How much does it cost to call toll-free numbers from a mobile phone
Prima di enter the dettaglio della procedura su how to call toll-free numbers from mobile, I think you might be interested in learning more about the prefixes used by these numbers and how much it costs to contact them.
Toll-free numbers work in this way: it is not whoever makes the call who pays for the call, but whoever receives it. Put simply, the recipient bears the full costs. This mechanism is designed to facilitate contacts between the customer and a specific company or between a citizen and a public body. The toll-free number has existed in the city since 1986 and was therefore designed with landline lines in mind.
However, as you well know, smartphones are slowly taking over landlines, even in the city, and not all companies or public bodies that have a toll-free number have been prepared for this. In fact, some toll-free numbers cannot be called from mobile phones (if not passing through applications which I will tell you about in detail later), while others are paid and charge the cost of the call to the customer / citizen.
Some firms or public bodies provide a free number dedicated to mobile phones, so the first piece of advice I can give you is to always check the Official site of the person you want to contact, in order to verify this.
Another important thing to know is that it is not possible to know for sure whether a toll-free number is free or paid: it depends on the company / public body of reference. However, I can provide you with some guidelines that are usually adopted for toll-free numbers.
Generally speaking, numbers starting with 800, 803 o 900 they are free. Numbers that begin with 199, 806, 807, 840, 841, 847, 848, 901, 902 o 905 they are usually paid. As for the numbers of telephone operators, they are often free for calls from mobile phones from the same operator, while they become paid if you use a SIM from another telephone operator. What is certain is that public utility numbers (such as the 112 or 118) can also be called for free from smartphones.
Many companies that do not allow mobile calls usually simply reject the call and send a message warning the user that the number is not accessible from a mobile phone. This, of course, without the customer having to pay anything but, I repeat, it all depends on who manages the toll-free number. It is therefore important to always check the rates carefully (usually shown on the official website of the company / public body of reference). Indicatively, the cost can vary from a few cents up to 3 euros per minute, so be careful.
In any case, as you may have already guessed, the situation is rather confusing and a lot depends on how a certain toll-free number is managed. On the other hand, this is a much discussed problem and it is no coincidence that in 2013 the ADOC (Association for Consumer Orientation Defense) requested AGCOM (Authority for communications guarantees) to intervene on the costs relating to calls made by mobile network to toll-free numbers. For more details, I recommend that you consult the official ADOC website.
How to call toll-free numbers from your mobile
After explaining how toll-free numbers work and what their rates are, I would say that you are ready to make your mobile call: below you will find all the details of the case.
Call from mobile line
The simplest method of contacting a toll-free number is, of course, to make one call from your smartphone using the voice line. As I have already told you previously, it is unfortunately not possible to be 100% sure that the call is free (unless this is written on the official website of the company / public body of reference), but at least the recipient will notify if it is not possible to call the number from a mobile phone.
To make a call from your smartphone, simply press on thehandset icon present on the main screen, select the icon if necessary keypad, type il green number you wish to contact and press onhandset icon, to initiate the call. In short, you have to make a normal call as you usually do.
Mtalk
In case you can't normally call a toll-free number, there is an application that can "simulate" a fixed telephone line on the smartphone for free. It is about Mtalk, which uses VoIP technology (and, therefore, the Internet connection) to simulate the use of a landline number. The app is available for both Android and iOS and, according to its official website, calls to toll-free numbers starting with 800 o 803 they are free, while those to other numbers are charged according to the VoIP rates of the service.
To download and install the app, just open the Play Store (if you use Android) or the App Store (if you have an iPhone or iPad), search "mtalk" inside, press on theicon dell'app (a white 'm' on an orange background) and press the button Installa / Ottieni, to start the download. If you are using iOS, you may need to verify your identity with Face ID, Touch ID, or Apple ID password.
Once the application has been downloaded and launched, click on the item ACCEPT AND CONTINUE below, enter yours cellphone number and yours email address and press on the item Continue. A message (with sender MESSAGENET) containing a pin code of five digits, which you will have to enter within the app, in order to activate the service.
At this point, I premi sulla voce Allow, to grant MTalk all the permissions necessary for its operation, and tap on the icon Keyboard, present at the bottom right. Now, type the green number you want to call and press onhandset icon green at the bottom. During the call, you can press on the voice Speaker, present at the bottom, to activate the speakerphone.
If everything went well, the call to the toll-free number will start correctly. Obviously, if the call is paid, MTalk will ask you to add credit to the app. This is done through a very simple wizard and I therefore recommend that you follow the instructions on the screen, if necessary. For more details, I invite you to consult the official Messagenet website.
In any case, keep in mind that the application does not consume the minutes of its offer but the data traffic (hence the Giga), since the call takes place via the Internet. To keep consumption under control, I suggest you take a look at my guide on how to control Internet traffic.
How to call toll-free numbers from mobile
