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After having had my Skype number for more than 15 years, I opted to port the number to Vyke, and so far, I'm experiencing no real problems. I simply downloaded the Vyke app from the Play Store, and sort of followed the bread crumbs. Apparently Vyke can only port USA-based Skype numbers (which applied to me, fortunately). The process of porting the Skype number must be initiated by Vyke through my request to them - not the other way around. Because my phone SIM uses a Thai phone number, the Play Store denominates any of my financial transactions in Thai Baht. So, when I decided to pay the annual $19.99 fee for the continued use of the old Skype number, I did this using the Vyke app, and discovered that this translated into an 800THB charge. Vyke uses its own formula for foreign exchange transactions, which I learned are nowhere near market rates. And payments for topping-up the account can be made either on the app, or via the Vyke website. I learned that it's preferable to use their website for this purpose, because the transactions are charged in USD - which is good for me, because I can make these payments using a USD credit card. Not sure if any of this is useful to others (who might have different circumstances), but I figured I'd share it anyway. Based on my brief check of the Vyke foreign exchange formula ($8.49 becomes 475THB using the app), I'll stick with the website for topping-up my account. Once I had topped-up the account via their website, and the transaction was accepted by my credit card company, I very quickly noticed the updated account balance on my app. So I called a buddy in the US for a long-overdue conversation, and to test the functionality - which seemed fine, although I did notice a slight delay. Afterward, the balance on my Vyke app was reduced accordingly. The Vyke rates for calls to the US are 1.2c/minute, less than Skype was charging. And most importantly, now I can receive phone calls (and now, international text messages as well, which are supported by Vyke) from my US-based financial institutions.

Yeah, my existing Skype number is a U.S. number, as are my financial institutions. But from my past experience with Skype, I learned to request a phone call from the bank rather than a OTP via SMS, and their automated voice services have been very reliable. I haven't ported my Skype number over to Vyke yet, but I'm leaning in that direction.

"I ONLY care about being able to get bank codes and OTPs. " With regard to this, it's been my experience that you can still receive a OTP from the bank by receiving a phone call from them, and they share the OTP with you verbally, through an automated voice caller. So, in the past, when I have been contacting banks/financial service companies for this purpose, it's always been via their website, and they have always given me the option of requesting the OTP either via SMS, or voice call. I always choose voice call for the reason that you highlight above (Skype unable to receive SMS messages to a Skype number). Since all of this is essentially soon to be retrospective, I'm not sure if this information will be useful to you, but it still might apply in future situations, and I think it's good to know that you can still receive the OTP from the institutions without relying on the capability of receiving SMS messages.

I'm in the same situation as you. Have you looked at Vyke?

As far as state tax authorities, I've thought about this, but the possibility of a real problem has always struck me as pretty unlikely. I mean, if the tax authorities were to investigate, it seems to me that it would very quickly become clear that the address represented neither my residence nor my domicile. I suppose I could be found guilty of misleading the bank, but I can't imagine that would be the concern of state tax authorities. Would you happen to know any different? Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm too poor to consider pursuing ????

I use a Skype In number. I've been using this (domestic American) phone number for over a decade now, and the automated bank OTP service that contacts me there seems to work pretty consistently.

Yeah, I bought my XMax V3 Pro vaporizer, with accessories, through that company, without any problem (by the way, this is a great product!). GreenLungs requires you to establish communication with them through the Line app, and then tell them what you want via the app. They quote a total price, which you pay directly by bank transfer to their account. Once they've confirmed that the payment has been received, they ship the product. A lot of stuff transacts this way in Thailand, and I've never had any problem. It's my guess that they're unable to conduct financial transactions directly on a website for their product line, because vaporizers of any kind aren't legal in Thailand (from what I know). So, weed is now legal, but vaporizers still aren't - which puts those of us interested in instantly enjoying cannabis in a healthy fashion in an interesting position! To vape, or not to vape? That is the question, haha

I'm wondering if anyone has ever encountered a problem with a financial institution as a result of using one of the CMRA's mentioned above (or any, for that matter). I myself have had a close friend receiving my mail for over a decade now, but that situation is changing, and I'm wondering whether I'm taking a significant risk of creating a problem by starting to use one of these companies. I have another very close friend in the States who has expressed a wholehearted willingness to start receiving my mail, but I'd rather place most of the responsibilities on a paid entity in order to minimize any headaches for my friend. The way I see it, if I change my address to one of these CMRA's, and one of my financial institutions flags my account, any (residential) address I provide it thereafter (like that of my friend) might not be accepted on a flagged account. So, I'm wondering if this is one of those situations where you only get one chance. If my checking account gets cancelled at my American bank, KYC/AML banking rules might require that I have to physically be present in order to open a new one, and I don't relish the idea of a trans-Pacific flight these days. I'm not expecting this, just trying to consider the worst-case scenario.

Hmm, hadn't thought about just leaving the cold water valve off, and setting the temperature (once) on the water heater. Thanks!

I've been having endless problems controlling the temperature while showering, and I've decided to try to figure out the best solution so that I only have to fix this problem once. I have two supply lines that feed the shower fixture: one is normal (unheated) supply, and the other is supplied by the water heater mounted on the wall above the shower ceiling. I know that some heaters are designed to be physically accessed and controlled during the course of the shower (i.e. mounted on the wall inside the shower stall), but any water heater mounted in my current location above the ceiling will obviously be inaccessible as well. I've been controlling the temperature using the shower hot/cold control knobs, but it's been a constant struggle. Also, I notice that the cold water supply line which feeds the heater is also the source for the shower cold water valve, which might significantly change the supply of water available to the heater whenever I open the cold water valve, resulting in temperature fluctuations. I've done some reading about "open-loop" vs. "closed-loop" water heater designs, and which design might be best for a shower. After having lived in Thailand for over 10 years, it seems that this is a very common problem. Wondering if anyone out there has already been through this?