I’m spending the next 6-12 months living in Japan, but before leaving the U.S., I didn’t take any steps to manage my current American phone plan. Now that I’m here, I’m trying to figure out the best options. Here are my key considerations:
- I want to keep my U.S. phone number for two-factor authentication (2FA) for things like banks and other services. However, I don’t want to keep paying AT&T nearly $70 a month if I’m not actively using the plan. AT&T does offer an international plan, but it’s $100 a month, which is more than I want to spend.
- Ideally, I’d like to pause my U.S. mobile plan, but it seems AT&T no longer offers that option. Since pausing isn’t possible, would it make sense to switch carriers that might allow me to keep my number without paying such a high monthly fee?
- I considered Google Voice, but I’ve read that some services don’t send 2FA codes to Google Voice numbers. Is there any workaround for this?
- Is there an option to "park" my U.S. number somewhere? But parking won't let me receive codes if I need it would it?
Thank you in advance for your time and expertise!
by moinaexquisiteflower