Using your own US Phone number?

@chughes6302  hey there unfortunately I Philippines for some reason in the US has no Roaming agreements  with Verizon, AT&T, etc. I was an engineer for Erikson  who builds who designed the towers, building software, etc. and even Globe in Smart used   your bank will accept communication with Skype watch app, etc. if you get to know your bank manager and the employees at a certain branch I’ve never had a problem in that respect I lost my debit card and my bank for me a new one overnighted it to me so that’s my recommendation because Globe and smart just milk, foreigners, and Filipinos. Where is much as he can. As an example. I am on a yearly contract because I only live in Philippines 6 to 7 months a year I give them $800 in US dollars for my bill and still every month when I’m there they’ll shut me off even though I may have a $700 credit they will shut me off because I’m used to much debt of that month and I have to call every month and bitch at them and they see that I have this credit so they turn me back on but still it’s it’s a waste of 45 minutes on the phone. Good luck brother.

Yes, One of those quirks you don't find out about before arriving. I know folks that use T mobile and it works well. I just use biometric on my phone for authentication. But look at T Mobile if you want to pursue it.

I have only been here a month but currently using the smart esim   it gives me an another phone number so i now have two numbers on my phone.   philippine and american. You dont need to remove the american sim card.  its all done online with no physical sim.   just google smart esim for information..

Chughes6301 said. . . .Before arriving in Davao two weeks ago, I researched using my existing (at the time) US AT&T phone number. I believed all I needed to do was to "Port" the number to my new Philippine carrier (Smart) and I would be OK. Nothing but OK... I would REALLY appreciate any advice.  I could use some peace of mind regarding this very important issue.

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

(1) Before moving to the Philippines five years ago, I purchased an "OOMA TELO", v.o.i.p..

(2) Set it up using their assigned number.

(3) Then ported my existing stateside number.

(4) Then took the unit to the Philippines in my luggage.

(5) Then plugged it into my router in the Philippines.

(6)Caveat: It does not received sms or texts.

.

This will work out well for future Expats, so will Magic Jack, unfortunately you're here already.

I'm still with T-Mobile almost one year here in the Philippines. I have their top plan and get free international text. I still get calls occasionally but rarely answer them do to the extra costs.

Prior to moving here I bought a Skype number in my home state of Nevada. I then changed my banking numbers over to the Skype number. I've only needed it once (for banking), for a wire transfer to a Car Dealership's bank when I bought a new car. Works fine for me.

Now I can't make local Philippines calls on my cell phone. But I don't care too awfully much about it. My wife has her Philippine number and I can use that. And we have a landline now since adding PLDT @home  for internet. I will eventually get a Philippines sim and number. But I'm still paying on the Samsung S23 Ultra under contract. Actually it's free but I have to remain with them two years. Only a few months left. But I'll likely keep the number and line anyways and just drop my 2nd phone line and sim that to Phils.

@Chughes6301

Some background -- I was the Chief Technology Officer of Bayshore Transportation in Newark for many years.  Had 45 mobile accounts with Verizon and have dealt with AT+T and Sprint as well (professionally).  I retired from Bayshore last July.  I've been in Central Luzon for 14 months.

To resurrect your old US number --

1) Go back to your carrier (AT+T) and explain what happened.  You will need patience and persistence.  Call Technical Support rather than Sales or the general phone number.

2) I am not certain the port went through, Chughes6301.  In this case, your old US number may be stuck between AT+T and Smart.  If the port DID go through, you'll need the assistance of Smart to get it ported back.  This will also require patience and persistence, and ... likely ... help from tech support at Smart.

3) "International Day Pass."  Google this up for ATT.  Your old phone will work perfectly well here in PH, but it costs you.  It's ten bucks a day for each day you use it.  Leave it OFF if you don't want / need to use your US number.  Sorry, Chughes6301, but I think you'll need to use the International Day Pass once you get AT+T to restore your number.  This is TEMPORARY, however.

4) I agree with you on the VOIP numbers.  There are some banks, insurance companies, healthcare companies (etc.) that won't let you use a VOIP number.  They are trying to verify WHO YOU ARE, and VOIP numbers are too easily spoofed, hacked, etc.  So you'll need a way to bring your old AT+T number to life here in PH.

5)  The method I chose is Google Voice.  (Now ... it may be too late for you, if you've are already here permanently.  I believe you have to be within the US cellular network coverage in order to get a GV number as they authenticate through your US cell phone.)  Over a weekend, I ported my US phone number to my GV account.  Started on Friday morning.  By Monday, calls to my US cell phone number were ringing through to my Google Voice account.  Messaging happened much faster -- by Friday afternoon, SMS messages to my US cell number were arriving in my GV account.  The port request was generated online and verified by Verizon before going through.

6) I receive calls and text on my US number through GV just fine.  No issues at all with verification, two-factor authentication, etc.  I make outgoing calls from PH through GV.  Caller ID on my friend's and family's phones show my old US number when I call them.

7)  Nevertheless, since arriving (I'm here permanently) I've contacted my insurance company, credit union, credit card, broker, and retirement account giving them my local PH number.  When I log into my account portal at these institutions, I can see both my US and PH numbers listed.   I did this just for peace of mind, not because I have any issues with my US number or Google Voice.  All these institutions are aware than I have moved permanently to PH.

Chughes6301 although a bit of a mess, I believe you can 'right the ship.'  Most important is getting your old AT+T service restored to normal (albeit expensive, at $10 / day while here).  You may have to make several calls to AT+T Tech Support to find an older, more experience tech to help you.  The first tier of support agents will not be able to help.  You will need to gently persist, explaining that the port was done in error.  Eventually, you will find someone to help you but be patient.  Getting upset with TS will not further your case -- I've made thousands of these types of phone calls over a 51 year career in Information Technology.

When you first connect with someone who can help, give them your number.  Say, "In case we get disconnected, please call me back at 123-456-7890.  The network here is sketchy..."  I've had many techs call me back in such a situation.  Be agreeable, not frustrated.

Chughes6301 would love to know more about you and Delaware when you have a few minutes.

I'll be praying for your success!

Stephen Worden

What works for me is a US phone at my sister in law's house in Georgia. I have a $5 US Mobile prepaid account that is a little over $8 after fees and it auto renews every month. My sister in law is online with my wife every morning and evening so when I need a OTP she relays the number to me. I will be going back to the US in 6 weeks so I'll have her mail the sim card to me so I won't have to go through changing my number with my financial institutions. For phone calls I keep a Skype number.

@stevenrussellwork

Hi... I tried exactly that... I have a Smart eSim and a new Philippine Phone number.  On my phone, they're "Personal and Primary".   I can not make international calls or texts with either. I went back to the Smart store and was told the international functionality was not set up correctly. I needed to buy international load. Then,  they re-configured my phone.  I thought that would work. It didn't.

I contacted AT&T via chat and was informed that I could not use my old number in the Philippines. 

It's so frustrating.

I appreciate your reply

Chughes6302

@Comedy By Sean   Hi there.   If I sign up for T-Mobile, can I use my old AT&T number? Or would I get a new number? And if I get a new number, could still use my new Philippines number?  Sorry for so many questions.

I'm willing to try anything.

Thank you for the suggestion.

Regards,

Chughes6302

@NN3M/DU3   HI there. Thank you for the information..  I AM NOT a phone-savvy person...  I appreciate that you are...

I don't get upset with anyone. I know I need to go with the flow here and be patient.  I honestly don't care WHAT the final solution is, I get into circular situations TRYING to change my phone number for Banking, etc.  When I try, they send a secondary Authorization code to the old number that I never get.

Last night I had a scare and received an email from BoA telling me my account was suspended due to potential fraud (it wasn't, it was me)... Thankfully, I was able to make a Skype call in the middle of the night. They instructed me on how to use my BoA phone app to verify the purchases. WHEW.  Stressful.

As for Newark... I was born in Wilmington, Lived in Maryland for quite a while, then back and forth between.  I was in Newark for the last 15 years.  I worked for Philips HealthCare (worked from home).  I was in Computerized Software validation in Quality Management. Now retired, divorced, no kids, and starting over.

This is a great place for a fresh start.  I found a nice house in Matina Davao del Sur and am now searching for a car.  Not that I want anything to do with the chaos that they call driving here. I must adapt !!   LOL   

My current concern is with buying a car and needing to wire money. Obviously, I need that transaction to go through. I think I need to be here for 60 days to open a bank account.  I'm not sure if that 60-day rule can be worked around. 

There are a lot of moving parts to factor in when starting over from scratch.

All the best and THANK YOU

chughes6302 said. . . . Last night I had a scare and received an email from BoA telling me my account was suspended due to potential fraud (it wasn't, it was me)... Thankfully, I was able to make a Skype call in the middle of the night. They instructed me on how to use my BoA phone app to verify the purchases. WHEW.  Stressful.
**********************************************

Which BoA branch was it? India or Nigeria?

Moon Dog said. . . . What works for me is a US phone at my sister in law's house in Georgia. I have a $5 US Mobile prepaid account that is a little over $8 after fees and it auto renews every month. My sister in law is online with my wife every morning and evening so when I need a OTP she relays the number to me. I will be going back to the US in 6 weeks so I'll have her mail the sim card to me so I won't have to go through changing my number with my financial institutions. For phone calls I keep a Skype number.
****************************************

It may work for you and others, some OTP's are only valid for 30 minutes.  If  you needed an OPT at 3 pm (Philippines), is it 3 am in W. Virginia?

On my OOMA TELO, I have the settings set directly to voice mail. I was tired of Spam telephone calls waking me up at 3 am. Telo emails me if a call/caller left a message and will play it back to me. If it's spam I change the setting to tell the caller the number is no longer a working number if they should call again.

   

@chughes6302

with my tmobile plan i get text messages on the american plan so havent looked into text with smart.    With the esim you have to load sepearetly I believe. there is a voice load and a data load.   the first load i made was for voice however i still couldnt call locally.   turns out with my settings i needed to dial 00 and then the number.  i tried calling america but the auto operator said i needed to load before i could call.   there may be a international load or i may need to use the 00 again.  i only used 01 with my call.  i dont need to call internationaly but ill see if i can figure it out today and get back to you.   

    Moon Dog said. . . . What works for me is a US phone at my sister in law's house in Georgia. I have a $5 US Mobile prepaid account that is a little over $8 after fees and it auto renews every month. My sister in law is online with my wife every morning and evening so when I need a OTP she relays the number to me. I will be going back to the US in 6 weeks so I'll have her mail the sim card to me so I won't have to go through changing my number with my financial institutions. For phone calls I keep a Skype number.****************************************
It may work for you and others, some OTP's are only valid for 30 minutes.  If  you needed an OPT at 3 pm (Philippines), is it 3 am in W. Virginia?
On my OOMA TELO, I have the settings set directly to voice mail. I was tired of Spam telephone calls waking me up at 3 am. Telo emails me if a call/caller left a message and will play it back to me. If it's spam I change the setting to tell the caller the number is no longer a working number if they should call again.   
   

    -@Enzyte Bob

I've never needed a OTP that wasn't planned in advance. My sister in law is online with my phone in front of her when I need the OTP. I'm not going to do a complicated setup procedure just to get the OTP. I like simplicity. I have absolutely no need for 24/7 telephone access with the US. The US Mobile $5 per month plan has enough talk, text and data for me even when I'm in the US. I will need a OTP password one more time and that is when I wire the money for the house we're buying in West Virginia.

I use two Skype accounts, one account on wife's phone set up here in the philippines for local calls when no signal available and other set up on my phone in the states for calling US.

Very cheap, if calling US bank or business with toll free #, its still free via Skype, They charge nothing.

For All other US #'s I need to call, the system seems to believe I'm still calling from within the US, so apparently I never make any international calls when in reality I am…and those are cheap also, cents by the minute…

Same issue I was having. My bank only accepts US cell OTC, no VOIP and USB dongle. I couldn't get the dongle to work and also read that is not good for all transactions anyway.

Currently I have a phone in the US on a family members plan and notify in advance of an OTC. Initially I used my US phone international daily plan from ATT, $10, by swapping out my Philippine sim with my US one.

I have two US banks when I login will send the access code by email. Another two major US banks allows me to login without an access code, just login & password. A third from time to time will have me call an 800# and then customer service will give me the code after properly ID'ing myself. (Mothers Maiden Name, bla, bla, bla).

Today when logging into Wise the sms they sent said it will expire in five minutes.

@chughes6302

ok, so today i loaded the ”magic data+” with 2 gigs.  i was not able to make a international call but i could get online.   i then added 300 pesos to the load for voice.   located in that green colored box.   this brought my total to just under 500 pesos.   i tried to call again and it worked.   you do need to have your settings set to where only the smart number is active.  i think there is also a min load amount needed and you have to load in the right spot.   Oh, i also picked the 300 pesos without the promo.  i thought maybe the promo would not cover international calls.   good luck

@vehicross100

My wife used Skype in the US to contact her folks when they weren't online. I always asked if she had enough credit so the call wouldn't be cut short. She didn't know so I told her to put $10 on it to be safe. We went through a long period of not using it and so I received an email saying I had $30+ credit and if I didn't make a call in the next couple months I would lose it so I called my wife sitting next to me and that reset the clock.

Most of the calls I make using Skype are to 800 numbers which are free. That $30 will probably last me the rest of my life. I have a Skype phone number also, I believe that cost $52 a year and it works for a lot of things, but not Wells Fargo, so my sister in law has the US phone that handily  takes care of that issue.

At&t international day pass. $10. 00 per 24 hour period up to 100 us dollars. Contact at&t to make sure youare sighned up for international day pass.

I hate two factor authentication, but have learned to deal with it here in the Philippines. I will try to detail exactly what I use and how I do it.  It sounds super complicated, but like anything, it is easy once you understand it. I use a OnePlus Nord N200 phone that I bought at Best Buy for around $150.00. It is unlocked and I did not have to sign up with any carrier. I then went with the $15 per month plan from Mint Mobile. You get a sim card at Best Buy for a dollar or two and then pay for the whole year through the Mint Mobile app that you download. It works out to be just under $200.00 for the year after taxes and fees which I think is amazing. This allows me to use the phone in the US as my primary personal phone. Before I leave the US, I just load the phone with $20 worth of international roaming right through the app. I try hard not to use it because it does not last long at all. I also download the Globe and G-Cash apps to the phone. When I get to the Philippines I just go to the Globe store and buy a sim card and swap it with the Mint sim. They will help you register the card, which is now required by the government. It requires a picture of your passport and a selfie. I also created a G-Cash account and load money into that account through the machine at the Globe store. This allows me to buy load through the app so I do not have to return to the store to buy more load. While I was there I bought my own router so the whole family does not run me out of data while I am trying to work online. It is a simple Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi router. We live way out in the provinces in Mindanao and have very poor cell reception if any at all and this was a huge problem for a long time. With G-Cash and my router I am able to always have enough signal to work online, slowly. When I need 2 factor authentication with my US phone number, I have to take the case off my phone, swap sim cards back to Mint, log onto the router with the phone, make sure I have internet calling enabled, hit the authorize or send code button on the website I am trying to access, and then wait. It usually takes three or 4 minutes for the text verification code to come through on my phone, but I have always been able to get it to work. I then do what I need to do, put my phone back together with the Globe sim and have a drink to calm down. Sometimes I pour a whiskey before I start the process and just acknowledge that it is going to take 20 minutes to do something that only takes seconds to do in the US. I hope this explination helps.

@ThePennsylvanian

Welcome to the forum. My last carrier was Mint Mobile but we had a falling out when I was denied a promo that was sent to my email inbox. I now use the US Mobile $5 dollar plan which is a little over $8 and my sister in law in the US has that phone.

Your description how you get your OTP here in the Philippines makes me glad I just left my US phone with my sister in law and contact her when I need a OTP. Everyone has their own system that works for them.

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how- … hilippines

Yes you can use a USA phone number in the Philippines. Get a Google FI sim. I am an American living in Mindanao. In my last trip to the USA I purchased a Google Fi sim online, had it sent to address in the USA and while in the USA I registered/activated the sim. When I returned to the Philippines it still works fine as Google Fi works in many countries around the world. One reason I need this sim is that in order to use my USA credit card I need to receive verification text messages and the Google Fi sim does receive these texts while I am physically in the Philippines. The only caveat is that the Google Fi sim must be activated IN the USA BEFORE going back to the Philippines. The sim card does not work in all phones but most major brands that are unlocked (see Fi site for compatibility). The sim did not work %100 of the time in my Vivo phone (purchased in PH) but it works fine in my Samsung Galaxy (purchased in the PH). I pay about $25 a month for unlimited US, Canada, and Mexico calls/texts and I use my Globe sim for internet/data. Hope this helps.

@chughes6302

@Moon Dog You can use a Google Fi sim to receive texts and make calls as a USA phone number even if you are physically within the Philippines. The caveat is that the Google Fi Sim must be activated in the USA before traveling to the Philippines. I have a USA credit card that sends verification texts to my USA phone number but since Google Fi works in many countries I receive that text even here in the Philippines. Please see my longer reply to original post.

@ThePennsylvanian I also live in Mindanao, near Butuan/CDO. You can use a Google Fi sim to receive texts and make calls as a USA phone number even if you are physically within the Philippines. The caveat is that the Google Fi Sim must be activated in the USA before traveling to the Philippines. I have a USA credit card that sends verification texts to my USA phone number but since Google Fi works in many countries I receive that text even here in the Philippines. Please see my longer reply to original post.

@AndyMindanao Thanks for the tip but since I didn't do the Google thing in the US it is a moot point. What I do has worked for me 100% so I have no reason the change. Besides, I'm packing to leave the Philippines.

    At&t international day pass. $10. 00 per 24 hour period up to 100 us dollars. Contact at&t to make sure youare sighned up for international day pass.
   

    -@jcole4455

T-mobile also offers International passes for unlimited calling to the US: $5 / 1 day, $35 / 10 days, $50 / 30 days

I use T-Mobile... I have 5 phones on a plan and pay about $170 - $180 per month.   That includes international on my line.  All of the phones are unlimited everything, and the physical phones are paid off except my new Samsung (S23 Ultra).  My phone works great almost everywhere.  The data is a bit slow... and I cannot stream videos very well on the data... but I can send emails, text, phone calls, and surf the web just fine...  I have been using it now for the last 4 years, and works great.  Phone calls do cost me .10 cents per minute... so I keep calls to a minimum... but everything else is free(included) in my plan.

Yes you can use a USA phone number in the Philippines. Get a Google FI sim. I am an American living in Mindanao. In my last trip to the USA I purchased a Google Fi sim online, had it sent to address in the USA and while in the USA I registered/activated the sim. When I returned to the Philippines it still works fine as Google Fi works in many countries around the world. One reason I need this sim is that in order to use my USA credit card I need to receive verification text messages and the Google Fi sim does receive these texts while I am physically in the Philippines. The only caveat is that the Google Fi sim must be activated IN the USA BEFORE going back to the Philippines. The sim card does not work in all phones but most major brands that are unlocked (see Fi site for compatibility). The sim did not work %100 of the time in my Vivo phone (purchased in PH) but it works fine in my Samsung Galaxy (purchased in the PH). I pay about $25 a month for unlimited US, Canada, and Mexico calls/texts and I use my [link under review]. Hope this helps. @chughes6302 -@AndyMindanao

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s really helpful to know that Google Fi can work seamlessly in the Philippines, especially for receiving important verification texts. It’s interesting how it performed differently on your Vivo phone compared to the Samsung Galaxy. I’ll definitely consider this option for staying connected while abroad!

I live in a remote area of Mindanao,  I have T-Mobile for $70 a month unlimited.  I pay $.25 (cents) a minute for phone calls.  Free if you use WhatsApp or FB messenger.  I get great reception in many places and my phone bill is rarely over $71.00.

Regards

Keith

AT&T international day plan price has increased to $12 per day capped after the first 10 days. So that means to use you AT&T plan in the Philippines it will cost you an add $120 per month on your normal AT&T  bill. For my wife and I it’s just the cost of being in the Philippines. We vacation in the Philippines 3 to 6 months annually.

I use USMOBILE which for $25/mo comes with the ability to buy data for use in the Philippines. If you activate WiFi calling, you'll be able to make/recieve calls/texts via data. They have call/text plans as low as $5/mo too!

I use Ooma Telo, v.o.i.p.

It was purchased while living in the states and I transported my landline number to the unit. I brought it to the Philippines and plugged it into my router. I can make and receive calls with my stateside number.

You purchase this unit and are billed the telephone taxes each month. With a choice of services you pay a monthly charge, you don't have to take all these services and just pay the tax.

Some members use Magic Jack.

I use Ooma Telo, v.o.i.p.It was purchased while living in the states and I transported my landline number to the unit. I brought it to the Philippines and plugged it into my router. I can make and receive calls with my stateside number.You purchase this unit and are billed the telephone taxes each month. With a choice of services you pay a monthly charge, you don't have to take all these services and just pay the tax.Some members use Magic Jack. -@Enzyte Bob

What are your normal monthly cost, is this only good on wifi?

Regards

Keith

I use a VOIP phone number and service when traveling.  it is great for texts and for me calling but it is slow to receive texts and incoming calls... so by the time it has rung 6 times for the caller, I have still not received a ring on my end.  Callers always hang up before I answer.  Text is no problem, so it takes 1 min to receive, not an issue.

I am curious, for those of you who use VOIP, do you have issues with receiving calls?  If not  which provider and which app do you use to receive calls?

Thanks,

These VOIP solutions are the easiest BUT some banks and financial institutions don't/won't send verifications to VOIP numbers.  For example I use Schwab with a google voice number and it works fine,  but Wells Fargo needs a real USA phone number.

@Stoic Voyager

You are correct, a few years ago my bank and other financial services would not send the code to my VOIP number or to the common email services such as Gmail.  They would send it to my work email.  When I retired I gave them the option of sending it to my VOIP, my personal email, or I would move my accounts.  I don't think my thread carried any weight but I think there were many others telling them the same thing so loan behold, now they will send codes to VOIP and the common personal email services.

Just imagine trying to do this 20 years ago.  How did the early expats access their money, communicate with back home, etc.  Technology has made the expat option so much easier... till someone steals your identity.

Stay safe everyone