Specialty Answering Service pricing, plan by plan
Specialty Answering Service bills live answering by the minute, and it publishes every rate. The Economy plan is $44 a month plus $1.54 for each minute. Bundles run from $159 for 100 minutes to $10,599 for 10,000, and each extra minute costs $1.09 to $1.44 depending on the bundle.
SAS bills by the second, not rounded up to the next minute, and charges no setup fee. On top of talk time it lists three per-minute extras: $0.10 for patching a caller through to you, $0.15 for its IVR and $0.15 for voicemail. Each sub-account with its own forwarding number is $10 a month.
Plans are month to month, and the free trial covers two weeks or 200 minutes with no card. SAS also mentions per-call plans under its Essentials line, priced only on request. We read every figure on specialtyansweringservice.net on 24 September 2026.
Specialty Answering Service plans
| Plan | Monthly | Minutes included | Each extra minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | $44 | 0 | $1.54 |
| 100 Minute | $159 | 100 | $1.44 |
| 220 Minute | $269 | 220 | $1.44 |
| 500 Minute | $649 | 500 | $1.34 |
| 1,000 Minute | $1,199 | 1,000 | $1.29 |
| 2,500 Minute | $2,929 | 2,500 | $1.19 |
| 5,000 Minute | $5,649 | 5,000 | $1.19 |
| 10,000 Minute | $10,599 | 10,000 | $1.09 |
Read on specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing, September 2026 (checked 2026-09-24). Usage is billed in one-second increments on every plan.
Specialty Answering Service extras, every plan
| Extra | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Patching | $0.10 a minute | Connecting a caller to you, from connect to disconnect |
| IVR | $0.15 a minute | An optional auto attendant in front of the operators |
| Voicemail | $0.15 a minute | Callers who leave a voicemail |
| Sub-account | $10 a month | A second forwarding number, billed with the main account |
| Setup | $0 | No setup fee on any plan |
Read on specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing, September 2026 (checked 2026-09-24). The same page describes billing alerts at 25%, 50% and 75% of your minutes.
What moves a Specialty Answering Service bill
- Talk time. SAS counts every second an operator is on the line, so the length of each call sets the bill.
- Transfers. A caller patched through to you adds $0.10 for every minute of that connected call.
- The gap between bundles. At 375 minutes you're choosing between 220 minutes plus 155 extra at $1.44 and the 500-minute bundle at $649.
- Voicemail and IVR, each $0.15 a minute when you switch them on.
- Extra locations or lines, at $10 a month for each sub-account.
Worked example
A three-lawyer office takes 150 calls a month at about two and a half minutes each, so 375 minutes, and 40 of those callers are put through to an attorney for three minutes.
SAS 220 Minute
$269, then 155 extra minutes at $1.44 ($223.20). $492.20.
SAS patching
40 transfers at three minutes, 120 minutes at $0.10. $12, so $504.20 in total.
SAS 500 Minute instead
$649 covers the 375 minutes, plus the same $12 of patching. $661.
GreetKeeper Starter
all 150 answered calls fit inside the 200 included, transfers included. $49.
On SAS's own card, the cheaper route is the smaller bundle plus overage, and the bill still moves with every extra second a caller talks. GreetKeeper's $49 counts the 150 calls once each, whether they last one minute or eight.
Where our own price sits
GreetKeeper bills per answered call, never per minute: $49 for 200 calls, $149 for 750 and $349 for 2,000. Past the allowance, a call costs $0.45, $0.35 or $0.25 by plan.
Transfers to your team come on every plan, and GreetKeeper tries a second number you nominate if the first doesn't answer. Robocalls and spam calls are screened out before the greeting and don't count toward your plan.
| Plan | Monthly | Calls included | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterFor a single location taking calls one line at a time. | $49 | 200 | $0.45 per call |
| ProfessionalBooking, routing and transfers included, not an add-on. | $149 | 750 | $0.35 per call |
| ScaleFor busy phones and longer opening hours. | $349 | 2,000 | $0.25 per call |
Checking a per-minute quote against your calls
Multiply last month's call count by your average call length, then add a margin for your busiest week.
Count how many calls you'd want put through to you, and price those minutes at the $0.10 patching rate.
Set the SAS billing alerts on day one if you sign, so a long month never surprises you.
Every competitor figure on this page was read on that vendor's own pricing page in September 2026. Prices change. Check before you buy.
Questions people ask
How much does Specialty Answering Service cost?
Specialty Answering Service costs $44 a month plus $1.54 a minute on its Economy plan. Its bundles run $159 for 100 minutes, $269 for 220, $649 for 500 and $1,199 for 1,000, up to $10,599 for 10,000 (September 2026).
Does Specialty Answering Service charge per minute or per call?
Per minute on every published plan, billed by the second. SAS says per-call billing exists under its Essentials plans, and you contact the company to see whether your business qualifies (September 2026).
Is there a setup fee or contract with SAS?
No. SAS lists a $0 setup fee on every plan and bills month to month with no contract. Its free trial runs two weeks or 200 minutes, and no card is needed (September 2026).
What does SAS charge to transfer a call?
SAS calls a transfer patching and charges $0.10 a minute for it, from the moment you're connected until the call ends (September 2026). That's on top of the operator minutes for the same call.
How does GreetKeeper's price compare with Specialty Answering Service?
GreetKeeper's Starter plan is $49 a month for 200 answered calls, with transfers included and $0.45 for each extra call. SAS's 100 Minute plan is $159 for 100 minutes, with extra minutes at $1.44 (September 2026).
Stop paying by the second
GreetKeeper counts each answered call once: $49 for 200 calls, transfers included, and $0.45 a call past that.