Cheapest way to retain phone number?

[raino]

I set an international visitor up with the $30 5GB plan. They would like to retain their current phone number for the next time they're in the US (in ~1 year.) What's the cheapest way to retain the phone number and be able to use the $30 plan again?

 

[anon(749368)]

Get a Google voice number. T-mobile cam suspend your account for up to 6months but you pay around $10/month for the "favor". IMHO is not worth it the cost.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[raino]

Get a Google voice number. T-mobile cam suspend your account for up to 6months but you pay around $10/month for the "favor". IMHO is not worth it the cost.

I agree--not worth the cost, so getting her a Google Voice number is what I plan to do. One more number change isn't going to make that big a difference to her, as long as it's the last change. So it will be a new GV signup.

Then, going forward, she's just going to get the $30 plan and use its 5GB to keep making calls through Hangouts.

 

[Rukbat]

Not only is it the last change, anyone in the US can call her on it when she's not in North America - for free. And if she changes carriers the number is still good, she just has to go to the site and change the number it forwards to (her current Google Voice number). (One GV number can ring more than one phone number on incoming calls - mine rings my cell and my house phone.)