10DLC (10-Digit Long Code)

10DLC (10-digit long code) is the carrier framework for sending application-to-person (A2P) SMS from regular US 10-digit phone numbers. It came into force across all major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) in 2023.

What's required. Any business sending A2P SMS — including review requests, appointment reminders, and customer-feedback surveys — must:

• Register a brand with The Campaign Registry (TCR), including EIN, brand identity, and contact details. Brand vetting takes 1–2 business days.
• Register one or more campaigns declaring the use case (e.g. "Customer Care," "Account Notifications," "2FA," "Polling and Voting"), expected message content, opt-in flow, and supporting URLs.
• Have campaigns vetted by the carriers via TCR's external vetting partners.
• Maintain compliant messaging — sender identification, STOP/HELP handling, opt-in evidence — going forward.

Without 10DLC registration, carriers throttle messages to about 1 message per second per number, with delivery rates frequently under 50%. Properly-registered 10DLC numbers can send at much higher throughput with delivery rates above 95%.

What it costs. Brand registration is typically $4–$40 one-time depending on the carrier surcharge schedule. Campaign registration is $10–$50 per month per campaign. Vetting fees vary. These are pass-through costs from TCR, not the messaging platform.

For Vouch customers: 10DLC brand and campaign registration is part of onboarding. The opt-in surface at tryvouch.io/sms-opt-in is the canonical screenshot used in campaign vetting.