Many soon-to-be expats have the same concern: how to keep their phone number when moving abroad. Thankfully, it is possible! This post will go over the various ways you can keep your number active.
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A NOTE TO READERS: This post is intended for LONG-TERM travelers. In other words: full-time expats, or people traveling for study abroad or for several months. If you’re traveling abroad for just a few weeks, check out my tips for you at the end of this article!
Anyways, if you’re a long-term traveler or expat, this post is for YOU!!
There are a million and ten moving parts to moving abroad, and your phone number is one of them!
These days, our phone numbers aren’t just for making calls. Many of us use our phone for SMS notifications, most importantly, for verification codes.
This is something I discuss at length in my post about what to do before moving abroad. Essentially, when you’re living abroad, resetting passwords or logging in with a verification code is a PAIN if you lose your number!
For this reason, I recommend switching as many logins as possible to send codes to your email address. If you have access to your email, either on desktop or phone, you’ll be much better off when it comes to login codes.
However, if saying goodbye your phone number is absolutely non-negotiable, thankfully there are options!
How To Keep Your Phone Number When Moving Abroad
There are several ways to keep your phone number, three of which I’ll go over in this post!
Option 1: Using Google Voice to Keep Your Phone Number
Most popular with expats is Google Voice!
This is the key though: you HAVE to connect your number to Google voice BEFORE leaving the US! (I’m not sure how Google Voice works for phone numbers in other countries, so you may want to do some reading).
Basically, you connect your US phone number to Google Voice, and then buy a local SIM card in your new country.
Your phone will then use that local SIM card’s data (or the wifi you connect to!) for your Google Voice number, so you can still make calls from that number.
Pros:
With Google Voice, you can receive calls AND SMS messages!
It’s cheap, with just a $20 USD fee to start, and no monthly fees afterwards.
Many expats report using Google Voice and loving it!
Concerns:
Some people say that their banking/financial apps wouldn’t send SMS verification codes to a Google Voice linked number (though I don’t personally know whether or not that’s true).
If your Google Account gets hacked, you risk your phone number and incoming texts/calls as well as contacts’ information being hacked. Some users have reported this problem.
So security is something to take into mind. Once your number is connected to Google Voice, it is hackable in ways it wouldn’t be when running through a traditional phone carrier.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
I am NOT using Google Voice, so I’m not able to offer any more help than my basic understanding of it. Also, I haven’t found any resources online yet which share how to go back to a cell service carrier if you move home.
So just be aware that while Google Voice does present a simple solution to keep your number, it’s still not perfect!
Option 2: Join A family Member’s Family Plan
This is what I am personally doing, and it has been completely perfect for me!
Essentially, my parents have a family plan, and they keep my number active. Their plan also includes international unlimited data, and calls for a very small fee. So when I’m traveling, my phone works everywhere!
Obviously, it’s a LOT more money in the long run than Google Voice would be. But since it’s on a family plan, it’s actually less than I’d be paying monthly at home in the US, and I can still use my phone almost normally!
Basically, it’s like paying a phone bill, but since my phone works fully internationally, in my opinion, it’s worth it.
I do keep it in airplane mode, though, just to be safe. And I actually have a second phone which has my Chinese SIM card and can always share a hotspot for my US phone, if needed.
Pros:
You keep your phone number, and if your family has an international plan, you can even use it normally!
It’s more secure than Google Voice.
Concerns:
It’s definitely MUCH more expensive than Google Voice’s one-time fee.
Whatever decisions your family members make about their phone plan will affect you.
You have to set up a way to pay back the account holder whose plan your on.
If your phone doesn’t hold dual SIM cards or eSIM, you’ll need a second phone to handle calls in your new country.
Option 3: Get An International Plan, Keep Your Number
Obviously this is the MOST expensive option of all. You CAN technically keep your phone number and get an international plan!
Just know that if you do so, you’ll very likely end up needing a local phone number in the country you’re moving to, as well.
In my case, most Chinese apps require a Chinese number to login or make an account. So even though my US number is active, I have to have a Chinese number.
This is why many expats end up doing the two-phones solution. However, if your phone has eSIM, or a dual-SIM card tray, you may be able to pull off keeping things to one phone!
Pros:
Your number is totally yours and totally usable!
It’s a secure way to keep your phone number active.
Concerns:
It’s the most expensive option.
It may not solve the situation of having to use 2 phones for your 2 SIM cards.
International Plans for Short-Term Traveling
Hey, short term travelers! This part is for you!
If you’re traveling for just a few weeks, or maybe a month or two, there are several phone solutions for you!
- Add temporary international coverage to your phone plan
- Get a local SIM card after arriving in your travel destination
- Use an app like Airalo to get an eSIM before even leaving home!
Airalo would have been a miracle back in my earlier traveling days. What I wouldn’t have given to have a SIM card everywhere I went!
With Airalo, you can buy an eSIM for the country you plan to visit, which you then activate before or upon arrival to your destination.
There are no physical SIM cards, and minimal hassles! From the research that I’ve done online, Airalo seems to be one of the more user-friendly options for tourists who need temporary cell coverage abroad.
While Airalo may be a bit pricier than getting a local SIM card (country depending! In Asia, definitely. But in the US/UK, Airalo is probably the cheaper option!), the convenience and customer support lifts a huge burden.
People say they can walk off the airplane and switch their phones on, just like they’re home. Sounds like a dream come true to me!
So if you’re a short term traveler, an Airalo eSIM may be a great option for you!
If you’re not ready to part ways with your number, there’s no need to worry! With a little planning, you’re sure to find the best method of how to keep your phone number when moving abroad. Happy travels!
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