# US CREDIT CARDS AND BANK BUT ONLY MexicanCell phones



## Nifcam (5 mo ago)

How do expats in Mexico deal with transactions that require a security message? We don’t have a US cell phone and our banks and credit cards don’t accept Mexican cell phones. Suggestions please.


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## Moulard (Feb 3, 2017)

While some banks do not have the front end capacity for a customer to enter a non-US phone number, if you call them you may find that their support team will have the ability to add a foreign number.

I have been using an Australian number with my US bank accounts for a decade. Had to call them and they configured it for me. Admittedly not for credit card transactions (no longer have a US credit card) but as 2FA when logging into my accounts.

At the very least it may be worth a call to your bank.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I'm afraid my solution has been to keep a US cell phone number, which costs me $55/month. 

Note that the problems you're running into will not just be with 2FA at the bank.

If you get a card from the bank and want to buy anything online from a US web site, they'll want the phone number that is on the card, and the merchant's form very well may not allow a non-US phone number. 

At first I was keeping one-toe in the US by keeping a US mailing address and phone number in case I decided after a few years I wanted to move back. But there are so many cases where I hit a requirement for a US mailing address and phone number that I've kept paying for my US presence as the years went by and I settled more permanently here.

So I pay around $900 per year to maintain a US virtual presence. Just the cost of being an expat, you save that back in any number of ways with mexico's lower cost of living. Depending on how my health goes, I may eventually have to move back whether I really want to or not, and I'll be glad I kept the phone number, mailing address and bank accounts if that happens.

So I would recommend keeping your US phone at least at first until you're more settled and then decide. Maybe you can do without it better than I can, but don't burn down the bridge until you're sure you won't need it ever again.


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## dvinton (Mar 8, 2019)

Take a look at Google Voice and TextNow. You can establish a US number that accepts SMS messages that are forwarded to your email address.


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## louiedepalma (10 mo ago)

Magic jack. It has an app for your cell phone that can receive texts from your US magic jack phone number. Cost around $50 a year.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

dvinton said:


> Take a look at Google Voice and TextNow. You can establish a US number that accepts SMS messages that are forwarded to your email address.


Before trying TextNow, read some reviews from current and former users, not just the magazine reviews.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Yeah, I thought someone I know tried Magic Jack and couldn't get it to work with BAC texts. But I could be mis-remembering. Something about it would forward voice calls but not the text messages? Or at least not bank text messages?


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## louiedepalma (10 mo ago)

It will forward texts and sms messages. It will most likely not forward images sent via text (I don't see how it would be possible but never tried).

You have to configure your phone in order for it to work properly with the magic jack app being the default messenger and that is the key. It is best to have a dedicated separate phone for this purpose that only uses a wifi (internet) connection with no sim card inside. And use a fairly new phone (Samsung S9 or up) so there are no problems with the app and current version of android.

Never tried it with the iphone it most likely works fine but I only use android.


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