If you sell to UK customers from a US company, US texting rules don't carry over. 10DLC registration means nothing to Vodafone or EE. The TCPA doesn't govern a text to a London mobile. A +1 number on a UK phone reads as either a scam or an expensive international reply.
This post covers what the UK expects: the consent rules, sender options and the practical limits of texting the UK from US infrastructure. It also says plainly what Ready is built for, so you can decide whether to send UK traffic through us or through a UK-focused provider. We make Ready, and we'd rather you route UK messages correctly than route them through the wrong tool.
The law that governs UK marketing texts
Two pieces of law do most of the work:
- PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003) sets the rules for electronic marketing, including texts.
- UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 govern how you collect and store the personal data behind those texts.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces both. Historically, the maximum PECR fine was £500,000. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 raises PECR penalties to UK GDPR levels as its provisions take effect. Check the ICO's current guidance before you assume which ceiling applies to you.
The default rule: consent first
Under PECR, you can't send a marketing text to an individual subscriber unless they've specifically consented to texts from you. "Individual subscriber" includes sole traders and some partnerships, not just consumers. UK GDPR sets a high bar for valid consent:
- Freely given and specific. A pre-ticked box doesn't count. Neither does consent bundled into your terms of service.
- Clear about the channel. "We'll email you offers" doesn't cover texts.
- Easy to withdraw. Every marketing text needs a free, simple way to opt out.
- Recorded. You need to show who consented, when, how and to what wording.
This is close in spirit to the US standard of prior express written consent, but it isn't identical. If your team already thinks in TCPA terms, our post on prior express written consent vs implied consent is a useful baseline. For the record-keeping side, see how to document SMS consent so it holds up. The same discipline applies in the UK.
The soft opt-in exception
PECR gives existing customers a narrow exception, the "soft opt-in." You can text marketing to someone without explicit consent if all of these are true:
- You got their number during a sale, or during negotiations for a sale, of a product or service.
- You're marketing your own similar products or services.
- You gave them a clear chance to opt out when you collected the number.
- You give them that chance again in every message.
The soft opt-in doesn't cover bought lists or numbers collected for another purpose. It also doesn't cover marketing a different product line that the customer never showed interest in. The 2025 Act extends a version of the soft opt-in to charities. Check the ICO's guidance for the details and the start date.
Business-to-business texts
PECR's consent rule for texts applies to individual subscribers. Texts to "corporate subscribers" (companies, LLPs and public bodies) aren't covered by the same consent requirement. You still have to identify yourself and honor opt-outs. UK GDPR still applies, because a named employee's mobile number is personal data. Many work mobiles are also personal phones, so treating B2B as a free-for-all is a common mistake.
TPS doesn't solve texting
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's do-not-call register for live calls. Scrubbing against TPS doesn't give you permission to text anyone. For texts, the consent rule is the control. US DNC and litigator lists are irrelevant to UK numbers as well.
US vs UK rules side by side
| United States | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Main law | TCPA, plus carrier rules | PECR plus UK GDPR |
| Regulator | FCC / FTC, private lawsuits | ICO |
| Marketing consent | Prior express written consent | Specific consent, or soft opt-in for existing customers |
| Carrier registration for long codes | A2P 10DLC (brand + campaign) | No 10DLC equivalent |
| Do-not-contact list | National DNC (calls and texts) | TPS (calls only, not texts) |
| Main exposure | Per-text statutory damages in lawsuits | ICO fines and enforcement notices |
| Statutory quiet hours | State rules and good practice | None in statute; send at sensible local times anyway |
Sender options: what UK recipients actually see
Alphanumeric sender IDs
The UK widely supports alphanumeric sender IDs: a brand name of up to 11 characters, like "ACMESHOP," instead of a number. They build trust, but they're one-way. Recipients can't reply to "ACMESHOP," so you need another opt-out route, such as a link or a number to text STOP to. The UK runs an SMS SenderID Protection Registry so that brands can stop fraudsters impersonating their name. If your brand is a likely phishing target, it's worth looking into.
UK long numbers
UK mobile numbers start with +44 7. A UK virtual number lets customers reply at domestic rates and makes two-way conversations possible. That matters for appointment confirmations, support and anything that expects a reply.
UK short codes
Short codes exist in the UK, but they suit high-volume programs. They're a separate procurement from US short codes. A US short code doesn't work for UK recipients.
Why a US number is the wrong tool for UK customers
Technically, a US number can sometimes deliver to a UK mobile. In practice, it causes four problems:
- Trust. A +1 sender on a UK handset looks unfamiliar, and a lot of smishing uses unfamiliar numbers.
- Replies. A UK customer replying to a +1 number may pay international rates, or their plan may block it. Expect your reply rates and STOP handling to suffer.
- Registration doesn't travel. Your 10DLC brand and campaign registration only covers US carriers. It earns you no standing with UK networks. Our post on whether 10DLC applies outside the US covers this for Canada and Australia, and the logic is the same.
- US compliance tooling doesn't map over. US quiet-hours logic keys off US area codes. US DNC and litigator scrubs check US lists. Neither tells you anything about a UK recipient.
A note on message length for UK sends
Segment math is the same worldwide. A segment holds 160 GSM-7 characters, and longer messages split into 153-character parts. One emoji drops the limit to 70 characters, or 67 per part.
Two UK specifics are worth knowing:
- The £ sign is in the basic GSM-7 set. "£20 off this weekend" stays cheap.
- The € sign is in the extension table, so it counts as two characters.
A 150-character promo with a £ sign is 1 segment. Add a single emoji and the same text becomes 3 segments, which triples the cost on any per-segment provider.
Where Ready fits, honestly
Ready is built around US carrier infrastructure. That includes in-app 10DLC brand and campaign registration (most approvals take 2 to 7 days), automatic STOP handling and quiet-hours holds based on the recipient's US area. It also includes optional US DNC and litigator scrubbing and attestation capture on bulk and API sends. Our Standard rate is $0.0075/segment plus a $0.0045 carrier fee. That all-in figure excludes the optional compliance surcharge for scrubbing and landline validation. The pricing applies to the US messaging this stack is designed for.
You can add a UK number (texting only) from the Numbers page for $6 a month. Each segment to a UK number also carries an overseas carrier fee of $0.0615, billed as its own line. We don't offer UK sender ID registration or UK-specific consent tooling, so consent captured to PECR standards stays your job. If UK recipients are a large part of your plan, email support@tryready.com before you build on it.
For many companies, the sensible split looks like this:
- US customers: a registered US sender, with US compliance tooling.
- UK customers: a UK number (Ready sells them, texting only) or an alphanumeric sender ID from a provider that registers them, and consent captured to PECR standards.
That's two vendors, but each one is designed for the rules it operates under. For a wider view of other markets, see SMS marketing rules in Australia, the UK, Canada and the Gulf compared.
A UK checklist before the first send
- Sort your list by country code. Separate +44 numbers from +1 numbers before any campaign runs.
- Audit consent for UK contacts. Each UK contact needs specific text consent or a valid soft opt-in. If you can't show either, don't send marketing.
- Rewrite your opt-in wording so it names texts as a channel and links your privacy notice.
- Pick a UK sender. Use an alphanumeric ID for one-way messages or a UK number for conversations, and put an opt-out in every marketing text.
- Send at sensible UK times. Your US schedule may land at 2 AM in Manchester.
- Keep records of consent, opt-outs and message content. The ICO expects you to be able to produce them.
The takeaway
UK texting rests on consent under PECR and UK GDPR, not on carrier registration. The soft opt-in helps with existing customers but it's narrower than it sounds. And a US number, however well registered, isn't a good UK sender. Treat the UK as its own program, with its own sender and its own consent records, and keep your US stack for US recipients.
If you're running US texting and want registration, opt-outs and quiet hours handled in one place, you can create an account and try it with your first 20 one-to-one texts free. For anything UK-bound, ask us first.