Working from abroad with US clients has a small but real problem. Clients want an easy way to call you, and an international number puts some of them off. You also do not want to hand out your personal number or pay for a full US business phone system. A second US number fixes that, as long as you set it up around what it can and cannot do.
What changes for your clients?
They dial a normal +1 number. Your phone rings in the TripoSIM app over Wi-Fi or mobile data, with no US SIM and no second phone. You can put the same number on proposals, your email signature and booking confirmations.
Pick an area code your clients will recognise, but do not use it to suggest a US office you do not have. Our area codes guide helps you choose.
How do you set it up?
- Get the TripoSIM US Virtual Number and pass the 2-minute ID check. On iPhone, add the TripoSIM web app to your Home Screen. On Android, install the TripoSIM app.
- Choose your number from the area codes available.
- Allow notifications and microphone access so calls ring. TripoSIM says calls ring even when the app is closed once notifications and the microphone are allowed; a phone that is off, offline or has notifications blocked does not ring, and callers reach voicemail.
- Record a voicemail greeting with your working hours, time zone and how to reach you in writing.
- Ask two different people to call you, once with the app open and once with it closed.
For written messages, point clients to email or a chat tool. The TripoSIM number can receive texts from US senders, but you cannot reply from it, so say so up front.
Call recording is not included. If you record calls with another tool, get consent and follow the rules where you and your client are.
The freelancers page shows how other freelancers use a US number day to day.
How many minutes will you use?
The plan includes 300 outgoing minutes a month to the US and Canada, and incoming calls with a fair-use allowance of 300 minutes. Extra outgoing minutes are $5 for 100.
| Your pattern | Outgoing minutes a month | Enough? |
|---|---|---|
| A few short callbacks a week | under 100 | Yes |
| Five 30-minute client calls a month | about 150 | Yes |
| Ten 30-minute client calls a month | about 300 | Right at the limit |
| Daily prospecting calls | 500 or more | No, look at a business phone service |
Clients calling you does not use your outgoing minutes. For more examples, see whether 300 minutes is enough.
The yearly plan is $100 and the monthly plan is $12.99. If you are likely to keep the number for 8 months or more, yearly is cheaper. The second US number page compares both.
Is it a business phone system?
No. A US contact number does not include shared team inboxes, bulk texting, auto-dialing, call routing, call analytics or an API. If you need a staffed sales line with integrations, use a business phone product built for that.
Keep your own rules for recording, outreach and client data. And do not promise clients features that are not part of the plan, such as text replies.
How do you know it is working?
Track a few numbers for the first two or three months:
- how many missed calls you return within one working day
- how many calls turn into a booked meeting
- your outgoing minutes each month
- what the number actually costs you each month
The goal is not just to have a +1 number. It is to make it easy for clients to reach you, wherever you are working from this month.