Still Reachable

Keep your phone number active while abroad

How long Jio, Airtel, China Mobile, T-Mobile and other carriers let a number sit unused before it is recycled, the cheapest recharge that holds it, and whether roaming has to be on to receive codes abroad. One card per carrier, checked on a stated date.

Every carrier has a clock. Leave a prepaid number untouched for long enough and it is recycled to a stranger, and with it goes the login for your bank, your tax portal and the group chat that still thinks you live there. The good news is that the clock is public, and holding a number is usually cheap once you know the rule.

Pick the country you are leaving. Each carrier card shows the rule as the regulator and the carrier publish it, the cheapest way to hold the number, and whether you have to switch roaming on before you fly to keep receiving verification codes.