What Is a Virtual Phone Number and How Do You Get One?

A virtual phone number is a real phone number that is not tied to a SIM card in your phone. You manage it online or in an app, and it works alongside your normal number. If you are wondering how to get a virtual phone number, this guide explains how they work, what they can and cannot do, and how to choose one.

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a phone number you rent from a provider and use over the internet, instead of through a SIM card. Calls and texts to that number reach you in an app or web dashboard.

People use them to keep a second number separate from their personal line. A common example is a number in another country for business contacts there.

How does a virtual phone number work?

The provider connects the number to its system, and you see incoming texts and calls in your account. On Simnetic, received SMS appear in an inbox in My Virtual Numbers, and incoming calls can be forwarded to a number you choose.

Forwarded call minutes are paid from your Simnetic wallet at the rate shown before you save a forwarding destination. On voice numbers, you can also place calls from the in-browser keypad.

What can I do with a virtual number, and what can't I do?

What you can do depends on the number. Each number's features, such as SMS, calls or both, are shown before you buy and confirmed once it is connected.

We do not guarantee that WhatsApp, Telegram, banks, one-time-code services or social apps will accept a virtual number. Those services set their own rules, and they can reject any number.

Simnetic tip: The pricing page shows which features each number supports, such as SMS or calls, so choose the number type that matches how you will use it.

Which countries can I get a virtual number in?

Simnetic lists numbers for 80 countries, and 18 can be bought today. The others are marked "Coming soon", often because local rules require documents before a number can be issued.

The countries available now include the United States and Canada, plus several toll-free and business options. See the virtual number pricing page for the current list.

How much does a virtual phone number cost?

US and Canadian numbers start at $4.99 per month, checked on 15 October 2026. Prices in other countries vary, so check the pricing page for the number you want.

You can pay for a fixed term of 1, 3 or 12 months, where 3 months saves 10% and 12 months saves 20%, or choose monthly auto-renewal to keep the same number. A fixed term does not renew, and we email you 7 days before it ends.

How do I get a virtual phone number?

You choose a country and number type, review the price and terms, and pay. The number appears in your account once it is connected.

1. Go to the virtual number pricing page.
2. Sign in to your Simnetic account.
3. Choose a country and a number type, such as mobile or toll-free.
4. Review the fixed-term price or the monthly auto-renewal terms.
5. Pay, then manage the number in My Virtual Numbers.

Is a virtual number the same as an eSIM?

No. A travel eSIM gives you mobile data and normally has no phone number, while a virtual number gives you a phone number but no mobile data. You can use both together.

Read does an eSIM come with a phone number? for the difference, or see how to get a US phone number from abroad.

About the author: Written by the Simnetic team at Domaxit LTD, a London-based provider of prepaid travel eSIM data plans for 217 countries and virtual phone numbers. We check every price and plan detail in our articles against the live Simnetic catalogue before publishing.