Phone Number Type Lookup API is a default functionality that helps improve text message compliance and save money on undeliverable text messages to U.S. phone numbers by prohibiting the ability to send SMS to landlines.

When you hit "Send" on a text message, the system first checks whether the contact's phone number is mobile or landline. If it's a landline, the message will not be sent, and you will see an associated error message.

With increasing consumer protections, business texting is under greater scrutiny than ever before. U.S. carriers regularly check communications for signals of non-compliance with TCPA and other telecom industry guidelines. If you send high volumes of text messages to U.S. landlines—which are undeliverable—this is a red flag to their systems and could trigger a deeper compliance audit. It could be a sign that the sender (you) does not know their audience, which might mean you don't have consent to text.

Further, restricting the ability to send SMS to landlines will save you money. Instead of paying for text messages that go nowhere, you will be able to focus on the ones that have a higher possibility of deliverability.

Learn how to keep your texts compliant ⇢

Plus, your ability to communicate effectively will increase along with your level of target knowledge. Our system saves the details of the look up and you will be able to see the carrier and caller details associated with any phone number you have attempted to text. This data can be useful to your company as you look at how you gather contact information to ensure greater productivity of outgoing calls and outbound message deliverability.

The Phone Number Lookup scans your contact phone number and removes the ability to text landline numbers for 90 days. There is a small fee associated with the check, and then regular text message fees apply.

There are two outcomes of the scan:

The fee for each number is applied only once every 90 days when you attempt to text a number again.

At this time, we do not scan your entire contact list. The Type Lookup is triggered only when you send messages. Numbers marked as landlines will be restricted against texting globally across your entire account.

Though the numbers are scrubbed during the process of sending texts from the dialers, it is easy to review the numbers you've texted and see what type of number they are.

From your smrtPhone Dashboard, access Admin > Phone Number Type Report and see all the numbers you attempted to text. You can also look for a particular number using the search bar.

All fees incurred for Phone Number Type Lookup come out of your usage balance. Our pricing model is transparent, and you can see all charges on your account, including the Type Lookup fees.

Access Billing & Logs > Usage and you will see a row that outlines the charges for Phone Number Type Lookup for that time period.

You can view both the quantity of the numbers scrubbed as well as the total charged for the scrubbing.

The math is easy: instead of paying for several text messages, from which only a percent have the possibility of reaching your target, you pay the fee for scrubbing once in 90 days per number. Then, you incur message fees only for the messages that are actually sent.

These fees only apply during the Type Lookup process, which happens once every 90 days per contact number you are attempting to text. Regular text message fees apply at all other times.
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You can see the amount charged in your Usage summary and also in your credit balance after sending the message.