Tips & Tricks
10.08.20
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DISCLAIMER: The prices you see on this or any other blog article are subject to change. Please check the TextNow app for the most recent pricing.
TextNow's free unlimited talk & text service is a great way to get your own free (local) phone number to stay in touch with friends, family, school, doctors, and everyone else in between!
But did you know that you could turn your free TextNow service into a premium one?
What’s My Store?
If you've looked around the TextNow app, then you would have noticed a button called "My Store" in the menu. While our regular phone service is free, we do offer paid upgrades that can make your phone number even better. Those upgrades are available in the Store section of the TextNow app, and are completely optional. So if you don't want to pay even a penny, you never have to.
What's in the TextNow Store?
If you are looking to improve your TextNow experience, here are the two options you can opt into in the Store:
1. Lock in Number
Price: $1.99 USD/week , $2.49 CAD/week
A free TextNow number can do a lot of things. But because it's free, and we have thousands of people requesting a number every day, we do have to make sure that all the numbers we do have are being used actively.
That means that we don't create new numbers every time one is requested, we simply assign one that is available from our set pool of numbers.
So if a number is not active (it hasn't sent a text or made a call in a while), we remove it from the account so that we can assign it to a person who will use it. (Don't worry, we give plenty of warning beforehand).
If you don't want to worry about keeping your number active, or know that you won't be able to during a period of time, we offer Number Locking. This will lock in your number, no additional activity required.
It is a weekly rate, and can be cancelled anytime.
TextNow Tip: This is also one way to receive verification codes with your TextNow number that doesn't require activating our SIM card.
2. Ad-Free+
Price: $6.99 USD/week, $8.99 CAD/week
TextNow's service is able to stay free through the ads that are shown in-app.
But if you don't like the ads, and want a more streamlined app experience, you can upgrade to an Ad-Free+ account.
This not only removes all the ads, but also includes added bonuses like voicemail transcription, call forwarding, unlimited photo/video storage (so we don't recycle any photos sent on the app after 30 days), and it even locks in your number!
How do these upgrades get charged?
TextNow upgrades can only be purchased through the TextNow mobile app (either iOS or Android.)
As these are considered in-app purchases, their billing is handled by the respective app store on your phone (PlayStore for Android, App Store for Apple). So you will be charged to the card you have associated with your Google PlayStore or Apple App Store account. This also means that any refunds must also go through the respective app stores.
Can I cancel my upgrade?
Of course, you can cancel at anytime, but you will have to follow the processes set forth by the app stores.
If you have an iPhone, follow these App Store instructions for cancelling an in-app purchase/subscription.
If you have an Android, follow these PlayStore instructions for cancelling an in-app purchase/subscription.
And there you have it! One last reminder: the prices you see here are accurate as of the time of writing. For the most recent and accurate pricing, check in the My Store section of your TextNow app.
