Maintaining a USA phone number during extended travels

[Jammer]

This has come up before but some of the answers may be out of date.

For USA-based cruisers who use USA-based banking, it is important to have a phone with a U.S. phone number while traveling. In addition to being a more practicable way to stay in touch with friends and family at home, many banks require text messages or phone calls to a USA phone number as part of their authentication/authorization process and will not process funds transfers without it.

At one point, Google Fi had been the preferred solution, but there are now limits on how long this service can be used outside the USA. Several sources indicate that the limit is 45 days for data but that there is a longer but unspecified limit for phone and text.

For a while people were using VoIP services but these have recently been the target of increased regulatory scrutiny and the landscape is changing, particularly for international use of U.S. phone numbers.

What's the best way to solve the puzzle now?

[ejs]

Hi,
I have googleFi and have been living in foreign countries for the last decade. The time limit is only on foreign data, not on phone or text messages. So googleFI stills works for the banking and other 2 factor authentication functions. The limit on roaming here in Europe is 3 months, which resets each time you use the phone in the US.

-E

[PippaB]

Used to use GoogleFi, but now use whatever US provider is cheapest and allows WiFi calling and SMS. Buy a local SIM for data, hotspot, connect phone, WiFi calls and SMS are from your US number.

[dougweibel]

It is probably not the lowest cost option but we just use AT&T International Day Pass. We have cruised about half the time out of the country over the last several years and it has worked great. You enable it on your account and you get the same plan/minutes/data when you are in another country as when you are in the US. The first phone on a plan is charged $10 per day when using the feature with a maximum of 10 days per month. Additional phones are charged $5 per day, so for my wife and myself we pay $150/mo (on top of our regular plan charge). Like I said not the low cost option but the advantage is that we have our regular phone numbers which we have had for years. Generally business people calling us have no idea we are out of the country. No problem for text based two-factor authentication, voice callbacks, etc.

[Dogscout]

I have been using Google Voice for 5 years. Paid to port my old AT&T no to them and have not had a problem since. Recently I picked up a T-mobile account that gives me a US phone no, and has unlimited data in 215 countries. 0.25 a minute to phone, but I mostly use WhatsApp to call family. My banks and other things that need to text me still use the old phone number and as long as I have data then Google Voice sends me the text.

[s/v Jedi]

Any low cost US cellphone service that supports wifi calling. We now still have Verizon but will probably switch to cheaper now that we have Starlink.

[mshozda]

I’ve been working and traveling overseas for most of the past 12 or 13 years and hope to set out for an extended international cruise in 2025. I’ve tried various solutions from VoIP to local sims to international roaming. For me, the simplest, though not always cheapest, option is to stick with AT&T and use their international roaming plan, as someone mentioned above. Although, ATT did recently raise their rates to $12/day for the first line and $6/day for additional lines (which includes my iPad). So, the max monthly cost for two lines is $180. Not trivial, to be sure, but not terrible for the quality and simplicity of the service. I usually keep the iPad on airplane mode, so my actually monthly cost is closer to $120 than $180 (excluding normal monthly fees for the line).

I also keep wifi calling active and use Signal for most voice and video calls. This eliminates additional cost for phone calls, although calls from the 210 included countries are free, if I remember correctly.

I’ve found the service to be very good in locations as varied as Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Korea, the Philippines, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Much of Latin America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and Canada are included in my plan at no cost.

The key advantages are the simplicity, the ability to keep the same number, and easy of multi factor authentication in the modern digital world.

Most of my coworkers migrated away from GoggleFi in favor of one of the many eSim services available with the newer generations of phones. This let them use the same phone and switch between their US or international sim as needed. I’ve never tried that route, but many of them were quite happy with the option.

[Mike OReilly]

I've been maintaining a local (Canadian, for me) phone number via the VOIP service MagicJack. Have done this for over a decade. Cost is minimal (~$50/year), for unlimited North American calling, and very cheap international.

Works great wherever there is decent data connection.

[Dockhead]

I have a Skype-In number which costs me about $5/mo. It works for most Two Factor Authentication purposes, including my U.S. bank. Some services detect it as a VOIP number and don't allow it, but so far I haven't had problems.

Note that Two Factor Authentication has evolved enormously in the last couple of years. Calls and texts are no longer the sole or even preferred method. Now you can use various authenticator apps, or biometrics on your phone (fingerprint or face), or hardware keys like Yubi.

Two Factor Authentication is actually a Very Good Thing and not something to avoid. I have strong 2FA set up on all my financial accounts.

For voice comms I use a European phone number or, for calls outside of Europe, WhatsApp, or even inside Europe. WhatsApp is so prevalent now in the business world that it's replaced most email comms. Phone numbers are less and less relevant for voice comms. In China and some other parts of Asia -- WeChat fulfills the same function.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I have a Skype-In number which costs me about $5/mo. It works for most Two Factor Authentication purposes, including my U.S. bank. Some services detect it as a VOIP number and don't allow it, but so far I haven't had problems.

Note that Two Factor Authentication has evolved enormously in the last couple of years. Calls and texts are no longer the sole or even preferred method. Now you can use various authenticator apps, or biometrics on your phone (fingerprint or face), or hardware keys like Yubi.

Two Factor Authentication is actually a Very Good Thing and not something to avoid. I have strong 2FA set up on all my financial accounts.

For voice comms I use a European phone number or, for calls outside of Europe, WhatsApp, or even inside Europe. WhatsApp is so prevalent now in the business world that it's replaced most email comms. Phone numbers are less and less relevant for voice comms. In China and some other parts of Asia -- WeChat fulfills the same function.

The authentication apps are very good. The problem arises when the company is acquired by another company and everything is reset and must be setup again.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The authentication apps are very good. The problem arises when the company is acquired by another company and everything is reset and must be setup again.

Can you advise which companies are likely to do the acquiring [rather than being acquired], and shouldn’t likely require re-setting?

[FlyingScot]

I have had the same cell # since the 90's and I do not want to give it up. If you have a family member you trust in the USA, put it on their plan. This is what I do. If you don't have a family member, you trust, maybe it's still worth having your own USA plan. It's on Verizon which has now raised the daily rate to $12 up from $10. They do include some free days but I'm not sure how many or why. Keep in mind the daily charge is only once regardless of how many countries you may visit in that 24 hours. We have flown through a few countries quite a few times within one day. I always use it for that.
For actual data for more than a day or two, we use Holafly esim. They have unlimited data with hot spotting for decent prices.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Can you advise which companies are likely to do the acquiring [rather than being acquired], and shouldn’t likely require re-setting?

One recent example that you may recognize is the acquisition of TD Ameritrade by Schwab. I am not talking about cell phone carriers but about the two factor authentication apps. When they are reset/replaced as in the example, you require cell phones with texting again.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

One recent example that you may recognize is the acquisition of TD Ameritrade by Schwab. I am not talking about cell phone carriers but about the two factor authentication apps. When they are reset/replaced as in the example, you require cell phones with texting again.

Yikes. I haven't experienced that but it sounds unpleasant.


My main financial accounts are with Fidelity, and their authentication system is really good and doesn't depend on cell phones or texting. It's very hands-on with competent human managed authentication when you are getting it set up. Likely too big to be acquired but I'll keep my fingers crossed.



In my experience PayPal and AT&T are the worst; a shipmate of mine gave up an AT&T account he had had for decades because he could not for love nor money get his SIM card replaced without the lost SIM card to receive texts on. Crazy, stupid stuff.


I think the world is gradually moving on from cell phone text based authentication; I hope so.

[Ryban]

Originally Posted by Jammer

At one point, Google Fi had been the preferred solution, but there are now limits on how long this service can be used outside the USA. Several sources indicate that the limit is 45 days for data but that there is a longer but unspecified limit for phone and text.

I wasn't aware of this, I should look it up.

I used Google Fi when I was last cruising, but that was 2017-2019. That said, I didn't have service in a lot of places still, and usually needed to buy sim cards to do anything useful.