How to get a US phone number in Canada

Run a Canadian business, but serve customers south of the border? Your Canadian number may not be enough. For example, Americans may worry about costly long-distance charges. Or worse, they may question your legitimacy and try competitors with more familiar area codes.

Thankfully, a US virtual phone number can help you establish a US presence without opening a physical office in the States. That means you can reach American customers from anywhere with a WiFi connection, from Toronto to Nunavut.

Below, you’ll learn how to set up a US phone number in Canada in 15 minutes or less. You’ll also compare the different types of US numbers and features to look for in a business phone system.

Why should you get a US phone number in Canada?

Many Canadian business owners purchase US phone numbers because they:

• Encourage US customers to call your business. Some US customers don’t want the hassle of international calls or long-distance fees. Purchasing a US number helps reduce this risk and make your business more accessible to American callers.
• Expand into the US without leaving Canada. No need to open a physical office in the US if your team doesn’t have to. With a US business phone number, you can run your business from The Great White North while creating a local presence in specific US cities or states.
• Improve answer rates. The average US citizen receives 15 spam calls per month, and they may not pick up for a number they don’t recognize. But US area codes feel familiar to US customers, so you may be able to improve answer rates.
• Enable US marketing campaigns from Canada. Advertising in a specific city or state? Purchase a matching US area code to pair with your paid ads, such as Google Ads. That way, your ads look local to US prospects, and you don’t need to manage a physical business in the US.
• Separate Canadian and US operations. Keep Canadian customers on one number and US customers on another. That way, you can see how each market is performing and grow each one at its own pace.

How to get a US phone number anywhere in Canada

Get a US phone number in Canada in minutes

Try for free

Getting a US phone number in Canada is an easy process. It only takes a few minutes to complete if you use a business phone system like Quo, formerly OpenPhone.

Here’s how:

1. Create a Quo account and try out the platform for free for seven days.
2. Pick a specific phone number by an area code or city in the United States. You can also get Canadian phone numbers or Canadian toll-free numbers on the same account if you’re building a presence across multiple locations.

3. Congratulations! You now have a US phone number that can be used on computers, mobile phones, and tablets with an internet connection.

Check out our video to see a visual breakdown of how to create a Quo account:

Types of US phone numbers you can get in Canada

Here are the three main types of US phone numbers you can have.

Types of US phone numbers at a glance

Let’s take a quick look at how the different number types you can get in Canada compare side-by-side:

Type	Best for Canadian businesses that	Why it works	Starts with	What it looks like	Tied to a location?
Local	Looking to create a clear presence in a specific US city	Builds local trust	Standard US area code such as 212	212-555-1234	Yes
Toll-free	Serve customers across multiple states	Signals authority, established business	Toll-free area codes, such as 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833	Nationwide US support line: 800-555-1024 Sales line on a US landing page: 888-555-7744	No
Vanity	Invest in US marketing campaigns	Can be memorable if you want customers to remember to call you later	Custom alphanumeric format, such as 1-800-CONTACTS	1-800-FLOWERS	Depends

Local US phone numbers

Local phone numbers are tied to specific US states and cities, and each number comes with a three-digit area code.

If your business serves customers in New York, for example, you might get a local area code like 917 or 347. This helps you easily build a local presence. Local customers may also trust your business more, since they’ll recognize the phone number from your caller ID.

Toll-free US phone numbers 

Toll-free phone numbers let customers call your business without paying long-distance fees. That’s because you, not your callers, are responsible for paying the charges. However, the exact charges will depend on your provider. With Quo, you won’t pay additional toll-free minute charges for incoming calls.

It’s also easy to recognize a toll-free number: its three-digit toll-free code starts with the number eight, like 833 or 844.

If you serve customers across the US or Canada, or the NANP, toll-free numbers work well. Just keep in mind, incoming calls from a toll-free number may look like spam to some customers. 

Vanity US phone numbers

Vanity numbers can be toll-free or local area codes. The difference here is that vanity numbers also spell out a word or phrase, like 1-800-FLOWERS.

You may want a vanity number if you’d like your phone number to spell out the product or service you offer. This can help keep your business top of mind for customers. Think of 1-800-MATTRESS: it’s an excellent choice for marketing campaigns, since it’s a lot catchier than 1-800-487-8669.

Decision framework checklist: How to choose the right type 

If you’re a Canadian business expanding into the US, use this checklist to figure out which type of phone number makes the most sense for your team:

☐ Do you want to keep Canadian and US inquiries separate?

If yes, start with a local number to organize communications by market.

☐ Are you expanding into one specific US city or state from Canada?

If yes, you may want a local US number tied to that area code.

☐ Are you serving customers across multiple US states while staying based in Canada?

If yes, a toll-free number may make it easier for nationwide callers to reach you. 

☐ Are you running US ads, like radio, podcasts, billboards, or paid search?

If yes, vanity numbers could make campaigns more memorable and easier to recall.

6 Key reasons businesses expanding to the US choose Quo

There are many business phone systems offering numbers with local US and toll-free area codes. But not all providers are built alike. Choosing one with flexible pricing and scalable features — like Quo — can help make the most of your US phone number.

Here’s why hundreds of Canadian businesses trust Quo as the best US virtual phone number provider:

1. Split responsibility for incoming calls and texts with shared phone numbers

Quo’s shared numbers let multiple team members call and text from the same US phone number. That way, you don’t lose out on potential customers, and no one has to handle every conversation. 

Don’t want to get notifications for calls and texts whenever you’re off? You can set up business hours for shared numbers, and your team members can set up their own personal work schedules. That way, you only get notifications during working hours. This helps prevent burnout and promotes better work-life balance for your team.

With Quo’s shared inboxes, everyone on your team can see full conversation histories — no searching through different apps or forwarding screenshots.

Team members can also communicate within these inboxes. For example, you can leave internal comments, tag team members with questions, or loop someone in when you need help. That way, your team can work together to solve customer problems without missing context or duplicating replies.

2. Make unlimited calls and send unlimited texts in the US from Canada

Every Quo plan includes unlimited calling in the US and Canada. You’ll also have access to SMS and MMS support. That way, your team can send or request photos, videos, quotes, documents, and more from US customers.

You can also automate your text messages with features like:

• Auto-replies. Instantly respond to missed calls and texts. You can set up different text messages for business hours and after hours. For example, you can let customers know they’ve reached the right place and set expectations for when you’ll respond.
• Scheduled texts. Reach US customers during their business hours, based on the recipients’ area codes and time zones.
• Snippets. Save messages you send often so you don’t have to spend time retyping them. Whether it’s pricing information, appointment details, or a quick follow-up, snippets help your team reply faster and keep messages consistent.

3. Manage US calls and texts from anywhere with Quo’s mobile and desktop apps

Quo lets you manage US calls from anywhere — as long as you have an internet connection.

Plus, getting set up only takes 15 minutes or less. First, download the Quo app onto your mobile or desktop device. Then sign in to a WiFi connection to make and receive calls and send texts.

Top tip: You can use the Quo app as a second phone number for business use. This helps keep personal and work calls separate, so you know how to respond when someone calls your cell phone.

4. Get a US number included every time you grow your team

Each time you add a new user to your account, you can add them to an existing number in your workspace, and, as needed, you can let them pick one of three numbers:

• US local numbers
• North American toll-free numbers
• Vanity numbers

Now, everyone on your team can have their own unique US number and share phone numbers to better serve customers.

Here’s how Raphael Sammut, General Manager at Billdr, expanded into the US with the help of Quo:

“New market expansion is now straightforward. We add a new number and change a few phone settings, and that’s it. It only takes five minutes to be able to scale our phone system,” — Raphael Sammut, General Manager at Billdr

5. Capture and qualify US leads automatically with Sona, Quo’s AI voice agent

Thinking about running ads in the US? Canadian businesses can assign dedicated US numbers to each campaign. Then you can route incoming calls to Sona, an AI voice agent available in Quo, which can automatically answer them. Sona can collect detailed lead information, such as the caller’s name, contact details, and service needs. That way, your team can determine which US-based leads are worth following up on.

Sona Tip: If you don’t have team members working US business hours yet, you can set up an AI voice agent to handle after-hours calls. Sona can take these calls automatically, so you don’t miss US leads. It can also take messages, respond to common questions, and text booking links while customers are on the call.

6. Connect your US number to the tools you already use 

Buying a US phone number is one thing. Making it work with the rest of your tools is what can help scale your growing business. With a business phone system like Quo, you can connect your US number to CRM tools like HubSpot and Salesforce. So when a US lead calls or texts, their activity is automatically logged under the right contact. That means your team doesn’t have to manually log conversations or update spreadsheets after every call.

Get started with a US number in Canada with Quo 

Getting a US virtual phone number in Canada can help you build a professional presence. Plus, it can help you avoid inflexible or outdated phone systems, like traditional landlines or prepaid SIM cards.

With Quo, you can purchase as many US phone numbers as you need, whether they’re local, toll-free, or vanity. Then, share them with your team so everyone can collaborate on conversations. You’ll also have access to features like texting automations and Quo’s Sona to build better customer relationships.

Sign up for a free seven-day trial of Quo to test a US number with your team in Canada.

FAQs