cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

International Roaming or atleast ability to forward SMS to email

joelmine
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

HI, Is Internation Roaming coming to public mobile anytime soon ? If its not then this is a major issue as i see and most people will leave PM. Atleast people who travel outside the US and Canada. The reason is most banks and other institutions use your mobile number as a way of 2 factor authentication. THey send you a code to yoru mobile to login to their services. And this is increasing even more for security reasons. So everytime we travel out we can keep changing our numbers on Multiple sites and services. I just realized this the last time i was out a month back and i could not login to 2 very important bank accounts until i got back to Canada. 

 

I might be moving to chatr .. as Chatr has the same plan as PM and with Roaming. So i can receive text messages anywhere in the world totally free. 

 

If PM cannot give us Internation Roaming they should atleast have the ability to forward text to email or receive it on an app. 

14 REPLIES 14

@srlawren   TBH I haven't really explored how easily they could be applied or work..hopefully someone might be able to try out your suggestions and see how well they work.  I personally had to set up notices to email but it wasn't practical for all my notices.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@dabr wrote:

@srlawren   just 'hopeful'...definitely not holding my breath.  It was something I missed after moving from another company, but I don't miss the higher prices so will stay for now.


@dabr @joelmine I wonder, as a workaround, could you temporarily disable 2FA on your accounts before travelling, and re-enable once you've come home? I realize this would be a pain.  Maybe build a list of services that you 1) use SMS 1FA with and 2) would want access to while travelling and then reference that before and after your international trips?  This is all I can suggest as a workaround at this point.  Or, as @dabr alluded to, pay more to go with a service that gives you a signal and free incoming SMS whilst travelling internationally.


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

@srlawren   just 'hopeful'...definitely not holding my breath.  It was something I missed after moving from another company, but I don't miss the higher prices so will stay for now.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@dabr wrote:

I agree it would be great to at least have incoming sms whilst abroad especially since a lot of people rely upon text notices from their credit/bank accounts for billing etc...hopefully it may happen in the future but doesn't seem likely right now.

@dabr I'd advise you not to hold your breath while waiting for this....


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

I agree it would be great to at least have incoming sms whilst abroad especially since a lot of people rely upon text notices from their credit/bank accounts for billing etc...hopefully it may happen in the future but doesn't seem likely right now.
@joelmine wrote:

HI, Is Internation Roaming coming to public mobile anytime soon ? If its not then this is a major issue as i see and most people will leave PM. Atleast people who travel outside the US and Canada. The reason is most banks and other institutions use your mobile number as a way of 2 factor authentication. THey send you a code to yoru mobile to login to their services. And this is increasing even more for security reasons. So everytime we travel out we can keep changing our numbers on Multiple sites and services. I just realized this the last time i was out a month back and i could not login to 2 very important bank accounts until i got back to Canada. 

 

I might be moving to chatr .. as Chatr has the same plan as PM and with Roaming. So i can receive text messages anywhere in the world totally free. 

 

If PM cannot give us Internation Roaming they should atleast have the ability to forward text to email or receive it on an app. 


 

joelmine
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@stonechucker ..  I am not designing these solutions for 2FA. None of the big banks in canada have multiple options for 2FA. They all have just SMS. Also, Many other companys too dont offer multiple options. I know what you are saying. I have also setup multiple options with Gmail etc but some companies dont offer it and there is nother i can do except to get Int roaming. I cannot tell the banks and other institutions to implement multiple options. 

The idea of having a 2FA setup, without multiple 2nd FA options is ridiculous.

 

I've used a service, G Suite I believe, to give me the ability to have  SMS, an Authenticator (Google App), and emergency pre-printed codes of many characters to use as an option when 1 of the others isn't available.

 

If you can't have a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th option, why are you authorize 2FA in the first place?

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@joelmine wrote:

@srlawren  no my services dont offer an authenticator option. Its only sms. For eg take the top 5 banks of canada. Like TD for eg. They offer only text as 2 factor authentication. I also have a bank account in another country and other services too that offer text. Even i was hoping they would have an option to use an authenticator but looks like no. 


@joelmine this is indeed unfortunate.  😞


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

joelmine
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@srlawren  no my services dont offer an authenticator option. Its only sms. For eg take the top 5 banks of canada. Like TD for eg. They offer only text as 2 factor authentication. I also have a bank account in another country and other services too that offer text. Even i was hoping they would have an option to use an authenticator but looks like no. 

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@slash407 wrote:

i think u can forward under ur text setting on ur phone too, try it, i know my phone had it before


@slash407 to the best of my knowledge, there are no phones that have settings for forwarding text messages.  There are apps that can do that, if you have a spare Android phone and don't mind leaving it somewhere in Canada (where it can get a signal) with your PM SIM card and plugged into a power outlet (since a single battery charge will rarely last the length of a trip).  But nothing built into either OS, that I'm aware of.  I supposed it's possible an Android OEM has built something into their version of Android.  Could you please find an example and link it here or share a photo or something?


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@FBR wrote:

When public mobile first started they didn't even have US roaming.  So never say never to international roaming in the future... 


@FBR true, but also I highly recommend against holding your breath while you wait!

 

@joelmine do any of your accounts offer up something other than SMS for 2FA/MFA?  For example, Google Authenticator is awesome and doesn't depend on your ability to receive a text message.  (If you're going GA thought, definitely check out Authy as an alternate GA app.  I can tell you more if your'e interested.)  Or perhaps some other means like emailing you a 2FA code instead of texting, thus you could at least receive it over WiFi (or via mobile data on an overseas SIM card)


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

FBR
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

When public mobile first started they didn't even have US roaming.  So never say never to international roaming in the future... 

RobertQc
Mayor / Maire

Most people just buy a internation roaming sim card as its the cheapest option even when comparing with their existing provider.

 

People who do international roaming often Public mobile may not be the best fit.

 

Public mobile has great US roaming, but thats where it *currently* ends.

 

*(Edit, currently ((FOR NOW) who knows the future. I didn't mean it as they will never.

 

 

hairbag1
Mayor / Maire

Need Help? Let's chat.