How to Get a Virtual Phone Number

Over the past several years, virtual phone numbers have grown in popularity mainly because of the benefits they confer to their users. Such benefits include avoiding roaming charges, getting a local presence in your country of choice (important for businesses), your loved one's and customers can call you when you are abroad without incurring international call rates, and you protect your real number from stalkers.

So, how does one go about getting a virtual phone number? Its simple. There are very many companies that offer virtual phone number services. Examples include: Sonetel and tollfreeforwarding. All you have to do is to sign up with either of them. The best companies allow you to choose your virtual telephone number even before you sign up with them. This is very important as some may not have phone numbers in the country of your interest or the phone numbers they have may have limitations. I once signed up with a virtual telephone company (can't remember its name) and I went through the whole process without being prompted to choose my preferred "ring-to" number and my preferred number and this was very dissatisfying. On contacting their customer support, I was told that I would be allocated one. While its still a good approach, I would rather go with a company that gives me the freedom to choose my preferred number.

Here are the steps to getting a virtual phone number:

1. Sign up with the company of your choice
2. Select your preferred country and then your referred virtual telephone number which could be toll free or a regular local telephone number.
3. Enter your current telephone number
4. Provide your personal details
5. Provide your payment details (debit/card information)-required to start your free trial or to subscribe to your plan of choice. Personally I find this step annoying as I do not like giving out my payment details to all and sundry. But I have realised that all companies ask for these details.
6. You activate your account and hooray, you are good to go! 

The whole process is pretty simple, takes less than 3 minutes on average.