How to Keep Your US Number Active While Traveling Overseas?

Keeping your U.S. phone number when moving abroad ensures you can easily access important services like banking, two-factor authentication, and communication with contacts back home. It also helps maintain continuity for professional and personal relationships without the confusion of a number change.

• Stay Connected: If you keep your US phone number when moving abroad, family, friends, and colleagues can reach you easily. They won’t have to change your contact information or deal with an unfamiliar number.
• Maintain Professional Contacts: Keeping your number ensures smooth communication and avoids missed calls or confusion if you work with US clients or partners.
• Secure Your Financial and Online Accounts: Many essential services, including banks, rely on your phone number for identity verification and security alerts. Keeping your U.S. number active ensures access to your banking, email, and social media accounts, protecting yourself from potential lockouts or fraud.
• Identity Consistency: Your US number is part of your digital identity, so keeping it can help avoid confusion or identity verification problems.

To keep your US phone number when moving abroad, you can port to a VoIP service, enable call forwarding, maintain a U.S.-based mobile plan with international roaming, or use a virtual phone number provider.

VoIP services supporting number porting allow you to transfer your US phone number to an internet-based platform. Once ported, you can make and receive calls from your number using Wi-Fi or mobile data from anywhere in the world.

Popular VoIP service providers such as Calilio, RingCentral, and Nextiva offer flexible plans that fit a variety of needs, whether for personal use or business communication.

Using a VoIP service helps you keep your US number active abroad and allows you to build a local presence anywhere in the United States. This is especially useful for staying connected with clients, family, and friends without the need for traditional phone lines or costly international roaming fees. However, using your number with a VoIP service usually requires a monthly subscription, and the cost may vary depending on the provider.

Mobile operators, also known as MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators), are smaller carriers that lease service from major networks like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. They often offer more flexible and affordable plans compared to traditional carriers.

Porting your number to an MVNO is ideal if you only need your U.S. number for occasional texts, calls, or verification codes. This option helps you avoid the hassle of constantly switching carriers or phone platforms just to keep your number active.

Many MVNOs let you maintain your number for a very low monthly fee, and some even support international roaming. Since most MVNOs operate without long-term contracts, you can pause, cancel, or adjust your plan at any time—perfect for life abroad or on the move.

Another way to keep your existing U.S. number without changing your carrier is to activate international roaming. It allows you to use your U.S. number to receive SMS and calls and use data even while you’re abroad, without porting or changing your carriers.

Most major U.S. carriers, such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Google, offer international roaming plans. Some include free or low-cost roaming in certain countries, while others may charge daily or per-use fees.

However, international roaming is expensive, especially for long-term use. Check your carrier’s international rates and coverage before you go. Some carriers offer international add-ons or passes that can reduce costs.

If you port your number to a virtual phone service provider, you can make and receive calls and texts over the Internet from anywhere in the world. This helps you avoid costly international fees usually charged when making or receiving calls and texts through traditional carriers.

Using a virtual phone number, you can keep your existing number without relying on a physical SIM card or a traditional US carrier. Calilio, Google Voice, and other providers let you port and use your number on any device, including smartphones, tablets, or computers. However, number porting generally requires a monthly subscription to maintain service.

Calilio provides an easy way to port your existing number, whether a local, mobile, toll-free, or even another VoIP number. To port your number to Calilio, you can simply follow these steps:

1. Visit Calilio and click “Get Started” to create your account.
2. Go to Settings> My Numbers> Port Existing.
3. Connect with the support team to ensure all porting requirements are met.
4. Submit the needed documents, including a Letter of Authorization (LOA) and a current phone bill.
5. Our team will review your request and inform you once the porting process is completed.

Call forwarding allows you to redirect incoming calls from your U.S. number to an international number. Before moving abroad, contact your U.S. carrier to activate call forwarding, so you can keep receiving calls to your U.S. number without interruption.

However, international forwarding charges may be expensive depending on your carrier's pricing. Before relying on this option, review your carrier’s fees and compare them with alternatives such as VoIP services, which may offer more affordable ways to stay connected while abroad.

Keeping your U.S. phone number while moving abroad helps you to maintain access to banking, work contacts, and personal communication. However, several reliable options, such as VoIP services, number porting, and call forwarding, make it easy to stay connected no matter where you live. With the right approach, you can avoid the hassle of losing your number and continue to receive important calls and messages without interruption.

Calilio offers a simple solution to transform your U.S. number into a virtual phone number. With Calilio business phone system, you can port your U.S. number for free and get seamless telephony services even while abroad. Moreover, if you get a US virtual phone number from Calilio, you can also enjoy comprehensive telephony features not typically available on your regular PSTN-based phone. So switch to Calilio and uplift your telephony communication.

Yes, you can keep your cell phone number when you move to a different country. Number porting to virtual phone service, using VoIP, or setting up call forwarding enables you to keep your US number abroad.

Porting your number to a virtual phone service like Calilio or Google Voice is the most cost-effective way to keep your US number without paying high monthly fees. It allows you to make and receive calls and texts over Wi-Fi from anywhere.