How to Get a Virtual Phone Number: Several Tips & Tricks

Virtual number services allow you to get a temporary number of any state in just a few clicks. This is very convenient and can help in a number of seemingly hopeless situations.

For example, if you need to create an account on a site that is not available for your country, that is why it is impossible to send a message with a registration confirmation code to your real phone.

In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about virtual numbers, talk about how to get a virtual phone number, and show phone number rates — ESIM Plus.

What is a virtual phone number?

Virtual numbers are phone numbers that are located in the “cloud” and have nothing to do with your location, they are electronic. Access to them is provided by special services, for money or for free. Virtual numbers can be used for:

• Maintaining anonymity if you do not want to show your real number on the Internet or want to protect yourself from spam.
• Registration on sites inaccessible to your country. Thanks to virtual numbers from other countries, you can confirm account registration and bypass all restrictions.
• Free placement of ads. Some sites give new accounts the opportunity to place a limited number of ads for free.
• Participation in various promotions where bonuses are given to 1 number only once (discounts on goods, services, first order, etc.).

Below, we will list the advantages of virtual numbers:

• Low prices.
• Possibility to use for a long time.

There are practically no disadvantages of paid virtual numbers, except for one thing — one-time numbers for receiving SMS are deleted for some time and with their help you will not be able to recover your account password or pass SMS confirmation when logging into your account.

As for free virtual numbers, in this case it is worth noting the following:

• Many toll-free numbers are not accepted by a number of websites and social networks. When you try to send a confirmation code, you are very likely to see a notification like “Sorry, an account has already been registered to this number” or “Sorry, this number cannot be used to create an account.”
• SMS messages with a confirmation code do not arrive. If by some miracle you managed to send a confirmation code to a toll-free number, then it may simply not come.
• Did you manage to register? Do not rush to rejoice. Hundreds of people can use one free virtual number, and because of such activity, sooner or later all accounts on a particular site associated with it will be banned, including your account.

Therefore, if you do not want to suddenly lose your account, we recommend using only paid virtual number services.

How to get a virtual phone number: The best services

eSIM Plus

eSIM Plus is a popular and reliable service that provides access to virtual numbers in almost every country in the world. There are many tariffs to choose from. They differ in the days of use and the number of countries available. Therefore, there are both inexpensive options and offers based on business goals.

In addition, the service is multifunctional, and it is not limited only to mobile communication and SMS. You can also buy a package of Internet traffic, for any budget and for work in any country.

The procedure for purchasing a number is very simple:

1. Choose the necessary tariff.
2. Make a payment.
3. Several minutes later, on your email, a QR-code comes — this is access to your new number.
4. To activate the number, you need to download the service application on iOS or Android.

To automatically extend the payment, you just need to add a bank card. In this case, the payment will be made automatically and on the specified day.

OnlineSim

Provides temporary numbers for calls, as well as for registration in various online services and applications. OnlineSim allows you to access temporary numbers of many countries of the world, including quick receipt of SMS messages to confirm registration.

With the help of the service, you can receive SMS codes for registration in social networks, messengers, payment systems and other online services without revealing your real phone number. This is handy if you don’t want to share your phone number with strangers or are worried about the privacy of your data.

OnlineSim offers various rates, including minute and SMS packages, as well as premium rates with advanced features.

Twilio.com

Twilio.com — one of the most popular web resources of this kind. Its assets include an extensive database of phones from various countries of the world.

You can use the services of Twilio for free, but you need to create an account for this. When registering, it is important to specify your real email address and your mobile phone number, otherwise you will not receive confirmation and will not be able to log into your personal account.

1. To get your first free Twilio number, click “Get Started.”
2. Next, click the “Get your first Twilio phone number” button.

The virtual phone provided to you will be displayed in the next window. Despite the fact that the service tries to select the numbers of their states for users. For example, we got an American one.

1. If you want to change the number, click “Choose this Number.”
2. To close the window, click “Done.”

If you are also not satisfied with the new option, by clicking “Buy a phone number,” you can buy another one. In this case, you will be given a choice of phones from 20 to 30 countries.

1. To manage Twilio numbers, click the “Manage phone numbers” button.

 Conclusion

Virtual numbers, as we have already noted, are great for solving everyday tasks related to working in various services, registering in bonus programs, etc.

However, you need to understand that most of the free services in this category provide access only to public numbers over which the user will have no control, except for the ability to read SMS and listen to incoming call recordings, which is suitable (and even then with reservations) only for one-time registration or authentication in Internet services.

Therefore, for long-term purposes and use in applications that are critical for you, including for registering real accounts in social networks, it is recommended to issue a paid virtual number from reliable services that bears at least minimal responsibility for the safety of personal data. We talked about such services above.