What content is not allowed to be sent from a Toll-Free number?

[Meredith_W]

Certain types of content are not allowed on toll-free numbers. Here is a list of what NOT to send via text from your business’s toll-free number:

• High-risk financial services: Promotion of high-risk financial services is not allowed on toll-free numbers. This includes payday loans, short-term-high interest loans, auto loans, mortgage loans, student loans, third-party lending programs, gambling, sweepstakes, stock alerts, and cryptocurrency. All 1st party and 3rd party loan marketing are blocked and disallowed. However, if your content is account-related or is not promoting disallowed content (like a casino promoting a dinner show or an OTP for account login), it may be okay as long as messages are sent in US destinations only.
• “Get rich quick” schemes: This includes content related to or promoting work from home programs, risk investment opportunities, and multi-level marketing.
• Third-party debt collection: This includes third-party debt collection and consolidation. Examples include debt reduction, debt forgiveness, and credit repair programs.
• Controlled substances: This includes federally illegal drugs, such as medical marijuana and cannabis dispensaries (even if legal in your state).
• Prescription drugs: Offers for drugs that cannot be sold over-the-counter in the US/Canada are forbidden on TFN, regardless if the business is a licensed professional.
• SHAFT content: SHAFT stands for Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco. Examples include pornographic or sexually explicit content, profanity or hate speech, products containing alcohol, content related to guns or other weapons, and tobacco products (including vape, cigars, and smoke/vape shops). *
• Indirect marketing: Only direct marketing content is allowed on toll-free numbers. Promotions must come directly from the brand, not sent by a third party. Lead generation (selling or sharing customer opt-in data with third parties) is also not allowed.

All of the above categories are considered disallowed content on toll-free numbers. 

*Alcohol-related content is allowed to be sent from toll-free numbers to US destinations with an age gate. An acceptable age gate would consist of, at minimum, a recipient entering a day, month, and year confirming their age at messaging opt-in prior to receiving messaging. A tick box, check box, or age gate that asks if the recipient is over a certain age is not considered an acceptable age gate. At this time any content that requires age gating is not allowed to be sent from toll-free numbers to Canadian destinations.

[#2]

Unverified toll-free numbers (TFNs) and Pending Verification toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking. Unverified toll-free numbers are TFNs that have not completed the toll-free sender verification process. Pending Verification toll-free numbers are TFNs where a verification request has been submitted, but the request is pending review and approval. 

Note: In the past it was possible to send messages from an Unverified TFN or Pending Verification TFN. However, as a result of industry-wide changes, all toll-free numbers, regardless of the use case, must be Verified to originate traffic.

UNVERIFIED toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking, effective November 8, 2023.

PENDING VERIFICATION toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking, effective January 31, 2024.

All toll-free numbers (TFNs) must be in a VERIFIED state in order to originate traffic.

Unverified TFNs and TFNs pending verification will be blocked with Sinch error code 64 “Blocked due to exceeded quota”. Please see Toll-Free Delivery Report Errors for a full list of Sinch Toll-Free error codes.