Before moving back to live in Morocco, I used to travel frequently between the USA and Morocco. Every time I arrive in Morocco, I have a routine setup. First, I pop up the USA SIM card from my phone and replace it with a Moroccan one. Second, I head to my local bank and update the phone number associated with my account.

I use my Moroccan bank phone app to pay my Moroccan bills: electricity, water, phone, etc. Whenever I make a payment, the bank sends me an SMS (text) with a verification code. I use the code to confirm the bill payment. The bank app does not offer that verification code via email. Only SMS messages are available. So I need to update the phone number that the bank has.

Also, before I travel back to the USA, I head again to my Moroccan bank and change my phone number to the USA’s one. This way I can continue to receive SMS messages whenever I make Moroccan bill payments while in the USA.

This scheme worked just fine, except over time it became a little annoying. Every time I travel I need to update the bank with my new phone number. There must be a better way ! Can I use one phone number that works everywhere without paying monthly fees in the USA and Morocco ?

I did some research and found it. In this post, I’m sharing the details of the solution I found.

Virtual Phone number

There are multiple virtual phone number services that do not require an SIM card. They work over the internet. Most of those services came with a cost that I was not ready to go for. Then, I found Google Voice.  I was already a fan of Google services (Maps, E-mail, etc.), so I did give it a try.

The setup is simple:

• Create a Google account if you don’t already have one
• Go to Google Voice.
• Sign in to your Google Account.
• Review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and then click Continue.
• You can search for available numbers by city or area code. If numbers aren’t available in your area, try a nearby city or area code. 
• Next to the number you want, click Select. 
• Follow the on-screen instructions.

It’s best to do the setup while still in the USA as during the creation it needs a regular USA phone number for verification. Once the Google Voice verification is done, there is no need for the regular USA number.

Advantages of the Google Voice number

Google Voice comes with an App that I have installed on my phone. I use it to make calls, send SMS and more importantly, I can receive SMS. Remember, I wanted a solution to get my bank SMS to work everywhere. I only need an Internet connection and my phone is operational.

In addition to the App, Google Voice can be used from the browser. One can make calls, send texts and receive messages on the browser interface.

Cost ?

The service has no cost to receive messages and this is what I needed most.

Besides receiving text messages, other services include:

• When you call from the US, almost all Google Voice calls to the US and Canada are free.
• Some calls to specific phone numbers in the US and Canada cost 1 cent per minute (USD). 
• Calls outside the US are at these listed rates.

Does it work in the USA and Morocco ?

To test that the Google Voice number works for my needs, I went to my Moroccan bank and gave them my new number. I wanted to verify it before traveling to the USA. Using my Moroccan bank app, I did a test by starting a bank wire. And, bang, I got the SMS with the verification code in my Google Voice app. It works !

A few weeks after I traveled to the USA, I had a chance to verify this as well in the USA. Whenever I do a transaction using my Moroccan bank app, I get the SMS verification code. So, whether I’m in Morocco or in the USA, I get messages from my Moroccan bank just fine.

What about USA banks and service providers ?

To verify that the Google voice number works with my USA bank account, I went ahead and changed my registered phone number with my USA bank account. Sure enough whenever they needed some verification, I got the code on my Google phone number.

I had a chance to verify it with other service providers, beside my bank, and I got the same result. It just works.

Since I started using my Google voice phone number, I no longer need to update the registered phone number with my Moroccan bank. One phone number does the trick: Google Voice. If you are in a situation like mine or simply need a free virtual phone number, consider giving Google Voice a try.