Moving abroad forces a decision most people put off: what happens to the US number your bank, doctor and family have had for years? You have five realistic options. The right one depends on how many accounts depend on that number, and how much you want to pay to keep it.
What are your options?
| Option | Keeps your old number | Ongoing cost | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep your carrier plan | Yes | Full plan plus roaming | Paying for a line you rarely use |
| Port to a cheap prepaid US carrier | Yes | Lower plan | Activation from abroad can fail |
| Park the number | Yes | Small parking fee | Limited or no texts, depending on service |
| Port to a VoIP provider | Yes, where supported | Varies | Not every provider accepts ports |
| Start fresh with a new virtual number | No | New number plan | Accounts left on the old number |
Should you keep your carrier plan?
This is the zero-effort option. Nothing changes, every account keeps working, and texts still arrive when you roam. The downside is cost: you keep paying a full monthly plan, and calls, texts and data abroad may cost extra unless your plan includes them. Check your carrier’s international terms before you go. If you will be abroad for years, this gets expensive.
Can you move to a cheaper prepaid carrier?
Yes, if you do it carefully. Porting means moving your number from one provider to another. The FCC says you can usually take your number with you, and your old provider cannot refuse to port it, even if you owe money. Simple ports are meant to be processed within one business day.
Three rules:
- Start the port with the new provider. Give them your number, account number and port-out PIN from your current carrier.
- Do not cancel your old service first. The FCC warns this can cost you the number.
- Do it before you leave. Activation from abroad can fail, and a failed activation abroad can leave you without either line.
Then keep the prepaid plan topped up. If it lapses, the number is lost.
What does parking a number mean?
A parking service holds your number for a small fee so it is not reassigned. Some forward calls or voicemail. Many do not handle texts well, which matters if your bank texts you login codes. Read exactly what the service does with calls and texts before you port to it. Parking suits a number you want to keep, but rarely use.
Can you port it to a VoIP provider?
Sometimes. The FCC notes that ports can move between landline, internet (IP) and mobile providers. Some app-based providers accept ports in. Check two things first: that the provider accepts your number, and that the number will still receive texts from your bank once it moves.
The TripoSIM US Virtual Number gives you a new number that you choose at checkout. If you want to bring an existing number instead, ask TripoSIM support before you buy. If you choose it, you get a new US number and keep the old one somewhere else while you switch.
When is a new number the better choice?
Start fresh if few accounts depend on your old number, or if keeping it costs more than it is worth. A new app-based number keeps you reachable by US contacts and lets you receive texts from US senders, without a carrier bill.
The TripoSIM number costs $100 a year or $12.99 a month, with 300 outgoing minutes a month to the US and Canada, incoming calls and voicemail. It receives verification codes from apps, including WhatsApp, so you can move your logins to it. It cannot send texts and has no emergency calling. Compare the two plans, or see how to get a US phone number from abroad for all five options side by side.
What should you do before you leave?
Work through this list while the old number still works on your home network:
- Move two-factor login to an authenticator app. Do it for email, banking, tax, investment and social accounts. The FTC says an authenticator app or security key is safer than text codes, because text codes can be stolen through a SIM swap.
- Save backup codes for every account that offers them, somewhere other than your phone.
- List every account linked to the number. Search your password manager and email for the number.
- Update banks and card issuers with your new number and foreign address.
- Tell government, tax and healthcare services, which often only reach you by phone.
- Keep the old number active until every account is moved and tested. Then let it go.
- Test one login with the new method before you cancel anything.
Why not just let the old number lapse?
Because numbers get recycled. A cancelled number goes back to the pool and can be given to a stranger, who then receives your password reset texts. That is the risk covered in number recycling and account security. Moving accounts takes an evening. Recovering an account someone else can reset takes much longer.
For more on the move itself, read setting up a US number before moving and our page for expats living outside the US.