Klarna Verification Code: Why You Got One and How It Works

A Klarna verification code is the 6-digit code Klarna texts you to log in, and Klarna may also ask you to confirm your phone number with a one-time code when you pay. If you got a Klarna code you didn’t ask for, don’t share it with anyone, then secure your account.

This guide also covers what to try when the code doesn’t arrive, and how to change your number.

Why Klarna sends a verification code

• Logging in. You enter your email address or phone number, and Klarna sends “an email with a login link or a text with a 6-digit verification code”. The first time, “you will be required to verify both your email and phone number.”
• Paying. Klarna may ask you to verify your details “to protect your account, prevent fraud, and comply with financial regulations”, for example by confirming your phone number with a one-time code.
• Passkeys skip the code. Klarna says: “Passkeys mean no codes are needed when you pay, ever.” A passkey also opens the app “without the need for an SMS code”. Add one in the app under Settings, then Security and privacy.

Why did I get a Klarna code I didn’t request?

Klarna texts a login code when someone starts a log-in with your phone number. If that wasn’t you, follow Klarna’s security advice:

• Don’t share it. “Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you’re dealing with.” And: “Klarna will never call you to ask for your one-time code.”
• Secure your account. For unexpected one-time password alerts, Klarna says to “Log into your account from a secure device, change your password, and reach out to customer support through the Klarna app”.
• Already shared it? “Contact Klarna and your bank immediately.” Then: “Stop further damage by locking your account.”

A message asking for your code is itself a red flag: Klarna lists “The message asks for sensitive information such as one-time passwords and payment details” as a sign of phishing.

If the Klarna code doesn’t arrive

Klarna’s troubleshooting for a missing text:

• Check you entered the correct phone number.
• Try adding the country code to your phone number.
• Switch flight mode on and off, then resend the code.

You can also log in with the emailed link instead. On a PVADeals number, the code appears on your dashboard as soon as it arrives, and if an eligible number receives no SMS during the rental, its cost comes back to your balance automatically as store credit.

How to change your phone number on Klarna

Klarna’s steps in the app:

1. Tap your Profile in the top-left of the Home screen.
2. Go to Account info and address.
3. Tap Phone Number, then Add number.
4. Enter the code Klarna sends to your new number.
5. Once the new number is verified, remove the old one.

Lost the old number? On the Login page, enter your email address and the code Klarna emails you, then select Lost Access to Phone Number when asked for your phone. Klarna warns: “During verification, you will be asked to scan a valid identification document and to take a quick video selfie.”

Using a second number for Klarna

Klarna’s UK terms ask you to “always provide correct information and use your real identity”, and they treat “Using information that does not belong to you, or that you are otherwise not authorized to use” as misuse. You also have to keep your mobile number current. So a number that replaces your personal one has to stay yours. A 20-minute number is the wrong tool: losing the number means an ID scan and a video selfie to get back in.

1. Create a free PVADeals account and add credits: crypto from $3, or a card through Stripe from $5.
2. Choose Klarna with a UK number. For a US number, look for Klarna in the list of websites, and if it isn’t listed, rent an All services number instead, which works on any website.
3. Rent long-term (3, 7, 14 or 30 days) with auto-renew, or an All services plan, so the number stays yours.
4. Add the number under Account info and address, and copy Klarna’s code from your PVADeals dashboard. PVADeals numbers receive SMS only.
5. Add a passkey as well, so log-ins and payments don’t need a code at all.

Klarna decides which numbers it accepts. A PVADeals number is a real carrier mobile line, so Klarna sees an ordinary mobile number.

Keep your personal number off Klarna

A long-term number keeps Klarna’s codes off your personal phone. See our UK phone numbers and the prices below, or read our guides for other payment apps: PayPal and Cash App.