Author Topic: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?  (Read 2823 times)

alarswilson

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US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« on: November 19, 2018, 10:27:51 PM »
I just moved to Japan, and would like to have a stable number for US visits. I had service with Ting, but I didn't want to pay $6/month for the 11 months a year I'm not there. A US mobile number is handy for a lot of things, so I'd like to have solution. Any recommendations? Other options?

Shane

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2018, 11:24:14 PM »
Google Voice works well, but usually you have to set it up before you leave the US...

flipboard

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2018, 01:06:33 PM »
Can't you just use a pay-as-you-go SIM? I had one when I lived in the USA and it was about $3/month (30 minutes/texts) and then I just added some money once in a while.

Not sure if there's any options without fees as I already struggled finding any carrier that wanted to sell me pay-as-you-go (apparently I'm an alien for not wanting to add data..).
Most US Pay as you go sim cards generally don't work outside the USA. Literally: they refuse to even connect to a network. (Compared to my EU sim cards that at least let you receive SMS's.)

Google Voice, as others have mentioned, is generally the best way - but you need to be in the US (or use a VPN) to create your account/number.

Villanelle

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2018, 12:47:21 AM »
Who is your Japanese provider?  If you have Softbank, you can connect via the Sprint Network in the US.  Then you could just get a Vonage or similar number and use that Stateside. 

Dartwa

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2018, 01:46:41 AM »
I'm currently in the UK on a work assignment, but I ported my US phone number to Google Voice for a one-time fee of $20. This allows my family and friends to still call or text my old number, and I can send texts/make free calls using the Hangouts app. I don't know if things have changed recently, but I did all that after moving here. The process may be different if you don't have an existing number that you want to port.

When we're visiting the States, I just pick up a new Ting SIM card and pay for another month of service. It doesn't matter what phone number I have it assign, because I can just set it as a forwarding number on my Google Voice account and have people continue to reach me using the same number they're used to.

SnackDog

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2018, 01:35:44 PM »
I just limit my use to WiFi when traveling.

elaine amj

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2019, 07:41:13 PM »
I'm a little late but in case you are still looking, I have really liked Truphone. The per minute usage cost is a little high but it is perfect for the very occasional user as your prepaid credit NEVER expires. Plus, it works in a number of countries around the world.

I live in Canada and travel to the US 1-2 times a month for short trips. I also go for weekend trips and 1-2 week vacations a few times a year. I was looking for a SIM that would give me small amounts of data (just to look up stuff, use Google maps, etc) and a few mins of talk and text (to text each other if necessary and to call local businesses when necessary - generally for restaurant reservations lol). I mostly use wifi for everything else.

You buy a SIM for $30 and you get a free $15 credit. It is 9cents a min outgoing, free incoming, 9cents a text and 9 cents a MB. A little pricey, but I generally spend about $10-15 total a year. One time I was on a 1 week trip and spent maybe 45 cents total making a couple of restaurant reservations and looking up something quickly. Their main website defaults to their business plans so you have to do a little extra searching to find their consumer site: https://www.truphone.com/us/consumer/sim/

Their customer service is superb (although I haven't had to call for 2+ years now). The first 1-2 years I had to call several times for a variety of reasons and I was thoroughly impressed. Agents in a call centre in the Philippines who were polite, spoke great English, and went the extra mile to be as helpful as possible. I was fully expecting your typical crappy cellphone customer service and was blown away.

If I am going somewhere for a long time where I need a lot of data, I just buy a $20-30 monthly prepaid SIM. Which is cheaper when you are using several GB of data.

Padonak

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Re: US sim card / US number for ex-pats?
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2019, 07:42:30 PM »
ptf