How to keep getting US texts while living abroad
Your US bank still texts you after you move abroad. So do your brokerage, your card issuer and plenty of the apps you log into. If those codes go to a SIM sitting in a drawer, you're locked out until you can read them.
There are three common ways to keep a US number for those codes: a US carrier line, Google Voice, or a forwarding service like Tether Mobile.
What matters most is whether your bank will text the number. Before sending a code, many services look up whether a number is a mobile line or an internet (VoIP) number, and some won't text VoIP numbers. A carrier line and a Tether Mobile US number are real mobile numbers. Google Voice is VoIP. Why some services won't text virtual numbers explains how that lookup works.
Which one fits
- A US carrier line if you need to call, reply or use data on your US number.
- Google Voice if you mostly call and text people, and your bank and other important accounts already send codes to it.
- Tether Mobile if you want a real US mobile number, you only need to receive texts, and you want them in email or your messaging apps without a SIM.
Side by side
| US SIM or eSIM |  Google Voice |
 Tether Mobile |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Number type | Real mobile | VoIP | Real mobile |
| Calls and sending texts |  Yes |
Yes |
 No, receive only |
| Mobile data | Yes, with a roaming plan |
No |
No |
| No SIM needed | No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Setup | Some carriers require you to be in the US | US-only accounts, verified with another phone number | Online, from anywhere |
| Where texts arrive | Your phone | The Voice app, the web or Gmail | Email, Telegram, LINE or Discord |
| Cost | From $3/month, plus fees and roaming | Free | $15/month with 50 SMS |
A US carrier line
Keeping a US line working from abroad takes some planning:
- Set it up before you leave. Some carriers only activate a line, or turn on roaming, while you're in the US.
- Texts reach you by roaming or Wi-Fi Calling. Roaming rates vary by carrier. Wi-Fi Calling needs a US emergency address on file, and some hotel and office networks block it.
- Read the terms. US plans are built for US residents. Several carriers' terms say you must live in the US and use the line mainly there.
- Keep paying. If the line lapses, the carrier cancels it and can give your number to someone else.
Prepaid plans start around $3/month, before fees and roaming.
Google Voice
Google Voice is a free US number that runs in an app or a browser. It's a VoIP number, and Google says "some websites, such as banks or subscription services, won't send text messages to Google Voice numbers." Test every account that matters before you rely on it.
Getting a number takes some setup. Personal accounts are only available in the US, and you verify with another phone number. New numbers also need ID verification before they can send or receive anything. Google can reclaim the number after 3 months without calls or texts.
If your accounts accept it, it's hard to beat on price. Calls and texts to US numbers cost nothing.
Tether Mobile
Tether Mobile gives you a US mobile number without a SIM. When a text arrives, we forward it to Email, Telegram, LINE or Discord.
It's a real mobile line on a US carrier network, so services that refuse VoIP numbers treat it like any other phone. We've confirmed codes from the largest US banks, including Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The service compatibility page lists every service we've tested. It's a snapshot, so test the accounts you rely on.
You sign up online from wherever you are. There's no SIM to activate and no other number to verify, so both SIM slots stay free for a local SIM and data. Already have a US number? Porting it to Tether Mobile is free. After the port, it receives texts only.
A US mobile number is $15/month with 50 SMS included (with additional packs available), and no setup fees. Pay annually and you pay for 11 months.
When Tether Mobile isn't the right pick
- You need calls. We can't make or receive them, so codes sent by voice call won't reach you.
- You need to reply. Plans receive texts only.
- You need mobile data. Get a local SIM or a travel eSIM.
- You want the cheapest option. Google Voice is free, and a prepaid carrier line starts around $3/month. If your accounts accept them, they cost less.
Travel eSIMs don't keep your number
Travel eSIM apps mostly sell data-only plans. Even the ones that include calls and texts don't carry your existing US number. Use one for data alongside whichever option you pick.
An eSIM from a US carrier is different. It's a full US phone line with its own US number.
Before you switch
Set up the new number while your current one still works. Add it to each important account and trigger a real login code. Keep your old number until codes have come through more than once, and turn on an authenticator app wherever an account offers one.
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