Some might say that I have too many phone numbers, or only realize 1 or 2 numbers. However, each number I have serves a purpose. With that said, I will be going into detail of all of the numbers I have, and why I have them. This may not change your perception, but will be there to provide for you to know nonetheless. In case you would wish to know, I am including the cost of each number in case you want a similar situation, or feel I might be spending too much money – although I don’t have to justify my money to anyone except me.
Numbers
- All Phones (free)
- Home 1 ($4+/month)
- Home 2 ($6/month)
- iPhone (est. $18/month)
- Razr (free)
- Voicemail ($1/month)
All Phones
This is a private telephone number that will ring my home phone, but also my iPhone, and my Razr. I only give this number to people that I would reliably expect that they may need it, and I am close enough to call them a friend. Not all of my friends have this number, but this number is only available to family and friends that I think will benefit from having this number. As expected, calling this number will ring all 3 phones at the same time. I don’t pick up, then it will go to my home’s voicemail service.
Home Lines
There are 2 home phone numbers. As implied, both numbers ring to the home phone line. Also, the voicemail number, and my home phone numbers are share the same voicemail box. This will make it silly to leave a message when calling one phone, and leave another message when calling another home/voicemail number.
The first of the numbers is a toll-free number. This is the number I promote, and it is on my contact cards. The reason for this is simplicity. The 4th-10th digit of my toll-free number is the same as my iPhone number. This means, I just have to remember the first 3 digits for the difference.
The second home phone number is a Pittsburgh local number. This allows for the caller to call this number as an option to calling the toll-free number. This saves me money as I am not paying a per minute rate as I would with the first home phone number.
iPhone
The iPhone is my main telephone, and the phone number I provide to everyone. One might think it might make more sense to provide the “free” phone number I have with my Lifeline provider, but they do not support eSIM, and iPhone 14 Pro in the US is eSIM only. With that said, I have service that I pay $205/year for service, and it meets all of my needs. I can even call Canada, Mexico, and the UK for free. With the iPhone, it is also my music player, and I use bluetooth earphones to support this role while I am out, and about.
Razr
There is at least one app that is not available on iOS, and that app has benefited me every time I used it. However, with it only be available on Android, I needed an Android device to use the app. I didn’t want to give up my iPhone as I prefer that phone more. This forces me to have 2 phones, and therefore 2 phone numbers. While it might not have been worth it if I had to spend $50/month for phone service, this is not the case. Since I live below the poverty line, I qualify for Lifeline. The carrier I chose gives me 3,000 minutes, unlimited SMS, and 4.5GB of data. I don’t even use 3,000 minutes on my primary phone number, so this will be overkill. The Lifeline provider charges $0 for the line, so I only had to buy the phone.
Voicemail
As the name implies, this is a voicemail only number. This number was acquired as I was getting too many scam calls for web design services, and SEO marketing. This was because my telephone number was listed as contact information for my domain registries. A domain owner must provide a valid telephone number in case there are any issues. Since I changed my contact number to the Voicemail line, and closed my infected number, I have receive 0 such calls. Scammers will not give out a means to call them. This is because they know what they’re doing is illegal.