A US number for families split between countries

Why give your family a US number?

An older parent in Ohio may not know how to dial abroad, or may worry about what it costs. A son or daughter at college in California may simply not call an international number. With a +1 number, calling you is an ordinary call from their landline or mobile, at domestic rates. They save you under your name and call, like they would call anyone in the US.

You answer in the TripoSIM app on the phone you already have, next to your local SIM. TripoSIM says calls ring even when the app is closed once notifications and the microphone are allowed; a phone that is off, offline or has notifications blocked does not ring, and callers reach voicemail.

Who in the family will use it?

• Parents and grandparents who prefer a phone call to a video app.
• Children studying or working in the US, who can reach you between classes or shifts.
• Relatives and neighbors who help an older parent and want to reach you quickly.
• Offices that deal with your family, such as a school, a doctor's office or a bank.

How much calling fits in the plan?

There are two separate allowances. Calls your family make to you are included up to a fair use of 300 minutes a month. Calls you make to US and Canadian numbers use your 300 minutes a month. Count them separately; they do not add together. Each outgoing call is rounded up to the next full minute; unanswered calls are free.

Here are calls you make, worked out for a year:

Incoming calls do not use your minutes (fair use 300 minutes a month). Each plan includes 300 minutes a month out; extra minutes are $5 per 100, and unused extra minutes carry over to the next month, so the year counts the packs for all 12 months together. Prices before tax.

And here are calls your family make to you, against the incoming fair use:

A worked example for daily calls. Say you and your mother talk for 15 minutes every day. That is about 455 minutes a month, more than either allowance on its own. If she calls you on 3 days a week (about 195 minutes in) and you call her on the other 4 (about 260 minutes out), both stay within the plan, with no extra minutes to buy.

If you talk more than that, extra minutes cost $5 per 100, or you can use an internet calling app your family already has for the longest calls.

Can US schools, doctors and banks reach you?

Yes, by phone. A school office, a parent's doctor, a pharmacy or a bank can call your +1 number like any US number. If you are asleep, they leave a voicemail. Messages can be up to 2 minutes, up to 30 a month, and are kept 30 days.

Texts from US and Canadian senders arrive in the app too, such as appointment reminders, school notices and verification codes from banking apps. You cannot answer a text from the number, so ask offices to call you or to use email when they need a reply.

How do you set it up for your family?

1. Pick an area code near your family, so the number looks local to them. See the area code list.
2. Record a greeting with your name, your time zone and when you usually call back.
3. Save the number in your parents' phones under your name, so they do not have to type it.
4. Give it to the offices that need to reach you, such as a school or a doctor's office.
5. Turn on notifications and test a call with your phone locked.
6. Agree on call times. The US time-zone clock shows when your evening is their afternoon.

If your family uses WhatsApp, you can also set up WhatsApp on your US number. The number receives the WhatsApp verification code, and relatives can then message you at the same +1 number they call. See WhatsApp on a US number.

What about emergencies?

The TripoSIM number cannot call 911, from abroad or anywhere else. If a relative in the US needs urgent help, someone near them must call 911 from a local phone. Make sure an older parent has a neighbor or relative close by, and keep a local mobile line where you live for your own emergencies.

When is another option better?

• You want to text family back: the number receives texts but cannot send them. Use WhatsApp on the number, or another messaging app, for written replies.
• Relatives live outside the US and Canada: calls out go to US and Canadian numbers only. Anyone, anywhere, can still call your number.
• You spend long stretches in the US: a US carrier line covers sending texts and 911 while you are there. Keep the TripoSIM number as a second line if family already has it.
• Very long calls every day: above both allowances, an internet calling app may cost less than extra minutes.

The yearly plan is $100, with 300 minutes a month to the US and Canada. The monthly plan is $12.99 with the same minutes, and you can cancel the renewal anytime.