How to get a virtual phone number: a step-by-step guide

To get a virtual phone number, pick a provider, choose the country you want the number from and how long you need it, then pay. The number is ready right away, and every SMS sent to it shows up in your account in the browser. You don't need a SIM card or a second phone.

That's how to get a virtual phone number in one paragraph. Below we go through it step by step: what a virtual number is, which kind fits your job, how to choose the country and the term, and what to do so your codes actually arrive.

One thing to know first: 1001SMS rents virtual numbers, so the examples use our own site, with prices as listed on 9 November 2026. The same questions apply wherever you get your number.

Key takeaways

• A virtual phone number is a real number you use online, without a SIM card in your own phone.
• How to get a virtual phone number starts with one decision: what it's for. One code, codes for weeks or months, or calls.
• For a single code, a temp number is the cheapest route. For logins you'll repeat, keep a number for 12 hours to 12 months.
• Many apps check whether a number is VoIP before they send a code. A mobile (non-VoIP) number passes that check like any other phone.
• Renew before the term ends and you keep the same digits.

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a phone number that isn't tied to a SIM card in your phone. You get it online and use it through a website or an app, so you can have a number in a country you've never been to.

There are two common kinds, and the difference matters more than people expect:

• VoIP numbers live in calling apps and carry calls and texts over the internet. They're handy for calls, but some sign-ups refuse them.
• Mobile numbers rented online sit on real SIM cards from local carriers. The SIM stays with the provider, and you read the SMS in your browser. To an app, the number looks like any other phone.

Why would an app refuse a number? Before sending a code, many apps look the number up. Lookup services sort numbers by line type, such as mobile, landline, fixed VoIP and non-fixed VoIP, and some apps stop when the answer is VoIP. Our guide to VoIP numbers explains the check in more detail. Knowing the two kinds is the first half of how to get a virtual phone number that works for you.

Before you start: what do you need the number for?

When people ask "how do I get a virtual phone number?", the honest first answer is another question: what for? Most of the confusion about how to get a virtual phone number goes away once you know what the number has to do. Three jobs cover almost everyone.

One code, once. You're signing up for something and won't need the number again. A temp number is the simplest answer: it's yours for 20 minutes, you pay per code, and if no SMS arrives in that time, the money goes back to your balance automatically.

Codes for weeks or months. An account you'll log into again, a second messenger profile, a marketplace seller account, or a work tool that asks for a code now and then. These need a number you keep, because the next code goes to the same number. That's a virtual phone number held for a term.

Calls. If people will ring you, you need a calling app with a VoIP number. Numbers on 1001SMS receive SMS only: they can't make or take calls, or send texts.

How to get a virtual phone number, step by step

Here's how to get a virtual phone number you keep, using 1001SMS as the example. The whole thing takes about a minute, and the steps are much the same at any provider.

Step 1: Pick the country

Start with the country the app or service expects. A US service may want a US number, a British marketplace a UK one. We have numbers in 18 countries, and the price depends on the country, so if any country will do, compare a few.

As of 9 November 2026, a virtual US phone number started at $5.98 for 12 hours, and a virtual phone number UK started at $9.98 for a day. In the other 16 countries, the shortest term cost from $24.98 to $84.98.

Step 2: Choose how long you need it

A number can run for 12 hours, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or 12 months. Not every country sells every term: 12 hours is US only, UK numbers start at one day, and Canadian numbers at seven days. Here's what the three most asked-for countries cost:

Term	United States	United Kingdom	Canada
12 hours	$5.98	Not offered	Not offered
1 day	$9.98	$9.98	Not offered
7 days	$22.73	$19.48	$25.98
30 days	$27.98	$22.48	$29.98
6 months	$119.98	$62.47	$59.97
12 months	$199.98	$79.97	$79.97

The price covers the whole term, and you pay it once. There's no subscription and no monthly fee. Longer terms cost less per day: six months of a UK number is $62.47, while six 30-day terms would be $134.88. If you know you'll need the number for a while, pick the longer term up front.

Step 3: Create an account and top up

Sign up with your email or continue with Google, then top up your balance in US dollars. You can pay by bank card, bank transfer, a fast bank payment such as SBP, or cryptocurrency, and the methods you see depend on your country. One balance pays for every number you hold, as well as temp numbers and travel eSIMs.

Step 4: Confirm and get the number

Check the price and confirm. It comes off your balance, and the number is ready at once under My virtual numbers in your account, with its own page for its messages.

Step 5: Use it and read your SMS

Type the number into the app with its country code (+1 for the US, +44 for the UK), request the code and open the number's page. Messages usually land within seconds, from any app, for as long as the number is yours.

If nothing arrives within 120 minutes of buying the number, we cancel it and return the full price to your balance automatically. After its first SMS, or after those 120 minutes, the number can't be refunded.

Step 6: Renew it or let it go

Before the term ends, open the number and choose Renew to keep the same digits. You can also turn on auto-renew, which pays for the next term from your balance, and turn it off again any time before the term ends.

If you let a number expire, it can later go to someone else, together with any codes sent to it. So before you let a number go, move your accounts to another number, or set up another way to sign in, such as an authenticator app.

How to create a virtual phone number for a single code

Need just one code? Then how to get a virtual phone number gets simpler still, because you don't have to keep one at all. Here's how to create a virtual phone number for one sign-up:

1. Pick the app and the country. You see the price and the current delivery rate before you pay.
2. The number is reserved for you alone for 20 minutes. Copy it into the app.
3. Request the SMS. The code appears on your order page, usually within seconds.
4. If nothing arrives within 20 minutes, the full price goes back to your balance automatically, and you can try another country.

Temp numbers cover 200+ countries and thousands of apps. The catch is that the number isn't yours after the code, so if the app asks for a code again next month, it won't reach you. Turn on two-step verification in the app as soon as you're in.

How can I get a virtual phone number for free?

You can, with limits. Google Voice has a free plan, but Google says its single-user plans are only available in the US, the free one needs a personal Gmail account, and it asks for a phone number to forward calls to. If you're outside the US, it isn't an option.

Free SMS websites also list public numbers anyone can use. That's the problem: the codes appear on a public page, other people use the same numbers, and you can never get them back. Fine for a quick test, never for an account you care about.

So if you're asking how to get a virtual phone number for free for an account you'll keep, the honest answer is that a free number rarely stays yours. A paid number you control for the whole term costs from $5.98 for 12 hours.

How to get a virtual phone number that apps accept

Knowing how to get a virtual phone number is half the job. The other half is making sure the code arrives:

• Use a mobile number for codes. VoIP numbers are often refused at sign-up. Ours are real mobile numbers, but no provider can promise that every app will accept a number, and we can't either.
• Match the country to the app. Some apps only accept numbers from certain countries.
• Type the number with its country code, without the leading 0 some countries use at home.
• Ask for the code once, then wait a minute. Requesting it again and again can make an app hold off for a while.
• Leave banks and payment apps out. Our terms don't allow virtual numbers for financial services.
• Set up a backup way in. An authenticator app or backup codes keep you in your account if the number ever goes.

Still choosing a provider? We compared six virtual phone number services on price, countries, calls and codes.

FAQ

What is a virtual phone number? A phone number you use online instead of through a SIM card in your own phone. Some are VoIP numbers in calling apps; others are real mobile numbers on SIM cards that stay with the provider, with the SMS shown in your browser. On 1001SMS, virtual numbers are mobile numbers that receive SMS from any app, held for 12 hours to 12 months.

Can I get a virtual phone number in another country? Yes, and that's one of the main reasons people use them: you don't need to live in a country or visit it. How to get a virtual phone number abroad is the same as at home, you just pick another country. On 1001SMS you can choose a number in 18 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia, and a temp number for a single code in 200+ countries.

How much does a virtual phone number cost? It depends on the country and the term, which is why how to get a virtual phone number cheaply mostly comes down to picking the right term. As of 9 November 2026, a US number on 1001SMS cost $5.98 for 12 hours and $27.98 for 30 days, and a UK number $22.48 for 30 days and $79.97 for a year. You pay once per term, with no subscription. Google Voice has a free plan, but only in the US.

Ready for your virtual phone number?

Now you know how to get a virtual phone number, and which kind you need. Rent a virtual phone number on 1001SMS, from 12 hours to 12 months: pick one of 18 countries on our virtual numbers page, choose the term, and the number is ready as soon as you pay. Every SMS lands in your account, and if none arrives within 120 minutes, the money goes back to your balance.