Rent Your Own US Phone Number

If you call the same people often, it helps when they recognise the number that comes up. You can rent a US phone number from CallTuv for $5.95 a month, and that number is what everyone sees when you call.

It is worth being clear about one thing straight away: a rented number is for outgoing calls only. Nobody can ring it back and no text message can reach it. If what you need is a number people can call you on, see Can I Receive Calls or Text Messages (SMS)?.

What you need before you start

Two things, both quick to check:

1. Some calling credit on your account. A number is only useful if you can actually make calls, so we ask for a balance before renting one.
2. A payment card saved on your account. The monthly fee is charged to it. If you have not saved one yet, go to Balance in the menu and add one.

If either is missing, the renting screen shows the one thing to do next, with a button for it: Add credit or Add a card. Adding credit also saves the card you pay with, so most people only ever need the first. Add a card opens a secure Stripe page that saves your card without charging it, then brings you straight back to pick your number. A card you paid with through Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link works for the monthly fee too. The one exception is a card issued in India: Indian banks ask you to approve every card payment yourself, so a monthly fee can't go through on it, and the screen asks for a card issued outside India. If you are a member of a team rather than its owner, the screen says your team owner needs to do it, because the credit and the card belong to the team.

Once you have the number, a low balance does not put it at risk. The monthly fee comes from your card, never from your calling credit.

How to rent a number

1. Open the Call page and click the caller ID button at the top of the dialer (it says Caller ID: and the number your calls show now). A short list opens.
2. Click Rent a US number. A screen just for renting opens, and its title reminds you the number is for outgoing calls.
3. You will see five numbers. Under each one is the state it belongs to, for example Ohio, and on the right is its monthly price.
4. If none of them appeals, click the back arrow at the top left and click Rent a US number again. You will get five different numbers, and you can do this as often as you like.
5. Click the number you want. A dot appears next to it, and the button at the bottom of the screen changes to name that exact number, for example Rent +1 (859) 478-5574, with the monthly price written on the button under the number. Under the button, the screen names the card that pays, for example "Your Visa •••• 4242 is charged $5.95 today, then once a month until you cancel." Right after it, a rental terms link opens the rented phone numbers section of our Terms of Service in a new tab.
6. Check it is the number you meant, then click that button. Your card is charged and the number is yours within a few seconds. A confirmation screen shows the number, the amount charged and the date it renews, with a Back to dialer button.

From then on it is selected automatically as your caller ID, so your very next call already shows it.

Why only the state is shown

Each number shows its state, not a town. The first three digits after the +1, the area code, are what the people you call recognise, together with the state: a number with a Kentucky area code reads as a Kentucky number to whoever you are calling.

What it costs

The price is $5.95 a month. If the billing address of the card you pay with is in Israel, 18% VAT is added on top, which makes the total $7.02 a month. Whichever applies to you, the full amount is written on the button you press to pay, before you pay anything.

The fee is charged to your card once a month on the same date you rented the number. It is completely separate from your calling credit. Calls still cost calling credit at the normal per-minute rates, and the dialer shows the exact price before you call. You can check any destination's rate on the rates page.

Cancelling your number

You can stop at any time, and nothing happens suddenly:

1. Open the Call page and click the caller ID button at the top of the dialer.
2. Click the small settings cog on the right of your US number to open its screen.
3. Under Subscription you can see the monthly price, the renewal date and the card that pays. Click Cancel subscription below it.
4. A confirmation lists exactly what happens: the date the number stops working, that you won't be charged again, and that it cannot be recovered after that date. Click Cancel subscription again to confirm, or Keep my number to leave everything as it is.

Your number keeps working until the end of the month you have already paid for, and we tell you the exact date, on screen and by email. If you change your mind before that date, a Keep my number button puts everything back exactly as it was.

After that date the number is released and we cannot get it back for you, even the next day. If you are unsure, it costs nothing to wait until closer to the date before deciding.

Cancelling part way through a month does not give a partial refund, because the month has already been paid for in full.

If your team has no card before a renewal

If your team has no card that can pay the monthly fee, for example because the card was removed, we email the team owner 3 days before a number renews. The email lists every number your team pays for, who uses each one and the date each one renews, so nothing is lost by surprise. Its Add a card button opens a secure Stripe page where you save a card. Nothing is charged when you save it, and your numbers renew with it from then on. A team member who rents one of the numbers gets a short note about their own number too, since only the team owner can add the card.

If a monthly payment does not go through

Sometimes a card expires or a bank declines a payment. If that happens, your number keeps working while we try again, and your number shows Payment failed in red in the caller ID list, and a small red dot appears on the caller ID button so you notice it. Open the number's screen to see what went wrong and what to do.

• If it was a temporary problem, we retry automatically and the message tells you when.
• If your bank declined the card outright, retrying will not help, and the message asks you to add a different card. There is a Pay now button that settles it immediately once your new card is saved.
• If there is no card on file at all, for example because you removed it, retrying cannot work either. The message says so and gives you an Add a card button, which opens the same secure Stripe page as when you rented the number. Once the card is saved, press Pay now to settle it straight away.
• If the only card left is one issued in India, it cannot be charged monthly either. The message says so and asks you to add a card issued outside India, with the same Add a card button.

You also hear about it by email. Stripe, our payment provider, sends whoever pays for your team a secure link to update the card and pay. It works on a phone and does not need you to log in, so it helps if you mostly use the CallTuv app. A few days before the number would be released, we send a last reminder with the exact date.

If the payment is never completed, the number is released about two weeks after the first failed payment, so it is worth sorting out as soon as you see the message.

Things a rented number does not do

• It cannot receive calls. Anyone ringing it usually hears a not-in-service message, depending on their own phone company, and the call is never answered.
• It cannot receive texts, including bank codes and other one-time security codes.
• It cannot be used for emergency calls. See Emergency Calls Are Not Supported.
• It is only available with a US area code at the moment.

Other ways to choose what people see

Renting a number is one of three options, and the other two are free:

• Verify a phone you already own as your caller ID. People see your real number and can ring you back on your normal phone. See Verify Your Own Number as Caller ID.
• Use a CallTuv Shared Number, the zero-setup default. See What Recipients See: Shared Numbers Explained.

If none of this answers your question, get in touch and we will help.