How do you decline someone's request for your cell phone number without hurting anyone's feelings?

I had same problem before using Google Voice. It is free and it gives you a phone number so that nobody has or know your real phone number. You can set it so that you only receive calls from saved phone numbers and block unwanted callers.

You can set it to ask unknown callers who they are and what they want before it forwards the call to you and give you the option to know who are they before you chose to accept or decline the call. There are other cool features. You got to try it and see if it works with you.

As for declining requests for giving your phone numbers, you cannot have one magic method that applies to all. Everybody is different. Some might not get "hurt" no matter how you do it while others will get offended.

Best solution is just to say no or ask for their number instead and say you'll call them later if you can. If pressed, just say you are tired of changing your phone number (for whatever reason) and having to update people all the time so you don't give it out anymore. Next best solution?

Sign up for Google Voice. You can hand out the number to anyone and sort out who calls and who gets forwarded (notice I said forwarded) to your real number. You can choose which numbers get forwarded to what number or even ignored.

Voice messages are converted to text for you to read and you can listen to the voice later if you want. It acts just like a Gmail inbox only the messages are phone calls. Pretty sweet.

You can even preview a call (Google tells you when someone is calling your Google number by ringing the line of your choice), listen in, divert or hang up and let it go to voice mail.

There are a couple of ways of declining to give the number. One way would be to say that you have a terrible memory for phone numbers and that you can't even remember your new number since you changed it. As you rarely use the phone anyway, you could also simply say that you do not have one anymore.

If this invites curiosity, you could explain that you had been getting nuisance calls and texts and that as you didn't use the phone much, you decided you didn't need one. Lastly, you could say that you are with some service provider that is so bad you are in the process of changing to a new one and at the moment your phone is rarely switched on. If you live in the United States, I don't know how believable that might be because I have a feeling that service providers there, would be of a higher standard than here in Spain!

I often have to tell people that I do not give out the cell phone. Since our cell phones are issued by those companies that we work for, or in my case for patients and clients to get a hold of me at any time. When they say that their friends use their business phones for use we explain that the companies that issued them keep tabs of incoming and outgoing phone calls.

In the business I was in, it was not uncommon to have a phone issued in cases of emergency or for specifics. People pretty much understand that company issued phones are off limits. We have one separate phone for text messages and to give to friends, but we keep close tabs.

We have found out that some telemarketing companies have that phone and we know pretty much who may have either given it out and how they got it, from the registration for the phone web sites.

I would simply put it to them just as you said here. I have a phone that is government funded and for emergencies only as well. If I want more minutes on that phone I have to pay for them.

So just explain for finacial reasons you do not give your number out. flickr.com/photos/gibbons/343384475.

I really don’t give out my cellphone number especially to people I just met. But, I’ve done this many times and it’s effective. I’d just tell them that I have just changed my number and that I cannot memorize it.

So, I’d ask his/her number instead and would tell that I’d just call or text later. Well, I have now the excuse to forget about it afterwards, lol. It’s really hard to trust people that we just met because they might spread the number to their friends thus giving you problems about anonymous calls and texts.

I had experienced it once many times, too. Or you could give out your old number that you didn’t use anymore, lol. I remember my sister, someone asked for her number.

I almost died laughing because she gave out our mother’s old number, lol.

While I have a cell phone with the unlimited texting option, I do not particularly like receiving phone calls at all hours of the day, unless of course I make them and they are extremely important. I have given my phone number to different individuals over the past year and most do not usually call, unless they are planning a get-together of some sort. But there are a few people, some of whom are close friends, that try to call me at times when I truly do not have the time or desire to carry on a conversation.

I guess, the challenge for me would be rather than not giving out my phone number, to kindly ask my friends to either call me back later or not to call during certain times. The problem is I am cursed with the overly-niceness-syndrome, and so I find it difficult to say NO or cut short a telephone conversation (since I was taught as a child to never interrupt a person who is currently speaking). My quick and simple solution to this phone call dilemma is to screen my calls and decide on the spot whether or not to take the call.

It may seem wrong to simply ditch a friend’s call, but if I deem it important enough (or if I am in the right mood) I do make the effort to call them back at the most convenient moment. When it comes to giving out my phone number, I simply only give it to my closest friends or people I can trust. That helps me avoid potential phone calls from people who I do not desire to receive a call in the first place.

I faced this situation many times. Infact I have actually learnt a way of declining their request for my cell phone no. I rather say that I have an exam or some urgent situation and that I have switched off my mobile temporarily.

I will say I would catch up with them later and probably take their numbers in turn. This way I usually don't hurt them.

Well I have expirence this how many time.. well simple just tell to the person my cellhpone is off the battery was empty that is the best answer for that no need more explaine for that... I hope he or she can understand that excuse..

Hate to say it, but lie. 1. "My husband really wouldn't be happy if I gave out my number, sorry" ( kill 2 birds....) 2.

"I don't have a phone, but if you give me yours I'll be sure to call you:)" (if you see them again, say you lost it) 3. If you see them on a daily basis you can tell them the truth, and ask for thiers, if it isn't embarassing..... I wouldn't be embarassed, a lot of people are being hit hard right now with money problems and you were smart enough to get that phone! Good for you!

:) I am a man who speaks his mind, I say, "there is no reason to swap numbers" to men who I see as possible trouble or bad influences.... I'm really funny about the crowd I keep.... To women I just tell the truth," I don't give out my number, I'm sorry, I don't want my wife getting the wrong idea. ", "OH, I'm sure she'll understand! ", "NO, I love her too much and I wouldn't want her taking men's numbers randomly.

" (it's happened).

I don't think it's as easy to avoid giving out your cell phone number as it used to be. Nowadays, people expect others to have phones and they expect that the phones will be used. If someone refused to give me their number, in all honesty, I really do think I'd be offended.

Possessing someone's number doesn't mean I'm going to abuse the privilege, and chances are good that I will never actually call it at all. I also personally feel that all my calls are important, regardless of how biased that may be. That said, I think the best way to turn someone down is to probably just reiterate that your phone is for emergencies only.

If that confuses them or makes them ask more questions, tell them that you use your phone only for outgoing calls.

I understand your situation. I have a certain number of text messages allowed on my plan per month and some people that actually have my number like to send me texts more often than I'd like. I try to remind them that I only have so many per month, and it has helped, thankfully.

In your case, I think you should just tell people that you don't like to talk a lot on the phone or send text messages. Tell them that it isn't anything personal, but that you only have your cell phone for emergencies. If you want to talk to the other person, then maybe suggest they can call you on your home phone.

If you don't want ot talk to them at all, then just don't say anything else. Just politely tell them about how you like to use your cell phone. Anyone should be undertanding and respect your request.

Good luck!

I just tell people I don't keep my phone on except to make outgoing calls so I don't check messages.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.