Prepaid Simcard with long expiration and receiving SMS abroad

[khman]

Hi,
My bank is asking me my phone number. Lately each time I came, I bought a new Simcard, just for 4G... (thanks Whatsapp). I don't even know my phone number.

I need to buy a simcard with long duration (seems max is 1 year?), and ability to receive SMS while abroad (I think most simcard does this if they have roaming activated).

Which operator, package, can I take? I do not need internet, calling, just ability to have 1 year duration, and receiving SMS abroad.

Even best if a friend in Thailand can top up/extend validity for me... if I don't come for more than 1 year.

Thank you for your help.

 

PS : Not related... thanks to AIS who offer a 149 bahts simcard with unlimited Internet at max debit 4Mb/s, for 1 month. Unfortunately I cannot find more infos and it seems temorary offer.

[simoh1490]

Buy the cheapest AIS SIM card you can find, go to their top up machine and add twenty baht top ups for as many months as you need and job done, total cost around 400 baht.

[KittenKong]

All Thai SIMs have maximum validity of one year but with most providers when it drops below the full 12 months the validity can be extended for a few Baht per month via an USSD code. AIS seems to be the exception in that they charge a lot more for this.

You just need to have enough credit available.

Topping-up your balance also gets you a validity extension, though the duration varies depending on the provider.

I hardly ever make calls so I just extend the validity of my True SIM in chunks of 6 months for 12B a time and have been doing so for years.

 

http://help.mobiletopup.com/knowledge-base/how-do-i-extend-the-expiry-date-validity-of-my-sim/

 

[khman]

17 hours ago, KittenKong said:

All Thai SIMs have maximum validity of one year but with most providers when it drops below the full 12 months the validity can be extended for a few Baht per month via an USSD code. AIS seems to be the exception in that they charge a lot more for this.

You just need to have enough credit available.

Topping-up your balance also gets you a validity extension, though the duration varies depending on the provider.

I hardly ever make calls so I just extend the validity of my True SIM in chunks of 6 months for 12B a time and have been doing so for years.

 

http://help.mobiletopup.com/knowledge-base/how-do-i-extend-the-expiry-date-validity-of-my-sim/

 

Thanks much all for your replies,

KittenKong, very helpful site. I think I will go True shop, buy simcard, and extend for 1 year for 24 bahts ???? Thanks much.

[KittenKong]

Not sure about other providers but True have some sort of rule about the SIM having to be active for at least a couple of months before the validity can be extended using those codes. But validity is extended for every top-up, I think from the outset. So maybe you should buy the SIM, activate it and then make a few small top-ups. Then later you should be able to extend the validity using the codes even when roaming.

 

If it comes to the worst you can top-up for 10B in one of the orange machines at 7/11: that gives you one month too though you actually have to deposit 12B to get the 10B credit. You can do that as often as you like and each time gets you a month.

 

Best thing is to try one 12B top-up and then check the validity date using the phone code. If it has gone up you can do some more.

 

Another pointer: you should think about turning on roaming before you leave Thailand.

[KneeDeep]

12 hours ago, khman said:

Thanks much all for your replies,

KittenKong, very helpful site. I think I will go True shop, buy simcard, and extend for 1 year for 24 bahts ???? Thanks much.

 

Not so fast.

You need to have either used the SIM for ninety days of have used 200 baht worth of credit, before you can utilise the *934*xxx# USSD code method for extension.

 

So you only chance is to simply grab a load of 20 baht notes and use them to top up individually at a Truemove H/AIS/DTAC machine, adding 30 day validity each time.

Independent machines outside 7/11 etc are cheaper, but then you'll need a lot of 10 baht coins + a 2 baht fee each time.

 

Once you top up with the 20 baht notes, you'll have a balance of at least 220 baht and validity of a year. You can then use some of that after ninety days to apply  the USSD code from abroad, to extend by another ninety days etc

 

DTAC works in the same way. *113*xx*9#

2 baht per month

 

 

 

 

 

[khman]

Hi guys and thanks much for your help.

I am keeping you posted.

I bought a 49 bahts AIS simcard (but I guess it would work about the same with others operators...).

Then AIS told me I just have to do 11 top ups, any amount.

At AIS store you can top up minimum 20 bahts, at the orange machine in front of 7/11, it's 12 bahts, and in the Kasikorn app, it's 5 bahts.... so a friend will do it for me ????

This simcard was for my bank.... but my bank closed my account for inactivity. Now I have to open a new account.... but it's impossible without WP....

 

Thanks much for your help!

[mtls2005]

Some people report being able to open a bank account without a WP, this can be very bank/branch dependent. You can search/scan the finance thread here for potential leads.

 

Just make sure you enable international roaming BEFORE you leave Thailand. And make sure your bank has your new/current number. Test the OTP function BEFORE you leave.

 

With AIS you can use IVR, *125, USSD *125*1# SEND, the mobile app, the web tools or call 1175.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ais.mimo.eservice&hl=en

 

Having a friend in Thailand make periodic 10 baht top-ups (for 12 baht/30 days at a Boonterm machine) addresses any potential 90-day 'usage' requirement. I top-up ~ 14 numbers monthly for a variety of friends and colleagues.

 

[khman]

Hi guys,

Please how can I top up 11 times my AIS simcard, with minimum top up?

AIS staff told me through Kasikorn app it is only 5 bahts, I tried but min is 20 bahts, and 50 bahts from Krungsri app.

Is the min 12 baht in machines in front of the ATM?

thank you!

[KneeDeep]

10 minutes ago, khman said:

Hi guys,

Please how can I top up 11 times my AIS simcard, with minimum top up?

AIS staff told me through Kasikorn app it is only 5 bahts, I tried but min is 20 bahts, and 50 bahts from Krungsri app.

Is the min 12 baht in machines in front of the 7/11 & Family Mart?

thank you!

 

Yes. 

[tropo]

26 minutes ago, khman said:

Hi guys,

Please how can I top up 11 times my AIS simcard, with minimum top up?

AIS staff told me through Kasikorn app it is only 5 bahts, I tried but min is 20 bahts, and 50 bahts from Krungsri app.

Is the min 12 baht in machines in front of the ATM?

thank you!

I've been topping up True and DTac SIMs with my Kasikorn internet banking for 10 years and it's free. You can top up to 200 baht without having to receive an SMS OTP. It would be easy to keep your SIM cards active while overseas this way.

[KneeDeep]

24 minutes ago, tropo said:

I've been topping up True and DTac SIMs with my Kasikorn internet banking for 10 years and it's free. You can top up to 200 baht without having to receive an SMS OTP. It would be easy to keep your SIM cards active while overseas this way.

 

How does that help him to attain maximum validity at the lowest price?

 

He has already stated that he knows he can top up 20 baht at a time with Kasikorn. But that would cost him 220 baht.

Using the machines would cost 132 baht.

 

The OTP is from his bank, not the network provider. Pay attention man ????

[balo]

On 10/21/2018 at 5:04 AM, simoh1490 said:

Buy the cheapest AIS SIM card you can find, go to their top up machine and add twenty baht top ups for as many months as you need and job done, total cost around 400 baht.

Only 10 baht top up with a DTAC prepaid sim card.  So 12 months is 120 baht . 

[khman]

1 hour ago, KneeDeep said:

 

How does that help him to attain maximum validity at the lowest price?

 

He has already stated that he knows he can top up 20 baht at a time with Kasikorn. But that would cost him 220 baht.

Using the machines would cost 132 baht.

 

The OTP is from his bank, not the network provider. Pay attention man ????

You understood well.

I will go with the 132 bahts, it's cheap. I am just astonished AIS staff told it was possible to top up 5 bahts by 5 baths. And it seems not possible. Thks!

[KneeDeep]

10 minutes ago, balo said:

Only 10 baht top up with a DTAC prepaid sim card.  So 12 months is 120 baht . 

With DTAC you can utilise the 2 baht for 1 month validity system. So you need only top up enough for three months; 30 baht. Then after 90 days, you can use 24 baht from the credit to extend another year.

So 30 baht as opposed to 120 baht.

[metisdead]

A bickering session containing inflammatory comments has been removed. 

[cookai]

On 11/30/2018 at 5:07 AM, khman said:

You understood well.

I will go with the 132 bahts, it's cheap. I am just astonished AIS staff told it was possible to top up 5 bahts by 5 baths. And it seems not possible. Thks!

Some dealers have the ability to do 5 THB topups. Anyone selling those VIP number SIMs needs to keep a lot of SIMs active, so they can do the 5 Baht topup, to get one month.