Are these real SIM cards or VoIP numbers?

Real physical SIM cards from licensed mobile operators in EU, US, UK, Asian and LatAm countries. VoIP numbers from providers like Twilio and Google Voice are routinely blocked by WhatsApp, Telegram, Tinder, and most major services — VirtualSMS numbers pass those checks because they originate on real cellular networks.

How fast is delivery?

Most SMS arrive within 30-60 seconds of the service sending the verification code. If the SMS does not arrive within 20 minutes the activation is auto-refunded to your VirtualSMS balance — no dispute, no support ticket.

What payment methods are accepted?

Crypto via NOWPayments — USDT (TRC-20, ERC-20), BTC, ETH, LTC, BNB and more. No KYC, no phone number required from you. Card payments are intentionally not offered for privacy reasons.

How many countries and services are supported?

145+ countries with live SIM inventory and 2500+ services with per-country pricing. The supported list is published on the services page and country index, both kept in sync with live inventory.

Do I need an account?

No account is needed to view free shared numbers at /free-numbers. For dedicated private numbers — required for WhatsApp, Telegram, and any service that flags shared numbers — create a free account, top up with crypto, and start renting.

Is there an API for developers and AI agents?

Yes. Full REST API at /docs covering rent, activate, poll, cancel, and refund. AI agents can use the VirtualSMS MCP Server for one-install integration with Claude, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, and other MCP-compatible clients.

How to pick the best country for your service

There’s no universally “best” country — the right one depends on what you’re verifying and where you’re using it. Tinder + banking apps cross-check country with IP geolocation; region-agnostic platforms like Telegram and Discord don’t care. Pricing varies 3–5× between countries; success rates vary too. Here’s the framework.

The decision framework — 3 criteria

How sensitive is the platform to country-IP mismatch? Tinder, banking, regional content services = strict. Telegram, Discord, Twitter = relaxed.
Where will your IP origin be? Pick a SIM country that matches your actual IP or your residential-proxy endpoint. Mismatch is the #1 cause of failure.
What’s your price tier? Premium ranges (US, UK, Canada) cost $0.50–$1.50 per activation. Tier-2 ranges (Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia) are $0.05–$0.30. For region-agnostic platforms, the cheap option wins.

Country-agnostic platforms — pick the cheapest

These platforms don’t cross-check SIM country with IP. Any country works, so pick the cheapest with high success rate:

Telegram — real SIMs accepted across most countries; tier-2 ranges are common picks
Discord — accepts real SIMs broadly; pick the cheapest ($0.05 floors)
Twitter / X — flexible
Most crypto exchange registrations (depends on the exchange’s policy)

Country-sensitive platforms — match the IP

These platforms cross-check SIM country with IP geolocation. SIM country MUST match your IP origin (real or proxy):

Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — strictest. Mismatch = silent SMS suppression or shadow-ban after signup.
WhatsApp — moderate. Mismatch often means SMS held back.
Instagram — relaxed but does check.
Banking, neo-banks, fintech — strict. Will usually fail outright on mismatch.
Regional content services (Netflix country switches, geo-locked apps) — strict.

How VirtualSMS shows availability + price per country

On the services page, pick the platform you’re verifying. The country list shows current availability, current pool pricing (not stale catalog), and recent success rates. Countries with the best recent performance for that platform are surfaced first. The catalog reflects what’s in stock right now — country availability rotates continuously as we add new routes and quarantine ones with delivery issues.

What “premium SIM ranges” means

Premium ranges are SIM blocks from carriers with strong reputations + high delivery rates. They cost more because:

Carrier line rental is more expensive in those countries (US, UK, Canada, Germany)
Anti-abuse policies are stricter, requiring more rotation
Platforms trust those carrier prefixes more, so success rates are higher

Tier-2 ranges (Indonesia, Vietnam, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic) are cheaper because line costs are lower. Success rates are still high for region-agnostic platforms; lower for strict region-locked ones if your IP isn’t local.

Country not currently listed?

Inventory rotates continuously. If your preferred country is out of stock, the buy page surfaces the next-best alternative for that service. If a country isn’t in the catalog at all, contact support — we add new country routes when there’s a clear customer demand signal, usually within a few weeks for tier-1 markets, longer for harder-to-source ranges.