Slosheroni

Thanks for answering. Admittedly I'm a techno dunce so bear with me. I'm in America now. What I'm trying to do is setup my banking and other accounts that need 2FA verification in as foolproof a manner as possible by having multiple methods for each banking website or app that I visit. They all seem to use different methods so my first line would be to use whatever authenticator app or security key they offer followed by setting up SMS for 2FA verification. But not all have the authenticator or security key option yet and even if they did I think it's prudent to have another, backup option. to facilitate 2FA. My current plan is on Verizon and my phone is an Moto Z4. The phone is capable to do WiFi calliing. My luck with phones is that they tend to <deleted> out after two years or so. This phone has a nano sim. I'm not sure how you can get a standard size sim in that phone but I'd have to do a little more research on that. So what I am looking to do is to setup a phone that basically only needed to send and receive SMS for 2FA verification. When I'm in Thailand I seldom have the need to use data and I would probably have a separate Thai phone for that anyway. I looked at the US mobile website and from what I can figure out most of there international plans use an eSim which I'm not sure would work long term. So people are saying that this only works for 6 months or so. Once I'm out of the States I don't plan to return very often. So basically I'm just trying to get a plan in place to facilitate banking, etc. This 2FA verification is where I'm getting stuck Thanks again

Thanks for posting this. This is really good information. A couple of questions: What type of phone(s) are you using for your Sims? I know you need a phone with the ability to switch to WiFi calling. If you take an activated SIM card (activated from the US) to a Thai phone shop will you be able to pick up a compatible, cheap phone that will be capable of accepting texts via WiFi calling? I would think from Thailand you would need both a GSM and CDMA compatible phone, that is unlocked, that has WiFi calling capabilities, that uses a standard Sim size, right? Or is GSM alone fine? Any ideas on a cheapy phone that fits the bill as I would probably only use it for SMS sent from the States, primarily for 2FA. My current phone uses a nano Sim and the U mobile sold on Ebay is a standard SIM. I guess I'm looking at having to find a compatible phone in the States that can support that SIM in order to activate it. I wonder if that is where I might be better going the US mobile route. Also, all of you're backup SIMs have their own phone numbers, right? I'm guessing that any website where you need 2FA has your primary number and then you've listed a couple of your backup numbers with them? Or are you using other methods for backup in case the primary number does not work like an authenticator app or security token? Thanks for any help.

I definitely plan on using the 800000 baht option and just leaving it in the bank for immigration. Is it possible to do all of this banking setup prior to arrival in Thailand? Or I'm I going to have to come to Thailand, setup up a bank account, then return to the States to do all the SWIFT paperwork live at whatever US banks I choose then go back to Thailand? I hate that flight....

For this are you talking about setting up the bank account where Social Security is deposited and where IRS is either paid from or where they are to deposit too?

Thanks. One question on Bkk Bank New York. I was under the assumption that they will only take deposits from government agencies like Social Security but not private users like bank transfers. So if my money is coming from a pension, Vanguard investments, or from a 401k or such you can't use Bkk Bank New York. Is that right?

Edit: I'm not sure that's going to work due to the county code.

Thanks for this. It's great info. I talked with Verizon and it seems like it's just a matter of porting my US number to a new Thai service provider. Basically I need a PAC number from Verizon and the new provider can then entire the info and done.

The plan is to be relocating to Thailand late next year on a Non-OA visa from the US. Bear with me but I've seen a few issues brought up here such as: One easy option to transfer money into Thailand is by using Wise. Is Wise now requiring two step verification by sending a verification code to only home based phone numbers (i.e. US)? Meaning once I'm in Thailand with a Thai phone number will I not be able to receive and enter the verification code? Can one maintain a US based number over a period years from Thailand? My current carrier is Verizon. Are they ok with that or is there another work around for this issue? It also seems best to maintain multiple bank accounts in the US. The problem is some banks like Wells Fargo do not do SWIFT transfers to Thailand (last I checked with WF they didn't). I know Charles Schwab does this so that is one. I believe there is an international account option you can set up with Schwab whereby you do not have to have a physical address in the States to maintain the account. Is that correct? Are there any other banks in the US that also provide this type of service? If not, is it a problem trying to maintain a physical address in the States in order to meet the requirements of US banks? Other than Schwab what are some of the more expat friendly, US based banks for transferring funds to Thailand? Finally, after arriving in Thailand I'll need to set-up a Thai banking account. I'm assuming this is possible after arrival and that most use Bangkok Bank for transferring funds into Thailand from overseas. So, what I think I need to do now is find out from Schwab about an international account, confirm with Wise about their two step verification process for foreign phone numbers, find a backup bank in the US that can do SWIFT transfers to Thailand in case both Wise and Schwab become problematic in the future, check with Verizon about maintaining a US phone number while in Thailand, and brush up more on opening an account with Bangkok Bank from within Thailand. Am I on the right course or way off base? Thanks for any help