Frequently Asked Questions
A quick reference for the questions that come up most often. For deeper coverage of any topic, follow the links into the relevant section of the docs.
Getting started​
What is FlyNumber?​
FlyNumber gives you local phone numbers from over 90 countries — real numbers attached to real area codes. Route inbound calls via VoIP, forward them to any phone worldwide, or push them through our cloud phone system for advanced flows. Many numbers also support inbound and outbound SMS through the chat interface in the panel (with email forwarding for inbound).
How do I get started?​
- Sign up — account creation is free
- Pick a country and area code on Add FlyNumber
- Choose call handling — forwarding, VoIP, FlyNumber SIP, or the cloud phone system
- Pay with a credit card, PayPal, or your prepaid balance
- Manage everything afterwards from My FlyNumbers
See account creation and the intro for a full walkthrough.
Do I need to verify my identity?​
Some countries' telecom regulators require identity verification before issuing a local number — typically a passport or government ID plus a recent utility bill from the same country as the FlyNumber. When that's the case, the panel walks you through document upload at checkout and tracks the status on the Number Registration page in your user menu. Documents go directly to the regulator's portal.
Numbers and coverage​
Which countries do you cover?​
Over 90 countries worldwide. The full list with capability badges (SMS in / SMS out, fax, multi-channel, registration requirements) and current per-country pricing lives on the coverage page.
Can I port my existing number to FlyNumber?​
Yes — most landline, mobile, VoIP, and toll-free numbers can be ported in, as long as they're still active with your current carrier. Most countries are free; Switzerland, Hungary, and Sweden carry a small one-time fee deducted from your prepaid balance at submission. Start the request at /porting — full details in the Porting guide.
My port or number registration was rejected — what now?​
Both flows let you resubmit. For ports in Needs more info status, the request detail page opens an inline upload form to replace specific documents and resubmit. For Number Registration rejections, the Number Registration page shows the regulator's specific rejection reason — fix it and resubmit. Neither case requires a new payment.
Calls and forwarding​
How do calls reach me?​
Pick one of four routes per number, set on its detail page:
- Forward to any standard phone worldwide (per-minute charged)
- VoIP via your own SIP provider or AI voice platform
- FlyNumber SIP — built-in SIP credentials so you can connect any softphone
- Cloud phone system for advanced routing (IVR, ring groups, time rules)
Full details in Call handling options.
How does call forwarding work?​
Set the forwarding destination on the FlyNumber's detail page. Calls ring out from FlyNumber to whatever number you've configured — mobile, landline, anywhere globally. You're charged a per-minute rate that depends on the destination country. See the rates page for current pricing and Set up forwarding for the setup walkthrough.
What VoIP options are available?​
- Pre-configured easy setup for popular providers like CallCentric, VoipBuster, and others
- Direct VoIP/SIP configuration for any SIP-compatible system
- AI voice platforms — VAPI, ElevenLabs, Retell, and more — for automated call handling
- Our cloud phone system with built-in VoIP capabilities
UDP is the default SIP transport; TCP and TLS are available on request via support. Some AI platforms (like ElevenLabs) require TCP or TLS. See VoIP setup.
What do I put in the Port field for SIP forwarding?​
Leave it blank. For nearly every modern SIP destination — sip2sip.info, Twilio Elastic SIP Trunking, voip.ms, and similar hosted services — your destination publishes DNS routing records that tell FlyNumber where to deliver the call. Hardcoding a port bypasses that lookup and usually breaks the call. Typing the standard ports (5060 for UDP, 5061 for TLS) is treated the same as leaving Port blank. Only fill in Port if your destination has explicitly told you to use a non-standard one — e.g., an internal PBX on pbx.example.com:6060. Full setup walkthrough: Set to VoIP → Port.
Can I make outbound calls FROM my FlyNumber?​
Yes — connect a SIP softphone or PBX to FlyNumber SIP and place outbound calls with your FlyNumber as the caller ID. Outbound is billed per-minute on the same rate sheet as forwarding. Open the FlyNumber from My FlyNumbers, switch the Call Handling card to FlyNumber SIP, and a SIP account is created automatically. Full setup: FlyNumber SIP.
How do I dial international numbers?​
Always in full international format: country code + number — e.g., 441138709191 for a UK Leeds landline. A leading + (+441138709191) or 00 (00441138709191) also works; all three connect identically. Don't dial in national format — drop the leading trunk 0 and add the country code (UK 0113 870 9191 → 441138709191). For US/Canada, dial 1 + the 10-digit number (12125551234 or +12125551234) — don't omit the leading 1, and don't double it. The same rules apply to softphone/SIP calls and phone-system outbound calls. Full rules: Dialing format.
Why does my outbound call fail immediately?​
Check three things, in order: the number is in full international format (see dialing format above), your prepaid balance is sufficient (outbound is billed per-minute from prepaid), and outbound calling is enabled on the SIP account. The same checklist applies to outbound calls from the cloud phone system.
What about blocked or anonymous callers?​
When you forward to a regular phone number, calls with no caller ID or invalid caller IDs may not connect — that's the receiving carrier's filter, not ours. To accept them anyway, switch to VoIP forwarding or use the cloud phone system with fallback routes. See Anonymous and blocked callers.
Why won't my forwarded calls connect?​
The most common cause is a call loop — calling your FlyNumber from the same number it forwards to. The call fails because the system can't route back to its source. These calls show up in Call Logs with status Busy and reason Line busy. Forward to a different number, or call from a different device. Full info: Call loop prevention.
Cloud phone system​
What is the cloud phone system?​
A flat $14.95/month account-wide add-on that turns one or more FlyNumbers into a full business phone system: visual call flow designer, IVR menus, ring groups, time-based rules, call recording, voicemail, and SIP users. Add it at checkout when buying a number, or attach it standalone from the Phone System page if you already have FlyNumbers. See Phone system billing and the Phone System Guide.
Billing and payments​
What payment methods do you accept?​
Credit and debit cards (all major brands via Stripe), PayPal, and your prepaid balance on the account. Saved cards and PayPal can be charged server-side without a redirect; 3-D Secure pops up only when your bank requires it. See the Payments overview.
How does billing work?​
Every purchase is one-time — there are no Stripe or PayPal subscriptions on your account. Each FlyNumber renews on its own schedule with Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual, or Annual periods (longer terms discounted up to 25%). At renewal:
- If Auto-Renew is off, the service expires (after a grace period — see below).
- If Auto-Renew is on and Charge saved card on renewal is on, we try your saved payment methods top-down — first success wins.
- If every card fails (or the toggle is off), we fall back to your prepaid balance.
Auto-Refill is separate — it tops up your prepaid balance below a threshold but doesn't, by itself, renew any service. See Payment Preferences for the full mechanics.
What's the difference between Auto-Renew, Charge saved card on renewal, and Auto-Refill?​
Three independent automations:
| Setting | Scope | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-Renew | Per FlyNumber (and per phone system) | Whether a service attempts to renew at period end |
| Charge saved card on renewal | Account-wide | When a renewal fires, whether we charge a saved card first or pull from prepaid directly |
| Auto-Refill | Account-wide | Top up your prepaid balance automatically when it dips below a threshold |
They run independently. Auto-Renew lives on each service's Billing card; the other two live in Billing Settings. Full breakdown.
How many payment methods can I save?​
Up to 3 credit/debit cards (via Stripe) and 1 PayPal account — four methods total. Reorder them with up/down chevrons in Billing Settings; the top method is your Primary, pre-selected at checkout and tried first on renewals and Auto-Refill. See Saved payment methods.
How do I add funds to my prepaid balance?​
From Add Funds — pick a preset ($5, $10, $25, $50, $100) or type a custom amount between $1 and $500. Pay with a saved card (charged server-side, with 3DS if your bank requires), a new card via Stripe Checkout, or PayPal. Full guide: Add Funds.
What if my prepaid balance runs low?​
Two complementary tools:
- Auto-Refill — set a threshold (default $5) and refill amount (default $25); we top up automatically from your saved payment methods. Configure at Billing Settings.
- Low Balance notification — set a threshold at Notification Settings and we'll alert you by email and in-panel before you hit zero.
What happens if my card fails on renewal?​
We retry through your saved methods in priority order. If every method fails, the renewal falls back to your prepaid balance. After three consecutive failures, automatic card charging on renewal pauses account-wide — renewals continue from prepaid only until you update the failing card and turn the toggle back on. Email + in-panel notifications fire on every failure. Details: Failure handling.
Can I cancel a number?​
There's no cancel button. To stop a number from renewing, toggle Auto-Renew off on its Billing card. The number stays active through the current paid period, then expires (and enters a 31-day grace window before being released). Paid time is honored — no refund.
Can I get a refund?​
We don't refund already-paid periods. If you don't want a number anymore, turn Auto-Renew off and let it expire at the end of its current period. If a renewal failed and you want to keep the number, you have a 31-day grace window to restore it (the phone system's is 5 days, or longer while it's still paid up).
Grace and restore​
My number expired — is it gone?​
Not yet. A regular FlyNumber enters a 31-day grace period after a failed renewal (the phone system's is 5 days, or longer while it's still paid up). During grace the number is reserved for you but parked — incoming calls don't route. Open the number from My FlyNumbers and click Restore Number to bring it back. After grace runs out the number is released to the carrier pool. See Grace and restore.
How much does it cost to restore a number?​
Restore cost is expiration-anchored — you pay for every full month between the original expiry date and today, not from today forward. A $2.95/month number restored 3 days late costs $2.95; 35 days late costs $5.90 (two months). Restore is paid from your prepaid balance only — saved cards aren't used at restore time, so top up first if your balance is short.
SMS​
Do you support SMS?​
Yes — both inbound and outbound, on numbers whose coverage badges include SMS in and/or SMS out. Use the chat interface at /sms for conversations, or have inbound messages forwarded to your email (set a custom address at Notification Settings). See SMS in core settings for day-to-day use and SMS Billing for pricing.
Why are international SMS sometimes unreliable?​
Telecom networks were designed for domestic mobile-to-mobile messaging, and many carriers filter messages bound for online phone numbers across borders. SMS works most reliably when the sender and your FlyNumber are in the same country. For cross-border messaging, voice verification or apps like WhatsApp and Signal are much more reliable than SMS. See International SMS reliability for the full background.
Can I use FlyNumber for bulk SMS, marketing, or 2FA codes to my customers?​
No — outbound SMS is for personal, person-to-person (P2P) conversations only. Bulk or broadcast sending, marketing campaigns, automated or scheduled alerts, and 2FA codes to your own users are all application-to-person (A2P) traffic, which FlyNumber doesn't carry today — A2P messaging requires a registered campaign (10DLC in the US, similar elsewhere) through a provider specializing in A2P SMS. Where a number's coverage includes SMS out, P2P sending works by default — no request or account review. Separately, rate limits apply to everyone: 5 sends/minute, 30 sends/hour, and $50/day in spend (rolling windows). US outbound SMS isn't available yet — it's coming soon and will run as A2P. See Outbound SMS policy.
Call history​
Where do I see my call history?​
At Call Logs (also via the Call Logs sidebar entry). Every inbound and outbound call across all your FlyNumbers shows up with date/time, direction, from/to, duration, cost, and a status pill (Answered, Missed, Busy, Failed) with a plain-English reason when something went wrong. The page has preset date ranges (Today / 7 / 30 / 90 / Custom), filters, stat tiles, and CSV export. Records are retained for 120 days — see Call Logs for the full reference.
Account and notifications​
How do I control which notifications I get?​
At Notification Settings. Every category — billing, porting, order updates, voicemail, incoming SMS, low balance — has separate Email and Panel toggles, so you can keep critical alerts coming via email while quieting routine ones. You can also set a custom forwarding email for incoming SMS and a balance threshold for low-balance warnings.
How do I get support?​
- Open a support request for billing, porting, account, or technical questions
- Browse community discussions at discuss.flynumber.com
- For phone-system-app-specific issues, use Report an Issue from the app's settings menu