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Tether forwards SMS messages from phone numbers to Email, Telegram, LINE, Slack, Discord, or Webhooks. You get a phone number, and all SMS messages sent to it appear instantly in your chosen destination. No SIM card required.
No, Tether is not VoIP. Tether is an SMS forwarding service — you get a real phone number, and any text messages sent to it are delivered instantly to your chosen destination (Email, Telegram, LINE, Slack, Discord, or Webhooks). Think of it as a mailbox for your text messages that follows you anywhere in the world.
After signing up, you'll be guided through a simple process:
- Select a plan (Backpacker, Nomad, Globetrotter, or Business)
- Browse and choose your phone number from our available inventory
- Confirm your purchase and complete payment via Stripe
Your number will be activated within 2-3 minutes and you'll receive notifications via email and your chosen destination when it's ready.
We currently offer phone numbers in 8 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Sweden. U.S. numbers are assigned after checkout based on provider availability; other supported countries usually show available inventory before checkout. If you need a number in a specific country not listed here, contact us and we'll prioritize it.
Your number should activate within a minute of purchase. You'll receive an email notification once it's ready.
Yes. As long as your subscription stays active, your number remains assigned to your account so you can keep long-term access to important services.
Yes. You can port most existing numbers to Tether. When supported, a port can be done same-day. However, note that due to a variety of provider and country requirements, some ports can take 1-2 weeks to complete. During that time, you can activate a temporary number to use Tether's service.
Tether gives you SMS without borders.
If you travel, live abroad, or work remotely, you know the problem: bank logins, 2FA codes, and account verifications all require SMS, but your home country number doesn't work when you're overseas.
Tether solves this by forwarding those messages instantly to Email, Telegram, LINE, Slack, Discord, or Webhooks.
- No SIM card needed
- No roaming fees
- No missed codes
- Real phone numbers from 8 countries
- Instant delivery in under 5 seconds
- Messages encrypted and never stored
Plans start at $4/month with no contracts.
Tether supports six destination types, with availability depending on your plan:
- Email and Telegram: Available on all plans
- LINE: Available on Nomad and above
- Slack and Discord: Available on Globetrotter and Business
- Webhooks: Available on Business only
The number of destinations you can connect also varies by plan: Backpacker (1), Nomad (2), Globetrotter (3), and Business (10). Each destination receives your messages instantly, showing the sender number, your Tether number, and the full message content.
Yes. The Business plan ($40/mo) is designed for teams and organizations that need shared SMS infrastructure.
- Up to 5 active phone numbers
- 5,000 messages per month
- 10 destinations including Webhooks
- Team dashboard for shared visibility
- Priority support
- Connect to your internal systems, CRMs, or automation tools via webhooks
- Shared team dashboard for visibility into all numbers and messages
Need more numbers or higher message limits? Get in touch — we can put together a custom plan for your team.
Tether plans start at $4/month with no contracts:
| Plan | Price | Numbers | Messages | Destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | $4/mo | 1 | 50 | 1 |
| Nomad | $8/mo | 1 | 500 | 2 |
| Globetrotter | $20/mo | 3 | 2,000 | 3 |
| Business | $40/mo | 5 | 5,000 | 10 + webhooks |
Some countries have surcharges based on local telecom costs:
| Countries | Surcharge |
|---|---|
| United States, Canada | None |
| United Kingdom | +$5/mo |
| Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia | +$12/mo |
| Sweden | +$25/mo |
Australia numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($10.00), Estonia numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($30.00), Finland numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($40.00), Netherlands numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($15.00), Sweden numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($25.00).
Annual billing saves 2 months on any plan. Need more messages? Add credit packs anytime:
| Pack | Price | Messages |
|---|---|---|
| Postcard | $2 | 100 |
| Care Package | $5 | 500 |
| Supply Drop | $9 | 1,000 |
Credits expire at the end of your current billing period while you have active subscription or cancellation grace-period access, or 30 days from purchase if you do not.
Phone numbers cost different amounts depending on which country they're from. This is because local telecom providers charge different rates for number provisioning and SMS routing in each country.
These surcharges are added on top of your plan's base price per number:
| Countries | Surcharge |
|---|---|
| United States, Canada | None |
| United Kingdom | +$5/mo |
| Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia | +$12/mo |
| Sweden | +$25/mo |
Australia numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($10.00), Estonia numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($30.00), Finland numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($40.00), Netherlands numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($15.00), Sweden numbers also have a one-time carrier activation fee ($25.00).
For example, a Backpacker plan ($4/mo) with a UK number would cost $9/mo total.
You can purchase message packs anytime from Account > Billing. Credits are added immediately after payment succeeds. They expire at the end of your current billing period while you have active subscription or cancellation grace-period access, or 30 days from purchase if you do not.
| Pack | Price | Messages |
|---|---|---|
| Postcard | $2 | 100 |
| Care Package | $5 | 500 |
| Supply Drop | $9 | 1,000 |
You can buy multiple packs at once if you need a larger top-up.
Yes! Add numbers up to your plan's limit anytime from your dashboard. Need more slots? Upgrade your plan.
Tether offers five plans to fit different needs:
| Plan | Price | Numbers | Messages | Destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | $4/mo | 1 | 50 | 1 |
| Nomad | $8/mo | 1 | 500 | 2 |
| Globetrotter | $20/mo | 3 | 2,000 | 3 |
| Business | $40/mo | 5 | 5,000 | 10 + webhooks |
Slack and Discord are available on Globetrotter and Business. Webhooks and team dashboard are Business only. All plans offer annual billing that saves 2 months. Some countries have surcharges based on local telecom costs.
Yes, you can pause any active number for up to 30 days. While paused, your number won't receive SMS messages but you'll retain ownership. You can resume at any time during the pause period.
A few things to note:
- Your number must be active for at least 30 days before it can be paused
- Each number can only be paused once per year
- Pausing is available on all plans
Yes, you can cancel a number at any time from your dashboard. When you cancel, the number enters a 7-day holding period during which you can reclaim it if you change your mind. After 7 days, the number is permanently released. You won't be charged for cancelled numbers in future billing cycles.
Yes! The number of phone numbers you can have depends on your plan. Each number forwards to your chosen destination(s), clearly labeled so you know which number received each message.
| Plan | Active Numbers |
|---|---|
| Backpacker | 1 |
| Nomad | 1 |
| Globetrotter | 3 |
| Business | 5 |
After purchasing a number, go to the Destinations page in your dashboard. Click "Connect" next to the destination type you want (Email, Telegram, LINE, Slack, Discord, or Webhooks) and follow the setup instructions. For Telegram, you'll connect via our bot. For Email, just enter your email address. For Slack and Discord, you'll authorize via their respective integrations.
You can upgrade your plan at any time from the Billing section of your account. Upgrades take effect immediately. To move to a lower plan, contact us and we’ll help with the change.
If a payment fails, you'll have a 7-day grace period to update your payment method. During this time, your numbers will continue working normally. If payment isn't resolved within 7 days, your service will be suspended and numbers will be released. You can update your payment method in the Billing section of your dashboard.
If your subscription expires, your number will stop receiving SMS messages. You'll have a 7-day grace period to renew before the number is released. We'll send reminder notifications before expiration so you never lose important messages.
Right now, Tether is receive-only. We've made this a deliberate choice so we can focus on delivering the best possible receiving experience — fast, reliable, and available across all your destinations.
We may add sending capabilities in the future, but we want to do it thoughtfully. Outbound SMS comes with real challenges around spam and abuse that can affect deliverability for everyone on the platform. When we do add it, we'll make sure it's done in a way that keeps the service trustworthy for all users.
Yes. Message content is deleted from our servers immediately after delivery — we don't read, analyze, or store your messages. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We never sell your data or use it for advertising.
See our privacy policy for full details.
SMS messages typically arrive in your chosen destination within seconds of being sent to your number. Our infrastructure is optimized for fast, reliable delivery.
Many common services work with Tether numbers. Some services block forwarding numbers from receiving SMS verification codes at the carrier level, and that isn't specific to Tether.
Service compatibility can vary by the country of your Tether number. A service that works with a UK number may not work with a number from another country, and vice versa. Always test the specific number you plan to rely on.
Here's what we've tested so far (this is not a comprehensive list):
| Service | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Financial | ✅ Works |
| Stripe | Financial | ✅ Works |
| Wealthsimple | Financial | ✅ Works |
| Wells Fargo | Financial | ❌ Blocked |
| Wise | Financial | ✅ Works |
| ChatGPT / OpenAI | AI | ✅ Works |
| Claude.ai / Anthropic | AI | ❌ Blocked |
| Facebook / Meta / Instagram | Social & Messaging | ✅ Works |
| Telegram Telegram verification is confirmed for UK Tether numbers only. Compatibility may differ for numbers from other countries. | Social & Messaging | ⚠️ Works with UK numbers only |
| Social & Messaging | ✅ Works | |
| Amazon | E-commerce | ✅ Works |
| Shopify / Shop | E-commerce | ✅ Works |
| Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | Government | ✅ Works |
| Air Canada | Travel | ✅ Works |
| Cathay Pacific | Travel | ✅ Works |
| Delta | Travel | ✅ Works |
| United | Travel | ✅ Works |
| BCAA | Other | ✅ Works |
| Klaviyo | Other | ✅ Works |
Banks tend to have stricter carrier-level filtering for SMS verification. We haven't tested every bank, but some may block forwarding numbers. Some customers have had success by contacting their bank's customer service to have the restriction overridden. If that doesn't work, consider using an authenticator app for 2FA instead.
For the full list and more details, see our service compatibility page.
If you find a service that doesn't work with your Tether number, please let us know so we can keep this list updated.
Yes, Tether works great for receiving 2FA codes via SMS. Your verification codes are forwarded instantly to your chosen destination. This is one of the most common use cases for Tether — keeping access to 2FA-protected accounts when you're traveling or living abroad.
Tether takes account security seriously. Here's what's available to protect your account:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) | TOTP-based 2FA using apps like Google Authenticator or 1Password. Enable from Account > Security. |
| Recovery Codes | One-time backup codes provided when you enable 2FA, in case you lose access to your authenticator app. |
| Password Protection | Strong password requirements enforced on all accounts. Update your password anytime from the Security page. |
| Encryption | All data encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. SMS message content is deleted immediately after delivery. |
| Session Security | Active sessions expire automatically. Manage sessions from your account settings. |
We recommend enabling 2FA to add an extra layer of protection to your account. You can set it up in under a minute from your Security settings.
Still need help?
Send us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.