US and Canada: Phone2 app -- a possible solution for 2FA banking codes or maybe not?

[BigLek]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

OK, that's good. But isn't Google Voice free?

Like I said, I need CODES.

 

The Numero number also works with PayPal. You can’t add it yourself through the PayPal app because the app will say that VOIP numbers aren’t allowed. However, if you call PayPal on the phone and ask them to add the number manually as your mobile number, they will do it. After that, they will send you a one-time verification code via text. Once you provide PayPal with the code you received through the Numero app, the number will work with PayPal going forward.

[BigLek]

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

I'm just down the street from you... LOL.... I'm not in USA either but my UltaMobile PayGo sim gives me a legitimate US mobile number with plenty of free minutes/sms every month for my needs.  It costs $3.18/month.  I have an e-sim for local service from True.

 

Yes, the Ultra Mobile PayGo SIM offers a real U.S. mobile number that works for receiving texts from U.S. financial institutions. The service costs $3 per month, plus tax, plus $0.10 per text for receiving text messages overseas.

 

To get started, you’d need to buy a physical SIM, which is available on eBay for around $13 plus $17 shipping to Thailand. Once you have the SIM, you can contact the company to convert it into an eSIM, then you don’t actually need to insert the physical SIM into your phone.

 

In practice, the cost comes out to about $5 per month because Ultra Mobile requires a minimum $5 balance top-up each month deducted from a debit or credit card. From the top-up payment they deduct the $3 monthly service fee (plus tax), and any incoming texts you receive overseas are charged at $0.10 each, all deducted from your balance.

 

The Numero option I suggested still comes out more cost effective at a total of €18 per year. 

[mogandave]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I'm not in the U.S. 

I’m not in the US either, but most of my money is.

[Yellowtail]

3 hours ago, nomad22 said:

A company like this that sells "life time" memberships will usually get great reviews at first as they try to keep the initial suckers happy to get good reviews.  Then when they have made as much cash as they can, the company will disapear and your life time deal will end up being about 3 months.  Its a classic scam.  

If it sounds too good to be true...

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, BigLek said:

I just added the number to a bank. Received the code. It works. 

Here's where all of this becomes a sticky wicket.

Nobody has said that VOIP numbers never work!

It's just that it's an objective fact that they are often rejected. They may work at a specific bank for awhile and then they don't work. 

So saying your VOIP number is getting codes through proves nothing really.

But here's the rub, The Phone2 outfit CLAIMS that have a different kind of VOIP that will be reliable. In other words work at every bank and keep working.

So somebody joins and it works and thinks it's really good and maybe better than regular VOIP but then later it doesn't work the same issue as VOIP.

I have no way of knowing whether their claim of "special" VOIP is even true now, much less a year from now when presumably banks are always fighting to counter anything new that might fool them. 

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, BigLek said:

 

Yes, the Ultra Mobile PayGo SIM offers a real U.S. mobile number that works for receiving texts from U.S. financial institutions. The service costs $3 per month, plus tax, plus $0.10 per text for receiving text messages overseas.

 

To get started, you’d need to buy a physical SIM, which is available on eBay for around $13 plus $17 shipping to Thailand. Once you have the SIM, you can contact the company to convert it into an eSIM, then you don’t actually need to insert the physical SIM into your phone.

 

In practice, the cost comes out to about $5 per month because Ultra Mobile requires a minimum $5 balance top-up each month deducted from a debit or credit card. From the top-up payment they deduct the $3 monthly service fee (plus tax), and any incoming texts you receive overseas are charged at $0.10 each, all deducted from your balance.

 

The Numero option I suggested still comes out more cost effective at a total of €18 per year. 

Thanks very much for that detail. 

I'm confused though.

I had thought with such SIM schemes, you always need to first activate the SIM in the U.S.

If it's shipped to Thailand directly, how do you deal with the U.S. activation?

 

[BigLek]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Here's where all of this becomes a sticky wicket.

Nobody has said that VOIP numbers never work!

It's just that it's an objective fact that they are often rejected. They may work at a specific bank for awhile and then they don't work. 

So saying your VOIP number is getting codes through proves nothing really.

But here's the rub, The Phone2 outfit CLAIMS that have a different kind of VOIP that will be reliable. In other words work at every bank and keep working.

So somebody joins and it works and thinks it's really good and maybe better than regular VOIP but then later it doesn't work the same issue as VOIP.

I have no way of knowing whether their claim of "special" VOIP is even true now, much less a year from now when presumably banks are always fighting to counter anything new that might fool them. 

 

All I can tell you is that Numero works with a U.S. bank and as a phone number for a U.S. PayPal account. I received OTP verification codes from both on my Numero number today. Plus, I have a friend who has been using this Numero service for the same purpose for over two years already without any issues.

 

I don’t really care about needless speculation on VOIP classifications. It’s just conjecture. And maybe some banks will stop allowing these types of numbers one day, or maybe they won’t. But if something changes in a few years, you adapt and find another solution at that time. So for now, you have an app that can receive OTP text messages from U.S. financial institutions into your smartphone for just €18 per year. That's a good setup I say and no hassle like getting a real US SIM card.

 

If you want to keep speculating, debating “what ifs,” and searching for something better, go ahead, knock yourself out. But I am done.

[BigLek]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks very much for that detail. 

I'm confused though.

I had thought with such SIM schemes, you always need to first activate the SIM in the U.S.

If it's shipped to Thailand directly, how do you deal with the U.S. activation?

 

 

Your welcome. I called their toll free number earlier today, before I posted that info, and they were the ones who told me that I could buy a SIM on eBay, have it shipped overseas, and activate it by calling them once I receive it.

 

At first, the guy said I would need to insert the SIM into a phone to activate it before they could convert it to an eSIM. Then he corrected himself and said that if I didn’t want to do that, activation could be done through email once I had the SIM card in hand. I'm assuming that if you don't even want an eSIM that maybe you could just put the SIM in a phone and activate it that way. He didn't mention anything to me about not being able to activate it from overseas.

 

But I don’t have any personal experience with this issue or this company, and I don’t plan to buy one of their SIMs as I am already satisfied with Numero. But if you want to call them and ask questions, here’s the number: +1-888-777-0446

[gamb00ler]

10 hours ago, BigLek said:

In practice, the cost comes out to about $5 per month because Ultra Mobile requires a minimum $5 balance top-up each month deducted from a debit or credit card. From the top-up payment they deduct the $3 monthly service fee (plus tax), and any incoming texts you receive overseas are charged at $0.10 each, all deducted from your balance.

My experience diverges from your description.  I use only WiFi calling and texting on my UM sim and get 100 minutes and 100 SMS free every month.  I am not charged .10 for the first 100 SMSs.  Perhaps I would be charged for any SMS after the free ones.

 

I have disabled UM autopay for my monthly fee.  UM still attempts to collect by autopay but that fails and then UM withdraws the $3 fee from my UM wallet every month. Periodically, I add a lump sum to my UM wallet from my US credit card.  I pay only the $3 monthly which actually cost me about $3.18 due to taxes added during topping up of my UM wallet.

 

I moved my local Thai mobile service to an e-sim on my phone.  I don't know if UM could be set up as an e-sim. 

 

I have never used UM in the US except when my US based friend did the UM initial setup for me.

[bamnutsak]

2 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

I use only WiFi calling and texting on my UM sim and get 100 minutes and 100 SMS free every month.  I am not charged .10 for the first 100 SMSs.

 

Same for me.

 

2 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

I don't know if UM could be set up as an e-sim. 

 

Reddit says 'Yes'.

 

2 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

I have never used UM in the US except when my US based friend did the UM initial setup for me.

 

It will work in the U.S., so this benefits those returning for visits; you can buy add-on data and voice/text for one day or one week, over and above the 100/100/100.

 

 

I use Google Voice for most OTP's, this has ALWAYS worked for me. I have never encountered a 2FA requirement for which GV was not successful. I use UltraMobile as backup - I ported my long-time mobile number (~ 25 years) into UM. Some of my 2FA requirements are solved with the mobile app (Chase and Fidelity, for example), or a FIDO key (BofA, for example).

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

 

Same for me.

 

 

Reddit says 'Yes'.

 

 

It will work in the U.S., so this benefits those returning for visits; you can buy add-on data and voice/text for one day or one week, over and above the 100/100/100.

 

 

I use Google Voice for most OTP's, this has ALWAYS worked for me. I have never encountered a 2FA requirement for which GV was not successful. I use UltraMobile as backup - I ported my long-time mobile number (~ 25 years) into UM. Some of my 2FA requirements are solved with the mobile app (Chase and Fidelity, for example), or a FIDO key (BofA, for example).

 

 

 

 

Interesting.

I tried Google Voice with a few firms. Both failed instantly. 

[Jingthing]

A little more info.

 

Phone2's explanation on how their VOIP is better for 2FAs:

Quote

 

Phone2
...

This is new technology. It's a product that the carriers have allowed us to rollout, because they know about this nuisance and annoyance.

We are different than MagicJack in that we are IoT numbers. They work like virtual but on a wireless backbone. You can also port-in your MagicJack number to us to supercharge it for bank 2fa codes.

We are different than Skype. Our numbers are in a middle-area between VoIP and wireless, in that they're IoT on a wireless "SPID".

 

 

 

They also offer an explanation for the low pricing (99) for the digital nomad single user market.

 

They view digital nomads as mostly seeking the 2FA feature. 

 

Their regular market is for larger even bigger businesses with potentially a large number of users for the same number.

 

 

[Jingthing]

I will ask again.

If you have an IOS device, can you please check if the Phone2 app is blocked in Thailand or not? If not blocked, there is no problem installing before paying for the service.

[Jingthing]

Another maybe dumb question.

Can you use the cell of a friend or the relative in the US and just tell them when to expect a code so they can send it to you?

I recall hearing that the name associated with the phone must match. 

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I will ask again.

If you have an IOS device, can you please check if the Phone2 app is blocked in Thailand or not? If not blocked, there is no problem installing before paying for the service.

I see Phone2: Business, from Phone2 inc. 

 

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I see Phone2: Business, from Phone2 inc. 

 

Yes. Can you install it though?

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes. Can you install it though?

yes

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

yes

Thanks.

That's good news.

For me, IF I go with them, that means if the web app doesn't work for me for some reason, at least there would be another option.

[jmd8800]

35 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Another maybe dumb question.

Can you use the cell of a friend or the relative in the US and just tell them when to expect a code so they can send it to you?

I recall hearing that the name associated with the phone must match. 

Yes.... Maybe .... No. It all depends on the company/bank sending the 2FA. If the bank cares to know then they can see exactly where that 2FA code was received. If the code goes to USA and you use it in Thailand they know ....if they want to know and many don't.

 

But as always everything is ok until its not.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, jmd8800 said:

Yes.... Maybe .... No. It all depends on the company/bank sending the 2FA. If the bank cares to know then they can see exactly where that 2FA code was received. If the code goes to USA and you use it in Thailand they know ....if they want to know and many don't.

 

But as always everything is ok until its not.

Thanks.

I have a way to login to my accounts in the US without VPN though. Teamviewer.

[jmd8800]

A few years ago when Capital One started requiring a 2FA via text I got a Line 2 account. That worked for about 2 years, and then Capital One stopped allowing that number. I did my banking by phone until I got to the USA and got a cell phone number from one of the cheaper companies. I asked the sales people if this number would work with banking 2FA and they said yes and of course it didn't. So I got a mainstream number and just pay the monthly fee. I spend a bit of time in the USA so its not all wasted money and I have a stable phone number. I have 2 phones. One USA and one TH

 

Fast-forward. On one trip to the USA I downloaded the Capital One cell phone app and installed it. Now I can choose to send a text to the cell number or use that app as 2FA. Maybe other banks have that as an option.

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, jmd8800 said:

A few years ago when Capital One started requiring a 2FA via text I got a Line 2 account. That worked for about 2 years, and then Capital One stopped allowing that number. I did my banking by phone until I got to the USA and got a cell phone number from one of the cheaper companies. I asked the sales people if this number would work with banking 2FA and they said yes and of course it didn't. So I got a mainstream number and just pay the monthly fee. I spend a bit of time in the USA so its not all wasted money and I have a stable phone number. I have 2 phones. One USA and one TH

 

Fast-forward. On one trip to the USA I downloaded the Capital One cell phone app and installed it. Now I can choose to send a text to the cell number or use that app as 2FA. Maybe other banks have that as an option.

Yeah, of course for those that travel to the US especially frequently there are a lot more options.

I was attracted to the 2phone thing as it's possibly a solution for those of us who don't travel there often or ever.