URL: https://esimworld.us/help/keep-your-us-number/
Source: eSIM World (esimworld.us)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimworld.us/author/
Updated: October 30, 2026

# Keep your US number while you travel: codes, texts and calls with a data-only eSIM

With a travel eSIM, your US number stays on your main line and can still receive 2FA codes and texts. Most of our plans are data only; check the plan's calls/SMS fields. Apple says that with both lines on, "the capabilities on your primary line will continue to work" ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227), checked on October 29, 2026).

This site is not affiliated with any carrier named on this page; we sell eSIMs. [How we compare](https://esimworld.us/how-we-compare/)

You may not need an eSIM. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and most other US carriers already include Mexico and Canada on their unlimited plans, and AT&T Elite 2.0, T-Mobile Experience Beyond and Google Fi Unlimited Premium include data abroad. Check your plan before you buy anything.

Two bill traps come first. On AT&T and Verizon, a call you make or answer on your US line can start a paid day; so can a text you send. Verizon adds background data, and the day is $12 in most destinations.

## Your US number stays on your main line

A data-only eSIM adds cellular data beside your US line, so 2FA codes and the texts that verify app accounts still reach your number. In our catalog snapshot (October 29, 2026), 371 of 379 plan families are data only; the other 8 add local calls only.

So the answer to "can I keep my US number with a travel eSIM?" is yes. Turn the US line off and use only the travel eSIM, though, and Apple names just two services that keep working. "FaceTime and iMessage will continue to work on your home line," its page says ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227)).

Texts and calls to your number are not on that list. If your codes come by text, keep the US line on.

The setup steps live in the [dual SIM guide](https://esimworld.us/help/dual-sim/). Before you buy, check [Is my phone unlocked?](https://esimworld.us/unlock/is-my-phone-unlocked/) and [Does my phone support eSIM?](https://esimworld.us/esim-compatible-phones/).

Asked whether they use dual SIM on an iPhone, a Reddit user in r/ios wrote: "Indispensable for 2FA accounts" ([Reddit, August 2025](https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1mwjvg4/dual_simmultiple_sims_on_iphone_do_you_use_it/n9ybhvt/)).

### Does AT&T say otherwise?

AT&T's cruise article lists a travel eSIM among the options for a trip ([AT&T](https://www.att.com/wireless/what-is-cellular-at-sea/), checked on October 29, 2026). It warns that "your original phone number is suspended and replaced with a new one for your trip." Calls and texts to that number, it says, "won't be delivered."

Apple's page describes a different setup: a travel eSIM added as a second line while your home line stays on. That is how our plans work, so we follow Apple's page here.

## Getting codes and texts abroad: what your carrier charges

AT&T's and Verizon's pages say a text you send from your US line abroad can start a day pass, $12 in most destinations. T-Mobile plans include texting abroad, and Google Fi Unlimited Premium and Flexible list "Free texts".

Apple warns about this too. When you use both lines, "You might still incur roaming fees from your home eSIM."

| Carrier | Daily price | Texts and what starts the day, in the carrier's words | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T (postpaid, unlimited plans) | International Day Pass $12/day; $6 for each additional line used the same day | The pass begins "the first time you use data, send a text, or make or accept a phone call"; without a pass, "$1/text message" (checked on October 29, 2026) | [AT&T Day Pass](https://www.att.com/international/day-pass/), [AT&T pay-per-use rates](https://www.att.com/international/pay-per-use-rates/) |
| Verizon (postpaid) | TravelPass $12/day; $6/day in Mexico & Canada | A session starts when you "make or answer a phone call, send a text or use data"; TravelPass is added automatically on Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus (checked on October 29, 2026) | [Verizon TravelPass FAQs](https://www.verizon.com/support/travelpass-faqs/) |
| T-Mobile (postpaid) | No pass: "Our plans are also international plans," in 215+ countries & destinations | Texting abroad is included; calls are per minute, and T-Mobile's pages print two different rates (checked on October 29, 2026) | [T-Mobile international roaming](https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans) |
| Google Fi (Unlimited Premium, Flexible) | No pass: built into the plan in 200+ destinations | "Free texts, 20¢/min for calls" (checked on October 29, 2026) | [Google Fi international rates](https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates) |

Neither AT&T nor Verizon lists a text you only receive, and Verizon's list starts with "e.g.", so it gives examples, not every case. Without a pass, AT&T's rates page says "Standard domestic messaging rates apply to text, picture, and video messages received."

A code you request by replying to a text, or a verification call you answer, counts as use on both carriers. A text sent each day of a week-long trip can add seven AT&T [Day Passes](https://esimworld.us/roaming/#decoder), $84 (our arithmetic).

### Keep data roaming off on the US line

Verizon says background data can start a TravelPass session "once your cellular data or data roaming is turned on." Its examples are app refreshes, email syncing and software updates.

Switch Data Roaming off for the US line and leave it on for the travel eSIM ([how to turn data roaming on or off](https://esimworld.us/help/data-roaming/#turn-on-off)). That closes one route only: a text you send and a call you make or answer can still start a day on AT&T and Verizon.

## iMessage, FaceTime and apps that use data

Apple says FaceTime and iMessage keep working on your home line, even with only the travel eSIM on. You can use them and other apps "to make VoIP calls or send messages" while traveling ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227), checked on October 29, 2026).

Those apps need data, and with both lines on, Apple says, "your travel eSIM will be used for data." Other apps that use data work over whichever line carries data.

A code sent to you by text is different. It arrives on your US line as a text, so your carrier's rules in the table above apply.

## Calls on your US number abroad

Your carrier bills cellular calls on your US number: without a pass, AT&T charges $2/minute in Canada and Mexico and $4/minute elsewhere ([AT&T pay-per-use rates](https://www.att.com/international/pay-per-use-rates/), checked on October 29, 2026). Verizon's pay-as-you-go calls run $0.99 to $2.99 a minute, by destination ([Verizon international pricing](https://www.verizon.com/support/international-services-pricing/), checked on October 29, 2026).

With a pass, calls are part of the day. AT&T's Day Pass covers talk, text and high-speed data for $12/day. Verizon TravelPass includes calls within the country and back to the US.

T-Mobile charges calls abroad per minute, but its pages print two different rates, so check your plan ([T-Mobile international roaming](https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans), checked on October 29, 2026). Google Fi Unlimited Premium and Flexible charge 20¢/min for calls.

Wi-Fi calling is no free pass for your number either. AT&T's cruise article says its Wi-Fi calling abroad "will still incur charges, as it's charged like cellular calling" ([AT&T](https://www.att.com/wireless/what-is-cellular-at-sea/)). What Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi say about Wi-Fi calling is in the [dual SIM guide](https://esimworld.us/help/dual-sim/).

Calls through FaceTime and other apps run over data, as above. Porting your number to an internet-calling service is a separate decision, and this page does not cover it.

Next step: pick your destination. Visiting family? Start with [India](https://esimworld.us/sim-card/india/) or the [Philippines](https://esimworld.us/sim-card/philippines/); every other country is on the [country hub](https://esimworld.us/countries/).

Your carrier's full rules: [AT&T](https://esimworld.us/roaming/att/), [Verizon](https://esimworld.us/roaming/verizon/), [T-Mobile](https://esimworld.us/roaming/t-mobile/). More answers: [eSIM help](https://esimworld.us/help/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Will I still get 2FA codes on my US number abroad?

Yes, as long as your US line stays on next to the travel eSIM. Apple says that with both lines on, the capabilities on your primary line keep working. With only the travel eSIM on, Apple names just FaceTime and iMessage, so keep the US line on for codes by text.

### Does receiving a text abroad start my carrier's day pass?

Neither AT&T nor Verizon lists it. AT&T's Day Pass begins when you use data, send a text, or make or accept a call. Verizon names making or answering a call, sending a text and using data, as examples. Without a pass, AT&T bills received texts at standard domestic messaging rates.

### Do iMessage and FaceTime still work on my US number?

Yes, according to Apple. FaceTime and iMessage keep working on your home line even if you use only the travel eSIM. Apple describes them as apps for VoIP calls and messages, so they need data or Wi-Fi.

## Sources

- [Apple: two eSIMs and travel eSIM on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227)
- [AT&T: International Day Pass](https://www.att.com/international/day-pass/)
- [AT&T: pay-per-use rates](https://www.att.com/international/pay-per-use-rates/)
- [AT&T: cellular at sea](https://www.att.com/wireless/what-is-cellular-at-sea/)
- [Verizon: TravelPass FAQs](https://www.verizon.com/support/travelpass-faqs/)
- [Verizon: international services and pricing](https://www.verizon.com/support/international-services-pricing/)
- [T-Mobile: international roaming](https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans)
- [Google Fi: international rates](https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates)