How to get a US phone number from outside the US for verification

Four ways to get a US number from abroad

What each route needs from abroad

A US carrier plan

This is the route that gets you a carrier’s own number, the kind some banks and sites insist on: Google tells people whose Voice number is refused to use their mobile carrier number. From abroad, the questions are whether a carrier will sell you a plan and what it allows while you roam. Read its terms on both before you buy; we haven’t compared carriers.

Google Voice

Google says its personal versions of Voice, free and paid, are only available in the US. Setting one up also needs a personal Gmail account and a phone that can receive a text code. Even in the US, Google says some websites, such as banks or subscription services, won’t send texts to Voice numbers, and Claude’s help page lists Google Voice among the numbers it refuses.

A calling app

A calling app runs over Wi-Fi or mobile data, as Hushed describes its own, so the number goes wherever your phone does. Getting one from abroad is the harder part: Burner’s App Store listing says it is available in the US and Canada, though new users can sign in with Apple or Google instead of a phone number. Unlike a rental, these apps call and text both ways. Their prices and what each says about codes are in second phone number for verification.

A receive-only rental

You pay online, the number is ready in seconds, and its texts appear on a web page you can open in any country. Ours is a non-VoIP US number, which matters because many apps look up a number’s line type and refuse VoIP numbers. It can’t make calls or send texts, so a code sent by voice call won’t arrive. Free receive-SMS sites also give out US numbers, but anyone can read the texts; see whether free receive-SMS sites are safe.

Whether an app will accept the number

Each app decides for itself which numbers it sends codes to, and some look at more than the number. Claude, for example, refuses VoIP numbers, Google Voice and numbers created using apps, and its help page limits sign-up to supported locations. A US number doesn’t change the country an app sees you in.

Even a non-VoIP number can be refused, for reasons such as the number having been used on too many accounts or the app’s own risk checks, so we never promise a particular app. If the code doesn’t arrive and the number has had no texts, you can cancel it from 5 minutes to 24 hours after you got it to ask for your money back. Which apps accept virtual numbers lists what each app’s own help page says.

Paying from outside the US

You pay with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and prices are in US dollars: $3.99 for a day, $7.99 for a week, $12.99 for a month and $34.99 for a year. Your bank converts the amount into your own currency at its rate, with any fee it charges for payments abroad.

The price is held on your card, not taken, until the first text arrives or 24 hours pass. A hold can show as “pending” on your statement. There is no balance to top up.

Typing a US number into a form abroad

Many sites guess your country and preselect its code. Change the country to United States first, then type the ten digits; in a single box with no country, type +1 and the ten digits with no spaces. The US phone number formatter gives you each form of a number.

What we won’t help with

A number from us is for receiving your own codes. We won’t help you:

• pass a check that you live in the US;
• open a bank, payment or other financial account in a country you don’t live in;
• reach an app that isn’t offered where you are;
• verify an account for someone else.

A number used to pass as a US resident misrepresents where you live, and our acceptable use policy forbids fraud and pretending to be someone else. A number used that way may be suspended without a refund.

Questions people ask

Can I get Google Voice outside the US?

Google says its personal Google Voice plans, free and paid, are only available in the US. Setup also needs a personal Gmail account and a phone that can receive a text code.

Can I receive texts on a US number while I’m in another country?

On a rented number read in a browser, yes: the texts appear wherever you sign in. On a US carrier plan, it depends on what the plan allows abroad.

Can I use a US number for PayPal or a US bank from abroad?

Not with our help. Financial services that require US residency check much more than a phone number, and using a number to pass as a resident breaks our acceptable use policy.

Do I have to pay in US dollars?

Yes. Prices are in US dollars, from $3.99 for a day, and your bank converts the amount into your currency. You can pay with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.