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
Which number has to receive texts, and how much data the stay uses. A travel eSIM can be a spare. A semester needs a US monthly plan.
Leaving the US for a year or more
If a bank still texts the US number, that decides whether to hold it. Video off Wi-Fi follows the day cap printed on the travel plan.
A code did not arrive
Separate a text that did not arrive from the number's own inactivity rule.
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.52 carrier cards across 27 countries
- Receive bank OTP and verification codes abroadWhich 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.3 bank policies
- US SIM cards and phone plans for international students and new arrivalsTaxes by state, networks by state, and how to get a working line before you have a Social Security number.5 states
- SIM card, eSIM or US prepaid plan: which one for your staySIM, 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.Decision matrix
- Phone number and SIM glossary for people moving countriesRoaming packs, fair-use, number parking, porting, short-code SMS: the words in the fine print, defined in one paragraph each.Definitions
- 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