Faq's

Global Call Forwarding's Frequently Asked Questions

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New local or toll free numbers can be purchased from our website or (if you’re a current customer) control panel. A free trial is available for businesses to test our services. Start by filling out the form which is located on just about every page of our website, either on the top or in the sidebar.

For the United States, Global Call Forwarding has toll free numbers with the following prefixes:

  • 1-800
  • 1-844
  • 1-855
  • 1-866
  • 1-877
  • 1-888
  • We also have local numbers with area codes for almost every state and city.

Toll free numbers are assigned to the country they originate and are not accessible internationally. There are some general exceptions to this rule.

Canadian toll free numbers, for instance, are accessible from the US and vise versa. Additionally, certain toll free numbers in the US can be reached by some telecommunication providers in the United Kingdom and other countries. However, this usually is not the case and it’s usually not for free for the caller who is charged local US call rates.

Global Call Forwarding does have toll free numbers that are mobile accessible. However, some countries don’t have mobile accessibility with their toll free numbers available. You can view accessibility and restriction information when you select your phone number with Global Call Forwarding under “see additional info and restrictions.”

Yes, Global Call Forwarding DOES offer a custom IVR and extensions service. The cloud IVR menu with advanced options enables customers to set up complex rules, more than one greeting, and other settings. Basic IVR set-up incurs no additional cost. However, advanced IVR setup may have a reasonable development fee, depending on the case. We can provide professional voice recordings and prompts with a custom service quote. Contact us for more information on advanced IVR set-up.

Yes, voicemail options can be activated through the control panel. Missed calls automatically go to voicemail and can be instantly forwarded to your email address as a digital file audio file.

If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your service from Global Call Forwarding, we ask that you do let us know what is wrong and why you are not fully satisfied before you cancel. If you don’t have time and just want to cancel your service, we understand that and it can be done easily.

Cancellations go into effect starting from the next billing cycle and can be submitted by email or through the control panel before the end of the current month, in order to avoid any service charges for the next month.

You can contact Global Call Forwarding with contact information here.

There is no limit to the number of lines you can have on your account. You can get as many numbers as you need to make your business communication system effective and reliable.

No. Verified businesses are not required to sign any long-term contracts for using our services. As a corporate account, if you are not satisfied with our service, you can cancel your account or services at any time. Personal accounts will have a minimum of 3 months commitment.

A vanity number uses patterns or letters to create a business number that is memorable and attracts customer attention. There are two different types of vanity numbers: The first type is when the number represents a word that needs to be typed on the phone keypad. An example includes 1-800-THE-WORD or 1-800-HURT-NOW. The second type of vanity number is one that follows a pattern that is easy to remember. An example of this could be 1-800-888-8888 or 1-561-561-5611. You can order a vanity number by filling out the form on this page.

Yes, Global Call Forwarding does offer customized vanity local and toll free numbers from multiple countries. It’s easy to request one! Simply fill out this form to request your customized vanity number and check number availability.

No, callers won’t be aware of where you are calling from, unless you tell them. Custom caller ID and customized international ringback tones are available to be set via the control panel for additional authenticity.

Expanding your business internationally is easy with Global Call Forwarding numbers available in over 160 countries both local and toll free. Aside from their practical uses, this will also help your company improve its image and credibility. Here’s what your business has to gain:

  • Credibility
  • Access for customers
  • Quality Service
  • Increased exposure to markets worldwide
  • Customization through service features
  • Analytics for call metrics
  • Amazing, affordable prices
  • Dedicated account representatives.

Global Call Forwarding was founded in 2007 and has over 13 years in the business.

No. Our SMS service is designed for communication with your customers, family, and friends. Most services sending verification SMS messages are able to detect numbers which are not mobile for security reasons in order to prevent fraud. `

As a consequence of this, we are unable to support service activation SMS messages from banks, financial companies, and many other automated services. Our in-house fraud prevention team has a zero-tolerance policy in regards to fraudulent activity, including using our numbers to illegally register accounts with web services.

Currently, our system is set up to forward SMS messages to your email and not directly to your phone number. But no worries, we have an alternative that works for most people!

There is a way to receive incoming SMS messages directly in your SMS inbox. This doesn’t work for all carriers, but most service providers provide a free “email to text” service which gives users the ability to receive SMS messages through an email address.

Here’s an example:
T-Mobile has a service that delivers email sent to USERPHONENUMBER@tmomail.net to the phone’s SMS inbox directly. You can find the specific email format for your given service provider and use it to receive incoming SMS in your phone’s SMS inbox directly.

US Companies E-Mail to SMS Addresses

Alltel: phonenumber@message.alltel.com
AT&T: phonenumber@txt.att.net
Boost Mobile: phonenumber@sms.myboostmobile.com
T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Project Fi: phonenumber@msg.fi.google.com
Metro PCS: phonenumber@mymetropcs.com
Cricket Wireless: phonenumber@mycricket.com
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
US Cellular: phonenumber@mms.uscc.net

Canadian Companies E-Mail to SMS Addresses

Bell Canada: phonenumber@txt.bell.ca
Bell MTS: phonenumber@text.mts.net
Fido Solutions: phonenumber@fido.ca
Freedom Mobile: phonenumber@txt.freedommobile.ca
Koodo Mobile: phonenumber@coodomobile.com & phonenumber@msg.telus.com
PC Mobile: phonenumber@mobiletxt.ca
Rogers Communications: phonenumber@pcs.rogers.com
SaskTel: phonenumber@sms.sasktel.com
Telus: phonenumber@msg.telus.com
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobile.ca

UK Companies Email to SMS Addresses

Virgin Mobile UK: phonenumber@vxtras.com
Three: phonenumber@three.co.uk
T-Mobile UK: phonenumber@t-mobile.uk.net
O2 UK: phonenumber@o2imail.co.uk

More can be found here

Yes, our system does receive the sender’s caller ID for incoming text messages and forwards that information to your email, along with the full content of the SMS message.

Your SMS-enabled number is able to receive messages from networks within the origination country of the selected number. Most of the time, it will also receive messages from other countries across the globe. Because international mobile networks are not always updated with newly assigned SMS-enabled numbers, we can’t guarantee delivery of SMS messages sent to your number from other countries.

When you purchase an SMS-enabled number from us, we forward your incoming text messages to your preselected email address. If you haven’t assigned a specific email to your SMS-enabled number, our system will forward the text / SMS message to your default account email address. You have access to all your SMS messages through your online account control panel.

No. There aren’t any extra fees to purchase a toll free or local phone number with us. This does not apply to UIFN numbers, which usually require a set-up fee. You’ll only pay the monthly fee from the plan you select as long as you don’t go over the number of minutes included. If you do go over the number of included minutes, you will pay additional per minute rates.

Global Call Forwarding offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ask that you do report any issues you experience before making a final decision to cancel. If you would like to cancel your service, please contact us with your issue within the first 30 days of service activation and we will work with you to get your account cancelled and an appropriate refund issued.

Global Call Forwarding has an extensive inventory of local, toll free, national, vanity, and UIFN numbers in 160+ countries around the world. We have direct access to millions of numbers and if one is not immediately available, we can usually get it.

Yes. Some countries do require documentation in order to get a telephone number. The documentation may include, but is not limited to:

  • Photo ID,
  • Tax ID Numbers,
  • Letter of Authorization (LOA),
  • Business Registration documents,
  • Copies of Utility Bills, etc.

Yes. There is no limit to the number of numbers you can purchase with us. A large percentage of our clients are international companies with locations all over the world. When placing an order online, you can add as many numbers as you would like to your cart. If you want a custom quote for bulk numbers, please send us a corporate inquiry and we can send you a detailed proposal.

Yes. You can request a phone number you cannot find on our website by reaching out to our corporate sales team here.

Almost all! Global Call Forwarding has numbers available in more than 160 countries and regions across the globe — more than any other provider in our industry! If you’d like a number but can’t find the country on our website when signing up, please contact our corporate sales department.

Yes. We do sell UIFN numbers (Universal International Freephone Numbers) also known as Universal Toll Free Numbers, or Universal Phone Numbers. These numbers can be accessed from multiple countries or regions. There is usually a set-up cost associated with these kinds of numbers. You can purchase them on our website or by contacting our corporate sales department to get more information and a detailed proposal.

Yes. You can keep the phone service you already have and forward incoming calls from your new number to your existing one.

No. There are no long term commitments or contracts associated with our service and you can cancel your account at any time.

Yes. You can view a complete call detail record with all call details in your control panel via billing statements and invoices. The call details appear within seconds after the call is completed and both callers hang up.

It is possible to contact our technical support team 24 hours per day 7 days per week via phone, email, live chat, or by submitting a trouble ticket directly from your online control panel.

Yes. Service from Global Call Forwarding is similar to Skype with many more advanced features and direct, personalized customer support. Skype does not offer international ITFS numbers but Global Call Forwarding does!

No. There are no limitations to the volume of call traffic you can receive in a given time period. Our network is designed to handle volume and can be scaled up if there is the need to accomodate a larger number of calls. If you think your number will receive more than 10 simultaneous calls at any given time (10 conversations going on at the same time), then please contact our technical team and they will make sure your account is set up to handle high call volume. Note that in some instances local numbers can be unable to support more than two calls at a time.

Your monthly invoice will automatically be charged to your credit card or PayPal account on file. This will make sure your account is always in good standing. If you need to change your payment method, you can log into the control panel to manage payment settings.

No. You will, however, receive your invoice via email. Invoices are available for download in HTML and PDF format from your control panel. If you wish to receive a bill in the mail, we can do so with a special request. Please contact our customer service team to get your bill in the mail for a $2 per month fee.

You can review your billing activity from the control panel in real time. The information about any call should be available within minutes in the usage details section.

Global Call Forwarding accepts all major credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, American Express) and PayPal.

Yes. We do have free trials available for new business customers only. Business customers who would like to test our service and its features can take advantage of the free trial. Free trials can be limited in scope and minutes.

If, for any reason, you go over your monthly minutes, the extra minutes will be charged at additional per minute rate. The rate can be found in your control panel.

Yes. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Please contact us if you have any issues within 30 days of service activation and we would be happy to refund you for any charges incurred if you are not satisfied with the quality of the service.

If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your service from Global Call Forwarding, we ask that you do let us know what is wrong and why you are not fully satisfied before you cancel. If you don’t have time and just want to cancel your service, we understand that and it can be done easily.

Cancellations go into effect starting from the next billing cycle and can be submitted by email or through the control panel before the end of the current month, in order to avoid any service charges for the next month.

Of course! It’s easy to port or transfer your existing local or toll free numbers to Global Call Forwarding. To request your numbers to be ported, please go to our porting request page. In most cases, we do not have porting fees when value or higher service plans are selected for use. Once we receive the porting request an account manager will contact you.

Yes. You can port multiple numbers with us easily. To start, fill out the form on this page.

The moment your number has been ported over to Global Call Forwarding’s network, we will send you a confirmation email to let you know that it is working. After that, you can contact your carrier and have them disconnect the service.

In order to port your number, we will need a copy of your latest invoice from your current provider with name, address, and date clearly visible.

Number porting usually takes between 3-4 days, but in some cases can take months. This depends on a number of different factors: country, type of number, current provider, status of the number, and so on. We always work as hard as possible to get numbers ported in the shortest possible time.

You can port US toll free and local phone numbers to Global Call Forwarding. Additionally, many European numbers can also be ported. However, phone numbers from Asia are trickier to port.

Porting a phone number means changing phone service providers while keeping your current phone number. Some reasons to port your number include: wanting better service quality, consolidating your numbers under one network or platform, and better pricing, etc.

Absolutely! It is possible and easy to port any existing toll free or local number. To get started, fill out the sign-up form on our website and send your invoice to changes@unitedworldtelecom.com.

If you sign up for a basic plan, there is a $10 fee to port your number in. However, if you sign up for any plan above the basic plan, there is no fee to port number in. Lastly, the port out fee is a minimum $25.

Virtual phone numbers are business numbers that transmit voice calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines. They use voice over IP (VoIP) technology to do so.

Virtual phone numbers use VoIP technology to transmit voice and video calls over the internet. This means that users can make and receive calls through a stable internet connection from any location and via any device.

Global Call Forwarding offers virtual business numbers for more than 160 countries around the world. You can get a number for almost any country you are looking to expand your business to.

Global Call Forwarding provides a variety of virtual numbers for businesses such as local, toll free, international, universal toll free (UIFN), and vanity numbers.

You can easily sign up for a virtual business number by filling out the form on our website or calling us to learn more.

Call forwarding works by receiving incoming calls from originating phone numbers using our network and then forwarding the calls to a desired number decided by the customer.

Yes, Global Call Forwarding forwards incoming calls to just about any phone number in the world, as well as VoIP and SIP devices.

Yes, it is possible to forward calls to more than one phone number. This can be achieved by using various call routing features such as

  • Sequential forwarding,
  • Simultaneous ringing, or
  • Specific time of day routing rules.
  • These options are available via the control panel for no additional cost.

You can change the number you forward calls to as many times as you like. There are no limitations. Call forwarding settings can easily be accessed and managed from the control panel.

No. Callers are unable to recognize that their call is being forwarded unless you let them know. In the control panel, you can set specific local ringback tones of origination countries for more integration.

Absolutely! You are able to forward inbound and outbound calls to an IP address or VoIP device. We have thousands of customers that receive their calls on VoIP devices daily. Please contact us if you have questions regarding IP/VoIP forwarding and set-up.

Time of day routing gives you the ability to decide how and where calls are routed based on the time of the day the call is received as well as the day of the week. Route calls to specific destinations during certain hours and another location during others.

Most of our customers route calls to their main office during business hours and then to remote or offsite locations outside of business hours, giving them 24/7 coverage.

Yes. Sequential and simultaneous ringing can be achieved when using an IVR. If the IVR has a rule to route calls to a group of phones along with a failover that sends the calls to a different group, then technically simultaneous and sequential forwarding is achieved.

Call recording is a business phone feature that lets you record business calls as they happen and review recordings in the future.

Yes, with Global Call Forwarding’s call recording feature, you can record upto 100% of all incoming and outgoing business calls and save those recordings for up to 6 years.

Recordings of business calls can be used to train new employees, conduct performance reviews, comply with industry regulations, and prevent fraudulent behavior.

To record a call, click the “Record” icon within the control panel as you answer the call. You can also adjust recording rules within settings

Global Call Forwarding offers a call recording feature that can be added to your virtual phone number plan at a small additional price. Sign up on our website or call us to learn more!

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Service Features

A reliable suite of included and premium features to power your business communications.

IVR/Auto Attendant

Cloud Call Recording

Virtual Voicemail

Call Flow Designer

Time of Day Routing

Geographic Routing

Simultaneous Ringing

Sequential Forwarding

Outbound Calling

Outbound Caller ID

Number Masking

Failover Forwarding

Call Blocking

Local Ringback Tones

Fax to Email

Rollover Minutes

The Most Trusted Provider of Business Phone Numbers

Service quality and customer experience are our top priorities.

150+
Countries
Phone numbers available across the globe.
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Reach us via phone, chat, website, and email.
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We've been in business since 1996.
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Multiple layers of redundancy = Higher reliability.