The History of 646

Area code 646 is just one of four area codes that cover the population-dense Manhattan borough. As New York City headed for the millennium, more than 50,000 new Manhattanites flooded the area between 1990 and 2000. This surge in population brought along the necessity of a new area code and, thus, the introduction of the 646 area code.

While some long-time New Yorkers may claim 646 is just an overlay for the highly coveted area code 212, the increase in popularity of cell phones, combined with the desire for an authentic New York area code since the institution of the 646 area code, has meant that its numbers have been devoured. In fact, 646 numbers are predicted to run out in 2020, just 20 years after their introduction. 

How Do You Get a 646 Area Code?

It’s much easier to get a certain area code than you would think. There are actually several options that will work. The thing is that the vast majority of them will come with a few severe downsides.

One option is totally from these annoyances, but you must decide for yourself which one is the best for you. It shouldn’t be too hard after you learn a little more about your potential options. You don’t actually need to navigate all through the state of New York to outwit the North American Numbering Plan. 

Ask For a 646 Phone Number

It’s common for people to request a new phone number. There are so many valid reasons that you don’t have to offer one most of the time. All that you have to do is contact your phone service carrier, make a formal request for a 646 area code, and they’ll try to assign you one. In most cases, they’ll even give you the number for free.

While that sounds simple enough, you might not want to look up their customer service number just yet. You see, in order to process your request, you’re going to have to surrender your current number and your original area code — and there’s no getting it back. 

You can’t use the 646 for a day or week and switch back to your original telephone number. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. 

To make matters worse, it might not even be possible to get a 646 number. Remember that it’s been around since 1999. How many free numbers could be left after more than 20 years of serving one of the most densely populated areas in the world? Callers might get lucky, but it’s much more common that they’ll end up with a different area code from the NPA. 

When the NPA went into effect, some area code phone numbers got switched around. The Bronx encompasses 347, 718, 917, and 929. Brooklyn, NY, includes 718, 917, and 347. Queens covers six area codes, including 718, 917, and 929. Staten Island residents could have 929, 347, 917, and 718. As you can see, the area code map can get pretty tricky to navigate.

Buy a New Phone in the Manhattan Area

Area codes used to be a little easier to understand in the old days. They would be assigned based on the physical location of the phone service. Seeing as how cell phones are designed to be mobile, that makes things a little more tricky for their area codes. Instead of using a physical address, cell phone area codes are assigned based on where the phone is bought and activated.

So if you bought a phone in Manhattan, NYC, and set it up there. Then you might be assigned a 646 number, but no promises. You can probably already see the downsides that come with this plan.

For starters, you’ll need to go to Manhattan. That’s going to cost you at least some amount of money if you aren’t already living there. Then, you’ll have to add in the cost of the phone. You’d be surprised how much a “cheap” phone costs these days.

Finally, you’d have to factor in the increase to your phone bill every single month. You’ll be spending at least a few hundred dollars for a 646 area code. Is a specific New York City area code worth that much to you?

Of course, that’s even assuming that you’re able to get a 646 number in the first place. You’ll have even lower odds of getting one using this method than you did in the previous one.

Then again, even if you did succeed in your mission, now you’ve got to be responsible for two phones everywhere you go. That’s twice the voicemail checking, twice the charging responsibilities, and twice the incoming phone calls. Talk about an inconvenience!

Install Burner

The idea of a “burner” phone is very easy to understand. You buy a bargain-priced, disposable phone and “burn” it whenever you don’t need it anymore. Simple. 

Obviously, that’s an incredibly wasteful thing to do, so now the practice has evolved. Instead of throwing away the entire phone, you can simply “burn” the virtual phone number instead.

As soon as you download Burner, you’ll be prompted to select a specific area code. Enter “646” into the designated area, and you’ll be given a catalog of ten phone numbers with a 646 area code. Select the one that you want, and it’s yours. You can keep it until you “burn” it or cancel service. It’s just that simple. 

Anytime someone calls or texts your 646 number, it has to go through Burner first before you receive it. It’ll be like owning two phones inside of a single one. You don’t have to buy a phone specifically in Manhattan.

You don’t have to make a single permanent change to your current phone situation (or your physical time zone, most importantly). All that you have to do is download an app. 

Why Should You Use Burner?

The section above should have clarified that using Burner is the top-notch way to get a 646 area code. If you’re still not sure this is the right way to get your dream prefix, then maybe learning about the extra benefits that come with Burner will convince you. 

In the opening section, we briefly mentioned some of the problems that come with using your personal cell phone for business purposes.

These are just a few examples of how Burner can address these specific problems:

Protect Your Personal Information

Most people probably don’t consider their phone numbers to be something that’s worth protecting. At least not in the same way as they might consider their Social Security Number. That’s unfortunate for them because hackers can do a ton of damage with just your phone number.

New York is known for its beautiful architecture, stunning museums, and fascinating history. Unfortunately, due to the high population density, it’s also a target for cybercrime. In recent years, New York ranked as one of the top three cities that lost the most money to scammers. Identity theft and phishing were some of the primary concerns. It’s more important than ever for New Yorkers to protect themselves from identity theft and similar crimes. 

The last thing that you want is for one of them to get ahold of your personal or business phone number. Even if you don’t create a Burner account, you should start taking more steps to protect your phone number and data.

Installing Burner will help keep you at least one step ahead of these con artists. The 646 number that you choose won’t have any connection to your personal information.

Remember that Burner numbers are supposed to be thrown away so that they aren’t linked to anything important. Even if a spammer does start to flood your 646 number, just “burn” it and get a different number. 

Balance Work Life and Home Life

The scales that balance work life and home life have dramatically shifted in favor of work over the years. By using your personal phone for work activities, you’ve only increased the weight on the work side of the scale.

Those who live in or conduct business in New York feel this pressure tenfold. According to recent research, New Yorkers spend 49.08 hours a week working and commuting compared to the 46.48-hour average in other cities. New York is truly the city that never sleeps — but that doesn’t mean you need to feel that burnout. 

Fortunately, Burner has a few features that can help you to rebalance the scales. You might finally be able to reclaim your nights and weekends!

With Burner, you’ll have a variety of features that can help you take time for yourself. You can set work hours where all calls and messages are immediately transferred. But during the off hours, they’ll be sent to voice mail or receive an autoresponder message that you can personalize.

You can also enable the “Do Not Disturb” feature if you need a few minutes or hours off work. Your phone will work the exact same as normal, but your 646 number will have the same treatment as if it were your “off-hours.” 

The Next Step For a 646 Area Code

Surely by now, you can agree that Burner is the best way to get a 646 area code. It’s the only way that 100% guarantees a 646 number.

After you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll be met with a prompt to select a specific area code. Just enter “646.” You’ll be given a list of numbers within a few seconds.

You can get a new number with a 646 area code at any time or get a number from a new area code if you want. You can also add in as many lines as you need and cancel service at any time. You can look for a better deal all that you want, but you’ll never find one!

Check out Burner to learn more and start your free trial. You can see for yourself what Burner can do. Even someone standing on top of the Empire State Building could see that Burner is your best option!

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SOURCES 

Manhattan – New York’s Most Important and Popular Borough | Introducing New York

646 Area Code | All Area Codes

New York City Immigrants: The 1990s Wave | Issue Lab

The Increasing Threat of Identity Theft | Office of the New York State Comptroller

NYC ECONOMIC BRIEF | Office of the New York State Comptroller