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Last updated: November 16, 2025
Create a burner number with an app or eSIM, then use it for sign-ups, marketplace listings, and deliveries— keeping your real number private and off spam lists.
If you’ve ever posted a phone number on a public listing or shared it with a courier, you’ve seen the side effects: spam calls, “wrong number” texts, and attempts at social engineering. A burner number is a simple, cheap layer that absorbs the risk. You can spin one up in minutes, route calls and texts just like your normal line, and retire it the moment it becomes noisy. Below, I’ll show you the exact setup I use—what to choose, how to harden privacy, and when to rotate for maximum safety.
Best for: Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace, deliveries, travel, and public forms.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. It helps fund our testing at no extra cost to you.
I tested burner apps on iOS and Android, comparing cost, reliability, and MMS/2FA support. I validated call quality on Wi‑Fi and LTE, and measured how quickly spam dropped after switching to a secondary number.
Over six weeks, I created 14 disposable numbers across three app providers and two eSIM carriers. I used them for marketplace listings, delivery drop‑offs, and travel registrations. Metrics tracked included SMS deliverability (for 2FA and image messages), voicemail reliability, call setup time, and spam volume before vs after swapping numbers. The short version: app‑based numbers are fastest to deploy; eSIM gives the best separation; prepaid SIM is the most “old‑school private,” but takes more effort.
Your phone number is a durable identifier. Once it’s in a database—delivery portals, loyalty programs, marketplace chats—it’s effectively permanent. Numbers are traded, scraped, and stitched together with public records. That’s how spam escalates and why targeted scams can sound eerily personal.
The biggest hidden cost is loss of control. You can report spam, but you can’t roll back every site that already stored your data. You can change a number, but that breaks bank alerts, family contacts, and two‑factor logins. A burner number flips the script: you point risky interactions toward a disposable line and keep your anchor number clean and quiet.
Think in layers. Email aliases protect inboxes; masked cards protect payments; burner numbers protect your calls and texts. None of these are perfect alone, but together they dramatically reduce exposure. Most importantly, they give you an “off switch”—the power to retire a compromised contact channel without rebuilding your life around a new primary number.
| Option | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| App number (Burner, Hushed, Google Voice) | Fast setup, low cost, casual marketplace use | Minutes to create; cheap; multiple numbers; decent call/SMS | Some apps block certain 2FA codes; number reputation varies |
| eSIM plan (voice/SMS) | Travel, separating work/personal on one phone | Native dialer integration; strong separation; international options | Costs more than app numbers; not every carrier supports SMS well |
| Prepaid physical SIM | Maximum separation with a spare phone | Independent of app ecosystem; best reliability | Setup friction; may require ID; easiest to forget to top‑up |
If you want speed and simplicity, start with an app number. If you need native calling and plan to keep the line active for months, eSIM is worth it. If you’re handling sensitive situations and can dedicate a spare device, a prepaid SIM is still the gold standard.
Why it helps: A dedicated charger for your secondary device or battery pack reduces the temptation to cross‑wire your main phone and burner setup. This MagSafe pad is compact, grippy, and keeps the “privacy phone” topped up on your desk so you don’t miss marketplace replies.
4.4 (1,286) · 10K+ bought · Strong magnet, case‑friendly.
$8.46
Why it helps: Many cheap battery packs and car chargers are still USB‑A. These adapters let you power a USB‑C‑only phone or eSIM device without hunting for new cables—handy when the burner stays in the glove box or a backpack.
4.6 (220,166) · Amazon’s Choice.
$8.99
Why it helps: Keep a charger where the burner lives—kitchen drawer, nightstand, office. A small bundle prevents cable “borrowing” from your main phone and reduces the chance you’ll miss a verification code because the battery died.
4.5 (1,279) · Great value bundle.
$20.61
Why it helps: If you use a dedicated burner device for listings, this mount makes it easy to film item walk‑throughs, scan shipping labels, or take quick photos—without juggling your main phone.
4.4 (8,952) · Amazon’s Choice.
$14.99
Why it helps: A reliable unlocked Android makes a great travel burner—drop in a local eSIM, keep your primary iPhone off public numbers, and route only essential calls to the burner line.
4.5 (3,426) · Amazon’s Choice.
$729.99
Why it helps: If you carry two phones, a high‑grip case reduces drops when you’re moving fast between devices. Liquid silicone keeps it pocket‑friendly without feeling slippery.
4.7 (428) · Slim and protective.
$9.97
Why it helps: A low‑cost renewed iPhone makes an excellent “privacy phone.” Keep marketplace apps, courier chat, and travel registrations here; leave your personal number off the table.
4.1 (32,408) · #1 Best Seller in Amazon Renewed.
$208.00
Tip: If a buyer insists on calling “now,” call them from the burner and block unknown callers on your main line for the day. Control the channel; don’t let strangers into your primary inbox.
Yes. Many providers let you port or park the number if you want continuity.
Sometimes. It depends on the app and provider. Expect mixed support.
Use app‑based authenticators or security keys for critical accounts.
Yes—using one for privacy is legal in most regions. Do not use it for harassment, fraud, or impersonation; providers enforce strict policies.
Not easily, if you avoid reusing personal emails, contact syncing, and linked payments. Rotating numbers reduces correlation over time.
App numbers route over the internet; quality depends on your connection. eSIM and prepaid use the carrier network and tend to sound closer to your primary line.
There’s no need. It’s simply a secondary number—professional teams do this all the time for support and logistics. If asked, say “this is my work line.”
Use mainstream app store payments or reputable carriers. Avoid unknown third‑party “number rental” sites for anything beyond one‑off tests.
If spam climbs, if a conversation becomes aggressive, or if the number leaks into public comments. Export what you need, then replace it.
App‑based number for speed and cost. Create, use, rotate. Works for listings, deliveries, and public forms with minimal setup.
An eSIM plan when you want native dialer integration and international options. Great for travel and multi‑month use.
Prepaid SIM in a spare phone for maximum separation. Best for sensitive cases and people who prefer a physical on/off switch.
Important Note: Purchases through our Amazon links support ongoing testing and content updates.
Need to archive screenshots or chat logs? convert photos to a single PDF, merge PDFs, or add a watermark before sharing.
If you need to send a contract or pickup confirmation, you can also convert Word to PDF and export a PDF page as an image for chat apps that don’t preview PDFs cleanly.
Your phone number should serve you, not the internet. Spin up a burner, route risky interactions there, and rotate when needed. Pair it with email aliases and masked cards and you’ll slash spam, reduce scams, and stay in control. You can set this up today in under 10 minutes.
Next: choose a method, harden privacy, and keep your primary number off public forms. You’ll notice the calm in a week—fewer interruptions, fewer “unknown” pings, and more peace.
If privacy and clean documentation matter to you, you might also like our other guides and tools. For quick conversions, turn Word to PDF or convert PDF back to Word. For images, combine JPG to a single PDF, export PDF to JPG, JPG to PNG, and PNG to JPG help when platforms restrict file types. Need tidier records? merge multiple PDFs or split a large PDF into smaller pieces, then compress the file size before you send it.
For workflows that start on the web, save a web page as PDF; for office docs try Excel to PDF and PowerPoint to PDF. Plain‑text and legacy formats are covered with TXT to PDF, RTF to PDF and ODT to PDF. When sharing publicly, add a watermark to discourage misuse. Working with lots of photos? Speed up with multiple JPG to PDF, compress/resize JPG, crop & resize photos, merge images, convert to/from WebP, make an image strip, create a comic strip or build a quick collage. For more how‑to guides, visit our How‑to hub, explore The Latest and check Best Products for tested picks.