--- title: "Buy or port a phone number" description: "Buy a local or toll-free number in Settings → Phone & Voicemail, set the Default, assign it to a user, or port one in." url: https://help.k3x.ai/en/articles/96-buy-or-port-a-phone-number collection: "Email, Calls and SMS" updated: 2026-10-19 language: en --- # Buy or port a phone number Buy a local or toll-free number in Settings → Phone & Voicemail, set the Default, assign it to a user, or port one in. You need a K3X phone number before you can call or text. Buy one in **Settings → Phone & Voicemail** and you are live in a couple of minutes, or port the number your customers already know from another provider, which takes one to two weeks. ## Buy a number 1. Open **Settings → Phone & Voicemail**. You need the Owner or Administrator role. 2. Click to add a number and choose the country. Most teams start with the US or Canada. 3. Choose the number type (see below) and an area code, or search by city. 4. Pick a number from the list and confirm. Carrier fees for the number are passed through at cost. The exact amount is shown before you confirm. After the purchase the number appears in your numbers list. From there you can: - Mark it as the **Default** number. It is used when nobody has a personal number assigned, and it is what the dialer's **Call from** button offers first. - **Assign it to a user**. Calls to the number ring that person, and their outbound calls and texts come from it. - Set the voicemail greeting. ## Number types - **Local** (for example +1 404 555 0100): best for outbound calling and one-to-one sales texting. Needs **A2P 10DLC registration** before you text US or Canada numbers. - **Toll-free** (for example +1 855 555 0100): reads as a business line and has a lighter registration path, **toll-free verification**. Fine for national teams, less personal for local ones. - **Short code** (5 or 6 digits): very high throughput, months to provision, expensive. Most teams never need one. Ask support if you think you do. ## When no numbers show up Inventory changes hourly, especially for toll-free prefixes. Search by city instead of prefix, try a neighboring area code (it reads as local to recipients), or try again later in the day. If you are stuck, ask in the SUPPORT chat and we will check availability on our side. ## Port an existing number If you have a business number with another carrier (RingCentral, Dialpad, an old VoIP line, a desk phone), you can move it to K3X. Ask for porting in the SUPPORT chat or email `hey@k3x.ai`. We collect: - The number or numbers you want to port. - Your most recent bill from the current carrier, to verify ownership. - A signed Letter of Authorization, which we prepare for you. - Your preferred port date. Expect one to two business days for paperwork, five to seven for the losing carrier to release, and the cut-over on the port date. Most ports finish in seven to ten business days. Multiple numbers or legacy carriers can take two to three weeks. Any carrier porting fee is passed through at cost and confirmed with you before we submit. ## Things to know - **Do not cancel your old service** until the port completes. An early release makes the port fail. - **Toll-free verification does not transfer.** Resubmit it in K3X the day the port completes. - **A2P 10DLC belongs to your business, not the number.** Once registered, new local numbers can be added to your campaign. - **Numbers run on Twilio.** K3X provisions them for you. You never need a Twilio account. - **Releasing a number is permanent.** You cannot get the same number back. ## Compliance before volume A new number can place calls immediately. Texting US or Canada numbers at any real volume needs registration first: A2P 10DLC for local, toll-free verification for toll-free. The registration status banner at the top of Phone & Voicemail shows where you stand. ## Related - A2P 10DLC registration guide - Toll-free verification: the 10DLC alternative - Send your first SMS - The dialer: one-click calls, the live-call banner and audio settings