Congratulations, by the way
A new country is a big deal. Your phone number should not be.
A semester abroad, a job offer, a long trip. For a while you will be holding two lives on one phone, and the rules for that are scattered across help centers in four languages. We keep them in one place, and print the date we last checked each one.
Three promises on every page
- 01
A date, not a vibe
Each page says when we last checked it against the carrier, the bank or the regulator. Rules move, and an undated rule is a rumor.
- 02
Unverified stays unverified
When we cannot confirm something on an official page, the cell says so. We do not fill gaps with guesses, and we do not write "not available" when we mean "we could not find it".
- 03
No speed tests, no pretending
We do not fly around testing SIM cards. We read the plan terms, the coverage filings and the fine print, and we tell you what they say. The fun part of the trip is yours.
Start with your situation
Coming to the US to study or work
Keep the number at home alive for its codes, then get a US line without a Social Security number.
- 1Keep the number you are leaving active
- 2Get a US phone plan without an SSN
- 3Phone plan cost and coverage in your state
- 4SIM, eSIM or prepaid: pick for your stay
3 of 4 still in verification.
Leaving the US for a year or more
Decide what happens to your US number, and make sure your bank can still reach you.
3 of 3 still in verification.
A code did not arrive
You are already abroad and the login is stuck. Start with the phone, then the bank.
2 of 3 still in verification.
Browse the site
Six sections. The ones still being verified say so, and the rule changes log records each page as it lands.
- Keep your phone number active while abroadHow long your old number survives without you, what it costs to hold, and whether roaming has to be on for the codes to arrive.First cards in verification: India, then China
- Receive bank OTP and verification codes abroadIn progressWhich banks send one-time codes abroad, which let you approve in the app instead, and which refuse VoIP numbers. Quoted from their own help pages.First banks in verification: Capital One, Bank of America, Chase
- US SIM cards and phone plans for international students and new arrivalsIn progressTaxes by state, networks by state, and how to get a working line before you have a Social Security number.Starting with no-SSN activation, then California, New York, Texas
- SIM card, eSIM or US prepaid plan: which one for your stayIn progressSIM, eSIM or a US prepaid plan, matched to where you are from and how long you are staying. Built from published plan terms, not speed tests.Being built from published plan terms
- Phone number and SIM glossary for people moving countriesIn progressRoaming packs, fair-use, number parking, porting, short-code SMS: the words in the fine print, defined in one paragraph each.Being written
- Carrier and bank rule changes logEvery rule change we have verified, dated and sourced. If a carrier moved the line, it is here.Dated, sourced entries