Call forwarding to an international number
September 4, 2022 4:51 PM Subscribe
How and who to set up international call forwarding to handle all the pesky two factor authentication messages
I live in Australia but a majority of my finances are based in the US. I try to do everything online but I have a serious lag issue for temp code verification messages. For all the money spent on databases finance institutions in the US will not accept international phone numbers even with US addresses and established accounts. How do I establish international call forwarding?
I am in the US for the next few days. Halp me.
I live in Australia but a majority of my finances are based in the US. I try to do everything online but I have a serious lag issue for temp code verification messages. For all the money spent on databases finance institutions in the US will not accept international phone numbers even with US addresses and established accounts. How do I establish international call forwarding?
I am in the US for the next few days. Halp me.
If you can set up a Google Voice number (see:goingonit above for one possible solution), you can also set it up so that all your text messages are forwarded to email.
I also have a number I am parking at number barn. It will email any text message to it. I actually use one 2FA with it. Too lazy to change the number.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:05 PM on September 4, 2022
I also have a number I am parking at number barn. It will email any text message to it. I actually use one 2FA with it. Too lazy to change the number.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:05 PM on September 4, 2022
Google voice is great when it works, but some services think they're clever and prevent you from using Google Voice because it's not a "real" phone number.
posted by wotsac at 9:23 PM on September 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by wotsac at 9:23 PM on September 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yeah, GV is great for many things when you live abroad (free US calls over wifi, winner), buuuut… some things don’t work with it, and the #1 culprit is this kind of banking stuff. YMMV though and it’s definitely worth a shot.
As an alternative, I’m aware of this company (and some similar ones) that seem to offer a single SIM card that has multiple numbers associated with it. Perhaps in a spare phone this could be a good way to keep a US line active? (I’ve always worried that taking a free roaming SIM card, like T-Mobile, out of its home country would result in deactivation too soon, but that could be another option.)
posted by breakfast burrito at 10:03 PM on September 4, 2022
As an alternative, I’m aware of this company (and some similar ones) that seem to offer a single SIM card that has multiple numbers associated with it. Perhaps in a spare phone this could be a good way to keep a US line active? (I’ve always worried that taking a free roaming SIM card, like T-Mobile, out of its home country would result in deactivation too soon, but that could be another option.)
posted by breakfast burrito at 10:03 PM on September 4, 2022
Yeah, unfortunately this is a really tough one for myself and every other US-based person not residing in the US - believe me, I've researched this exhaustively.
If you're currently in the US, I would look into porting to T-Mobile - they allow free international text and data with certain plans. They throttle data speeds but that's irrelevant if you only need this for SMS.
Google Fi is another option that allows free text and data, but they sometimes cut off your account if you're overseas for more than 90 days. There are exceptions but only for US goverment (like military and diplomats). So Fi probably isn't an option unless you're either back in the US every couple of months or you work for the USG.
I agree with others that Google Voice might be worth a shot if nothing else, but I am aware of many reports of it not working because it's "not a real number". So YMMV for sure, unfortunate as it's probably the cheapest, easiest option.
I just moved to Sweden myself and yeah SMS 2FA is a major pain. My solution has been to keep using my pre-existing Verizon service but only for 2FA - my travel plan allows for free received SMS while roaming, so I'm just very careful to use my local SIM for everything else. Not an ideal solution (and far from the cheapest), but I have yet to find a better solution.
Of course what would be better is if more US financial institutions allowed non-SMS 2FA authentication, but that doesn't seem likely anytime soon...
posted by photo guy at 11:00 PM on September 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you're currently in the US, I would look into porting to T-Mobile - they allow free international text and data with certain plans. They throttle data speeds but that's irrelevant if you only need this for SMS.
Google Fi is another option that allows free text and data, but they sometimes cut off your account if you're overseas for more than 90 days. There are exceptions but only for US goverment (like military and diplomats). So Fi probably isn't an option unless you're either back in the US every couple of months or you work for the USG.
I agree with others that Google Voice might be worth a shot if nothing else, but I am aware of many reports of it not working because it's "not a real number". So YMMV for sure, unfortunate as it's probably the cheapest, easiest option.
I just moved to Sweden myself and yeah SMS 2FA is a major pain. My solution has been to keep using my pre-existing Verizon service but only for 2FA - my travel plan allows for free received SMS while roaming, so I'm just very careful to use my local SIM for everything else. Not an ideal solution (and far from the cheapest), but I have yet to find a better solution.
Of course what would be better is if more US financial institutions allowed non-SMS 2FA authentication, but that doesn't seem likely anytime soon...
posted by photo guy at 11:00 PM on September 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
2) get a Google Voice number
3) activate the Google Voice number using the sim
4) direct 2FA messages to the Google Voice number, which will ring your devices even once you get rid of the sim, as long as you keep the same device or have it available to port from
posted by goingonit at 4:58 PM on September 4, 2022 [1 favorite]