Need US phone number

Another one in same boat here!
I really need a US phone number to which my bank can send a text for 2FA purposes, or even a voice call will do.

I was looking at Tello yesterday, but I found it very confusing. I'm looking for something desktop, and Tello seemed to be more like "sign up and we'll mail you a SiM card for your phone", and at that they wanted me to check my phone for some tech spec compatibility that I didn't understand. I saw no way to get a US phone number, or any sign of a desktop version. I could install an app on my phone if I have to. I'm good to very good with a PC, but my knowledge of Mobile devices is not that great.

Anyhow, I didn't see any way to get a US phone number out of Tello, given that I'm in Argentina now. Of course, I may have simply misunderstood, or failed to look in the right place.

AHHHHHH! I'm so confused....
 
Redpossum said:
I was looking at Tello yesterday, but I found it very confusing. I'm looking for something desktop ...
Click to expand...
We had a discussion about it here.

Basically, Tello offers voice-over-WiFi service that works anywhere. As long as your phone is connected to WiFi, you should be able to make calls and send/receive SMS using the minutes and texts from your plan.

When you sign up for the service, you get a U.S. phone number. This is a real U.S. mobile number, not a VoIP number, and it works for 2FA and receiving SMS from banks.

If your phone supports eSIM, you can directly activate the service from abroad.

If it doesn’t, I believe the easiest way would be to ask a friend in the U.S. to activate the service and send you the physical SIM card.

Voice-over-WiFi is pretty common these days. However, other companies tend to disconnect phone service if they determine it’s being used primarily from abroad. Tello positions itself as an expat-friendly option.
 
I switched to Viber out for $1.99 a month for unlimited calls to the USA...works perfectly. This is only to make calls to the USA. If you need to receive calls it's a whole other story. The service that I use that works with every bank, brokerage and the USA government verification systems is Mint Mobile for $15 a month. VOIP services do not work with every financial company and do not work with the US government verification systems like for social security. PM me if you want more details. If however you only want VOIP services I use callcentric and have for almost 2 decades. You can get calls to you for $1.99 a month and add a dollar more to get sms text. Use this if you are sure they accept VOIP and don't require a real mobile line.
I've spent over many years, much research and have gone through many companies that never actually worked... getting this right is truly important.
 
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