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How to get a US number for a new smartphone


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Will be moving to Lakeside permanently in Nov. Plan to leave my flip top Tracphone in the US.

Where is best place to buy a new smartphone and how do I get a US phone number to receive

calls from US or Canada as if I were in the US? Any suggestions on what phone to buy?

 

 

 

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I have a basic Telmex phone service as well and I can call for free to Canada, the US and I believe some other countries as well. There are a few catches though, you can only call local numbers for free. And there are local numbers for almost any city or business in those countries.  However I can not call a US or Canadian 800 number for free. I am always charged when making those with my Telmex phone.

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OP wants it for INCOMING calls where the caller thinks the number (and OP) are in the US. 

There are some US banks and other financial institutions that want to send security codes to US phone numbers, and there have been reports in other threads that VOIP numbers do not always work.  

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How looks like a T-Mobile plan. More than Mexico and Canada were available for free last I knew and used. Used to be you have to authorize international when they were trying to prevent spoofing of persons numbers getting big bills laid on customers. I'd suggest getting an unlocked phone to handle anything in the future like changing companies. The discount for over 50 and military were the same a few years back. Another thing to ask is how is the connection service in the location you prefer. What a company shows on a map isn't always what you get considering walls blocking things. T-mobile does have a free as long as you turn it back in range extender that you place the receiver in a good reception area and retransmission device where you need better service. Other companies charge around $400USD for the same. You have to turn the thing back in when cancelling service or you get billed. They also have an internet call thing you can hook into your internet.

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/use-your-phone-in-mexico-canada?icid=WMM_TM_P_18INTLTRVL_W0S8SAZW4C6T85JWQ17962

Coverage map.

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map

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My reccos (We switched from T-Mobile because of consistently dropped calls to one important number): Buy a decent, sufficient memory new phone in the US; and transfer your current number and contacts to it. If that's a challenge, many stores (Best Buy, for one) will do all that for you. Pay outright for the phone and ask them to make sure it is unlocked. In the meantime, research Google Voice and how to set it up; download the app on your new phone (and desktop/laptop if you want to answer calls there, as well. That is extremely convenient if you are verifying banking info.) Right before you leave for here, for a $20 US one-time fee, you "park"your number on Google; callers to that number will still ring on your new phone, but you will not have any of the cell-phone providers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint) as your carrier.--you'll have to get yourself a Telmex or Mexico AT&T plan for the phone so you can use it; they'll swap out your US SIM card for you and replace it with theirs. (Safely store your old one.) You'll then have your new phone with your Mexico cell number as your primary and all the calls to your US number still will ring via the google app. There's a few hiccups, but not many and the price can't be beat.

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I have a dual SIM Motorola unlocked phone.  I keep TelCel in 1 slot and T-Mobile in the other.   We bought this phone in 2020 from Amazon-Mexico (to replace our older dual SIM phone).  

I have read that T-Mobile customers are at risk of cancellation if their level of usage in Mexico gets too high.  I use TelCel for my data in Mexico and phone calls to/from Mexican numbers as well as WhatsApp.  I only use my T-Mobile account for incoming US calls and outgoing US calls when we are in Mexico.  I use the T-Mobile account for data when we are in the US.  

Signed up for the 55+ T-Mobile unlimited plan in 2017; it was 50 USD per month and has never gone up.  

Cost isn't the main issue for me; it's having seamless service with a recognizable US phone number no matter where we are.  And only having to carry one phone.  

I also use that US number as my Caller ID number when I call 800 numbers from Skype for free; the business I am calling sees that number on their caller id.  

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Magic Jack has worked well over the years for a US phone number. At only $5/month it's more reasonable than a second SIM card from a US carrier. The service can be downloaded on one cell phone and with it you can receive most texts. Some financial institutions like Ameritrade allow foreign phone numbers. The only problem was Capital One. They wouldn't send a text to a VOIP number. I added my brother's cell to the account, made the request and he passed along the text message with the code I needed to get into the system.

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I have a VOIP number but because I have bank and a brokerage firm whose computers can't call VOIP phone numbers I bought an inexpensive cell with  4g LTE Volte and a Tmobile SIM card that costs me $3 per month+ cost per call & text that allows roaming in Mexico. Only turn it on when expecting a text or call. 

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I’ve had good luck with Mint Mobile as the e-SIM option on my dual SIM phone.  My US banks and brokerages readily use it for Dual Factor Authentication, and it’s only US$15/month for the cheapest package.  In Mexico, Mint Mobile charges 6 US cents per talk minute or text, but since I mostly use it for DFA, the charges are minimal.

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3 hours ago, Stream said:

If the Magic Jack is connected to the internet does it record missed call numbers and record messages?

Yes and voice messages are sent by email. Often when on the road the cell doesn't ring but there is a notification of a missed call.

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With Magic Jack you can (port) move your old phone number to your MJ, if you don’t want to do that you can choose the area code and if I remember correctly MJ will show you a list of phone numbers available with that area. code, so you get to choose your number…

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14 hours ago, lcscats said:

My BOA and First Tech credit union computers call my Net Talk VOIP phone with the code numbers no problem.  I admit I may be grandfathered in as I have had this phone for 15 years.

I have had the same VOIP number for over 20 years.  So far 2 financial institutions can't call after their recent security updates. There system knows somehow that it is a VOIP and blocks. I verified this with a supervisor at Capitol one.  Logic says more banks and brokers will follow as security measures keep tightening. 

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14 hours ago, David D. said:

I’ve had good luck with Mint Mobile as the e-SIM option on my dual SIM phone.  My US banks and brokerages readily use it for Dual Factor Authentication, and it’s only US$15/month for the cheapest package.  In Mexico, Mint Mobile charges 6 US cents per talk minute or text, but since I mostly use it for DFA, the charges are minimal.

Any suggestions on phone to buy $200 or lower? Would prefer phone from Tracphone phone listing for easier transfer of number and data.

Otherwise new number is okay.

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Tracphone website says only works in USA no foreign roaming.  There are phones on Amazon USA that ship to Mexico. It is best to buy one that has 4g LTE Volte capability. You can then but a Tmobil sim card with a very basic monthly plan pay as you go that will roam in Mexico., There are other companies as well. Be sure that your sim and phone use the same network type.

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Mint Mobile partners with Swappa.com for customers looking to buy compatible phones.  Swappa has a variety at various price levels.  Just be sure to select a model with dual SIM capability, so you can use a single phone both for a physical Mexican SIM and an e-SIM from Mint Mobile.  
 

 

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27 minutes ago, Ruidoso said:

Thanks for all the info. Right now it looks like a Samsung A10S is a good choice for me since it is

compatible with Mint Mobile service.  Actually a new phone number might have more  pluses than

minuses. Maybe Telcel can enable VOLTE for me.

 

You need a  4g LTE Volte  phone.  It is not something that your provider can change on your phone. 

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