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Move Internationally but want to save US Phone
Hello all,
I am moving internationally out of the US, but would want to save my US number for many reasons. I have been looking some options from major carrries in the States but mostly out of my budget…I currently have T Mobile.
Any thought on how to preserving my US phone number? I have heard internet service like Ting etc. But not sure how exactly does that work. Thank you so much for the input in advance!!!
Wesley
Well, TMobile’s service contracts say that they have a right to deny/change/cancel your service if you’re outside the “home” area too much so it’d be good to get off it.
I think Google’s ProjectFi might be a good alternative. You only pay for what you use and it works internationally. However, I dont know if it has a similar restriction about the home area.
Is your move permanent or temporary? I lived in Switzerland for 30 months a few years back and I kept my US phone (maintaining minimal service) and purchased a local SIM card and phone which were really inexpensive. I relied on WiFi texting and WhatsApp for my regular USA phone traffic. I used my local phone for most of my needs. If this is a permanent move, I would highly recommend ditching your US service.
You can port your number to Google Voice to save it. That’s what I did when I moved to France five years ago. It can be used for call/text forwarding to a different number, but it can get a bit confusing for the recipient, and I haven’t used that function in years.
I currently live in the Middle East. I ported out my number back to T-Mobile a couple of years ago when my parents got a buy three lines, get one line free family plan a few years ago. That’s how my number is currently alive. I pop in my Sim Card whenever I’m back in the US.
Another option is to switch your T-Mobile plan to a $3/month prepaid plan.
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