Customer service hold times by company, measured
Last updated . 34 companies, calls placed September 28, 2026 to October 9, 2026.
The longest hold we measured was Priceline, at 25:09 before a live person answered. The shortest was Pottery Barn, at 0:49. Across the 31 companies we timed, the median was 2:21. 7 took more than 5 minutes and 11 took under 2.
An AI or virtual assistant answered first at 15 of 34 companies. Where one did, the median time to a person was 3:07 (13 companies). Where a phone menu answered, it was 2:00 (18 companies). The three longest holds all started with an AI assistant. No call we placed reached a person at Experian or FedEx.
Every time below comes from a real call placed by call4me's AI phone agent, recorded and published on our blog with the full transcript. Each company below links to the transcript line where the first person speaks, and to the post with the recording.
Hold times by company, longest first
Time is minutes:seconds from the start of the published recording to the first live person, so it includes the phone menu and the queue.
| Rank | Company | Time to a person | Answered first | Called | What got us through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Priceline | 25:09 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 9 | Saying we had no trip number, again and again, then about 22 minutes of hold |
| 2 | United Airlines | 19:09 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 1 | "Flight change fee", then hold |
| 3 | Delta | 16:15 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 8 | No confirmation number, "I need a representative", then hold |
| 4 | Aquasana | 7:49 | phone menu | Oct 6 | Staying on hold instead of taking a callback |
| 4 | Spectrum | 7:49 | phone menu | Oct 1 | "Cancel my account", then "disconnect" |
| 6 | UPS | 5:57 | phone menu | Oct 1 (2 calls) | "Representative", twice, at the tracking number prompt |
| 7 | Verizon | 5:52 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 1 (2 calls) | Saying "an agent, please" |
| 8 | Venmo | 4:57 | phone menu | Oct 9 (2 calls) | Press 4, 2, 1, 2 (a dispute by phone), then stay on the line when no account is found |
| 9 | PayPal | 4:30 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 8 | "General question", "something else", then the keypad menu |
| 10 | Amazon Pharmacy | 3:40 | AI or virtual assistant | Sep 28 | Stating the request; the system transferred us |
| 11 | USAA | 3:28 | phone menu | Oct 1 | Press 1 (not a member), press 2, say "membership" twice |
| 12 | FPL | 3:07 | phone menu | Oct 1 (5 calls) | "Open a new account", then asking for a representative |
| 12 | Hertz | 3:07 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 8 (3 calls) | Asking for a representative six times |
| 14 | DIRECTV | 2:47 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 8 (2 calls) | "Cancel service", no account number, then satellite |
| 15 | GEICO | 2:35 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 9 (2 calls) | "Get a new policy", then "auto", and answering every question |
| 16 | Etihad | 2:21 | phone menu | Oct 1 | Press 1, your cabin class, then 2 |
| 17 | Allstate | 2:08 | phone menu | Oct 2 | Answering every question, even with "I'm not sure" |
| 17 | DoorDash | 2:08 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 9 | Naming the problem ("missing item", then "refund") instead of asking for a representative |
| 19 | Audible | 2:00 | phone menu | Oct 2 | Typing the digits it reads out, then 2 |
| 19 | Factor | 2:00 | phone menu | Oct 3 (2 calls) | Press 4 for account cancellation |
| 21 | Fubo | 1:59 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 3 (2 calls) | Asking twice for a human, then "customer service" |
| 22 | Fifth Third Bank | 1:44 | phone menu | Oct 8 | Not entering an account number |
| 23 | American Airlines | 1:40 | phone menu | Oct 1 (2 calls) | Saying "book a held reservation" |
| 23 | HelloFresh | 1:40 | phone menu | Oct 3 | The cancellation option |
| 25 | Hulu | 1:28 | phone menu | Oct 8 | Pressing nothing and staying on the line |
| 26 | AAA (Mountain West) | 1:24 | phone menu | Oct 8 | Press 4 (membership or insurance quote), then a ZIP code |
| 27 | Wayfair | 1:12 | AI or virtual assistant | Sep 30 (2 calls) | Answering the assistant in one sentence |
| 28 | Fabletics | 1:08 | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 2 | Saying we didn't have the account phone number |
| 29 | UnitedHealthcare | 1:04 | phone menu | Oct 1 | Press 1 (insurance for you or your family) |
| 30 | Windstream (Kinetic) | 0:55 | phone menu | Oct 8 (3 calls) | The sales line, press 1 (new residential deals) |
| 31 | Pottery Barn | 0:49 | phone menu | Oct 8 | Saying "customer service" |
Companies we called but could not time
| Company | Result | Answered first | Called | What we tried |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiriusXM | Reached a person; the post does not say when | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 7 | Calling it a general policy question and asking twice for a person |
| Experian | Never reached a person (1 call) | phone menu | Sep 30 | Nothing we tried |
| FedEx | Never reached a person (4 calls) | AI or virtual assistant | Oct 1 | A tracking number, then the callback offer |
FedEx's agent only came on when FedEx called us back, after we gave a tracking number. That callback is not a hold on FedEx's line, so it is not ranked.
The recorded line behind each time
For each company: the number we dialed, and the line in the published transcript where the first live person speaks, quoted as it appears in the post. Where no time was measured, the sentence from the post that says so.
- Priceline, 25:09, called 1-877-477-5807 on October 9, 2026. "25:09 Representative: Thank you for contacting Travel Services. You are through to [representative]. Can I start by getting your first and last name?" Recording and transcript
- United Airlines, 19:09, called 1-800-864-8331 on October 1, 2026. "19:09 United agent: Hi, thank you for calling reservations desk. This is [name removed]. How may I help you?" Recording and transcript
- Delta, 16:15, called 800-221-1212 on October 8, 2026. "16:15 Representative: Thank you for calling Delta. This is [name removed] speaking. How may I assist you today?" Recording and transcript
- Aquasana, 7:49, called on October 6, 2026 (the post does not state the number). "7:49 Representative: Good morning, customer service. [Name and adjacent words removed.]" Recording and transcript
- Spectrum, 7:49, called (833) 267-6094 on October 1, 2026. "7:49 Rep: Thank you for calling Spectrum here in Austin, Texas. My name is [name removed]. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?" Recording and transcript
- UPS, 5:57, called 1-800-742-5877 on October 1, 2026. "5:57 UPS agent: Hello, this is [name removed]. May I have your name, please?" Recording and transcript
- Verizon, 5:52, called 800-922-0204 on October 1, 2026. "5:52 Verizon: Hi, you've reached [one word muted: it sounds like "me", and may be the representative's name] at Verizon, and it's my pleasure to assist you." Recording and transcript
- Venmo, 4:57, called (855) 812-4430 on October 9, 2026. "4:57 Venmo representative: Thanks for calling Venmo. This is [name removed]. May I have your name, please?" Recording and transcript
- PayPal, 4:30, called 1-888-221-1161 on October 8, 2026. "4:30 Representative: Hi, this is [name removed], and welcome to PayPal. Can I have your first and last name?" Recording and transcript
- Amazon Pharmacy, 3:40, called 855-745-5725 on September 28, 2026. "3:40 Representative: Clinical customer care. This is [name removed]. How can I help you?" Recording and transcript
- USAA, 3:28, called 800-531-8722 on October 1, 2026. "3:28 Representative: Hi, thanks for calling USAA. My name is [name removed] with the eligibility department. How can I help you today?" Recording and transcript
- FPL, 3:07, called 1-888-988-8249 on October 1, 2026. "3:07 FPL: Good afternoon, thank you for calling FPL. My name is [name removed]. May I have your name?" Recording and transcript
- Hertz, 3:07, called 1-800-654-4173 on October 8, 2026. "3:07 Hertz representative: Hello, thank you for calling Hertz. My name is [name removed]. May I know your rental record number or your reservation ID number, please?" Recording and transcript
- DIRECTV, 2:47, called 800-531-5000 on October 8, 2026. "2:47 DIRECTV rep: Good evening, thank you for calling DIRECTV. My name is [name removed], who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?" Recording and transcript
- GEICO, 2:35, called (800) 207-7847 on October 9, 2026. "2:35 GEICO agent: Thank you for calling GEICO. This is [name removed], your licensed professional. How may I help you today?" Recording and transcript
- Etihad, 2:21, called +1 914-303-8393 on October 1, 2026. "2:21 Agent: Thank you for calling Etihad. My name is [name removed]. How may I assist you today? May I get your name, please?" Recording and transcript
- Allstate, 2:08, called 800-726-6033 on October 2, 2026. "2:08 Agent: Welcome to Allstate. My name is [name removed], a licensed insurance agent in your state. How can I help you today?" Recording and transcript
- DoorDash, 2:08, called 855-431-0459 on October 9, 2026. "2:08 Representative: Thank you for calling DoorDash. This is [name removed]. How can I assist?" Recording and transcript
- Audible, 2:00, called 888-283-5051 on October 2, 2026. "2:00 Associate: Hi, thank you for contacting Audible. You are speaking with [name removed]. With who do I have the pleasure to speak to at the moment?" Recording and transcript
- Factor, 2:00, called (888) 573 5727 on October 3, 2026. "2:00 Representative: Hello, thank you for calling Factor. This is [representative name removed]. How can I help?" Recording and transcript
- Fubo, 1:59, called (844) 441 3826 on October 3, 2026. "1:59 Representative: Thank you for calling Fubo TV Support. My name is [representative name removed]. Who am I speaking with today, please?" Recording and transcript
- Fifth Third Bank, 1:44, called 800-972-3030 on October 8, 2026. "1:44 Representative: Hello, good afternoon. We appreciate you for calling Fifth Third Bank. My name is [name removed]. Can you confirm with your account number or social security number?" Recording and transcript
- American Airlines, 1:40, called 800-433-7300 on October 1, 2026. "1:40 Representative: Thank you for calling American Airlines. This is [name removed]. I can see that you're calling from the United States to book a new reservation. How can I help you?" Recording and transcript
- HelloFresh, 1:40, called (646) 846 3663 on October 3, 2026. "1:40 Representative: Hi, thank you so much for calling HelloFresh. This is [representative name removed]. How can I help?" Recording and transcript
- Hulu, 1:28, called 877-824-4858 on October 8, 2026. "1:28 Representative: Thank you for calling Hulu Support. My name is [name removed]. How can I help you?" Recording and transcript
- AAA (Mountain West), 1:24, called 877-323-4222 on October 8, 2026. "1:24 Representative: Thank you for calling AAA Insurance. My name is [name removed]. How can I help you?" Recording and transcript
- Wayfair, 1:12, called 844-403-5086 on September 30, 2026. "1:12 Agent: This is your sales agent, [name removed]. How can I help you with your purchase?" Recording and transcript
- Fabletics, 1:08, called 1-844-322-5384 on October 2, 2026. "1:08 Consultant: Thank you for calling Fabletics. My name is [name removed]. How may I assist you today?" Recording and transcript
- UnitedHealthcare, 1:04, called 1-888-585-0631 on October 1, 2026. "1:04 UnitedHealthcare: Thank you for calling. My name is [name removed], and I'm a licensed insurance agent. How may I help you today?" Recording and transcript
- Windstream (Kinetic), 0:55, called (866) 703-8175 on October 8, 2026. "0:55 Rep: Hello, thank you so much for calling Kinetic. My name is [name removed]. Who do I have the pleasure to stay with today?" Recording and transcript
- Pottery Barn, 0:49, called 1-888-779-5176 on October 8, 2026. "0:49 Representative: Good afternoon, and thank you for calling Pottery Barn. This is [name removed]. How may I help you?" Recording and transcript
- SiriusXM, called (866) 635 8641 on October 7, 2026. "Our caller explained that this was a general policy inquiry and asked for a person twice. The system then transferred the call to a human." Recording and transcript
- Experian, called 1-888-397-3742 on September 30, 2026. "These routes did not reach a consumer support agent on September 30, 2026." Recording and transcript
- FedEx, called 1-800-463-3339 on October 1, 2026. "None of the three reached a person, and none got a callback offer." Recording and transcript
Methodology
- Who called: call4me, an AI phone agent, placed every call between September 28, 2026 and October 9, 2026. Most were our own general questions with no account. A few were call4me users' own errands or our own accounts, as each post says.
- What the time measures: minutes and seconds from the start of the published recording to the first moment a live person speaks, read from the timestamped transcript in each post. It covers the phone menu and the hold. Some recordings shorten long silences, so on those the real wait was slightly longer.
- Which call counts: one row per company. Where we called a company more than once, the time is from the first call that reached a person, and the table shows how many calls we placed.
- What answered first: "AI or virtual assistant" when the post calls what answered an AI, virtual, voice or automated assistant. A speech or keypad menu counts as a phone menu.
- What this is not: a ranking of service quality, or of typical wait times. Each company was called on a single day, mostly once, at whatever time we happened to call. A fast pickup says nothing about whether the person could help, and several fast answers were sales teams.
The per-call data, including second and third calls, phone tree details and the gym clubs we left out here, is in how long it takes to reach a human. Every company's number, grouped by industry, is on the customer service numbers page.
Download the hold time dataset
Every row above, with the transcript line behind each time and a link to its source post. No signup required.
Reuse: available under CC BY 4.0. Cite: call4me. Customer service hold times by company, measured. Version 2026-10-12. https://call4.me/hold-times. For a correction, email me@call4.me.
Skip the hold
call4me is a phone for your AI agent. Tell Claude Code, Codex or ChatGPT what you need from a company and it calls, gets through the menu, waits on hold and brings back the answer. Install it / listen to more calls