Keeping your old phone?

T-mobile charged me 25 cents a minute for calls to/from US when I was in the Philippines last month. Texts and internet are free. Viber, Whastup and Messenger calls are free too. In Manila, T-Mobile connection to the towers is good, speed just ok, acceptable I guess. Cell phone nowadays can take both eSim and SIM cards. ESim for US phone service and SIM card for Philippines. You can switch between the two as needed.

Make sure your phone is unlocked to any network or it's a paperweight

Can you not just keep your US phone for the banking stuff and buy a cheap phone to use for local call, etc in the Philippines.

Make sure your phone is unlocked to any network or it's a paperweight
-@Fred

You can use it as a doorstop too.

@Filamretire

t mobile has a good plan that cost only $100 per month and you can use your us number here and works with all the banking apps and other apps and no hidden cost

Make sure your phone is unlocked to any network or it's a paperweight
-@Fred
You can use it as a doorstop too.
-@Jackson4

I never knew of a case where a cellphone repair shop in the Phils could not unlock a phone at a very reasonable price. Those guys share the unlock code generators with each other I believe. Not sure about e-sims.

I am from Europe and it works like that for me:

• I have a Samsung A73 with a local SIM card (DITO)
• my banking app is installed on the phone
• the release app is also installed on the phone - the phone is registered in the database of the bank

To make a money transfer I go to the banking app initially and enter the data. Then the release app pops up and asks me for the Pin Code or my finger-print. So the banking transaction is secured with "know" and "have".

I have never seen a reason why I should keep my phone number from Europe. All calls I make are via Whatsapp or Viber.

@jackson4  @casasint T mobile comes up often when I look for solutions, I will research that and switch from ATT if I can keep a US number so I can 2FA my bank

@Cherryann01 yes was thinking to do that, keep two phones, but I think US carrier will cancel account if not used after some time

@Andy_1963 Lucky for Europe! My bank doesnt 2FA from non US numbers, and not email either. They DO have USB key, for which I bought a Yubico key, but I couldnt get it to work, and heard that they wont approve for foreign banks anyway. I want to keep my bank since I have had it a very long time, yes I know thats not a good reason, but its sentimentality. I did move my savings to a higher yield account in a different bank tho, in a heartbeat!

Not sure if I am understanding what the OP is asking but I recommend Globe or Smart while here in Phils  and then use SKYPE for all your USA calls including Banking, Family etc...

This has worked last 7 years for me

Not sure if I am understanding what the OP is asking but I recommend Globe or Smart while here in Phils and then use SKYPE for all your USA calls including Banking, Family etc...
This has worked last 7 years for me
-@vehicross100

Question: How well does skype handle 2FA from USA banks etc.? Is it always ready to receive calls and texts like google voice and magic jsck?  In my case I find google voice has worked perfectly for several years. Last time a used skype was maybe 2009 and I am surprized people still use it. Thanks.

I recently switched from ATT prepaid to T-Mobile. The advantage of ATT was I could switch it to a call and minute plan when i was out of country and it basically cost me nothing to keep my US number. Monthly charges were nothing. But no international coverage on their prepaid.

T-Mobile is better, despite costing more. The Magenta 55 plan gives you international coverage for $55/mo if you are age 55 or older. Data is at reduced speeds but works. The Magenta Max 55 plan also gives you 5GB of high speed data each month. That one is $65/mo. I used it this winter and it worked fine, connecting to Globe. It was really nice to have my US number available. All texts and calls came through instantly. They also give you free GoGo wifi on the plane which is nice.

5GB is not a lot so I also carried my Samsung with local Globe/Smart SIMs for most purposes.

@vehicross100 Yes thats what  I did on trips, but I cant do 2FA to a virtual number. I think T Mobile will work for me

@pnwcyclist Yes that 55+ MAX plan looks great for me and I can transfer my ATT number to it.  Wife will use Smart SIM for PH number on her phone, so I should be fully covered

That's exactly what I did. It was seamless.

@Jackson4 I was there for 3 months last year and did the same! Verizon would charge me $10.00 a day unlimited talk and text. but most of the time I used a SMART SIM card. WhatsApp and mostly messenger for video chats to the US. Just changed out cards if needed. 

Skype won't receive SMS messages so that's out.

It will accept US calls on a US virtual number and your mobile will ring anywhere you have an internet connection.

Our iPhones were unlocked so my brother in law had purchased sims for us when we arrived. We don't use much data on our phones so a P300 online load usually lasts for several months.

I bought a $30 phone from Amazon and a one year, $15 per month, prepaid load from Mint Mobile and left it with my sister in law. Since my wife talks to her practically every morning and evening that worked great for the one time passwords I needed to wire money. I didn't think I needed it anymore and let it expire and lost that phone number but turns out I needed it one more time to wire the $1,500 for my SRRV visa.

I bought a one year US phone number on Skype for $52. That worked for some things but my bank does not allow a Skype phone number for wire transfers. Last week I ordered a T-Mobile sim on Amazon for $25 and sent it to my sister in law. The sim came with 30 day unlimited talk and text but I had a little difficulty activating the sim so the seller helped me out and extended the plan for 2 more months for my troubles so I ended up with 90 days unlimited talk and text for $25. I registered the number with my bank and made the wire transfer and it is all good now.

Can I ask guys? Why won't your US banks accept a PH. phone number?

Cheers, Steve.

I own a OOMA TELO unit purchased in the states 7 or 8 years ago. It is a V.O.I.P.

It works in the Philippines with my old stateside number but will not received text or sms.

I had a land line then and transferred the number to my ooma telo in order to save money. I only pay taxes each month, taxes are according in which state the exchange is located in. My taxes are about $4 per month paid by auto pay using a charge card.

The basic plan is free and a more comprehensive plan with all the features included is available for a fee, which I have.

With the basic plan up to two numbers are included. I transferred my land line number, but my cell phone number transfer was denied by my cell phone carrier.

I brought Telo with me when I moved to the Philippines, I plugged it into my router  and now have a stateside phone in my house.

If you investigate and purchase a Telo, it first must be set up in the states.

I have the phone set on night mode, so it does not ring, who wants to be waken up at 4 AM on a wrong number?

It's handy to have when I have to call any of the banks I deal with.

Well Bob, what if the call is for a great offer for a home security system?

@bigpearl

Wells Fargo does not allow a foreign phone number or a foreign address, don't ask me why. I maintain a US address which is the home of my sister in law and my mail is delivered there.

If a check is delivered to my sister in law she sends me photos of the front and back and I deposit the check with my phone. My wife's debit card recently expired and the replacement card was at her sister's house. I was able to activate the card with a phone call and update it in her Remitly account so we don't need the actual card.  My sister in law is coming for a visit in July and will bring all replacement cards.

There are probably banks will allow such things but I like my current setup and I'm not changing banks. It ain't broke so I'm not fixing it.

Skype won't receive SMS messages so that's out.
-@Fred

I recently registered my Skype phone number with H&R Block when I filed my taxes and they did send me the OTP by SMS text and I received the text on my phone and laptop. It just didn't work with my bank because the bank policy doesn't allow Skype phone numbers.

Yes Moon Dog just did the same with my Debit card, I don't need the card here, never use it but my Sis uses it from time to time in Australia for my lotto etc. My master card and Amex expire in 2025 and I will do the same. Only cash here for me.

I deal with many institutions in Australia and they all accept my PH. mobile number for calls and two part verification or I can chat online with them, not here and appears other countries the same problems.

Lotto, even though they have my debit card number and email address won't let me renew every 10 weeks from the Philippines, third world mentality unless I get a VPN. not wasting the pesos.

I mentioned this in a couple of posts over the years that I simply notified my banks, superannuation company, insurance companies etc of my PH. phone number, that I will be living O/S and no problems.

We both brought our iPhones from Australia and no problems, I already had a PH sim as did the better half.

Cheers, Steve.

My wife always used Skype credits to call her family in the Philippines. About a year ago I got an email from Skype stating that I had $37 in credits that I would lose if I didn't make a call before a certain date.

I started using the Skype credits to call my bank and Fidelity to set up wire transfers and other things. The quality of the calls are much better than direct calling in the Philippines using Smart or Globe.

I've made dozens of calls totaling hours. Some calls were over 45 minutes long. I now have $36 in Skype credits so all those hours of international calls only cost me a buck.

An add on, I spend 1 to 200 pesos a month on my phone monthly over the years, lately, the last 8 months with construction here 4 to 500Pesos, in Australia I used to spend 50 bucks a month (1,800 pesos) per phone. and the only difference here is my lotto have an antiquated system, AI will sort them out if they ask.

Cheers, Steve.

Moon Dog, I used skype for years and never paid a penny, always video calls and the last 10 plus years messenger, whatsapp etc, no cost aside from your internet.

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl I used the free version to communicate with my sweetie but I'm talking about calling land line phones at the banks etc. and using my phone as a phone, not video calls. You have to have Skype credits to make the call but some phone numbers do not deduct from your credits. I call mostly 800 numbers and my bank has a collect number for international calls. If I called a friend or family member in the US there would be a cost, but very cheap. It looks like 800 numbers are pro gratis.

Never had that problem, perhaps I make very few calls on my phone sim, as said many companies need to get with the 21st century, especially here.

Cheers, Steve.

Well Bob, what if the call is for a great offer for a home security system?
-@Jackson4

********************************************

Talking about security systems, at one time in my life I sold burglar alarms. I called on a garage and he pointed to a Doberman Pinscher and said that's my alarm.

A week later I read in the crime section of the paper that his garage was burglarized and approached him again.

I asked him what was stolen and he said his Dog.

Once again I was unsuccessful in selling him an alarm.

Never had that problem, perhaps I make very few calls on my phone sim, as said many companies need to get with the 21st century, especially here.
Cheers, Steve.
-@bigpearl

Using your Skype credits to call a land line in the US uses your wifi, not the sim.

My brother in law likes Globe so he bought us Globe sims, but he lives in Tacloban where I'm guessing Globe works OK. On this island the Globe signal is weak so if I get a call I have to go outside and walk around while repeating "can you hear me now?" over and over.

I use Google Voice and VPN to authenticate all my US accounts. It has worked flawlessly. Do not, I repeat, do not use Google FI, They will figure out you haven't been in the US for some time, which is a violation of their policy, and cut you off.

You guys know me, always good for my 2 cents worth, clueless though I may be.

I have a Samsung A52. With its WiFi call feature, I get 'same-as-at-home-in-USA' calls; clear as a bell, thanks to our PLDT fiber internet connection here in Candau-ay Bgy in Dumaguete. I use my cell phone to shoot a pic of an occasional legal document, then email or text or Skype it, which is better than a Fax. Since I spend a lot of time at home here and my wife has her own cell phone, so far I've not felt a need for local cell service. DM

@TitoDan

Great info - thanks. We generally use Viber to chat when I'm in the US, which uses wi-fi. But never used the Samsung wi-fi feature directly. Will have to try that.

@Moon Dog That's pretty good. I have had skype for quite a few years, but do not use it much. I use it a little for church groups sometimes.

Update: T mobile doesnt allow unlimited roaming, apparently they will block or cancel if roaming is used for too long. Back to the drawing board! I must keep a cellphone with relatives in the US so as to receive bank SMS then they can text my Philippine SIM phone so I can log in or do transfers

Update: T mobile doesnt allow unlimited roaming, apparently they will block or cancel if roaming is used for too long. Back to the drawing board! I must keep a cellphone with relatives in the US so as to receive bank SMS then they can text my Philippine SIM phone so I can log in or do transfers
-@Filamretire

That must be very inconvenient. Everytime you access your account online you depend on a relative to be near the phone, not sleeping and possibly tiring of the whole thing to text you the OTP. When i moved here I already had magicjack in the US for a few years with a ported landline (not ported mobile number). At least half the time the texted OTPs did not show up because I suspect the software flagged my number as a landline where SMS is not possible. So, while living here I made a Google voice account based on the US magicjack number and it is fantastic for receiving the texted OTPs. If you already have a US number, then from the Philippines (turn on your vpn) you should be able to get obtain a US google voice number based on that number to give to your bank and you should be able to have the codes texted to you without your needing to depend on and bother the US relatives.

Yep I can get a google voice number but it is VOIP and they dont allow SMS to be sent.

Yep I can get a google voice number but it is VOIP and they dont allow SMS to be sent.
-@Filamretire

Virrually every institution I deal with allows google voice. In your case, that one institution really does not wish to deal with foreign locations. Maybe that is a signal that they are not your best servicer, now that you are in the Philippines. Even in the US, many people have VOIP such as vonage and magicjack. If it were me, since they are the exception I would just switch to another bank with more reasonable security algorithms; I would never inconvenience relatives to that extent or accept being dependent on them  but perhaps your relatives are very patient.