheapest way to get a new number in just a few basic steps:
1. Activate a new number online
If you already have a service provider, you can go to an online marketplace (yes, like NumberBarn) and get a new number that works the same as your current one, plus is yours to keep, for as little as $5. (You can also get a toll-free number, but slightly different rules might apply.)
Protip: If you’re particular about what you want the numbers to be, that’s called a custom “Vanity Number.” While most phone service providers give you the choice of a few random phone numbers, some (like NumberBarn), let you pick a phone number that spells a word (like your name, business or industry) or features easy to remember repeating digits. You could pay a little to a lot more for the perfect digits, if you really want, and if the number you want is available.
2. Choose how you support the number
Use a VoIP service with an app:
You’ll need to get your new phone number up and running with a service provider that can host the number, (typically the same provider where you bought or acquired the new number). To avoid moving your phone number to a major carrier and paying carrier prices, the easiest option is to download the mobile app of that provider, and place calls directly from the app.
However, because calls typically go through VoIP (voice over internet protocol), you will need to be able to access a wifi connection to utilize most VoIP phone numbers. Free phone numbers like Google Voice may also deactivate if you don’t use the number within a certain amount of time. (And, you may not get to choose the phone number.)
Use a service with call forwarding, or parking:
Call forwarding also enables you to keep your original number, while forwarding calls from your new number to your old number (without your caller seeing this). With services like NumberBarn, you can adjust your settings so that you receive the forwarded call just like any standard incoming call on your cell phone (without using wifi), and also receive call logs, etc. viewable from your desktop browser or the NumberBarn mobile app.
The difference between simply using the app (above), and using a plan like NumberBarn’s Call Forwarding (starts at $6 a month) is that you can use settings like Call Back Mode to make outbound calls from your new number, using your cellular connection on your existing phone number mobile plan (if you ever need to make a call without having access to wifi). Boom. Now you have the convenience of two different fully functional phone numbers, on your cell phone. (Need more than two numbers? With NumberBarn, you can have multiple numbers in the same account, whereas free phone number services may only offer one phone number per account.)
If you’re mainly concerned about better protecting yourself from spam, etc. you could also purchase a number and park it ($2 bucks a month at NumberBarn). Technically, the number is “active” and you can receive (but not answer) incoming calls and texts and access call logs, etc. You won’t be able to make any outgoing calls or texts, but if you needed to give a phone number out for that grocery store “member discount,” etc. having a parked phone number could be another option.
Alternatively, you could also port and park your old number with NumberBarn and use a custom outbound greeting to notify your callers that you’ve changed numbers. (They won’t be able to leave a voicemail with a parked phone number, but they would still be able to hear whatever custom greeting you want them to hear when they call you.)
Or port it out:
Now, if you just don’t want to keep the number with the service you likely purchased or acquired it from, that’s totally ok too. You can usually transfer your number to most carriers and phone services. (Some companies, like Google Voice, may charge a small port-out fee, while other companies may charge a small port-in fee however.)
Say you want to get a number from Google Voice but you don’t want to risk losing that phone number after a period of inactivity. You can move it out to most major carriers, or other platforms like NumberBarn. This is called “porting.”
If you’re porting from wireless to landline, or vice versa, porting a number can take anywhere between a day to a month depending on the carrier, typically 3-10 business days at NumberBarn. (In some cases, porting can actually be quite fast, again depending on the carrier, and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.) Just a heads up to help you prepare for the appropriate timeline.
Protip: Whatever you do, do not cancel the phone service for the number you wish to port, until after the port is completed. (Don’t worry, porting should not interfere with your ability to send and receive calls during that time.) Really you just want to make sure you keep your current service active until porting fully completes and the number is working on the new service. (A nice thing about NumberBarn is you pay month to month so there’s never a risk of locking yourself into a contract for the long term.)
3. That’s it! (Almost)
Depending on the service and provider you go with, such as OpenPhone or NumberBarn, you can opt for features big and small, like Caller ID Select (incoming) to identify which number a caller is dialing. You may also be able to get a suite of business features with certain companies, though this is likely to add monthly fees.
| Provider | Starting Price | Unlimited Calls (U.S. + Canada) |
|---|---|---|
| NumberBarn | $6/month | ✔️ |
| Burner | $4.99/month | ✔️ |
| Google Voice | Free (personal) $16/month (business) | Unlimited only to Canada, not from |
| Line2 | $7.99/month | ✔️ |
| OpenPhone | $15/month | ✔️ |
| Verizon | $30/month per line | ✔️ |
Can I make and send texts from a second number?
It depends on the service carrier. Due to new industry regulations on texting, many phone number providers have removed outbound texting from their platforms, or require registration for business texting, etc. You can likely receive inbound texts, so you don’t miss any messages when transitioning to a new number. Make sure you check the website of each provider to understand the limitations of your new number before you choose the service that’s right for what you need.
Is porting a new number the same as getting a new line?
Still confused about porting? We understand. For the purposes of getting another phone number on your cell phone without getting a second line through a major carrier, you are less likely to use porting. But, simply put, a new line is a new line. Getting a new line may involve porting, if you purchase or acquire a phone number that you want to move somewhere else.
The phrase “porting” simply means taking an active phone number, new or old, and transferring it from one provider to another. (Also remember that changing your number or transferring your current number to a new phone with a new SIM card are totally separate things.)
Still confused about porting? Dial into our comprehensive guide on what phone number porting is and how it works.
What’s the benefit of a second number?
Depending on what you need it for, having an alternate number is actually really handy in situations such as these:
1. Protecting your primary personal number
With bank accounts, authentication, social media accounts and more usually tied to your primary number, one of the biggest reasons to start utilizing an additional number is simply to protect your privacy, identity and your account security.
2. Keeping your call sources separate
If you are ever in a situation where you need people to call you but don’t want to mix where numbers are coming from, this is the obvious number one reason to get another number! You can see where the calls originate from, so it’s great for keeping multiple lines of communication.
3. Running a business
The natural extension of this line of thinking (no pun intended) is for business purposes. However, companies like OpenPhone operate more heavily in extensive features like shared inboxes, AI transcripts, recorded calling, and automated menu set-ups for higher monthly fees. For something more straightforward and budget-friendly, companies like NumberGarage try to streamline their offerings to the most essential features like voicemail and call logs in order to keep pricing consistently lower.
4. Avoiding spam that’s going to your current number
In addition to call blocking features, if you set up an auto attendant menu on a second number, spam calls can’t deal with it and instantly hang-up. This means a second number with an auto attendant menu that you can monitor is a clever way to receive only the calls you want to receive! Basically, if you make the spammer “press 1” to be connected with you, it’s another great way to confuse (and deter) robocalls and scam calls.
If you haven’t started using a second phone number, again, you don’t have to worry about getting one from your carrier or needing to get a cell phone with a Dual SIM or eSIM card, etc. With so many options for getting an inexpensive second phone number (or even free in some cases) you can easily start using an additional number on your cell phone today.
