How to receive SMS while abroad

[Jaala]

I need to be able to receive SMS messages and/or phone calls to my Canadian phone number while I am in New Zealand.

Are there any options/solutions?

[Luddite]

@NDesai   FYI: If you activate call forwarding to Fongo/TextNow before leaving home, call forwarding will work even if the phone is off or SIM removed. Of course, the account must remain active.

[Jaala]

Thank you all for your time and advice. Unfortunately none of these options will work for me.

I'm going to try calling the bank again to see if I can get someone more accommodating on the phone who is willing to do a workaround for me.

[dust2dust]

@walker1- I described the workaround. Forwarding worked for me. Albeit on one login 2FA verification. The OP would need to decide if all that fiddling would be worth it.

[walker1]

@dust2dust 

Yes, I meant direct to the VoIP app phone number, cus the OP said their already in NZ.  So the forwarding thing is no good to them anyway now.  And the OP might try to get a VoIP app number now, thinking it'll work, but it probably won't. Waste of time now.

[softech]

Look like no one here suggested to use VoIP app to receive the 2FA text directly

But,  note VoIP app can be used to receive 2FA via voice calls

[dust2dust]

@walker1- If you mean direct to the voip app I think you're correct. But I tested the forwarding idea to a voip app and short code texts forwarded.

[walker1]

Sorry but most VoIP app phone numbers don't allow or offer short texts for 2FA texts. It's just the way it is.

[dust2dust]

How much fiddling do you want to do? Get a trusted someone to buy a sim and give you the number. Hopefully you can access your registered email somehow. Login and change the sim to the new card. Get the friend to insert the sim in some phone. Then you install a voip app like textnow that does talk and text. Then they can install a text forwarding app and set it to forward to your textnow number. While they're there, they can forward calls to your textnow number.

Finally, they can leave the phone plugged in to a timer to let it use battery some of the time and charge the other time.

When you connect to the internet textnow will receive forwarded items.

[softech]

@Jaala   which bank?  Bank usually have option to change to Authenticator app

Call them and ask them what other options you have .  You can make free calls back to Canada using VoIP app like TextNow or Fongo  🙂

[Jaala]

I guess I am hooped then, cause I'm already in NZ with my Canada phone.

I thought I had set up all my apps to have alternative 2-factor authentication methods, but I'm having problems with one of my bank apps and they have no solutions for me if I cannot receive SMS or a phone call to my Canada phone.

[BKNS27]

@Jaala 

If you have WhatsApp app in your phone, calling and texting is free through wifi if both parties have this app.

If you don’t want to use wifi then you need a local SIM that have service to Canada.

[dust2dust]

Or a text forwarding app that would need the account sim in a phone and on. If you have the sim with you then it all becomes rather more complicated but not impossible.

[softech]

@Jaala No, you can't. 

In order to receive text, you need to have roaming service but PM does not offer roaming other than in USA

The only workaround is to install some sms forwarding tools on your phone, then forward the text to some VoIP app using the app.  In order for it to work, your phone needs to stay in Canada and connected to the power outlet at all time.  We can discuss that further if you are going with that

But what important text you are waiting for ?  If 2FA text, do you have the option to change to Authenticator app or phone calls?  if so, you can have it changed before the trip

[cellphoneuser1]

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@Jaala wrote:

I need to be able to receive SMS messages and/or phone calls to my Canadian phone number while I am in New Zealand.

Are there any options/solutions?

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Leave your phone in Canada. Have someone tell you when you get text messages.

[NDesai · Accepted solution]

@Jaala Only way that would be possible is to leave your phone/sim at home connected to PM network. Calls can be forwarded to a VoIP service like Fongo, and texting can be accessed online using web messages if you use Google Messages or other services like MightyText. 

[JK8]

@Jaala 

PM only works while you are in Canada or the US with roaming add ons.