They do this if you spend longer than 3 months outside the USA.
Please let me know your thoughts? 
VPN hides web traffic but doesn’t hide tower traffic (which is how they check).
There’s an important distinction you’re trying to bypass l: Fi is a US phone provider with free international coverage as a perk. Fi is NOT an international carrier.
Besides. For anything longer than a few weeks, it’s SO much better just to get a local SIM. I’ve kept Fi rubbing as my secondary SIM for ages without issue, which means calling and texting is just fine abroad, even when it’s half a year (anecdotes aren’t official, YMMV)
Do you just generally not read -any- terms of service before signing up for a service?
No, it doesn’t work that way.
No.
You are obviously lacking in the fundamentals of what a VPN does and does not do. No VPN can ghost the provider you are relying on for connectivity…
When you put shoes on, do your feet stop carrying your weight?
Probably not? I mean, VPN doesn’t do anything to mask the actual tower you’re connecting to.
They’re still going to know it’s outside the U.S.
It doesn’t work that way, the system can still see where you are connecting from aka the cell tower.
Also, they don’t suspend data after 3 months, it’s if you used it over 45 days in a 90-day period. You would still have SMS and Voice access for a bit. The terms really clear on the Fi website, check them out again.
No. You can’t.
Your roaming connection routes all data via the h2g2 apn. That means they can meter your data and see what partner it is coming from. A VPN would just mask the data within that stream… which they don’t care about. They just want to know how much you used and which provider you are on.
Check out US Mobile. They give a fixed amount of data overseas per month on their light speed and dark star networks. After that data is used they don’t slow you down, they just shut you down.
That said, they claim that long periods overseas will not cause them to shut you down like Google does
They only do this if you use data, just don’t use any data and you are not suspended. Get a local SIM for data.
I do as others here have mentioned. I have a Google Fi esim and a Vodafone PT physical sim. I turn off data for Fi when in Europe an extended period of time. I did get a 30-day warning recently when I was out of the US for exactly 2 months and didn’t turn off data. Fi phone/text still works for $20/month, and they haven’t suspended data as I usually keep it off. I use Vodafone data instead (Portuguese number, but roams entire EU/EEA + UK for €3.98/gb). Unfortunately, VPN does nothing to mask that you are roaming on a mobile service out of the US. It only masks IP addresses so it can help if you are geo-restricted from certain websites & things like Netflix.
My Data roaming is always turned off. I’ve been away from the USA for up to 2 months at a time. My phone has worked in every country I’ve traveled. Texting is free always. Calls cost like a pay phone used to. The only time I’ve needed a VPN was in Bali for Reddit. I love that my phone just works everywhere. Google maps is vital.
Can you clarify your last statement? You mean that running the local SIM for everything keeps the Fi SIM inactive. But then… are you using Fi for anything, or are you just paying to use it some day in the future?
If I took calls/SMS only on WiFi, and let the local SIM handle data, would that extend the potential window?
To be fair, I don’t read terms and conditions either beyond the description that they tell me (including fine print).
But yeah this post fundamentally misunderstands how a VPN works over a data connection lol.
Honestly bro I have better things to do with my time rather then feed through fine print of a respectable company. I understand the basics and terms of the contract, but I’m not overly worried with a company that puts a cap on an $80 per month subscription. My only concern is keeping my respective number whilst working abroad.
Thanks for the advice, il read up on the topic and get a better understanding. I thought perhaps they would subcontract their connectivity to towers that would be utilised with localised contracts / independent companies; ie Vodafone.
I run dual SIM. Local pSIM (since it’s easier) and Fi eSIM. That way I can still receive calls/texts while abroad regardless of Wi-Fi (though I avoid answering calls when not on Wi-Fi since I don’t want to spend $0.20/min). Plus a local number to attach to my food delivery app or whatever.
Since Fi data is only touched when I forget to top up my local SIM, Fi hasn’t given me the ban hammer. Yet.
Sure, I’m paying $20/mo for what is basically Google Voice when abroad, but then I have peace of mind in case my phone is stolen (can’t remove an esim) or I’m in a country my local SIM doesn’t cover.
Exactly that (in regards to your last sentence), but as they stated, “YMMV”.
Ok, that’s basically what I’m doing (with two eSIMs). I’m still sending SMS from Fi, though. Fingers crossed, glad it’s working for you!