US phone service for long-term travel

Question

I'm going on a six-month trip to Mexico and Central America. In addition to whatever I do with local SIMs, WhatsApp, and Google Voice, I still need a regular US phone number to receive verification texts from my bank. (I still need to use the phone for calls, texts and data, including a hotspot for my computer; I only need a regular US phone number for receiving verification texts.)

The major carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, all now include international roaming in their phone plans. But the fine print says they are not for long-term travel:

• AT&T: "International usage should not exceed domestic usage."
• T-Mobile: "Not for extended international use ... Service may be terminated or restricted for excessive roaming."
• Verizon: "If more than 50% of your talk, text or data usage in a 60-day period is in countries other than the United States, use of those services in those countries may be removed or limited."

I've found one exception to this, the only plan I found from a regular carrier that does not appear to forbid long-term international use. It's Verizon's "International Monthly Plan." It costs $100 a month and allows 250 minutes of phone calls, unlimited texts, and unlimited data. The first 20 GB of data in a month are "high speed," which presumably means 5G or 4G when available, and after 20 GB, the speed is throttled to 3G.

It's not crazy to pay $100 a month for phone and Internet service. But it appears that I can't just buy that, but have to add it to a domestic plan, and it looks like the least expensive of those is $55 a month. So the total cost of the phone line is $155 plus whatever the taxes and fees are going to be on top of that. That's a lot, and I'd like to know if there's a better way to do this.

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EDIT:

Thank you for all the answers and comments. I'm going through them to see what I can learn about what to do. In the meantime, here is an an update from a visit to my local Verizon store yesterday.

I went with the intention to sign up for the International Monthly Plan. We almost completed that, when the rep suggested the additional service, "Mobile Hotspot". She said that without that, the data provided by the International Monthly Plan cannot be used for a hotspot for my computer. The service only costs $10 a month, so that's not a problem, but the linked webpage says it is "subject to Important Plan Information". It does not give a link for that, but there's a webpage with that title. It's not clear what parts) of that document apply to this service, but that is the document I quoted from above, "If more than 50% of your talk, text or data usage in a 60-day period is in countries other than the United States, use of those services in those countries may be removed or limited." If that applies to the hotspot service, then it makes that service subject to exactly the limitation that I wanted to avoid by getting the International Monthly Plan.

Although $155 a month for the International Monthly Plan is expensive, I justified the cost on the basis of having convenient access to data for my computer everywhere that Verizon provides a cell signal without having to search for Wi-Fi or buy local SIMs or eSIMs. But this news that the data provided by the plan cannot be used for a hotspot for more than two months makes the plan almost useless to me, except for being able to occasionally receive a verification text, which still remains something I need to figure out how to do.

Answer 1

My partner has been using Google Fi for this purpose for years. No idea what the fine print says but it's been working fine to keep her original US number alive, receive texts, plus some other incidental use abroad or when we visit the US. In the US, Google Fi presently uses the T-Mobile network.

We have not made use of this but it also sounds like Mexico and Canada are basically considered domestic on Google Fi plans (as opposed to roaming in other countries, which is counted separately) so the Unlimited plans could be attractive for you. You can also use Fi outside the US and Mexico in a pinch but if you really need hotspot tethering and 20+ GB a month while roaming then it's not going to be cheaper than the Verizon plan you found.

I would therefore recommend buying local SIM cards or data-only e-SIMs as needed on top of your regular plan, to reduce costs outside the US. On a dual SIM phone, it's possible to stay reachable on your US number while routing data or outgoing calls to another SIM. You can even configure different contacts to use different SIMs for texting or calling, keeping data on your travel SIM with or without fallback on your US SIM.

Total monthly costs for a Google Fi Flexible plan and a 10 GB eSIM in Latin America should be around $50. If you need more data or go for one of the Fi Unlimited plans, it could be around $100.

Getting a separate SIM in each country (as opposed to a regional eSIM) is a hassle and I don't bother with it but it can improve the quality of service and save even more money. To save on data, do use WiFi where available (possibly with a VPN). To save on calls, it's also useful to ask people to call you (instead of calling them) or use call over WiFi, instant messaging, or videoconferencing apps.

In general, I assume the language you found is primarily there to give providers an out in case of egregious abuse but that doesn't necessarily mean they aggressively enforce it.

Answer 2

If it's just to RECEIVE the occasional text message, you should be fine. Just log out of all your apps/social media/whatever on your phone and kill any other app that uses data.

Because otherwise that's going to cost you a lot in roaming charges. Just not having the app screen active does NOT mean you're not using data, most apps will regularly poll servers and retrieve stuff even when you're not actively using them.

Turning off data roaming on your phone also should do the trick (unless of course you need to use that bank app and it needs data).

I don't know T-Mobile US but I've used T-Mobile for years in other countries and they were fine, offering international addon bundles as well on top of your normal plan (mostly for data roaming these days, phone roaming was always part of the regular plans but would have an additional charge per minute). Best call them and ask exactly what they can do for you.

Answer 3

Get a virtual number for texts

You can get a number from Anveo.com that supports receiving text messages and attach that to your bank account. I've used their service for years now and it works great. You can have Anveo redirect the texts to a different number or just see them on their website.

As per @André, a lot of banks/etc. will prevent you from using VoIP numbers. In my experience, Anveo's numbers are accepted by banks and they're only a few bucks each so you won't lose much money if it doesn't work.

T-Mobile doesn't enforce any limits in practice

You mention:

T-Mobile: "Not for extended international use ... Service may be terminated or restricted for excessive roaming."

As per my experience in What is the time limit for using T-Mobile SIM cards in Canada?, T-Mobile does not enforce this in practice, as I was able to use a T-Mobile number as my primary for 1 year and 4 months while living in Canada. Internet worked perfectly and I was never throttled. So if you want a US number abroad, this is a perfectly solid option.

Answer 4

I recommend

1. Use a Dual SIM Dual Active phone (that means it can make/receive calls and texts, and use data, on both SIMs at the same time). Any modern iPhone will do, and many Android phones. With these you can have many eSIMs loaded, but you can only use two at once.
2. Buy a local eSIM in each place you are going to.
3. Either keep your current US provider (for convenience) or select a new one, but choose a plan focused on good international coverage at reasonable rates.
4. When out of the US, select the relevant local eSIM for data. If/when it doesn't work, you can occasionally select the US SIM without falling foul of fair use policies. When in the US, use the US SIM for data. Both SIMs will be active for voice (depending on the number you use when dialling, or the caller uses).

The advantage of this is:

1. Your US number is always active
2. You get local rate for data
3. You get a backup data provider for when inevitably data stops working at an awkward point

Answer 5

Lots of really interesting and helpful information in the answers and comments. I've been going through it all carefully and am going to report here on the results of checking them out.

1. SMS verification

Many people said to stop using any outfit that requires SMS verification because it's inherently insecure. @David-Mulder linked to a video with scary proof of how insecure the whole phone system is. So I went through a long list of accounts to see who requires what for me to log in. Before running the test, I cleared all cookies in my browser so that everyone would forget previous verifications and check me out afresh. First observation: I was surprised by how many banks and brokers did not do any verification apart from my password. Several others allowed e-mail or other methods. But here is a list of outfits that would send a verification code only through the phone system:

• A local bank: SMS or voice.
• Raisin: SMS only.
• TransferWise: SMS only.
• Vanguard: SMS or voice.
• Chase credit card: Sent by SMS or voice, or I can call in.
• Social security: Via Login.gov: SMS only.
• Federal government's other login system: ID.me: SMS or voice.

It looks like somebody at the Social Security Administration needs to watch the video linked in the answer by @David-Mulder. In the meantime, I'm obviously not going to stop doing business with them. Therefore:

Conclusion: The idea that I could travel without needing to be able to receive verification codes by SMS is simply not going to work.

2. Acceptable phone numbers

I've read in various places that some banks won't send verification SMSs to VoIP numbers. But I never saw a bank tell me that themselves -- until now. When I ran the above test of my accounts, there was one bank, Ally, that was straightforward about what phone numbers they will send to. They gave a list of carriers that are acceptable, and then specifically said they won't send to VoIP numbers, such as Google Voice. Notice that all the carriers listed as acceptable are US phone companies, so local SIMs in another country won't work. But I don't know what companies are covered by the inclusion of Interop and Clearsky. Finally, note that this list is for Ally Bank; other banks and other outfits may have different requirements.

Conclusion: A VoIP number is not an acceptable solution. It might work for some accounts, maybe even most accounts, but cannot be relied on to work for all accounts.

3. US Mobile

US Mobile looked attractive until I checked the countries it works in. For some reason, it works in all the countries of Central America, except Belize!

4. Google Fi

Google Fi also looked interesting. But it has the same warning in the fine print that service will be cut back or cut off if usage is only outside the US for more than a few months. Worse yet, for the other providers, that warning is just in the legal language, but for Google Fi, there are several reports from people having the restriction enforced.

5. If the phone is lost or stolen.

A comment asked, "what happens if you lose the SIM/eSIM while abroad?" The only way to lose an eSIM is to lose the phone, which makes that a good question. To be prepared for this possibility, as recommended in the answer by @David-Mulder, it's important to have at least one bank account that allows non-SMS verification. This is related to another important issue of bank redundancy, which is discussed very well in the Prepared Expat blog.

6. Trick the US carrier by using a VPN?

An answer suggested fooling the US phone company into thinking I'm using it inside the US by using a VPN. I've heard this suggestion elsewhere, but I'm skeptical that it would work. The carrier would certainly know what cell tower I'm connected through, so they would know I'm outside the US.

7. MagicJack?

An answer recommended MagicJack, which is a physical device to be carried. Not sure if it could be a solution, but I have a high priority on traveling light, so not interested in carrying another device. So this might work for others, but not for me.

8. ...

I have selected a solution to try out, and I'll report back here after testing it.

Answer 6

Check if your carrier allows you to receive SMS / phone calls over VoWIFI and use a different cheap phone or GSM router to create a hotspot with a local SIM in each country.

I have used mint mobile in various countries in Asia (not South America though so can't confirm if it'll work for you) and was able to call / receive SMS when connected to hotel / airport WiFi.

https://www.mintmobile.com/features/wifi-calling-text/

USES YOUR EXISTING PHONE NUMBER

With Wi-Fi Calling, you can use your service without the hassle of additional log-ins, new numbers or extra apps.

No international roaming charges

Wi-Fi Calling allows you to call and text abroad without using up international roaming.

If your carrier allows VoWIFI, but not internationally, you might attempt to use a US based VPN so that your carrier thinks you are using VoWIFI from within the US.

Answer 7

A VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) would do what you want. Most smart phones allow tele via wifi or data. I have used Vonage VOIP on my iphones for years.

Answer 8

Try MagicJack. We have been using it exclusively as our phone number for 8 years now. Originally they only supported voice but added SMS for US numbers a few years ago and Canadian numbers last year. When you buy a MagicJack, you get a device that is used to plugin a wired phone (for voice calls) but their Android app handles voice, text and voicemail completely. When you get the device you need to enter its serial number into the app but afterwards, you won't need it. They also have an app-only plan which I haven't tried but the costs of the standard MagicJack is really low and it does work like magic!

Currently you paid $45 for the device and first year, plus fees (they add a few dollars during checkout). After that you can pay $109 for 3 years. That gives you unlimited voice and text in from numbers in Canada, the US and Puerto-Rico while you can be anywhere in the world. They have an extra fee to port your existing number if you want to. Several people in my family did the change and it is life-changing for long-term travel.

NOTE: This is one of my favorite products but I am not affiliated with them in any way.

Answer 9

Try TextNow (completely free app with free number--though as usual they'll show you ads and keep asking you to upgrade to some paid plan).

It has worked for me for getting verification codes from Capital One (bank accounts, credit card, debit card, ATM card) the past 2.5 years.

(It works using the internet so doesn't care where in the world you are so long as you have internet access.)

Answer 10

As someone who has done long term travel around the world I have dealt with this exact problem. Our strategy was to have a prepaid number 'at home', and a local SIM/eSIM for data (and calls when possible). This worked really well, with the caveat that very occasionally you might come into a country where your home provider suddenly just doesn't work. This happened to us for example in Bolivia with one of our two 'home' cards.

On top of that one of our phones was stolen in Chile, and getting a replacement eSIM whilst abroad turned out to be incredibly difficult (the provider of the eSIM required you to physically present yourself in their store to prevent SIM swap scams).

So our recommended strategy would be:

1. Do not use SMS verification ever. It's deeply insecure. Both for the traditional SIM swap scam that can happen to anybody, and for more sophisticated attacks.

2. Use a SIM card/eSIM from home for those services that simply don't provide another option beyond SMS (and make sure you have at least one bank account that doesn't rely on SMS in case your phone does get stolen whilst abroad). Never pick up calls on that SIM, never send SMS messages from that SIM.

3. Get a local SIM card (not from the airport) or eSIM in each country you're in for local connectivity. The prices will be far cheaper. We needed basically 10s of GBs of data in case our wifi connections would turn out bad and in most countries we paid less than $20 per month.

   • If you need calls as well (e.g. for food delivery services) then it's often easier to get a SIM card, whilst an eSIM can be easier to acquire but tends to be more expensive for the same amount of data (although each year the difference in price seems to be decreasing). Additionally if you're country where telecom providers 'discriminate' against foreigners and allow foreigners to only buy local connectivity at inflated prices just instantly buy an eSIM.

   • To play it even more secure we often purchased two different local SIM cards when they were particularly cheap, so that if one didn't provide fast connectivity, the other might.

4. (If you happen to need a local number at home to be reached on, get a VOIP number. They used to work really well on Android with native very reliable support, but nowadays they have turned into quite a pain on both Android and iOS to the point that we just cancelled ours. We still used VOIP to make calls to numbers back home when needed. (We ended up using Skype most of the time, because despite being more expensive it actually was more reliable for us than some of the other providers we checked))

Adding the costs up: prepaid number at home costs nothing, but lets say $1 per month, local data for $15 per month, and then unlimited calling to US numbers on Skype for $3 per month, for a grand total of $19 per month.

Answer 11

A lot of the answers recommend either to use VoIP or to actually take your (e)SIM with you. Both of these have problems:

• VoIP numbers are often rejected by banks/etc for verification purposes, so that can't be relied upon, though if you get it to work why not?

• taking the (e)SIM with you is risky because recovery of a lost (e)SIM may involve either physically visiting the carrier's store and/or activating the eSIM over a US IP address (this is often something the carrier's staff themselves are unaware of).

Instead I suggest leaving your actual SIM in the US (at home or a trusted friend/family's home). Get yourself the cheapest Android phone (the carrier may even subsidize it and give you the phone for "free") and install an SMS forwarding app such as:

• https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.axet.smsgate/
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frzinapps.smsforward&hl=en_US&gl=US

(I'm sure you can find others)

Then configure it to forward to your e-mail and test it a few times by texting yourself. Once it is all good, leave the phone on charge, disable any passcode/SIM PIN (to make sure the device is able to restart without user intervention in case of reboot/power loss) and it should be good to go.