Protect Your Claro Number While Abroad: Stop Carrier Recycling

Under CRC Resolution 5050/2016, Claro is allowed to recycle any prepaid line that goes too long without a qualifying refill — once that happens, your number, Nequi, DaviPlata, banking 2FA, and WhatsApp tied to it are gone for good. Outgoing calls and SMS do not reliably keep the line active. Only a paid recharge counts. Roaming on a US carrier, WiFi calling over WhatsApp, or simply leaving the SIM powered on does nothing to prevent recycling.

Mi Claro — the official Claro Colombia self-service app — only accepts Colombian-issued Visa, Mastercard, PSE bank transfers, and Nequi/DaviPlata. US-issued Visa, Amex, Capital One, and EU cards all silently fail at checkout, usually with a generic "transaction declined" error.

That means the official auto-refill route is closed for foreigners. The only ways to refill from abroad without NomadSIM are: a Colombian friend with a local card, a corner-store tienda visit (impossible from the US), or maintaining a Colombian bank account just to feed Mi Claro.

Losing the number means losing the entire identity stack tied to it:

• Nequi locks instantly. Balance is frozen until you can recover it in person at a Bancolombia branch in Colombia.
• DaviPlata — same. Tied to the Claro SIM and effectively unrecoverable from the US.
• Bancolombia / Davivienda 2FA SMS codes stop arriving, blocking every transaction.
• WhatsApp — the number is your account. Once Claro recycles it and someone re-registers, your chats and groups are gone.
• Rappi, InDrive, Cabify — all SMS-verify against the Claro number.

For most expats this is a $500+ recovery problem caused by skipping a $2.99 refill.

NomadSIM Protect charges your US, EU, or international card $2.99/month via Stripe and sends the carrier-side refill to your Claro number on the schedule needed to keep CRC 5050/2016 from triggering. Each refill registers as Claro carrier activity, so the carrier keeps your line active and never recycles your number — Nequi, DaviPlata, WhatsApp, and banking 2FA all stay accessible.

No Mi Claro app. No Spanish required. No Colombian bank account. Cancel any time from the dashboard. Set a return date and billing auto-stops the day you land back in Colombia.

Three minutes, start to finish:

1. Go to nomadsim.co/protect.
2. Enter your Colombian Claro number.
3. Pick Claro as the operator.
4. Choose Start today or Start on my departure date, then optionally set a return date for auto-cancel.
5. Pay $2.99 with any card — Stripe handles the recurring charge.

You will receive a confirmation email and can manage or cancel the subscription any time from your dashboard.