If you have in your possession a phone number but you don’t know who it belongs to you can use a reverse cell phone directory to track down information on the owner. Let’s go over what you need to know before you start tracing phone numbers yourself.

If you’ve never heard of a reverse phone directory you can picture it as an online version of the white pages, only a lot more powerful and user friendly. Instead of flipping through hundreds of pages trying to find the entry you need, all you have to do is enter the information in a search field and click on the “submit” button. And you don’t even need to know the person’s name or in which city or county they live. The directories can search nationwide using nothing but a phone number, and they’ll deliver your results in just seconds.

Now if you’ve spent any time at all looking for a reverse telephone directory you’ve noticed there are two different types: free directories and paid directories. The free directories work pretty well if you need to trace a standard residential number, but if the number is unlisted your search will turn up empty. Likewise, free directories are useless when searching for mobile most business numbers. Needless to say, it can be very frustrating trying to trace a cell phone number.

The good news is that there are some sites that are able to access owner records for cell phones. When you join a paid reverse cell phone directory you’ll be able to search for almost any cell phone number in the US. Of course, you’ll also have access to home numbers, unlisted numbers, and business numbers too. And the best thing is that the fee is just a one-off payment, after which you can search as many numbers as you want.