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Need 2FA overseas without roaming

DitchingCorpora
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

I am getting conflicting info when I search,   But here is what I am trying to do for living overseas. 

 

Have a current long time Fido number that is used by my banks, taxes etc etc that uses 2FA which I hate but can't avoid.   

I will keep my existing iPhone, use a local SE Asia SIM card.    I need to receive two factor authentication so I don't get blocked from banking etc.    How can this be done?   I don't want to keep the SIM card in my phone as I will have a local Asian SIM card , but do have a second iPhone I can use for this if needed.   

Is there a solution? Ie: receive sms (short code I believe ) and calls on wifi/data on a Asian SIM card?   

7 REPLIES 7

Cawtau
Senior MVP Senior MVP
Senior MVP

Hello DitchingCorpora,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  What type of plan do you have -- pre-paid or post-paid? When you went abroad, did you request a temporary suspension on the line? Fido does offer a temporary suspension for a reduced fee on eligible lines. However, you would not be able to use any services with a suspended line. If you wished to receive SMS with your Fido SIM, your line would need to be active.

 

  When roaming, incoming SMS does not incur roaming charges (Fido Roam, if post-paid and did not opt-out). However, any data within a MMS (incoming or outgoing) would be considered roaming data and would incur roaming charges. If the 2FA you receive are strictly SMS, you should be able to receive them without incurring roaming charges. You should note that MMS are not limited to picture and video messages. Text messages with subject headers are also sent as MMS.

 

  You should also note that with your Fido SIM connected to a foreign network, any data usage (intentional or background) would be considered roaming and charged accordingly. You would need to ensure the settings in your phone are not using data without your knowledge (ie system or app updates etc).

 

  Unless you wish to switch SIMs every time you're expecting a 2FA, you would need to used your second iPhone to have both SIMs available.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers


rcoelho1
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hi There. I have a follow up question. 

 

With a Prepaid Fido plan ($10 or $15) -- am I able to receive text messages (SMS) overseas?  I am mainly looking to keep my phone # and receive the occassional 2FA codes. Please advise. 

Hello Rcoelho1,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  As far as I am aware, pre-paid plans should be able to roam on a pay-per-use basis (see here). As previously mentioned, you wouldn't get charged for incoming SMS. However, since data is not available with pre-paid plans, you would unlikely be able to receive any data within MMS. If the 2FA you receive are strictly SMS, you should be able to receive them without incurring roaming charges. You should note that since the messages pass through multiple networks crossing International borders, it's possible there may be delays before the are received.

 

  That said, I do not know the exact plan details of your plan. You might consider contacting customer service to verify whether your particular plan is set-up for roaming.  

 

  Have you verified your phone is compatible with the local networks?

 

  You also should note that like all foreign mobile providers, Fido would rely on the local provider infrastructure to provide access when in Country. In addition, there are many factors which can affect cellular reception (ie proximity to cellular towers, device used, possible sources of interference,.. etc). Depending on your destionation, if you happen to be at a location with poor local cellular reception, it's unlikely you'll have access to Fido services.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 


rcoelho1
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Thank you for the well laid out reply. Much appreciated. 

 

I called up Fido today and received conflicting info whk stated that the fido plan needs to be "FidoRoam" applicable if it is to be used overseas. 

 

Frankly,  the agent seemed a bit unsure. Can you/anyone confirm that switching to a basic or pre-paid plan will still work overseas to recieve SMS ?

Hello again,

 

  Firstly, I can confirm that Basic plans do not allow for roaming and therefore would not work for receiving SMS overseas (see second image here).

 

  With regards to pre-paid plans, there does appear to be conflicting information. The associated Full Details footnote 2 states:

 

         ...Sent/received premium texts and texts sent while roaming are extra ~taken from here.

 

  That statement would suggest roaming is still available with pre-paid plans.

 

  It is possible changes were made to those plans which have not yet been reflected on the websites, though.

 

  Perhaps @FidoSolutions could provide some clarification please?

 

Hope this helps  😀

 

Cheers

 


FidoSaad
Former Moderator
Former Moderator

Hey there @rcoelho1

 

As mentioned by @Cawtau, your prepaid plan will allow you to roam on a pay per use basis and incoming SMS are free of charge. That said, you would be unable to receive MMS while roaming using a prepaid service (data is unavailable).

 

Please note that if your prepaid plan is not active, your services will be limited.

 

To clarify the footnotes on this page:

  1. Prepaid plans are usually valid for one-month (30 days) or for a one year (365 days) period. If your plan is not active, the mentioned pay per use rates will apply when making calls
  2. Should you exceed the airtime available on your plan, a pay per use rate of $0.70/min will apply for calls
  3. The link details the applicable pay per use rates when roaming using a prepaid service
  4. All prepaid plans include unlimited incoming and outgoing texts, picture and video messaging to Canada, U.S. & International. However, if your plan is not active, the mentioned pay per use rates will apply
  5. Add-ons can be added to an active prepaid plan

In summary, as long as your prepaid plan is active, you should be able to receive text messages while roaming, free of charge

 

The below simply means that you'll be charged the premium text rate + the roaming rate, when sending/receiving premium texts while romaing. Please note that premium texts are also billed while you're in Canada, but the roaming extra won't apply. Hope this helps!

 

With regards to pre-paid plans, there does appear to be conflicting information. The associated Full Details footnote 2 states:

 

         ...Sent/received premium texts and texts sent while roaming are extra ~taken from here.  

 



FidoValerie
Moderator
Moderator

Hey @DitchingCorpora Very_Happy

 

By using a SIM card from Asia, your phone number as well as the network you're using would change.
Therefore, the text messages wouldn't be coming to your Fido line. 

 

It would be important to ask the provider of the SIM card you wish to purchase, so you can make sure that you'll be able to receive the text messages with the service they offer! 

 

If so, you'd then need to update the phone number through your bank as well.
 

Hope this helps. Smiley