10 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

Can purchase a USA phone number through the Numero app at €18 a year and can receive unlimited incoming SMS messages from banks and financial institutions in the USA. The messages with the codes come right into the app on your smartphone.

I use Fanytel and half the time it tells me that it's not a legitimate number but rather a virtual number and the text cannot be sent. Does that ever happen to you with Número? I am looking for a more dependable alternative.

26 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I use Fanytel and half the time it tells me that it's not a legitimate number but rather a virtual number and the text cannot be sent. Does that ever happen to you with Número? I am looking for a more dependable alternative.

I've never had an issue where the financial institution has told me that the text can't be sent to a Numero number after the number was already added to my account. I've only had difficulty adding the Numero number to a financial institution once or twice, because their system flagged the number when trying to add the number to my account online, but then I called and spoke with them over the phone and had them add the number manually to my account. Then, after that, it worked without any problems receiving the codes every time.

These are all examples of codes I received through my Numero number in the past. You can see the various institutions that it works with. The codes below are from two different places within the app. Sometimes they show in the Notifications Center, sometimes in the Messages area, and sometimes in both. But they always show in at least one of those two places.

6 hours ago, Ricohoc said:

I can only go by what Tello agents were repeatedly adamant about. They refused to acknowledge any other way, so I left it behind with no regrets.

If you want a real USA number eSIM, my understanding is the Ultra Mobile PayGo plan ($3/month) costs less than Tello and provides a genuine US cellular number on the T-Mobile network (non-VoIP), ensuring OTP text authentication codes from major US banks are never blocked.

The plan includes 100 SMS messages, 100 minutes, and 100 MB of data per month.

Because it operates as a standard cellular line rather than a virtual service, it avoids any possible security rejections of VoIP numbers.

To set it up abroad, purchase an activation code online, complete setup via their portal (paygo.ultra.me/activate), and install the eSIM profile directly onto your device.

Log into your online account settings to register a US E911 address, which enables global Wi-Fi Calling. Once configured, incoming 2FA texts deliver over Wi-Fi to your cell phone anywhere in the world without incurring any international roaming fees.

Unlike many international telecom providers, standard prepaid U.S. carriers like Ultra Mobile do not require identity verification, passport scans, or government identification to purchase or activate a line.

During activation, you only need to provide a name, email address, payment method (credit/debit card), a U.S. billing zip code (used to assign your local phone number), and a U.S. address for E911 Wi-Fi Calling registration.

1 hour ago, FriscoKid said:

If you want a real USA number eSIM, my understanding is the Ultra Mobile PayGo plan ($3/month) costs less than Tello and provides a genuine US cellular number on the T-Mobile network (non-VoIP), ensuring OTP text authentication codes from major US banks are never blocked.

The plan includes 100 SMS messages, 100 minutes, and 100 MB of data per month.

Because it operates as a standard cellular line rather than a virtual service, it avoids any possible security rejections of VoIP numbers.

To set it up abroad, purchase an activation code online, complete setup via their portal (paygo.ultra.me/activate), and install the eSIM profile directly onto your device.

Log into your online account settings to register a US E911 address, which enables global Wi-Fi Calling. Once configured, incoming 2FA texts deliver over Wi-Fi to your cell phone anywhere in the world without incurring any international roaming fees.

Unlike many international telecom providers, standard prepaid U.S. carriers like Ultra Mobile do not require identity verification, passport scans, or government identification to purchase or activate a line.

During activation, you only need to provide a name, email address, payment method (credit/debit card), a U.S. billing zip code (used to assign your local phone number), and a U.S. address for E911 Wi-Fi Calling registration.

Appreciate that info. I'll check it out.

4 hours ago, Ricohoc said:

Appreciate that info. I'll check it out.

Your welcome. I just ordered an Ultra Mobile SIM. I realized you have to order it from their official eBay store rather than from their own website. They send you a physical SIM first, then once you receive it you can convert it to an eSIM or use the physical SIM if you like. It costs $13 for the SIM and $17 to ship it to Thailand.

Once it arrives, you activate it through their website using the link I provided above. So you do not have to be in the US for activation. After that it is only $3 a month.

The main reason I decided to go for it is because it includes 100 calling minutes to US numbers every month, which would be useful and makes the $3 monthly fee worth it. You can also purchase more minutes for $0.03 a minute. That's nearly like the old Skype rates. If it works well, I will probably get rid of my US Numero number too.

I can confirm that Schwab sent a text message to my new SlyNumber phone number so that is good. Yet another hoop to jump through.

On 7/25/2026 at 7:47 AM, FriscoKid said:

Can purchase a USA phone number through the Numero app at €18 a year and can receive unlimited incoming SMS messages from banks and financial institutions in the USA. The messages with the codes come right into the app on your smartphone.

I looked into it and very poor reviews on the Play Store. So apparently a lot of people are not having success with this app. Perhaps it depends on what country you're in.

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I looked into it and very poor reviews on the Play Store. So apparently a lot of people are not having success with this app. Perhaps it depends on what country you're in.

On the Play Store I see over 140,000 reviews with an average review score of 4.3 out of 5. Also, the app has had over 10 million downloads. I wouldn't consider that to be an app that isn't a good performer. And I don't see how country makes a difference. The app works purely over Wi-Fi. It's using VoIP technology. So there are no cell signals or cell towers involved.

9 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

To set it up abroad, purchase an activation code online, complete setup via their portal (paygo.ultra.me/activate), and install the eSIM profile directly onto your device.

Have you activated a Pay/Go number without having connected to a mobile data network inside USA?

How do you purchase 'an activation code online'? Do you mean add money to your Pay/Go balance?

Previous information about sim activation indicated it must be done in USA. I got mine set up about 2 years ago thanks to a friend in US who then mailed me the sim card. I also had to activate my account online but that did not make the sim useable.

Edited Sunday at 03:14 AM5 days by gamb00ler

4 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

The main reason I decided to go for it is because it includes 100 calling minutes to US numbers every month, which would be useful and makes the $3 monthly fee worth it. You can also purchase more minutes for $0.03 a minute. That's nearly like the old Skype rates. If it works well, I will probably get rid of my US Numero number too.

With this, you can receive calls from the US as well?

Edited Sunday at 04:31 AM5 days by wimpy

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

Previous information about sim activation indicated it must be done in USA. I got mine set up about 2 years ago thanks to a friend in US who then mailed me the sim card. I also had to activate my account online but that did not make the sim useabe

I'm going to buy from a seller that will activate in the US prior to shipping. He says I could activate it abroad if I wanted to.

3 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

On the Play Store I see over 140,000 reviews with an average review score of 4.3 out of 5. Also, the app has had over 10 million downloads. I wouldn't consider that to be an app that isn't a good performer. And I don't see how country makes a difference. The app works purely over Wi-Fi. It's using VoIP technology. So there are no cell signals or cell towers involved.

I purchased the app, and a number and some credit, and I've spent the last 5 hours trying to sort it out. I sent an SMS to a friend who never received it, he sent one to me that never came through, I tried calling him and couldn't get through, he tried calling me and couldn't get through.

I've had multiple support tickets already and multiple emails back and forth and even a phone call from the company which is the only call that's come through so far on this app.

About $40 spent and 5 hours of my life no thank you Numero.

Edited Sunday at 06:18 AM5 days by spidermike007

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I purchased the app, and a number and some credit, and I've spent the last 5 hours trying to sort it out. I sent an SMS to a friend who never received it, he sent one to me that never came through, I tried calling him and couldn't get through, he tried calling me and couldn't get through.

I've had multiple support tickets already and multiple emails back and forth and even a phone call from the company which is the only call that's come through so far on this app.

About $40 spent and 5 hours of my life no thank you Numero.

Yup, same with me. And now I have to figure out how to cancel the autopayment for Numero in a year. SlyNumber worked much better.

21 hours ago, Ricohoc said:

I can only go by what Tello agents were repeatedly adamant about. They refused to acknowledge any other way, so I left it behind with no regrets.

I recall a friend of mine getting his Tello eSIM activated while in Thailand, probably by the enabled wi-fi calling method. It's certainly cheaper than Mint that I am in the process of dumping. I want to port my Mint # to Tello which looks do-able on paper, providing they haven't changed the procedures from a few months back.

1 hour ago, eddyod said:

Yup, same with me. And now I have to figure out how to cancel the autopayment for Numero in a year. SlyNumber worked much better.

I already canceled the auto payment renewal via the message that I got from Google confirming my Google Play payment. But I've not had any success yet getting a refund on either the credit or the the number.

I will give numeral another day to refund my money and after that it will be a very nasty social media campaign and very poor reviews.

1 hour ago, eddyod said:

Yup, same with me. And now I have to figure out how to cancel the autopayment for Numero in a year. SlyNumber worked much better.

Does SlyNumber offer a dedicated Us number and does it work for both calls and texting incoming and outgoing?

8 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

Have you activated a Pay/Go number without having connected to a mobile data network inside USA?

How do you purchase 'an activation code online'? Do you mean add money to your Pay/Go balance?

Previous information about sim activation indicated it must be done in USA. I got mine set up about 2 years ago thanks to a friend in US who then mailed me the sim card. I also had to activate my account online but that did not make the sim useable.

I actually just ordered my Ultra Mobile PayGo SIM kit myself and am waiting for it to arrive, so I haven’t completed the physical setup yet. Based on how Ultra Mobile works, here’s my understanding:

1. Activation Code vs. Balance: The activation code, or ACT code, is not something you purchase digitally. It is the 11 digit code printed on the physical SIM card packaging that comes with your SIM kit. See the graphic below.

2. Activating from Overseas: My understanding is that you do not need to be physically in the United States. You can activate the line through a web browser at paygo.ultra.me/activate from anywhere in the world using a local WiFi connection.

3. Using the SIM Abroad: After online activation, the SIM will not connect to a mobile network in Thailand unless you have added a roaming credit to the account, since the standard $3 per month plan is intended for domestic use only. However, you can still use the line overseas for WiFi Calling and SMS messages over WiFi without roaming enabled. To do that, set a United States emergency address in your Ultra Mobile online account, then enable WiFi Calling in your phone’s settings for the Ultra Mobile SIM. Once configured, calls and text messages are routed over WiFi, so they do not require a connection to a United States cellular network.

5 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

Once configured, calls and text messages are routed over WiFi, so they do not require a connection to a United States cellular network.

Does this apply to incoming calls as well as outgoing?

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I purchased the app, and a number and some credit, and I've spent the last 5 hours trying to sort it out. I sent an SMS to a friend who never received it, he sent one to me that never came through, I tried calling him and couldn't get through, he tried calling me and couldn't get through.

I've had multiple support tickets already and multiple emails back and forth and even a phone call from the company which is the only call that's come through so far on this app.

About $40 spent and 5 hours of my life no thank you Numero.

Sorry to hear you had that experience and wasted so much time dealing with it. I honestly don’t know what to say because I haven’t run into any of those issues. I’m using it on an iPhone rather than Android, although I wouldn’t expect that to make a difference.

Quick question. Are you using a VPN on your phone? If so, try turning it off and see if that helps.

I actually have two numbers, one from the US and one from the UK. A couple of times I added a one month calling plan to each so I could make calls to those countries for a month. Everything worked fine until I used up the call credits. Other than that, I really haven’t had any problems. Calls, text messages, everything has worked as expected. I wish your experience had been the same.

Do you have another phone you could test with the same account? Also, since you’ve had multiple support tickets with them, have they acknowledged there’s a problem or given you any troubleshooting steps? I’m curious whether they’ve provided any answers that might help explain or resolve the issue.

I also posted screenshots above showing text messages I’ve received from several financial institutions in their app, and you can see everything has worked normally for me.

Hopefully they figure out what’s causing the problem and get it working for you. Also, I believe that when you pay for a US number for one year, you also get 3,000 free incoming call minutes to use during that year. So you shouldn’t need a calling plan just to receive calls.

By the way, as I mentioned in some of my other posts, I just ordered an Ultra Mobile SIM from them on eBay. Hopefully it arrives within a couple of weeks. I’ll post an update to let everyone know how it goes. I’m assuming activation from overseas shouldn’t be an issue since I ordered it directly from Ultra Mobile, and they ship SIM cards to Thailand. I can’t imagine they’d offer international shipping if you had to be physically in the US to activate it.

2 minutes ago, wimpy said:

Does this apply to incoming calls as well as outgoing?

Yes, it should work the same with both incoming and outgoing. But incoming calls will have the same per minute usage cost too I believe.

4 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

Yes, it should work the same with both incoming and outgoing. But incoming calls will have the same per minute usage cost too I believe.

Cool. Hoping I can cancel my MagicJack if this thing works for incoming calls as well.

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I recall a friend of mine getting his Tello eSIM activated while in Thailand, probably by the enabled wi-fi calling method. It's certainly cheaper than Mint that I am in the process of dumping. I want to port my Mint # to Tello which looks do-able on paper, providing they haven't changed the procedures from a few months back.

Just confirmed that my friend did set up his Tello eSIM successfully while here in Thailand, and the first step is to have wi-fi calling enabled. No need for any VPN during the sign-up either.

28 minutes ago, wimpy said:

Cool. Hoping I can cancel my MagicJack if this thing works for incoming calls as well.

From Gemini:

Yes, Wi-Fi Calling applies to both incoming and outgoing calls on Ultra Mobile, as well as incoming and outgoing text messages (SMS).

When Wi-Fi Calling is enabled on your phone:

Incoming Calls & Texts: Anyone dialing your U.S. phone number will ring your phone directly over Wi-Fi, no matter where you are in the world.

Outgoing Calls & Texts: When you place a call or text back to a U.S. number, it routes over Wi-Fi as if you were standing inside the United States.

On the PayGo plan, both incoming and outgoing minutes/texts deduct directly from your monthly plan allowance (100 minutes / 100 texts per month) or your account wallet balance.

11 hours ago, wimpy said:

With this, you can receive calls from the US as well?

you can probably receive calls from anywhere... nothing special about phone calls that originate in USA.

Edited Sunday at 03:31 PM5 days by gamb00ler

Just get a plan that includes international WiFi calling. No roaming fees, and calls/texts still go through your cell provider as if you are connecting to their towers back home, so they pass all the verification tests. Usually no need for a premium plan of any kind either. My cell provider includes it on their cheapest most basic plan.

Edited Sunday at 10:46 PM5 days by shdmn

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I recall a friend of mine getting his Tello eSIM activated while in Thailand, probably by the enabled wi-fi calling method. It's certainly cheaper than Mint that I am in the process of dumping. I want to port my Mint # to Tello which looks do-able on paper, providing they haven't changed the procedures from a few months back.

Not saying it's wrong. I just wonder why Tello agents (several) have been so adamant about it being impossible to do. They're turning away potential customers if what your friend was able to do is true.

2 hours ago, Ricohoc said:

Not saying it's wrong. I just wonder why Tello agents (several) have been so adamant about it being impossible to do. They're turning away potential customers if what your friend was able to do is true.

With most US carriers that sell SIM cards, requiring activation in the US appears to be a risk management policy intended to reduce fraud and abuse. From what I’ve read, WiFi activation often works from anywhere in the world with most of these carriers, but customer service representatives still have to follow the official policy when asked about activating overseas.

+++****---------------------------------------

On 7/27/2026 at 7:05 AM, Ricohoc said:

Not saying it's wrong. I just wonder why Tello agents (several) have been so adamant about it being impossible to do. They're turning away potential customers if what your friend was able to do is true.

When I was looking at Tello, Gemini was telling me it was possible to activate from Thailand. I then double checked with Grok, which said Gemini's info was out of date. Gemini subsequently agreed with Grok.