SMS Sender Detail Restrictions
Sender Details– alpha numeric
Your message may be blocked if you use any of the generic words listed below in your sender details, or a variation of them.
1TimePin | Bank | Discount | NoReply | Repayment | SMSVerfiy |
2FA | Banking | Energy | Notify | Reply | Support |
Accept | Bill | Fraud | OneTimePin | Respond | System |
Access | Billing | Help | Order | Save | Text |
Account | Call | Info | OTP | Saving | Trace |
Active | Card | InfoSMS | OTPSMS | Scam | Track |
Admin | Caution | ISA | Package | Savings | Tracking |
Advise | Certify | Key | Parcel | Schedule | Trust |
Alert | Check | Loan | Pay | Secure | TXT |
Allow | CloudOTP | Login | Payment | Security | Update |
Allowance | Code | Logistics | Pin | Service | Updates |
App | Collect | LogMeIn | PinCode | Shipping | Validate |
Appointment | Collection | Logon | Post | Sign | Verify |
Approve | Confirm | Malware | Protocol | Signin | VerifySMS |
Approved | Contact | Message | Purchase | Signon | VerifyMe |
Auth | Control | Mobile | Ratify | SMS | Virus |
AuthMsg | Courier | Mortgage | Rebate | SMSAuth | Warn |
Authorise | Delay | MSG | Receipt | SMSCode | Warning |
AuthSMS | Deliver | MsgAuth | Refund | SMSInfo | Winner |
Aware | Delivery | Network | Reminder | SMSOTP |
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Variations of the above words are also not permitted. For example – VERIFY. Using a variation such as those shown in the table below, may cause your message to be blocked.
VERIFY | Verify | V E R I F Y | V ERIFY | VE RIFY | VER IFY | .Verify. | -Verify- |
_verify_ | VERIF1Y | v.e.r.i.f.y | V_ERIFY | VERIF Y | VER IFY | Uerify | V3RIFY |
BT/EE supported special characters
The majority of special characters are not permitted by BT/EE and, if used, your message may be blocked. This only applies to special characters used in your sender details. It does not apply to any used in the body of your message.
This is a current list of special characters that are permitted:
A to Z (Upper case) | . (Period) |
A to Z (Lower case) | – (Dash) |
0 to 9 (Numeric) | _ (Underscore) |
(Space) | & (Ampersand) |
Sender Details– specific brands/organisations
There are a number of specific brand names and organisations, whose name you cannot use as part of your sender details. If used, your message may be blocked.
Examples include, but are not limited to, those listed in the table below.
Finance, Banking and Fintech | Government and Healthcare | Logistics and Parcel Delivery | Mobile Network Operators/ Misc |
Lloyds Banking Group | GDS | Royal Mail | BT |
Santander | HMRC | DPD | EE |
TSB | DWP | Yodel | Plusnet |
Metro Bank | DVLA | TNT | VirginMedia O2 |
Monzo | Local Councils | Evri | Vodafone |
Revolut | NHS Trusts | DX Delivery | Three |
Tide | DEFRA | FedEx | Sky |
Bank of Ireland | OFGEM | UPS | Lyca Mobile |
Barclays | TV Licensing | DHL | Apple |
Capital One | Ministry of Justice | Parcelforce | |
Coventry Building Society | Cabinet Office | CitySprint | Android |
Dankse Bank | Department of Health and Social Care | InPost | Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram) |
Hoares Bank | Student Loans Company | Parcel2Go | iD Mobile |
HSBC | National Highways | UKMail | GiffGaff |
JP Morgan | ONS | ArrowXL | Lebara |
Nationwide | Ministry of Defense | Panther Logistics | SMARTY |
NatWest | NCA | Post Office | Tesco Mobile |
Sainsburys Bank | Department of Transport |
| VOXI |
Starling Bank | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency |
| TikTok |
Tesco Bank | Department for Business Energy |
| Amazon (Not AWS) |
Clydesdale Bank | Education and Skills Funding Agency |
| Snapchat |
Curve | Financial Conduct Authority |
| X, Formally known as Twitter |
CAF Bank | TFL |
| Bolt |
Klarna | Prisons and Probation Services |
| Uber |
ClearPay | CCS |
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Vanquis Bank | Police Force |
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PayPal |
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Visa |
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Mastercard |
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Atom |
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Clearbank |
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Coinbase |
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Binance |
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Citi Bank |
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FICO |
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Sender Details– numeric
Your message may be blocked if you are sending within, or to, the UK and use a numeric sender details that does not begin with a UK dialling code.
The permitted UK dialling code formats are:
For mobile numbers:
447
For landline numbers:
441
442
443
448
The numeric sender details do not need to include + prefix.
Short codes
Short codes that don’t follow the UK short code format (five digits starting with a 6, 7 or 8) will be blocked. Upon request, BT/EE approval can be given for 3 & 4 digit short codes and for short codes not starting with 6, 7 or 8 (e.g. for Irish companies that use start codes beginning with 5).
URLs
BT/EE will block suspected spam or fraudulent URLs that are included in the body of your message, so please ensure that you format your URLs correctly. Occasionally, very new URLs may be blocked.