eSIM number preservation card sharing

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1

Recently, while working on Codex SMS verification, I went through a lot of discussions on forums and YouTube about eSIMs, overseas numbers, number retention, and receiving SMS. I had GPT compile the relevant resources and information, saving everyone the trouble of searching for it. Just tell GPT which card you want to get and let it guide you.

:receipt: Summary Table

Card Network / Carrier KYC Acquisition / Monthly Fee Minimum Number-Retention Cost Retention Period eSIM / Bundle SIM Status
RedPocket red-envelope card US AT&T / T-Mobile / Verizon, AT&T preferred Not required $30 / from 360 days $30 / year Renew upon expiry Physical SIM is more reliable :white_check_mark:
giffgaff UK O2 Not required Free SIM, usually requires a £10 balance/plan activation Send SMS using the balance to retain the number, about £0.2–£0.6/year; £10 initial balance Paid activity required within 6 months Native eSIM / physical SIM both used by some people :white_check_mark:
O2 DE German Telefónica KYC required Freikarte free; basic tariff has no monthly fee Theoretically, a small top-up retains the number; estimate €5–€15 per six months Top up once every 6 months Officially supports prepaid eSIM; free eSIM replacement :white_check_mark:
ClubSIM Hong Kong CSL Hong Kong real-name registration required eSIM/SIM replacement commonly HK$40, occasionally waived HK$6 / year; renew by purchasing an SMS Pack Purchase any service pack within 365 days eSIM-friendly :white_check_mark:
One NZ New Zealand One NZ Usually not required Minimum top-up NZ$10 NZ$10 / year Top up every 360/365 days Native eSIM support :white_check_mark:
Vodafone DE CallYa German Vodafone KYC / WebID required eSIM free until the first top-up; plans from €4.99/28 days Low, but requires regular paid activity May be terminated after 90 days of inactivity Native eSIM-friendly :white_check_mark:
Vodafone UK UK Vodafone Not required PAYG1: first £5 top-up; PAYG Plus from £10/30 days Requires regular paid activity, about £2 Paid activity about every 180 days eSIM supported :white_check_mark:
Vodafone NL Netherlands Vodafone Not required Monthly plans from €4; the old small-credit method is not recommended Low, pending verification Paid activity about every 180 days eSIM status pending verification :small_blue_diamond:
A1 Croatia Croatian A1 Community reports no requirement Official tourist eSIM from €10.90; community price about €3 for activation Community reports about €2/year Community reports 1 year eSIM supported :small_blue_diamond:
Saily +1 US number in the Saily app Identity verification required $0.99 / month $11.88 / year Monthly billing In-app number, not a traditional SIM :small_blue_diamond:
CTExcel UK China Telecom UK Depends on the product; most require documentation Community low-cost version: £9.9 activation; official plans charged separately Community reports £0.2/year Rules pending verification eSIM supported :small_blue_diamond:
CMLink UK China Mobile UK Depends on the product Free SIM / £1 top-up promotions are common Pending verification Pending verification eSIM/physical SIM depends on the product :small_blue_diamond:
Lyca UK UK Lyca, EE network Usually not required eSIM/PAYG from £5/month, with lower promotional prices Not suitable for ultra-low-cost number retention Usually retained after 120 days without use, possibly longer eSIM supported :small_orange_diamond:
VOXI UK Vodafone Not required Free SIM, 30-day plans from around £10 Not suitable for low-cost number retention Community reports 210 days; needs verification eSIM/device switching is inconvenient :small_orange_diamond:
CTM Macau CTM In-person real-name registration required Physical prepaid SIM / eSIM plans charged separately Number retained through top-ups; medium cost Top up every 180 days eSIM supported :small_orange_diamond:
Globe Philippine Globe Real-name registration required Local SIMs are very cheap; tourist eSIM charged separately Number retained through top-ups; amount pending verification Top-up validity is 1 year eSIM supported :small_orange_diamond:
Ultra Mobile PayGo US T-Mobile Not required $3 / month $36 / year Monthly billing Mainly physical SIM :cross_mark:
Tello US T-Mobile Not required From $5 / month $60 / year Monthly billing eSIM-friendly :cross_mark:
eSIMGG Estonia +372 Not required €2.99 for the number, data from €0.88/GB Use once a year Use once a year Native eSIM :cross_mark:
Free travel eSIM Mostly data-only SIMs Usually not required Free / low-cost No number None Data only :cross_mark:

:abacus: Tier Ranking

Tier Cards
:white_check_mark: Trusted RedPocket physical AT&T, giffgaff, ClubSIM, One NZ, Vodafone DE
:small_blue_diamond: Watchlist A1 Croatia, Saily +1, CTExcel UK, Vodafone NL, CMLink UK
:small_orange_diamond: Keep Lyca UK, VOXI, CTM, Globe
:cross_mark: Not recommended Ultra Mobile PayGo, Tello, eSIMGG, free travel eSIMs, public SMS-receiving numbers

:money_bag: Cost Ranking

Cost Tier Option Estimated Annual Cost Notes
Ultra-low ClubSIM HK$6 / year Requires real-name registration; purchase an SMS Pack to keep it active
Ultra-low A1 Croatia Community reports €2 / year The official tourist package does not cost this much; this is a community workaround
Ultra-low CTExcel UK low-cost version Community reports £0.2 / year Need to verify whether it can still be activated
Low giffgaff Theoretical SMS-based number retention is very cheap; £10 initial balance The GG card is already GG
Low One NZ NZ$10 / year The minimum top-up is enough for renewal
Low Saily +1 $11.88 / year US number in the app; under observation
Medium-low RedPocket $30 / 360 days US physical number, with clear costs
Medium Ultra Mobile PayGo $36 / year T-Mobile-based; increasingly abandoned by the community
Medium Tello $60 / year Fine for normal use, but number-retention costs are not low
Medium Vodafone DE Depends on the retention method KYC is troublesome, but the experience is good
Medium CTM Depends on the top-up amount In-person real-name registration in Macau
Medium-high Vodafone UK/NL Depends on the retention method Low barrier to entry, but higher costs
Medium-high Lyca / VOXI Usually monthly plans Not an ultra-low-cost number-retention solution

:puzzle_piece: Ranking by Needs

User Need Recommended Combination
Beginner who only wants to maintain one number ClubSIM
Want a US number Prioritize a RedPocket physical SIM
Want the lowest-cost Hong Kong number ClubSIM
Want an uncommon but legitimate number One NZ
Willing to tinker with low-cost European options A1 Croatia
Cross-border communication for Chinese speakers CTExcel / CMLink
Only need internet while traveling Travel data eSIM; don’t buy a number-retention card
Have many important accounts Back them up across at least two numbers from different countries/carriers
22 Likes
2

Nice summary.

2 Likes
3

csl的好处就是漫游是香港网络

4

谢谢分享

5

收藏

6

Vodafone UK前阵子看教程搞过一个,过阵子再看要不要top up

7

很有用

8

点赞

9

666！这总结太棒了！

10

去搜了下RedPocket 红包卡的开卡与使用方法，感觉好麻烦

11

保下来也是累

12

学习下

13

打错

14

请问佬友们，新手最适合购买哪款？性价比高，门槛低的

15

谢谢分享

16

谢谢分享 但是感觉保号有些麻烦

17

收藏

18

收藏一下

19

Add to favorites

20

Lazy to read just leaving comment :+1:t2: