Prices, refunds and limits

GhostSMS sells temporary phone numbers for receiving SMS verification codes, so you can sign up to an app or website without giving it your own number. Numbers come from 150+ countries, for 1,000+ listed services. You pay from a prepaid balance; there is no subscription.

You choose a country and the service you are verifying, see the price, and buy the number from your balance. The number is shown with a countdown, and the code appears in your account when the service sends it. Of the codes that arrive, about three in four arrive within two minutes.

If nothing has arrived after 3 minutes, No code? gives you a different number at no extra cost, up to 2 times. If none of them receives a code, the cost goes back to your balance automatically. If the countdown runs out with nothing received, the number closes and refunds itself; you do not have to ask.

Once a code has arrived, the number has done its job and is not refunded. A one-time number is for a single code; it cannot be kept to receive messages later.

A rental keeps a number for a period you choose, in the 15 countries where rentals are sold (each of those country pages says so). The periods on offer and their prices depend on the country and are shown before you buy, and it receives every message sent to it while it lasts. You can extend it before it expires and pay only for the extra time. A rental can be cancelled for a full refund within its first 20 minutes, as long as no message has arrived and it has not been extended. After that it stays yours until it expires.

Each number is priced by country and service, and the price is shown before you buy. The cheapest numbers cost $0.21 (the lowest price on sale in the last 90 days). The same service can cost very different amounts depending on the country:

• WhatsApp: from $0.46 to $53.19 across 126 countries, typically $2.00.
• Telegram: from $0.45 to $22.53 across 138 countries, typically $1.81.
• Google/Gmail: from $0.27 to $13.28 across 124 countries, typically $0.51.

Prices as of November 2, 2026. Every country's current prices are on its page under temporary numbers by country.

You top up your balance with $10 to $500 at a time, by card, Apple Pay, or crypto (USDT or USDC). Each top-up carries a service fee of $0.80 by card or Apple Pay and $0.30 with crypto, shown in the price before you pay: $10 of credit costs $10.80 by card. The service fee is not refundable.

Larger top-ups add bonus credit: 10% from $25, 20% from $50, 30% from $100. Credits do not expire. Full prices are on the pricing page.

• Stock changes: a service may be out of stock in one country and available in another.
• A one-time number receives one code, for the service it was bought for.
• A number is not yours to keep: once it expires, messages sent to it are not received.
• Use must follow the Terms of Service, which also cover refunds of credit.

The help centre answers common questions. For anything else, open a request from the Support page in your account; it is answered by people. Developers can use the same numbers and prices through the API.