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It's been about 10 years since I've traveled out of the US. In that time, it's become more and more common for various services (including basic things like email) to (randomly or systematically) force you to verify yourself via a text message.

When I'm in the US, this is just an annoyance, but I'm wondering if it could be more of a problem when traveling abroad. I have the TMobile "Walmart plan" and have seen mixed information on whether it offers international roaming: some sources say no, some say there is international texting but not voice/data, and some say there is international texting but only when on wifi.

Suppose I'm going to be taking a trip abroad. I can get some kind of international SIM card, but that won't allow me to receive verification texts sent to my US phone number. I want to avoid uncomfortable situations like being locked out of my email or other important logins because I'm unable to verify via text message. Is there any reliable solution to ensure I can receive text messages to my US number no matter where in the world I am (assuming I can get cell phone signal)? Are there solutions that work for some countries but not others?

Edit: I appreciate the remarks about TOTP, and I do have that for a couple things (like my bank app). However, that requires a separate configuration change for every app or service. I'm more interested in a "drop in" solution that doesn't require me to separately configure every service I want to be able to access from abroad.

It's been about 10 years since I've traveled out of the US. In that time, it's become more and more common for various services (including basic things like email) to (randomly or systematically) force you to verify yourself via a text message.

When I'm in the US, this is just an annoyance, but I'm wondering if it could be more of a problem when traveling abroad. I have the TMobile "Walmart plan" and have seen mixed information on whether it offers international roaming: some sources say no, some say there is international texting but not voice/data, and some say there is international texting but only when on wifi.

Suppose I'm going to be taking a trip abroad. I can get some kind of international SIM card, but that won't allow me to receive verification texts sent to my US phone number. I want to avoid uncomfortable situations like being locked out of my email or other important logins because I'm unable to verify via text message. Is there any reliable solution to ensure I can receive text messages to my US number no matter where in the world I am (assuming I can get cell phone signal)? Are there solutions that work for some countries but not others?

It's been about 10 years since I've traveled out of the US. In that time, it's become more and more common for various services (including basic things like email) to (randomly or systematically) force you to verify yourself via a text message.

When I'm in the US, this is just an annoyance, but I'm wondering if it could be more of a problem when traveling abroad. I have the TMobile "Walmart plan" and have seen mixed information on whether it offers international roaming: some sources say no, some say there is international texting but not voice/data, and some say there is international texting but only when on wifi.

Suppose I'm going to be taking a trip abroad. I can get some kind of international SIM card, but that won't allow me to receive verification texts sent to my US phone number. I want to avoid uncomfortable situations like being locked out of my email or other important logins because I'm unable to verify via text message. Is there any reliable solution to ensure I can receive text messages to my US number no matter where in the world I am (assuming I can get cell phone signal)? Are there solutions that work for some countries but not others?

Edit: I appreciate the remarks about TOTP, and I do have that for a couple things (like my bank app). However, that requires a separate configuration change for every app or service. I'm more interested in a "drop in" solution that doesn't require me to separately configure every service I want to be able to access from abroad.

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BrenBarn
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How to ensure two-factor availability when traveling?

It's been about 10 years since I've traveled out of the US. In that time, it's become more and more common for various services (including basic things like email) to (randomly or systematically) force you to verify yourself via a text message.

When I'm in the US, this is just an annoyance, but I'm wondering if it could be more of a problem when traveling abroad. I have the TMobile "Walmart plan" and have seen mixed information on whether it offers international roaming: some sources say no, some say there is international texting but not voice/data, and some say there is international texting but only when on wifi.

Suppose I'm going to be taking a trip abroad. I can get some kind of international SIM card, but that won't allow me to receive verification texts sent to my US phone number. I want to avoid uncomfortable situations like being locked out of my email or other important logins because I'm unable to verify via text message. Is there any reliable solution to ensure I can receive text messages to my US number no matter where in the world I am (assuming I can get cell phone signal)? Are there solutions that work for some countries but not others?