POF Phone Number Verification Without Your Personal Number

Plenty of Fish won’t let you create an account without a phone number, and it asks for a fresh code whenever it doesn’t recognise your device. If you’d rather not give a dating site your personal number, a temporary non-VoIP number can receive the code for you, as long as you keep it for as long as POF keeps asking.

This guide explains how POF uses your number, which numbers it accepts, how to verify with a temporary US or UK number, and how to stay in your account later.

Why does POF ask for your phone number?

POF’s help center is direct: “Currently, we require all accounts to be registered using a phone number. We only support one phone number per account.” When you start, “we’ll ask you to verify your account using a mobile device that accepts SMS messages”, and you “enter the 6-digit code you receive via SMS”.

POF also says your number “will be used for safety/security purposes only. You will not receive phone calls or additional text messages from Plenty of Fish.” It’s two-factor authentication: a code proves it’s you each time you sign in somewhere new.

POF asks again, so plan for it

This is the part most guides leave out. POF remembers trusted devices with cookies, and it explains what happens when it can’t:

• “If you clear your cookies, you will be asked to verify every time.”
• “If you use Private Browsing like Incognito Mode or a VPN you will need to verify on each login to Plenty of Fish.”

So the number you verify with is the number you’ll need on every new phone, browser or private session. That makes a long-term number the natural choice for POF.

Which numbers work for POF?

POF names the numbers it can’t verify: “If you have a landline or internet phone number (TextNow, Google Phone, or Text Free), you won’t be able to receive a code.”

A non-VoIP number is a real mobile number from a carrier. Read more about VoIP vs non-VoIP numbers, or see how to check if a number is VoIP.

How to verify POF with a temporary number

1. Create a free PVADeals account and add credits: crypto from $3, or a card through Stripe from $5.
2. Choose Plenty of Fish and the country where you use POF: the United States or the United Kingdom.
3. Pick a rental length. A long-term number (3, 7, 14 or 30 days) suits POF best, because it asks again on new devices. A short-term number lasts 20 minutes.
4. Enter the number on POF and choose your country from the drop-down list: +1 for the US, +44 for the UK.
5. Copy the 6-digit code from your PVADeals dashboard, where it appears as soon as it arrives, and enter it on POF.

Short-term or long-term: which should you choose?

A short-term number (20 minutes) passes the sign-up check and costs the least. But the next time you clear your cookies, switch phones or log in through a VPN, POF will text a number you no longer have, and reuse after the 20 minutes isn’t guaranteed.

A long-term number (3 to 30 days, renewable for as long as you like) stays yours, so you can receive POF’s code whenever it asks. Turn on auto-renew if you plan to stay on POF.

If you do lose the number, POF lets you replace it: “you’ll need to wait until the next time you’re asked to verify your account”, then tap “Update your Number” and follow the prompts.

US or UK number?

PVADeals offers both US and UK numbers for Plenty of Fish, and the code appears on your dashboard, so you don’t need a local SIM card. Choose the country where you actually use POF. POF notes that if you’re “traveling/on vacation you won’t be able to log in and use your account in a different city/country.” See our US and UK phone numbers.

If POF still won’t accept the number

• “Invalid Phone Number” has two causes, according to POF: too many accounts created within a given time period, or a country code where POF isn’t available. Check the country code first.
• Code didn’t arrive? POF’s advice is to “wait for the SMS timer to expire” before resending, and to check you entered the number correctly.
• No SMS at all? If an eligible number receives no SMS during the rental, its cost comes back to your balance automatically as store credit.

This guide is about keeping your personal number private, not about extra accounts. POF’s community guidelines say: “Do not create multiple accounts on Plenty of Fish, unless permission has been granted by our Customer Support Service staff.”

Keep your number, and your codes, to yourself

POF’s own safety advice backs this up. It suggests you “let the conversation flow on Plenty of Fish while you’re getting to know someone”, rather than moving to text or phone right away. And if someone asks for your verification code: “you should NEVER give this number out to someone else”.

A temporary non-VoIP number from PVADeals keeps your personal number out of your POF account. See the prices below, or read our guides for other dating apps: Match, OkCupid, Hinge and Tinder.