When planning our remote year, one of the most important pieces to figure out was how to have a phone plan abroad. It was also the most painful learning process. There are countless forums and blogs that offer various options, however, they were often confusing and hard to follow. Everyone has a different opinion about what works best for them and we were often torn on what path to take.
We learned the hard way. You don’t need to. I’m going to lay out our process as clearly as I can so you won’t need to look further to understand how to handle a mobile phone plan abroad. It however, is not a short read. Hang in there.
Our phone plan abroad process is a good match for you if:
- You want to hold on to your American number so when you get home you can continue using that phone number.
- You want to be able to call and text friends and family back home with your American phone number without having to make them download an external texting app (ex: Whatsapp, Skype, etc.).
- You want to capture any calls and texts that anyone sends your way with your American phone number.
- You want access to a data plan abroad so you can open Instagram or Google Maps whenever you want and not have to rely on WiFi.
- You want to call and text local phone numbers in the places you travel to without dealing with roaming fees.
- You don’t want to break the bank.
- You are traveling for a long period of time, like, a year or so.
If this list fits you and your needs for a phone plan abroad, look no further and follow the steps below. Part A is dedicated to handling your American phone number, and Part B is dedicated to handling your phone plan abroad.
Part A: How you can hold on to your American phone number and continue to use it while abroad, for free
- Make sure your physical phone is unlocked. I bought my iPhone 7+ through Sprint, so I had to contact them to unlock my phone. When a phone is unlocked, it means it’s not tied to a specific carrier’s network. Don’t cancel your current phone plan. If you do, you’ll lose your American phone number.
- Set up a Google Voice (GV) account and download the app on your phone. For the time-being, pick a random phone number when setting up your account. This number irrelevant, it’s just required to set up a GV account. and it will soon be replaced with your American phone number that you want to hold on to while abroad.
- This part is more of an explanation than a step. It’s confusing so bear with me. Later, I will explain to you how you will essentially ‘port’ your American number from your current phone plan to GV. This means that your number will become the new ‘vanity number’ on GV and it will be saved on your GV account until you wish to use it again with a real phone plan. What I need to explain to you now is that it will no longer be an actual phone number. You will need to connect your GV account to a new, real, American phone number, which I will explain in a later step. GV can’t work without being connected to a real phone number. Once you take these steps, this is what will happen: When Mom texts your original number, in the back end, it will forward her text to this new, real, American phone number and come through to you on GV. Then, when you text Mom back through GV it will come through to Mom looking like your original number, but in the back-end, it’s being powered by the new, real American phone number. The result: No change or new apps for Mom and all you have to do is use GV to text Mom instead of iMessage.
- Okay, back to real ‘steps’. Go buy the new, real, American phone number. This is simply a phone number with no data connected to it. It comes in the form of a SIM card. I bought mine through T-mobile because I felt like it and it was close to my office. It was $3/month for one year. Cha-ching.
- Port your original phone number to GV that you want to hold on to. To port your phone, go to your GV account on desktop, go to Settings and click ‘Change’ next to your current GV number you chose earlier in Step 1 (the irrelevant one). Google is literally going to take it from your current phone plan and store it in GV for you so no one else can take it. Again, this will become your new vanity number that will appear when you text someone through GV. This will cost you $20 and it will also automatically cancel your phone plan when the porting process is complete.
- It will take exactly 24 hours for the porting process to complete. I began my port on 11:42 AM and it completed at 11:42 AM the next day. Don’t worry, it will happen, and once it does, your current phone plan will be automatically shut off.
- Take out your current SIM card (that no longer works because your plan has been cancelled), and insert your new phone number SIM card into your phone that you bought in step 6. Doing this will allow GV to confirm you own this number. They’re going to text this number and it needs to be connected to a physical phone so you can receive this text. For some reason, this was so hard for me to understand.
- Link this new number to GV as your forwarding number. Open up the GV app on your phone, go to Settings, and set up a linked number. They will text this number, which will come through on your phone, to confirm you own this number. This is really the only time this SIM card will be useful for you.
- Test it out. I know it sounds crazy, but once you take these steps, you will be able to text friends and family back home on GV from anywhere in the world using WiFi (or data if you have a local phone plan) and it will come through to them looking like your original phone number. When you get back from your trip, you can pay another $20 to port your number out of GV to a phone plan of your choice.
- Calling is a bit different. Mom can still call your original phone number and it will come through on GV, but you won’t see it on GV until it’s a missed call. Your phone won’t ring. To call your contacts for free using your original number on GV, you must download the Google Hangouts app. Here you can use the keypad tool to call your contacts. It’s all integrated into GV. GV will charge you to call someone (1 cent per minute) unless it’s a toll-free number. Google Hangouts won’t charge you. I honestly am not sure why this is the case.
At this point, you are completely set up on Google Voice and Google Hangouts, you have no phone plan (meaning you have to rely on WiFi to connect to the world), and your original phone number is saved to GV and being used as your vanity number. In the backend, it’s being powered by that random American phone number SIM card you had to buy. Anyone can text your original number and you will receive it on GV. Anyone can call this original number, and you will receive it as a missed call on GV. To call them back, open up Google Hangouts and call from there. It will come through to them looking like your original phone number. Technology is magical.
Part B: How to get set up with a local phone plan wherever you are for $40 or less
In-between the time you complete your GV set-up and buy a local phone plan at a store in your abroad destination, you are most likely on your way to the airport, at the airport, on the plane, and on the way to your destination in a foreign, unknown place. At least we were.
- The first step is to figure out how to manage this ‘in-between time’ without WiFi or data. Here’s what we did: To guarantee 4G WiFi from anywhere in the world, we purchased a Skyroam Solis. This is a hotspot that supplies global unlimited WiFi and it saved us when we were in this in-between time. Also, if I want to work on my laptop at the beach or in a random field, my Skyroam comes with me. It costs $189 for the physical equipment + $9 for each 24 hour day pass. To us, it’s worth every penny and gives us a huge sense of security. This is how we figured out how to stay connected to the world during this in-between time and in random fields. You could always go old-school and live without WiFi for a day or two. *Gasp*
- Research a quality, local phone plan and find the nearest store to your new home. When we were in London, we chose Vodafone. There was a store down the street and the reviews were good enough. When we move to Spain in two months, we’ll research a phone company and a location near our apartment and get a new SIM card and a Spanish phone number. Don’t purchase at the airport, they’ll overcharge you.
- Purchase the local phone plan of your choice. we got the one with the most data usage for £30/month, but there are smaller data plans available that are cheaper. We don’t have a UK bank account, so each month we walk into the store to ‘top-up’ my plan with my credit card. I promise, it’s super easy and painless. Also, Europe has no roaming fees, so if we leave the UK for the weekend, we can continue to use my phone as if we were in the UK.
- You probably still have that SIM card in your phone that you used to link the real number to your GV account. I had my T-mobile SIM card still in there. Pop that out and pop the new SIM card in. Boom, you now have a local phone number and all the data you want.
There you have it. That’s how you keep your American phone number, use it to contact home for free, and continue to stay connected to the world you are traveling in with a local phone number and data.
Not the most exciting read, but I hope it was a very helpful one. Let me know in the comments below.
Lastly, if you have any questions or need clarification, seriously, reach out to me.