How to give your AI agent a number that can send texts
An AI agent can send and receive SMS once it has a dedicated US number. Bland's Agent Phone Plan adds one with unlimited US and Canada texting under fair use.
Yes, an AI agent can send and receive SMS, but it needs a service that owns a real phone number on its behalf. Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives one agent a dedicated US number with unlimited SMS to US and Canada numbers, under fair use (20 texts an hour, 100 a day, with calls capped at one at a time across your account, 20 an hour, 50 a day, 1,000 call minutes a day, and 60 minutes per outbound call, to US and Canada numbers only), for $14.99 in the first month and $29.99 a month after. Texting requires the paid plan and isn't available on Bland's free $2 credit option. Once connected, your agent sends a text with one API call, and replies to that thread are answered automatically from the same number.
Texting needs the plan, not the free credits#
Bland's free option, $2 of credit at $0.14 per connected minute, is for voice calls only and has no dedicated number. To text at all, your agent's organization needs to be on the Agent Phone Plan, which assigns one dedicated US number that can send and receive SMS as well as calls.
Sending a text#
With the plan active and a Bland API key, send a text with:
curl -X POST https://api.bland.ai/v1/sms/send \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $BLAND_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"user_number": "+14155550188",
"agent_number": "+12765550123",
"agent_message": "Hi, do you have an opening next Tuesday afternoon?",
"objective": "Confirm a Tuesday afternoon appointment and the price, then end the conversation."
}'user_number is who you are texting, agent_number is your dedicated Bland number, agent_message is the first message sent, and objective tells Bland what the agent is trying to accomplish so it can carry on the thread. When the recipient replies, Bland answers from the agent's number automatically, working toward that objective. A thread started without an objective falls back to the number's general texting prompt rather than a specific goal.
Caps and consent#
Only text numbers that have agreed to hear from you. Use the plan for light, one-to-one conversations; Bland prohibits unauthorized spam. See bland.ai/legal/terms for Bland's terms. This is not legal advice.
AgentLine's flat plan against Bland's flat plan#
This post is published by Bland. AgentLine is a separate phone API that also gives an agent a number for calls and SMS, accessible through MCP and REST. As of October 2026, its entry-level Individual plan costs $20 a month for one US or Canada number, 100 minutes and 400 texts, with overage at $0.02 per SMS and $0.12 a minute beyond that (source: agentline.cloud/pricing).
At $20 a month for 400 texts, AgentLine works out to $0.05 a text before overage. Bland's $29.99 a month caps out at 100 texts a day, so in a 30-day month that is up to 3,000 outbound SMS, including automatic replies, provided every hourly and daily cap is respected, at a cost that falls to about a cent a text if you use most of that allowance. AgentLine's $20 plan is cheaper if total sent and received texts stay within 400 a month and calls stay within 100 minutes. Bland's flat rate costs less per text if you expect to send close to its daily cap regularly.
A worked example#
Lena wants her agent to book a grooming appointment. Her agent sends a text from her Bland number, 555-0144, to a groomer at 555-0188: "Hi, do you have an opening next Tuesday afternoon?" with the objective "confirm a Tuesday 2pm grooming slot." The groomer replies "yes that works," and Bland answers toward that objective. This example assumes the groomer agreed to receive booking texts.
The AI phone number to text page has the plan details for SMS, and the AI phone number plan covers the rest. For calling on the same line, see how to connect ChatGPT to Bland and how to give Claude its own number, and for the inbound side, can your AI agent answer its own phone.
FAQ#
Can my AI agent send SMS?#
Yes, if it is connected to a texting-capable number. On Bland's Agent Phone Plan, the agent sends a text with one API call from its dedicated US number, and replies are answered automatically.
Does the free $2 credit option include texting?#
No. Texting requires the Agent Phone Plan. The free credit option is for voice calls only and has no dedicated number.
How many texts can the plan send?#
Up to 20 an hour and 100 a day, counting both automatic replies and texts sent through the API, to US and Canada numbers only.
What does sending a text require?#
A POST to /v1/sms/send with the recipient's number, your agent's number, the first message, and optionally an objective describing the conversation goal; without one, replies use the number's texting prompt.
Can I use this to send marketing texts to a list?#
Use the plan for light, one-to-one conversations with people who have agreed to hear from you. Bland prohibits unauthorized spam.
Is AgentLine cheaper than Bland for texting?#
For light use, often yes: AgentLine's $20 a month covers 400 texts. For heavy use near Bland's daily cap, Bland's flat $29.99 a month usually costs less per text.