Learn how to purchase a new long or short SMS number to use with your SMS campaigns.
Overview
When you're sending a marketing SMS campaign, you must use a number that's local to the country where you're sending your campaigns – this is to let your contacts reply and opt-out easily. You can purchase new numbers in-app.
Purchase an SMS number
To purchase a new SMS number:
- Go to Settings > Account > SMS settings.
- Select Purchase new number.
- Select the countries you plan to send SMS messages to.
- For marketing SMS, you must purchase an inbound number for each of these to allow replies and opt-outs. You can do this in-app with UK, US, and AUS, but for other countries, we’ll need to process the order for you.
- For transactional SMS, you might not need to purchase a number in all cases. After you select your countries, we will tell you whether you have to or not.
- At this point, your options vary depending on whether you chose the UK, US, AUS, or other countries. To continue, select the option that applies to you:
Purchasing numbers for the UK
These steps continue from Purchase an SMS number. To purchase numbers for the UK:
- Choose the type of number you want to purchase.
To learn more about shared short codes and virtual mobile numbers, check out the article Getting started with SMS.
- If you choose a Virtual mobile number:
- Select Next.
- Choose how many long numbers your want to purchase.
You can buy a maximum of five in one transaction.
- Select Add to invoice.
- If you choose a Shared short code, or Free text shared short code:
- Select Next.
- Enter your keyword.
To learn about short codes, check out Short codes and virtual mobile numbers
- Select Add to invoice.
Purchasing numbers for the US and AUS
These steps continue from Purchase an SMS number. To purchase numbers for the US and AUS:
- Choose how many numbers you want to purchase.
You can buy a maximum of five in one transaction.
- Select Next.
- Select Add to invoice.
Purchase numbers for other countries
- Select each country you’d like to send SMS to.
- Select Next.
- We’ll be in touch shortly to help you with buying a number for these countries.