How Much Does It Cost to Keep Your Home-Country Phone Number While Living Abroad? Annual Upkeep vs. Data Costs for Trips Home

Last updated: September 23, 2026

"How much will it cost me each year to keep my home phone number?" If you're moving abroad for work, study, or good, the first thing you'll probably ask is what it costs to keep your number. Here's the short answer. On a low-cost plan, keeping your number usually costs a small amount each year. The bigger problem with cancelling is usually the hassle, not the money: SMS verification codes stop arriving and logins break. So weigh the yearly cost of keeping the number against the hassle of losing it. This guide turns monthly costs into yearly totals, shows how to budget for mobile data on trips home, and lists the problems people often run into after cancelling.

The short answer: compare the yearly cost with the hassle of cancelling

Many carriers offer low-cost or minimal plans that let you keep your number for a small monthly fee. Over a year, this often adds up to a fairly modest amount. If you cancel, though, SMS verification for your bank, investment account, credit cards, and apps may stop working, and fixing that can take a long time.

• Cost of keeping the number: Multiply the monthly fee by 12. Yearly costs vary a lot from plan to plan.
• Data on trips home: The more often you go back, the more it helps to keep your number and use a data eSIM. It makes each trip easier to set up and your costs easier to predict.
• Risks of cancelling: SMS verification, changing the number on your accounts, identity checks, and possibly losing the number for good. These costs are hard to put a price on.

For more on phone numbers and SMS, see our phone number & SMS articles.

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What is the cost of keeping a number, and what are you paying for?

This is the monthly fee you pay to keep your home-country number active, even if you barely use it. Most people keep it low by choosing a small-allowance plan or a pay-as-you-go option from their mobile carrier at home.

The monthly fee isn't the only cost. You may also be charged for:

• Calls: making calls from your number
• Outgoing SMS: sending texts (receiving them is often free, but terms vary by carrier)
• Extra data: going over your plan's allowance
• Use abroad: to receive texts on your home line while overseas, you may need international roaming turned on. Whether that's possible, and what it costs, depends on your carrier and plan

Keeping your number doesn't guarantee your texts will reach you abroad. Check your carrier's official information to see whether you can receive SMS in the country where you live, and what it costs.

Monthly vs. yearly cost: quick reference

Here's how monthly fees add up over a year. These numbers are for illustration only. They aren't any carrier's actual prices. Check current prices with your carrier when you sign up.

*Calls, outgoing SMS, extra data, and roaming charges may cost extra.

As the table shows, a few dollars' difference each month can add up to a big difference over a year. Most people living abroad barely use their home line, so if all you need is to keep the number, a small plan is often enough. For more ways to cut your phone bill, see our articles on saving on mobile costs.

Data costs for trips home depend on how often you go and how long you stay

Along with the cost of keeping your number, think about how you'll get online when you visit home. Arranging something new for every trip costs time and money. If you go back often, having the same setup ready each time makes things much easier.

Common ways to get online during a trip home

Each option has pros and cons. Choose the one that fits how you travel.

For a guide to how much data you'll need based on trip length and how you use your phone, see How to stay connected on a short trip home. If Japan is one of your destinations, you can also browse plans in our Japan eSIM guide.

Estimate your yearly total: upkeep + (data per trip × number of trips)

This formula makes it easy to compare options:

• Yearly total = cost of keeping your number (monthly fee × 12) + data cost per trip home × trips per year

For example, if keeping your number costs $3 a month, that's $36 a year. Add the data cost for one trip multiplied by the number of trips, and you have a rough yearly budget. Data cost per trip depends on how long you stay and how you use your phone, for example mostly maps and messaging, or video and tethering too. Work it out using a data amount close to what you actually use.

Risks of cancelling that are hard to put a price on

Even if keeping your number costs only a little each year, it can be the safer choice once you think about what happens after you cancel. Here are the most common problems.

Each bank and government service verifies users in its own way, and those methods can change. If you're thinking of cancelling, check each service's official guidance first: how you can verify while living abroad, and how to change your registered number.

Checklist before you decide to keep or cancel

If you can't decide, go through these steps in order:

1. List every service that uses SMS verification (banks, investment accounts, cards, government services, key apps).
2. Check whether each one lets you switch to another method, such as an authenticator app.
3. Compare the yearly cost of the plans you could use to keep your number.
4. Estimate how often you'll go home and roughly how much data you'll need each trip.
5. If you cancel, update your phone number on every service while your old number still works.

For tips specific to study abroad, work assignments, and other kinds of moves, see our articles by use case.

Who should keep their number, and who might not need to

Keeping your number makes sense if you:

• Go home several times a year
• Still use banks, government services, or major apps from your home country
• Plan to move back within a few years
• Want predictable mobile costs

You might not need to keep it if you:

• Rarely use services from home and have no plans to visit
• Have already moved every account away from SMS verification and don't need the number

Even if the second list describes you, go through your accounts one more time before cancelling to make sure you haven't missed one.

Keep your number cheaply and add data only when you need it

To keep costs down, the basic approach is to keep your number on a low-cost plan and add data only when you need it, such as on a trip home. A data-only eSIM is a simple way to add just data.

Bloomy data plans come in 1GB, 3GB, 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB, so you can choose based on how long you're staying and how you use your phone. Check coverage for your destination before buying. See current prices and plans on our eSIM comparison page.

Bloomy is a data-only eSIM. It doesn't include a phone number, so you can't make or receive regular calls or SMS. However, app-based calls that use data, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and FaceTime, work as usual. If you need to receive texts on your home-country number, keep that line active or set up another verification method for each service.

If you're staying longer and stream video or tether a lot, you can also compare unlimited-style plans. Even unlimited plans may have a fair use policy, slower speeds after a certain amount of use, or limits on tethering, depending on the plan. Speeds also depend on the local network, your device, coverage, and congestion, so check the terms before you buy.

How to use a data eSIM on a trip home

1. Check your phone is compatible: See our list of eSIM-compatible devices.
2. Choose and buy a plan: Pick a data amount that matches your trip length and how you use your phone.
3. Tap the setup link you receive: Follow the on-screen steps to add the eSIM. For step-by-step instructions, see our setup guide.
4. Turn it on when you land: Set your Bloomy eSIM as the line for mobile data.

If your phone supports dual SIM, you may be able to keep your home line installed while the eSIM handles data. This depends on your device and settings. If you can't connect, see our troubleshooting guide. You can find the eSIMs you've bought in My Account.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Cancelling based on price alone, then getting stuck on SMS verification: Consider the hassle, not just the cost.
• Not updating your number before cancelling: Update every account while your old number still works.
• Assuming texts will reach you abroad: Check your carrier's roaming settings and charges before you go.
• Doing something different every trip home: If you go back often, keep your number, use a data eSIM, and follow the same routine each time.
• Expecting regular calls on a data-only eSIM: Regular calls and SMS won't work, but app-based calls will.

Summary: weigh both the cost and the hassle

On a low-cost plan, keeping your home-country number usually costs a modest amount each year. Estimate your yearly total as upkeep plus (data per trip × number of trips) so you can compare options. Cancelling has risks that are hard to put a price on, like SMS verification and lost logins. If you still use services from home or visit often, consider keeping your number on a cheap plan and adding data only when you need it.

To get data for your next trip home, browse plans by data amount and length on the Bloomy eSIM comparison page. For other questions, see our FAQ and eSIM guides. Still need help? Contact us.

This article is for general information only and reflects details checked as of September 2026. Example prices are for illustration only and are not any carrier's actual rates. Carrier fees, the cost of data on trips home, and other terms may change depending on timing, trip length, data allowance, and usage. Check each provider's official website for current details before signing up. Bloomy is a data-only eSIM (no phone number, SMS, or regular calls) and is subject to a fair use policy. Connection quality depends on the local network, your device, and coverage. This article does not guarantee that you can receive SMS on your home-country number while abroad.