On 7/25/2026 at 3:34 AM, kimothai said:

Since having a real USA number, I never get denied because I can always verify an OTP. It's not just about credit cards; it's also about banking. I maintain multiple accounts because as banking rules change in the USA the person who usually comes out on the short end of the stick is the person with a foreign address. I like to keep backup accounts (actually, I keep backup to the backups) because all my incomes are via auto deposit. You are right in that it is cheaper to just call the financial institution to get the problem sorted, but I prefer to keep things simple and not have to do all that. I've seen multiple threads on this same topic where people are trying to use VOIP connections or other methods (that are inexpensive), and all seem to have drawbacks of one type or another (when dealing with financials). Even though I only go back to USA occasionally, it is nice being connected (with data) when I land at the airport. For me, the cost (which may be prohibitive for some) dwarfs the convenience of having a real number.

Agree completely. I use Ultra Mobile at a cost of $13.00/mo maybe a bit more. It's nice to maintain a US number for friends and family, but most importantly keeping an open line of communication for business. In Thailand I use wifi calling for international calls and is included in monthly fee.

As you stated my phone is ready to go when I hit US soil, I can order extra data, 8 gb costs like $20.00 For me ultra mobile works great and the money I spend is well worth it.

On 7/26/2026 at 7:43 PM, FriscoKid said:

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.

My Ultra Mobile sim was sent my US address and had to be activated in the US. While not for everyone, this service works great. Phone compatibility is an issue. You need a newer phone for this service.

I was able to transfer my old Mobile number to my new Ultra account

Edited August 20Aug 20 by EVENKEEL

38 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

My Ultra Mobile sim was sent my US address and had to be activated in the US. While not for everyone, this service works great. Phone compatibility is an issue. You need a newer phone for this service.

I was able to transfer my old Mobile number to my new Ultra account

Yes, so far so good. No problems at all.

I think they have different types of SIM card plans. What I bought was a PayGo SIM. You can purchase it directly from Ultra Mobile through their eBay account, and they will ship it to Thailand, as well as many other countries.

To activate the SIM from anywhere in the world, enter the 11-digit Activation Code (Act Code) printed on the back of the physical SIM card at https://paygo.ultra.me/activate.

NOTE: The Activation Code will show as invalid on the Ultra Mobile website if you are connected to a VPN. However, there is no problem activating it from a normal Thai internet connection using a local Thai IP address. You do not need to be in the USA or have a US IP address to activate it online.

I chose to get a new phone number, and it issued one immediately during the activation process on their website. Once the SIM was fully activated online, I inserted it into a five-year-old iPhone, went to the Cellular settings, and enabled Wi-Fi Calling for the SIM. That’s it. It started working immediately.

I then used the Ultra Mobile app to convert the physical SIM to an eSIM. Once you convert it to an eSIM, the physical SIM can no longer be used. I didn’t want to keep using their physical SIM though because I need the SIM slot in my phone for my Thai SIM card.

The service costs $3 per month and includes 100 calling minutes and 100 SMS messages. You must pay the $3 monthly fee to keep the SIM active.

You can simply add $20 to your Ultra Mobile PayGo wallet through the app using your debit card or credit card, then turn on Auto Renew in the app. That will cover approximately six months of service. I mainly got it for receiving text messages so I doubt I'll go above the standard $3 a month Service charge.

2 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

Yes, so far so good. No problems at all.

I think they have different types of SIM card plans. What I bought was a PayGo SIM. You can purchase it directly from Ultra Mobile through their eBay account, and they will ship it to Thailand, as well as many other countries.

To activate the SIM from anywhere in the world, enter the 11-digit Activation Code (Act Code) printed on the back of the physical SIM card at https://paygo.ultra.me/activate.

NOTE: The Activation Code will show as invalid on the Ultra Mobile website if you are connected to a VPN. However, there is no problem activating it from a normal Thai internet connection using a local Thai IP address. You do not need to be in the USA or have a US IP address to activate it online.

I chose to get a new phone number, and it issued one immediately during the activation process on their website. Once the SIM was fully activated online, I inserted it into a five-year-old iPhone, went to the Cellular settings, and enabled Wi-Fi Calling for the SIM. That’s it. It started working immediately.

I then used the Ultra Mobile app to convert the physical SIM to an eSIM. Once you convert it to an eSIM, the physical SIM can no longer be used. I didn’t want to keep using their physical SIM though because I need the SIM slot in my phone for my Thai SIM card.

The service costs $3 per month and includes 100 calling minutes and 100 SMS messages. You must pay the $3 monthly fee to keep the SIM active.

You can simply add $20 to your Ultra Mobile PayGo wallet through the app using your debit card or credit card, then turn on Auto Renew in the app. That will cover approximately six months of service. I mainly got it for receiving text messages so I doubt I'll go above the standard $3 a month Service charge.

I'm not real savvy on all this esim stuff so I went this route. But it's good.

2 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

Yes, so far so good. No problems at all.

I think they have different types of SIM card plans. What I bought was a PayGo SIM. You can purchase it directly from Ultra Mobile through their eBay account, and they will ship it to Thailand, as well as many other countries.

To activate the SIM from anywhere in the world, enter the 11-digit Activation Code (Act Code) printed on the back of the physical SIM card at https://paygo.ultra.me/activate.

NOTE: The Activation Code will show as invalid on the Ultra Mobile website if you are connected to a VPN. However, there is no problem activating it from a normal Thai internet connection using a local Thai IP address. You do not need to be in the USA or have a US IP address to activate it online.

I chose to get a new phone number, and it issued one immediately during the activation process on their website. Once the SIM was fully activated online, I inserted it into a five-year-old iPhone, went to the Cellular settings, and enabled Wi-Fi Calling for the SIM. That’s it. It started working immediately.

I then used the Ultra Mobile app to convert the physical SIM to an eSIM. Once you convert it to an eSIM, the physical SIM can no longer be used. I didn’t want to keep using their physical SIM though because I need the SIM slot in my phone for my Thai SIM card.

The service costs $3 per month and includes 100 calling minutes and 100 SMS messages. You must pay the $3 monthly fee to keep the SIM active.

You can simply add $20 to your Ultra Mobile PayGo wallet through the app using your debit card or credit card, then turn on Auto Renew in the app. That will cover approximately six months of service. I mainly got it for receiving text messages so I doubt I'll go above the standard $3 a month Service charge.

Includes wifi calling, i presume?

4 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I'm not real savvy on all this esim stuff so I went this route. But it's good.

The main reason to use an eSIM is that many modern smartphones, including newer iPhones, have only one physical SIM card slot. By adding an eSIM, you can have multiple phone lines running on the same device.

For example, many iPhones from the last 5–7 years can store multiple eSIMs, sometimes as many as 8 to 10. And then turn them on or off at will. Typically, you can have two SIMs active at the same time on a phone, either one physical SIM and one eSIM, or two eSIMs.

Once an eSIM is installed, you can usually switch it on or off in the phone’s settings. That’s why I converted the Ultra Mobile physical SIM to an eSIM after activating it. Now I can continue using my Thai physical SIM on the phone just as before while also having the Ultra Mobile SIM installed and active at the same time when I need it.

Had I not converted the physical SIM I received from Ultra Mobile into an eSIM, I would have needed a second phone just to occasionally use the Ultra Mobile SIM. As an eSIM, I can keep it on my existing phone and simply turn it off when I’m not using it, then turn it back on whenever I need to receive an OTP text message or make a call to the United States.

4 hours ago, TimBKK said:

Includes wifi calling, i presume?

Correct. Once the SIM is installed and activated on your phone, go to the cellular settings for that SIM and enable Wi-Fi Calling for the SIM. You can then use the included 100 minutes and 100 SMS messages per month to make and receive calls and texts to and from U.S. phone numbers as if you were making or receiving those calls from within the United States.

39 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

The main reason to use an eSIM is that many modern smartphones, including newer iPhones, have only one physical SIM card slot. By adding an eSIM, you can have multiple phone lines running on the same device.

For example, many iPhones from the last 5–7 years can store multiple eSIMs, sometimes as many as 8 to 10. And then turn them on or off at will. Typically, you can have two SIMs active at the same time on a phone, either one physical SIM and one eSIM, or two eSIMs.

Once an eSIM is installed, you can usually switch it on or off in the phone’s settings. That’s why I converted the Ultra Mobile physical SIM to an eSIM after activating it. Now I can continue using my Thai physical SIM on the phone just as before while also having the Ultra Mobile SIM installed and active at the same time when I need it.

Had I not converted the physical SIM I received from Ultra Mobile into an eSIM, I would have needed a second phone just to occasionally use the Ultra Mobile SIM. As an eSIM, I can keep it on my existing phone and simply turn it off when I’m not using it, then turn it back on whenever I need to receive an OTP text message or make a call to the United States.

I get it completely. I have 2 phones. I bought a 5K baht phone for Ultra sim. Then that phone wasn't compatible. So I had to use my good expensive phone for Ultra sim and the cheap phone for Thai sim.

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

I get it completely. I have 2 phones. I bought a 5K baht phone for Ultra sim. Then that phone wasn't compatible. So I had to use my good expensive phone for Ultra sim and the cheap phone for Thai sim.

If you’d like to go back to using just one phone, assuming your more expensive phone supports dual SIM and eSIMs, you could convert either your Ultra SIM or your Thai SIM to an eSIM. That way, you could have one number running on a physical SIM and the other as an eSIM and have them both running on the same phone.

1 hour ago, FriscoKid said:

If you’d like to go back to using just one phone, assuming your more expensive phone supports dual SIM and eSIMs, you could convert either your Ultra SIM or your Thai SIM to an eSIM. That way, you could have one number running on a physical SIM and the other as an eSIM and have them both running on the same phone.

My samsung ultra 21 only holds one sim. That's something to check on.

I use a dedicated US phone. Mint Mobile, works a treat.

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

My samsung ultra 21 only holds one sim. That's something to check on.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: 1 physical SIM + 1 eSIM can be active together at the same time, and up to 5 different eSIM profiles can be stored on the phone in total.

So, you could convert the Ultra Mobile SIM to an eSIM (steps below), or you could take your passport and phone to your nearest service center for your Thai mobile carrier and ask them to convert your physical Thai SIM to an eSIM. Just hand them your phone, and they’ll do it for you.

If you want to convert the Ultra Mobile physical SIM to an eSIM, install the Ultra Mobile app on your phone and log in:

1. Tap Account on the bottom menu.

2. Tap Order Replacement SIM.

3. Follow the steps to convert and install the physical SIM as an eSIM.

Edited August 20Aug 20 by FriscoKid

9 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

My samsung ultra 21 only holds one sim. That's something to check on.

I think the easiest thing to do would be to go into the Ultra Mobile app on your Samsung phone, convert the existing physical SIM to an eSIM, and install it through the app. Then remove the Ultra SIM from the Samsung phone and put in the Thai SIM. Once that’s done, you’re all set. Then you have both numbers working on the same phone.

It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And if you change devices again in the future, no problem, you can just install the Ultra Mobile app on the new device, install a new eSIM, and you’re good to go. I believe they allow you to install the eSIM up to five times before they start charging a small fee.

2 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

I think the easiest thing to do would be to go into the Ultra Mobile app on your Samsung phone, convert the existing physical SIM to an eSIM, and install it through the app. Then remove the Ultra SIM from the Samsung phone and put in the Thai SIM. Once that’s done, you’re all set. Then you have both numbers working on the same phone.

It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And if you change devices again in the future, no problem, you can just install the Ultra Mobile app on the new device, install a new eSIM, and you’re good to go. I believe they allow you to install the eSIM up to five times before they start charging a small fee.

Excellent idea. It would solve the whole 2 phone dilemma. I'll look into it