Booking with a Foreign Phone Number
Updated 3 min read
If your phone number isn't Swedish, it still works perfectly well for a booking — but it's the single most common cause of a driver's message never reaching someone, and it's an easy mistake to avoid once you know what to look for.
On this page
The fix, in one line
Always enter your number in full international format, with the country code included — for example a UK number starting +44, a US number starting +1, rather than the version you'd dial locally at home. Dropping the country code is what usually breaks delivery, since the message is then sent as if the number were Swedish, which it isn't.
Roaming and receiving the message
Once the number itself is entered correctly, whether the message actually reaches you depends on your phone having roaming active for SMS, or being connected to wifi if your carrier routes messages that way. If you're travelling with roaming switched off entirely to save on charges, it's worth turning it on at least for text messages around your pickup time, since that's how the driver's details are sent.
The email copy as backup
Your driver's details are also included in messages sent to the email address on your booking, which doesn't depend on your phone's roaming or number format at all. If you're at all unsure whether the SMS will reach you — an unfamiliar carrier, patchy roaming, an old phone — check your email around pickup time as the reliable fallback.
If you suspect the number was entered wrong
Check your booking confirmation, which shows the number as it was recorded. If it's missing the country code or otherwise looks off, contact support with your booking reference and we can correct it before your pickup, so the driver's details actually reach you rather than a number that can't receive them.
A quick habit that avoids the whole issue
When in doubt, copy your number directly from how it's saved in your own phone's contacts under your own entry, or from a previous booking confirmation with another company that clearly showed the international format — both tend to already have the country code included correctly, which removes the guesswork of typing it manually into a form under time pressure.
It's a thirty-second check that saves a genuinely stressful moment at arrivals — standing in the terminal, no message in sight, wondering whether the booking even went through properly. Getting the format right the first time means that question never comes up at all.
What every Förare booking includes
The fixed price you see before booking is the price on your receipt — 6% VAT included, whole car, not per person.
- Flight tracked — pickup follows your live arrival
- 45 minutes free waiting, from your driver's confirmed arrival
- No terminal fee
- No surge pricing, ever
- Free cancellation up to 12 hours
Questions people ask before booking
How should I enter a foreign phone number when booking?
In full international format including the country code, for example +44 for the UK or +1 for the US, rather than the local dialling format you'd use at home.
What if I don't receive the SMS with my driver's details?
Check your email — driver details are sent there too, and it doesn't depend on your phone's roaming or the number format at all.
Do I need roaming switched on to receive the driver's details?
For the SMS, yes. If roaming is off, check the email copy instead, or turn on SMS roaming just for the period around your pickup.
How do I check if my number was entered correctly?
Look at your booking confirmation, which shows the number as recorded. If the country code is missing, contact support to correct it before pickup.
Is there an extra charge for using a foreign number?
No — there's no charge from us either way. Any cost would only come from your own carrier's roaming rates for receiving the message.
Book your Arlanda pickup
Enter the address and you will see the price for the whole car before anything is paid. No account needed.
- One fixed price for the whole car, 6% VAT included, shown before you pay.
- Your driver's name, number and registration plate arrive before pickup.
- Cancel free of charge more than 12 hours before pickup, refunded in full.
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