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US Expats living in : how to keep US bank s, US credit cards

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3.6K views 84 replies 17 participants last post by  andi_sf  
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Discussion starter
78 posts · ed 2025
While planning our move to the question of keeping our US bank s, US credit cards open and current while living in .

Reading through some threads on this forum, most people advised not to tell the bank that one lives abroad but then the question comes up how to receive for example new credit cards once they expire which usually requires one to have an non-PO address in the US.

1. There seem to be some 3rd party services in the US that offer a 'real' address in the US with mail forwarding services. Would these be sufficient and are there any recommendations?

2. In regards to bank s the 2-Step verification process is sometime mentioned as a hurdle since it requires a real US phone number. Are there any workarounds?

3. Online access is also sometimes described to be 'iffy' since if the the banks detects that a bank is accessed via an IP address from abroad that this also could raise some red flags. Is a VPN still a good bet against that?

We wonder how everyone's experience is in regards to these questions and if there are any recommendations to specific services or other tested and viable approaches?

Any hints and info would be very much appreciated.
 
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Discussion starter ·
Touloob said:
I don't have any experience with US banks, but I'll throw in a couple of observations about your questions 2 and 3.

2. Look carefully to see if there are any options in the 2FA process, e.g. using a 2FA application on your phone, or using the bank's mobile app, or even using a hardware key such as Yubikey. (In any case the 2FA or banking apps are more secure than sending a code by SMS.) The options might be buried somewhere in the settings, usually under the heading "Privacy and Security" or some such . We have one that insists on using a UK phone number, so we have the cheapest PAYG UK SIM in a dual SIM phone. The SIM allows roaming and the cost of receiving an SMS while abroad is small. That works OK, as long as we use it from time to time to keep the live.

3. It's very easy to detect a VPN being used (the number of times captchas or "are you a human?" tests come up when I'm using a VPN is testament to that). But you can always try it out with your bank while you're still in the States, see if they object.

But there are VPNs and VPNs, and some might be more acceptable to your bank than others: I would do some deep research into specific VPNs before using one for serious things like banking. This, for example, is a recent study on the ownership of VPN companies. It's not definitive and maybe the TTP has its own agenda, but it is at least thought provoking. Waving a red flag, as it were.

HTH
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your input - the PAYG SIM with roaming in a dual SIM phone sounds great - that is a nifty way to address this issue. Let me also check on the @FA options which my banks allow. Good 'red flag' on the VPN question - yes, always thought that VPNs would be the perfect vehicle getting access to name/s. So staying mobile might be the best option.

I also found that sometimes a biometric/fingerprint within a banking app does not require 2FA in some cases.
 
Discussion starter ·
Nunthewiser said:
1. We use physicaladdress.com . The basic level works for us, includes a fair number of envelopes and scans, and their mail forwarding rates are very low.

2. We use Google Voice. It works for everything we have, and has for about 13 years now. Your institutions may not like it, but ours don't care. A lot of people seem to use Tello at about $5/mo, but we haven't needed it. Ultra PAYGO also works for about $3/mo.

3. We use a VPN to log onto our banks/brokerages.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the many tips and the recommendation for mail forwarding. I checked the site and I didn't see much info about 'physical mail forwarding abroad'. May I ask what they charge for mail forwarding for example for a 'new credit/renewed card' envelope - just in case you have a case like this.

Yes, I also though about Google voice option - is this with a free personal or business ?
 
Discussion starter ·
Chrissippus said:
There are solutions to all of the problems identified by the OP that work today, but they may no longer work at some point in the future.

1. Get an with a mail forwarder located in a state without an income tax. I use and recommend sbimailservice.com located in Florida. The address you get will look like a US street address, but the bank or broker can easily determine that the address is a Commercial Mail Receiver . They seldom or never make that check however.
2. Immediately change your address of record with all your banks and brokerages to CMRA's address, before you move. That way if the address change provokes a question you can still provide a utility bill, but the institutions are not likely to raise any questions.
3. While still in the US get a (free) Google Voice using your US cell phone. Most banks are willing to send OTP messages via GV's SMS service, but some are not. It's possible to open a GV after you have moved abroad, but easier while you are still there. Change your phone number of record at your financial institutions to your new GV number.
4. Open an at State Department Federal Credit Union, sdfcu.org. They are the only bank/credit union that I know of that is willing to open an for a US citizen expat. You are not an expat yet, so it will be a little easier to open it as a US resident, but in the future you need not fear that if they discover you live abroad they will close your .
5. Forget about VPNs, they do not conceal your real location to any bank that is really interested in knowing where you are. The effective solution to simulating a digital presence in the US is to use a Virtual Private Server of your own that runs in one of the cloud services, e.g. Google Cloud Services, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or others. This will provide you with your own Windows or Linux server with a genuine US ip address. To access your bank or brokerage you to your VPS and from there open a browser and to the financial institution. With our level of usage we usually pay about $25 per month. After each use we shutdown the VPS to keep costs down. We use Google Cloud Services. There are cheaper alternatives, but I wouldn't trust them with our data.
6. If you are withdrawing money from a brokerage, for example, have the money delivered to one of your US banks and then do a Wise transfer from that bank to your foreign bank.

The only US entity that requires your physical address is the Social Security istration. Not even the IRS requires it.

You should have a few banks/credit unions and credit card providers. We have four US credit cards that don't charge foreign transaction fees or annual fees.

Since you will be logging to your financial s from your VPS located in some server farm, be sure to install a manager there to protect your s and follow best practices for use. We use and recommend 1.com.

By scrupulously using these methods to access our US banks and brokers we have been able to manage our resources from abroad without a problem for the past ten years.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you so very much for this extensive list of tips! I checked on the State Department Federal Credit Union, sdfcu.org but unfortunately it looks like I am not eligible to following their criteria but I think some of my your US based Banks, credit cards with no foreign transaction fees and also Wise could fill that gap.

Good to know about the VPS/VPN distinction - I was not aware of that so this is also helpful.

You mention that the only US entity requiring a physical mailing address would be the Social Security istration. Would they be OK with a foreign address or could this lead to some issues down the road? Another question in this line would be: Is there any difference in having the social security benefits go to a US bank or having directly sent to a foreign bank ?
 
Discussion starter ·
vache // rit said:
You didn't mention brokerage s, but if you're on Reddit you can ask questions anonymously on the company's official there. Mine apparently has more restrictions for U.S. citizens in than for some other European countries. At least you will know what to expect if you get caught up.

Also, as a data point, I have never had any problem getting a new or replacement credit card sent to a U.S. P.O. box. That said, I plan to use a mail-scanning service with a street address.

And to avoid having to move French and U.S. sims in and out of a phone for 2FA, I bought a cheapish flip phone that has wifi calling, where I'll keep my U.S. number using Tello, as others have recommended.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for another perspective on this and the Reddit tip - it is good to know that there are so many different paths that lead to the top of the mountain.

One question about the 'cheapish flip phone that has Wifi calling' using a US phone number. In case of the Wifi calling - would one need to request a phone call then to the flip phone for the 2FA or would 2FA text/sms to this number also work reliably?
 
Discussion starter ·
Kid Charlemagne said:
Another suggestion on 2FA is to look into if the banks/services you use allow authentication via an Authenticator app (Microsoft has one that I use, as its required for where I work, and I've added a couple other things to it, like .gov and Booking.com)
Click to expand...
Thank you for another great tip - I saw that there is a Google Authenticator app, one from Microsoft and many others. Would the info for banks for example which Authenticator app they accept be under the 'Security' settings?
 
Discussion starter ·
Bevdeforges said:
There is a slightly different procedure for doing foreign direct deposits for US SS. The money goes to an FBU (Federal Benefits Unit) at the appropriate US Consulate (Paris, here in )
Click to expand...
Would using Wise achieve the same effect here - meaning: having the US SS deposited into a US bank and from there use Wise to transfer into the French bank ? Would it give a better a comparable exchange rate?
 
Discussion starter ·
Thanks for the helpful hint in regards to SDFCU.org - yes, that would work...

Would having the US SS go into a US bank and then using Wise to transfer to the French bank have any advantages as far as fees or exchange rates are concerned?
 
Discussion starter ·
Chrissippus said:
There are solutions to all of the problems identified by the OP that work today, but they may no longer work at some point in the future.

1. Get an with a mail forwarder located in a state without an income tax. I use and recommend sbimailservice.com located in Florida. The address you get will look like a US street address, but the bank or broker can easily determine that the address is a Commercial Mail Receiver . They seldom or never make that check however.
2. Immediately change your address of record with all your banks and brokerages to CMRA's address, before you move. That way if the address change provokes a question you can still provide a utility bill, but the institutions are not likely to raise any questions.
3. While still in the US get a (free) Google Voice using your US cell phone. Most banks are willing to send OTP messages via GV's SMS service, but some are not. It's possible to open a GV after you have moved abroad, but easier while you are still there. Change your phone number of record at your financial institutions to your new GV number.
4. Open an at State Department Federal Credit Union, sdfcu.org. They are the only bank/credit union that I know of that is willing to open an for a US citizen expat. You are not an expat yet, so it will be a little easier to open it as a US resident, but in the future you need not fear that if they discover you live abroad they will close your .
5. Forget about VPNs, they do not conceal your real location to any bank that is really interested in knowing where you are. The effective solution to simulating a digital presence in the US is to use a Virtual Private Server of your own that runs in one of the cloud services, e.g. Google Cloud Services, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or others. This will provide you with your own Windows or Linux server with a genuine US ip address. To access your bank or brokerage you to your VPS and from there open a browser and to the financial institution. With our level of usage we usually pay about $25 per month. After each use we shutdown the VPS to keep costs down. We use Google Cloud Services. There are cheaper alternatives, but I wouldn't trust them with our data.
6. If you are withdrawing money from a brokerage, for example, have the money delivered to one of your US banks and then do a Wise transfer from that bank to your foreign bank.

The only US entity that requires your physical address is the Social Security istration. Not even the IRS requires it.

You should have a few banks/credit unions and credit card providers. We have four US credit cards that don't charge foreign transaction fees or annual fees.

Since you will be logging to your financial s from your VPS located in some server farm, be sure to install a manager there to protect your s and follow best practices for use. We use and recommend 1.com.

By scrupulously using these methods to access our US banks and brokers we have been able to manage our resources from abroad without a problem for the past ten years.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
@Chrissippus said:
Open an at State Department Federal Credit Union, sdfcu.org. They are the only bank/credit union that I know of that is willing to open an for a US citizen expat. You are not an expat yet, so it will be a little easier to open it as a US resident, but in the future you need not fear that if they discover you live abroad they will close your .
Click to expand...
I checked a little bit on Google and the State Department Federal Credit Union gets quite some mixed reviews in regards to service, security and usability. Do you mind sharing how your long-term, real-world experience has been using SDFCU from abroad?
 
Discussion starter ·
Thanks for the - yes, being the only game in town makes a difference.

I also stumbled upon Schwab International which seem to offer U.S. dollar–denominated checks, a debit card and an Electronic Funds Transfer Service not sure how this compares in the real world.
 
Discussion starter ·
Chrissippus said:
As I pointed out before, if the bank is using Deep Packet Inspection, which unless they are negligent they probably are, they can detect that you are using a VPN and block the connection on that basis. That's why you need a VPS.
Click to expand...
Sorry for another follow up - would a 'Residential Proxy' be the same/equivalent to the VPS approach you mention?
 
Discussion starter ·
Thanks for the clarification and notes - much appreciated.

The VPS solution you are describing - is this equivalent to 'Windows Desktop VPS' offered for example by vps-mart where you can access a Windows desktop instance remotely via Remote Desktop Connection?
 
Discussion starter ·
Thanks again for the detailed tips - it is so much appreciated! I got one server on Google Cloud Service and one on MS Azure going to test out how things compare cost, usability and function-wise. Always shutting down is a must cost-wise.

When you say "you should be running a manager" I assume this refers to the browser within the VPS - something like 'Bitwarden' or are there other/ better options?

Thanks again - this was quite a learning process - but a good one ;)
 
Discussion starter ·
vache // rit said:
Sorry, I didn't get a notification about your response. I'm not sure I understand your question -- and I am not an expert -- but I believe if you are within wi-fi range in , someone calling or texting your U.S. number will reach you. Magical.

Also, perhaps it's overkill, but in addition to using a dedicated VPN IP address located in my current state, I plan to use ipostal1, because they have addresses in my state. It looks like they subcontract with a local UPS Store or equivalent. I am hoping that with those three, there's less of a chance for red flags with the brokerages.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the additional tip and input - very much appreciated!
 
Discussion starter ·
Kid Charlemagne said:
BTW, I happened to be doing some inquiries with my bank here in the US (BMO aka Bank of Montreal) and just for the heck of it asked if they ed customers moving overseas. They said sure, no problem...
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this info - that sure is interesting. I also send a message to BMO today with that same question - so let's see how they reply...
 
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