How to Get a 900 Number

Last Updated: June 3, 2022

Telephone numbers preceded by a 900 are considered premium-rate numbers since callers are charged a fee. The numbers are used by businesses to create revenue. Typical businesses that use 900 numbers include weather stations, technical support, adult entertainment, psychics, business consulting, and many others. If you are interested in establishing a presence in the 900 phone market, you will need to know how to get a 900 number. Business 900 numbers can be purchased online through an existing 900-number company that already has all the equipment needed to field a large number of phone calls and direct them properly or you can purchase the equipment yourself. Either way requires a large upfront financial commitment and some 900-number know-how on your part.

1

Decide whether to go live or pre-recorded.

Do you want to answer live calls? A 900-number company can forward calls to you so you can answer the phone personally or you can choose to have a recorded message waiting for your customers.

2

Select a billing plan.

You can choose to charge customers per minute or a flat-rate fee. The fee you charge shouldn't be so high that people won't want to use your services.

3

Pay your up-front fees.

There will usually be a set-up fee and monthly maintenance fee. Up-front fees are charged to you for setting up your service. These fees can be very expensive, depending upon the type of services you desire. Monthly maintenance fees will also need to be paid for you to use the 900 phone service.

4

Agree to the payment terms.

Many companies will not start paying you until 50 days after you sign up. Be sure you know exactly when you will be paid and how.

5

Record your preamble as specified by the company.

Preambles are the recorded messages that a caller hears before they are transferred to your service. The preamble usually contains specific things, such as the cost of the call, a description of the service provided, and age requirements. A caller is allowed to hang up during the preamble without any charge. However, you as a business owner may be charged by your 900-number provider.
- Some 900-number companies must approve your preamble before you can get a 900 number.

6

Start your 900-number business.

It should take you 5 to 7 days to get a 900 number, depending on the services you choose. Once you have a 900 number, start advertising your business and start making money.

Community Q&A

Question

Could the customers payments from calls pay off my startup costs?

Community Answer

If you have a product that people really like of course that's going to happen. You have to get a 1000 calls a week or month to make ANY money from what I have read but I think you're going to make back all the fees involved and any other start up costs for owning a 900 number. It's a smart investment and it's not an opportunity like a lot of scams that depend on the hype in order to get you to buy into their sneaky program(s). I haven't tried all the money making opportunities out there but there are hundreds of thousands of programs. You just have to be DEDICATED to your product.
Question

If a scammer calls my 900 number, will they be charged? If so, who will collect the charge?

Community Answer

Yes, they will be charged; anyone who calls your 900 phone number will be charged. The person who pays the bills for the phone number calling will be charged.

Warnings

Be careful of small fees that can add up on calls that initially don't make you money. This can include fees for hang-ups, maintenance fees, software fees, or tracking fees. Some companies may have these packaged into 1 monthly fee, while others do not.

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Beware the charge-back fees or reserves. Charge-backs can occur when a call was made by a child or a customer refuses to pay their 900-number phone bill or can prove that he or she did not authorize the call. Some 900-number companies require that a certain amount of the profit from your business be held in reserve to pay for charge-backs. Be certain you understand the charge-back policy.

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Beware of getting a 900-number extension. Some companies offer a 900 number that is accessed by an extension. Extensions can be very difficult for a customer to remember, or they may dial the extension incorrectly.

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