TL;DR: Yes.
But don’t stop there. How are you going to know how to get that second phone number? That’s why you came here, isn’t it?
In this post, we’re going to cover whether you can get a second phone number, why you may need one and how you can use an alternate phone number.
Can You Get An Alternate Phone Number?
Obviously, we already answered this question. Yes, you can get a second phone number. In fact, you can easily get a third. And a fourth. Or as many as you need.
That’s not just limited to business owners either. Anyone can have as many phone numbers as they want. And we’re not talking as many “cellular plans” as you want… that’d get crazy expensive.
Keep your cell plan with your current phone number and, simply, get a second phone number. No need for an extra plan.
As you’ll see, having multiple numbers all with paying for one cellular plan is made possible with call forwarding.
Call forwarding is when you send calls (or “forward” calls) from one telephone number to another number or group of numbers. That way, when someone calls your alternate number, the call will be directed to your main number without the caller even knowing.
Two numbers. One device. Zero magic.
And it’s important.
“Why would anybody need more than one phone number?” Great question. Let’s answer it!
How You Can Use A Second Phone Number
As we stated, anyone can use a second phone number.
You’d be surprised how many uses you can get out of having more than one phone number. Those uses go beyond businesses with a high call volume (even though our first example touches on business uses).
From navigating the dating game to connecting with friends and family, the utility of having an alternate phone number is limitless.
Start-Up Business
We’ve been saying that there are countless uses of having multiple phone numbers outside of business uses, so then why start with talking about a way for business owners to utilize this perk?
Because this example isn’t for your average, seasoned business professional. This example is for those who put the “new” in entrepre-new-ur.
Having a phone number other than your personal phone number can be vitally important for start-up business owners.
If your new business requires people to call you, you don’t want to be handing out your personal phone number to everyone. Especially if you plan to scale your business at any point in the future.
Luckily, you don’t have to.
You can use a second phone number as your business number. Give that number to anyone without feeling like you’re compromising your privacy or security.
Once those calls start rolling in, set that number up to forward calls to your main phone number, and you’re good to go.
Dating
This one’s for all the single ladies and for those who shoulda put a ring on it.
If you’re in the dating game, maintaining your personal life can be challenging.
When you meet someone new, whether at a club, bar, meetup or on a dating app, it’s common to exchange some sort of contact information. It could include sharing Insta handles, Snapchats, or phone numbers.
You never know what someone will do with that phone number or how often they’ll text you, especially only after a few exchanges on Tinder or a brief interaction in person. Why risk prematurely divulging something so directly connected to you??
To protect your privacy (and your sanity), you can have a second phone number to give to strangers. They won’t know it’s not your real, personal number.
If that prospective partner turns out to be a total creep, you can still block them, guilt-free, helping prevent them from further contacting you. And if they’re not a creeper, but a total keeper, maybe you can take things a bit further… sharing your real number.
Celebrities, Influencers, and Public Figures
Gaining recognition for something you’re passionate about can be an amazing experience. It doesn’t matter if that’s writing music, making YouTube videos, or representing a cause or movement.
That being said, having more eyes on you makes maintaining your privacy that much more important.
Networking, collaborating, or simply making new friends can be complicated and weaken your control over your privacy if you keep handing your personal phone number to everyone.
If your status necessitates frequently sharing your number with individuals outside of your closest circles, give those people a number other than your personal one. Avoid getting doxxed if someone chooses to betray your trust.
Keep your personal number for those you trust the most.
Moving
Sometimes, when relocating, you might assume that you need to get a new landline number with your new carrier.
For a lot of people, landlines carry a lot of sentimental value and emotional ties. It can be difficult to get rid of something so important to you. Fortunately, you don’t have to.
You can keep your landline number when moving to a new house. Yes, even if that house is out of state… or out of the country.
How? Regardless of whether your new carrier accepts that number, consider porting, parking, or forwarding your landline with a VoIP provider like NumberBarn. You can even receive calls from your landline number on your cell phone! (It’s even a much more affordable alternative to regular landline plans.)
From there, you can set up your beloved landline number to forward calls to the new landline number given to you by your new provider. In this case, your old number may end up being your “alternate” number, but it can still be #1 in your heart.
For Fun
How can phone numbers be fun?
Two words: Vanity Numbers
A vanity number is a phone number where the digits spell out an easy-to-remember word or phrase. It can also be where the digits have repeating or alternating numbers like 444-4444 or 434-3434.
What makes that fun for you is that you can pick your own vanity number to be whatever you choose.
You can have a phone number that spells out your name! You can get SAM-5665 or ALEX-909 for as low as $5.
“But my name is longer than 7 digits!”
We hear you. If you can’t fit your name in the 7-digit limit, then choose numbers that are significant to you. Choose a phone number with your birthdate in it or an anniversary.
You can even give phone numbers as a gift to friends as a gag gift or to your kids when they get their first phone. Now you have no excuse for forgetting their numbers.
The possibilities are 1-800-ENDLESS. Who knew phone numbers could be so fun?
How To Get A Second Phone Number
It’s a lot easier than you think to obtain a phone number.
Guess what? You don’t have to get a new cellular plan with your provider and accept whatever random number they assign you.
Well, if that’s the case, then where do you go to get that number?
NumberBarn
Of course, we have to start out talking about ourselves.
Sure, there are other places you can buy phone numbers. But not everybody else is the world’s largest marketplace for local and toll-free phone numbers.
That title is reserved for us.
To get a number with us, just go to our search page. From there you can choose whatever area code you need or type in your name and see what comes up!
After you purchase your phone number, you can park it with us and choose a call forwarding plan so you still receive calls on your personal device.
Yes, you can make calls and send and receive basic texts directly from your desktop in addition to our mobile device.
So if you need to crank out a ton of work, you don’t even have to lift a finger to answer your phone. You’ll get a push notification and an email alerting you that you have a call or message incoming to your NumberBarn account. You can just click on your tab with your NumberBarn account and respond directly from your computer.
Talk about a quick reply!
Google Voice
Google Voice is another great and free phone number alternative.
The caveat to it being a free phone number is you only get to choose from the limited options they present you. And if you ever wish to port that number to a different provider, it’ll cost you $20. If you’re unfamiliar with the process of porting to other providers, we’re happy to help.
But if that doesn’t matter to you, it’s a good option. You can either accept calls and texts on their desktop or mobile apps, or you can set up call forwarding to your primary device.
NumberBarn App
Okay, so this technically isn’t different than getting a number with us, but it is distinguishable enough to have its own section.
We very recently updated our mobile app to make managing your calls and SMS messages much easier, making it a great second phone number app.
If you don’t like the idea of forwarding calls to your device and prefer calls go to an independent app, similar to Google Voice, then the NumberBarn App is perfect for you.
You can still hand out your alternate number and keep it completely separate from your main number and device. Deal with all those calls and messages directly within our app.
Start Using Your New, Second Phone Number
As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can use a second phone number.
If you haven’t already, get your new phone number on our marketplace. With over 50,000,000 phone numbers to choose from, we’re positive you’ll find the perfect number for you.
If you run into any hiccups along the way or are curious about what else you can do with your NumberBarn phone number, reach out to our support team! We’re a bit biased, but we think we have the best customer support in the business. We’re always glad to assist!
NumberBarn is a ClearHello company. Check out our sister companies for other amazing advanced texting, business phone systems, custom domains, web solutions and more.
