US phone number overseas?

[Kwill]

What is the best way to get a new US phone number as an American expat who is already overseas (UK)?

When I moved overseas in 2016, I had a phone from Republic Wireless that I switched to WiFi only and used for six years. By the time the phone and phone plan were retired last year, I was using my UK phone 95% of the time, and I figured I could just simplify my life by eliminating the US phone. But now I am running into more situations where a US phone number would be helpful. I think it would be ideal to have a virtual or VOIP phone number for now that I could use in the UK and while travelling overseas but eventually also use as an actual US phone if I move back to the States. I need something I can set up from the UK because I can't go back to the US again until summer.

How is Skype? I used a Skype virtual number back around 2010, and at the time, it couldn't handle text messages. It also showed up as a strange number on people's caller ID, so sometimes people wouldn't answer. It looks like it can do texts now. I found instructions for porting a Skype number to a regular phone in France and Mexico, but can you also port a Skype number to a regular phone in the US?

What about Google Voice? Does that work the same way as a Skype virtual number? Can you sign up for a US number while already overseas? Is there any problem with text messages? Do you need a new phone for this? I'm seeing some sites where they say that Google Voice is great because it's free, but it looks like there's actually a $10 per month subscription fee. Are there multiple different services?

Does WhatsApp offer numbers?

How are the other options? I've just changed my Google search phrasing, and all of a sudden I'm seeing more options: CircleLoop, Avoxi, OpenPhone, Ringover, Guru99, Sonetel, and all sorts of other companies I've never heard of.

[Kwill]

Following up on this, so far it seems like Google Voice won't give a US number to someone overseas, and WhatsApp does not offer its own numbers. Grasshopper isn't available outside the US. Most of the other companies are aiming at business customers, but I feel like I must be missing something.

It looks like Skype would be about $62 per year for a phone number, without including any actual calling. That is after a 33% discount for an annual subscription, but it still seems high if it doesn't include any calls. Is that the best option?

Also, has anyone had success in porting a Skype number to another provider in recent years?

[MustacheAndaHalf]

Banks and credit card websites like to send security codes.  I ported a number to Google Voice years ago while living in the US.  I added a backup recently for peace of mind, and picked Tossable Digits.  I don't have lots of experience with them, but someone else on the forum said they've been around 20 years.
https://www.tossabledigits.com/pricing/

[Kwill]

Banks and credit card websites like to send security codes.  I ported a number to Google Voice years ago while living in the US.  I added a backup recently for peace of mind, and picked Tossable Digits.  I don't have lots of experience with them, but someone else on the forum said they've been around 20 years.
https://www.tossabledigits.com/pricing/

Thank you for the idea. I took a look at the website. With Tossable Digits, it looks like you have to forward the calls to another number. Is that right? So you can't just take the call directly from an app? I wonder if most of the services are like that. It looks like it could get expensive to forward the calls to my UK mobile, and then it would be a problem when travelling in the US because the calls would be coming via the UK. Also, I don't get much cell phone reception inside my flat because of thick walls. Hmm...

[Kwill]

I caved and got the Skype number for three months. Friends and family in the US are still asleep, but I will get them to help test it later today.

I'd still be glad to hear about any better options and any experiences porting Skype numbers to real mobile phones.

[snic]

I use a VOIP landline. I can receive and send texts on that number on their website via a computer with an internet connection. I can make and receive phone calls via a standard landline phone plugged into a VOIP device attached to the internet. My understanding is that I could set it up with a US service address, but then set up my VOIP device anywhere in the world with internet access. And of course I can access the website for texts from anywhere in the world, too. On top of that, I can easily set it up to forward phone calls and texts to any number I choose, and this presumably includes a foreign cell phone number. I don't think I've ever had a problem using the VOIP line to receive security codes from banks etc - but you way have a problem with the "free internet phone number" outfits that provide disposable numbers.

The VOIP company I use is Callcentric. They are affordable, transparent, and have very good customer service (with the caveat that it is all via email to it sometimes takes a day for them to respond). One thing I love about their service is that you can set up a robot filter: if any number calls that is not in your phone book, the caller is asked to press a number to get connected. Robots never respond, but humans usually do. So that has eliminated spam calls on the landline.

[reeshau]

I used iPlum as my VOIP with a US number while in Ireland.  I did set it up before I left, as I ported my old landline number.  It won't be cheaper than Skype, but it did well as a second number on my mobile.  It's generally targeted at small businesses.  I used it for two purposes: contact with financial institutions, as you lay out here, as well as to catch any loose ends from before we moved.  I was quite happy with it.

[Kwill]

Thank you, reeshau and snic. It's helpful to know about more companies.

After looking at a lot of pages this morning, it just felt easier to go with Skype where I had an idea of what to expect, but I may revisit this before the Skype number renews if I still need it. My brother successfully sent me a text message, so that's a good sign.

[dang1]

maybe textnow.com

[Villanelle]

It's been a while, but when we moved overseas we got Vonage.  IIRC, they wouldn't ship the box internationally, but having it shipped to a friend in the US and then having the friend mall it should do the trick. 

[Kwill]

maybe textnow.com

Oh, that's an interesting one. I just took a look at the site. I don't think it's a good fit for my current situation since it seems focused on use within the US and Canada, but I wish I had known about it when I was travelling in the US back at Christmas and last May. I made do with no cell service or data for those trips, which was mostly OK except for one time when I was stranded for about an hour at a train station with no way to contact anybody and no shops nearby to borrow WiFi from.

It's been a while, but when we moved overseas we got Vonage.  IIRC, they wouldn't ship the box internationally, but having it shipped to a friend in the US and then having the friend mall it should do the trick. 

It looks like Vonage is available in the UK. This would have been a great solution for me if I had found it seven years ago when I moved here. I don't know if it was available then. It seems like a good price and a good overall phone solution.

At this point, I'm pretty much sorted for the UK and at least temporarily for the US with the three-month Skype number and subscription. It's been nice the past few days to call actual US phones again and chat with people without needing to schedule a video call. As much as I complained about losing the Republic Wireless phone, the phone was pretty old by the end, and it wasn't working as well as it had in the past. Calling via Skype on my PC with a Bluetooth headset is giving a better call quality. One annoying thing about the Skype subscription is that it has unlimited minutes for the US but doesn't include any texts at all and also doesn't include Canada. It's not a major thing, but I just hadn't realised that when I signed up.

[Daley]

VOIP.ms is good, cheap, has a lot of management options, and they even have a smartphone app for SMS text message access. No trying to pretend you're in another country to get a number there shenanigans. 85¢/month+tax plus less than a penny per minute and SMS, incoming or outgoing, and cheap international rates with Canada calling being even cheaper. There's a server local to you in the UK, too, which will help with call quality. Can be used with Nomorobo, and even supports whitelist only inbound ring-through.

[sailinlight]

I still have my Google voice number from at least 15 years ago. Maybe I'm grandfathered in, but it works great when I travel overseas. I lived in Europe for three years and never signed up for cell phone service, just used wifi. If you can't sign up from a foreign location, you can try to get a free VPN to make it look like you're in the US.

[Kwill]

So many good options! Thank you for sharing!

[MustacheAndaHalf]

Banks and credit card websites like to send security codes.  I ported a number to Google Voice years ago while living in the US.  I added a backup recently for peace of mind, and picked Tossable Digits.  I don't have lots of experience with them, but someone else on the forum said they've been around 20 years.
https://www.tossabledigits.com/pricing/

Thank you for the idea. I took a look at the website. With Tossable Digits, it looks like you have to forward the calls to another number. Is that right? So you can't just take the call directly from an app? I wonder if most of the services are like that. It looks like it could get expensive to forward the calls to my UK mobile, and then it would be a problem when travelling in the US because the calls would be coming via the UK. Also, I don't get much cell phone reception inside my flat because of thick walls. Hmm...

My Tossable Digits forwards SMS / text messages directly to my email.  I've tested it out, and used it a few times - but it's a backup.  Others will hopefully have more experience.

[snic]

I use a VOIP landline. I can receive and send texts on that number on their website via a computer with an internet connection. I can make and receive phone calls via a standard landline phone plugged into a VOIP device attached to the internet. My understanding is that I could set it up with a US service address, but then set up my VOIP device anywhere in the world with internet access. And of course I can access the website for texts from anywhere in the world, too. On top of that, I can easily set it up to forward phone calls and texts to any number I choose, and this presumably includes a foreign cell phone number. I don't think I've ever had a problem using the VOIP line to receive security codes from banks etc - but you way have a problem with the "free internet phone number" outfits that provide disposable numbers.

The VOIP company I use is Callcentric. They are affordable, transparent, and have very good customer service (with the caveat that it is all via email to it sometimes takes a day for them to respond). One thing I love about their service is that you can set up a robot filter: if any number calls that is not in your phone book, the caller is asked to press a number to get connected. Robots never respond, but humans usually do. So that has eliminated spam calls on the landline.

I just realized that with the VOIP service I use (Callcentric), one wouldn't even need to purchase or use a VOIP device at all for the purposes of having a US-based number overseas. The reason is that not only can you set up Callcentric to forward all calls to your (foreign) cell phone number, but you can also make calls from your online account that show your US number as the caller ID but actually get connected to your (foreign) cell phone. If I remember right, they even have an app that will do this so you don't have to be logged in on a computer to make a call from your foreign cell phone that ostensibly originates from your US number.

Beware of Textnow and similar outfits: they often can't be used for 2FA security codes. Also, if you get a free number, it will expire after a period of time with no usage, so be sure to get the paid service if you go that route.

[Kwill]

Welcome, FlyNumber. Are you associated with that company?

As I updated earlier in the thread, I ended up getting a Skype number for three months. I successfully poeted the number to a physical cell phone with Consumer Cellular once I was back in the States. It worked out well enough to ease my transition and allow me to do necessary things before arriving-- applying for an apartment, filling out paperwork, etc. If I had it to do over, I would have taken more time off for the move and worried less about things like this, but it seemed best at the time.