Pre Paid SIM or whatever works best. - Advice needed

[Formaleins]

Anyone on here can point me in the right direction regarding a SIM for a phone before I lose it and pull what is left of my hair out? I have tried to do a search on here but I get better results searching Google (which finds topics in TV) than trying to get an answer by searching the forums - The search function is useless!

So, to my reason for my bad temper. I need a SIM card for a phone, I do not want internet, all I want is to be able to receive a call and make a call, nothing more than that!

 

I currently have some garbage from AIS that eats money on a monthly basis but will not let you make calls. Basically it is some sort of package - not expensive, only useless! - where you get the SIM, with a number for a couple of hundred baht. Then I top it up with another 50 baht. The problem is, I do not use the phone, I only keep it for emergencies if I am out somewhere and break down or get stuck I might need to ring someone to help me out. What happens is, regardless of the amount of money on the phone, after one month if I haven't used the bloody thing it will not let me make a call!

 

I am stuck outside a PC repair shop waiting to find out why he hasn't opened at 9 o'clock as promised to pick up a repair and I cannot make a bloody phone call!!!!

 

My balance is 198 Baht and I CANNOT make a call because it has passed some date that AIS now wants more money for! So, if I want to call I have to go and top this junk up yet again for another month that I won't need to make a call and AIS will lock the phone again until it is topped up.

 

If you know a carrier that can supply a SIM that can either just hold my balance and let me make calls as long as there is credit, or if there is another carrier that will extend validity if I top up please someone tell me which one to buy as this thing is useless. I have only wanted to make 3 calls in probably 5 months and each time it is blocked despite having over 100 Baht balance.

 

I do not have a smart phone I do not want or need internet just a phone with a number that I can ring other people that have a phone and they in turn can ring me, is this really too much to ask? I do not care if it is AIS, DTAC One2Call, British Telecom or the Gambian National Telephone corporation, I don't even care if it is 20 baht per call and 20 baht a minute, none of this matters, just a bloody working phone!

 

Thanks.

[BritManToo]

Dtac is easiest for me, costs 2bht/month to keep it active and you can buy 12 months time in advance (24bht).

 

AIS you top up 20bht, and get 1 month, for a year you need to top up 12 times as seperate transactions, use the green machine outside their shops and a stack of 20bht notes.

[Crossy]

I'm pretty sure AiS allows you to buy validity too, check their website or ask at an AiS shop for the codes.

 

[Formaleins]

45 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Dtac is easiest for me, costs 2bht/month to keep it active and you can buy 12 months time in advance (24bht).

 

AIS you top up 20bht, and get 1 month, for a year you need to top up 12 times as seperate transactions, use the green machine outside their shops and a stack of 20bht notes.

Thanks, I am going to change the SIM today! AIS can go swivel! It looks like you can do it using a code from the phone too! Thanks a lot, appreciated

[Formaleins]

23 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I'm pretty sure AiS allows you to buy validity too, check their website or ask at an AiS shop for the codes.

 

AIS have a number to top up validity - It doesn't work, *500*9#, supposed to add 30 days for 30 Baht, just gives an error saying you need to top up first to use it! Unbelievable!

[Crossy]

Just now, Formaleins said:

AIS have a number to top up validity - It doesn't work, *500*9#, supposed to add 30 days for 30 Baht, just gives an error saying you need to top up first to use it! Unbelievable!

 

Yes, you need to be valid before you can add validity, just drop the minimum reload on and all your money will re-appear, 30 Baht for a month does seem rather steep.

 

 

 

[Crossy]

Be aware of this page it dates back to September last year so things may have changed http://help.mobiletopup.com/knowledge-base/how-do-i-extend-the-expiry-date-validity-of-my-sim/

 

Quote

DTAC  –  Extend your validity for up to 365 days at a cost of 2 Baht per month.

• Press : *113*30*9#  for 30 days extension.  Cost 2 Baht
• Press : *113*60*9#  for 60 days extension.  Cost 4 Baht
• Press : *113*90*9#  for 90 days extension.  Cost 6 Baht
• Press : *113*180*9#  for 180 days extension.   Cost 12 Baht
• Conditions: Must activate SIM for at least 90 days or have usage of 200 THB.

 

My Bold.

 

[Thailand]

5 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Yes, you need to be valid before you can add validity, just drop the minimum reload on and all your money will re-appear, 30 Baht for a month does seem rather steep.

 

 

 

Would you know if balances  (AIS) can be transferred between phones?

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, Thailand said:

Would you know if balances  (AIS) can be transferred between phones?

 

Yup http://help.mobiletopup.com/knowledge-base/how-can-i-transfer-my-balance/

 

Quote

1-2-Call users can make a transfer by following

• IVR – Dial * 140  and follow the steps
• USSD Code – Dial: * 140 * 1 * 10-digit Receivers Number * Amount # 
• USSD Code – Dial: * 700 #   – Respond by pressing 2.  Then enter the 10 digit number and then the amount.

 

[Formaleins]

Thanks a lot gentlemen! Lots of info - As you rightly said, regardless that my balance is sitting near 200 Baht, I cannot do anything (which includes transferring between different AIS accounts) until I go and top it up again. Ridiculous garbage! Thanks for all that Crossy, I am quite happy to take the chance on DTAC, I already know what the score is with AIS, and at worst case, it will be the same, needing topping up first. I am going to send my son up to get a new SIM as the AIS "Computerized Whizz System" that they use on the phone desk at Big C to record passport data works just the same as the AIS balance and the staff of Big C - Thai ID is a lot easier! (I might just add though, the search function here in TV works even worse than any of the aforementioned!)

[KneeDeep]

Just pop over to a 7/11 or Family Mart to use one of the orange or purple machines outside. Top up with 12 baht to get your AIS balance and function back.

[Formaleins]

Thanks a lot gentlemen! Lots of info - As you rightly said, regardless that my balance is sitting near 200 Baht, I cannot do anything (which includes transferring between different AIS accounts) until I go and top it up again. Ridiculous garbage! Thanks for all that Crossy, I am quite happy to take the chance on DTAC, I already know what the score is with AIS, and at worst case, it will be the same, needing topping up first. I am going to send my son up to get a new SIM as the AIS "Computerized Whizz System" that they use on the phone desk at Big C to record passport data works just the same as the AIS balance and the staff of Big C - Thai ID is a lot easier!

 

21/4/19 - Updated.

I topped up 10 Baht on my AIS SIM as I needed to anyway even if only to retrieve my balance and give it away to someone else. Once topped up I tried that *500 number again and it actually worked. It charges you 30 Baht and extends your SIM for another 30 days, not cheap, but if you are a regular user it might work out for you as when you spend the 30 Baht it also gives you something like 1 hour telephone connections to all other carriers FREE for 5 days - You would need to check it exactly as my Thai is not that good, but I spent 90 Baht and have validity up until July and a shed load of free call time that I will never use - maybe ring the speaking clock in Australia just to waste it!

[KneeDeep]

2 hours ago, Formaleins said:

Thanks a lot gentlemen! Lots of info - As you rightly said, regardless that my balance is sitting near 200 Baht, I cannot do anything (which includes transferring between different AIS accounts) until I go and top it up again. Ridiculous garbage! Thanks for all that Crossy, I am quite happy to take the chance on DTAC, I already know what the score is with AIS, and at worst case, it will be the same, needing topping up first. I am going to send my son up to get a new SIM as the AIS "Computerized Whizz System" that they use on the phone desk at Big C to record passport data works just the same as the AIS balance and the staff of Big C - Thai ID is a lot easier!

 

21/4/19 - Updated.

I topped up 10 Baht on my AIS SIM as I needed to anyway even if only to retrieve my balance and give it away to someone else. Once topped up I tried that *500 number again and it actually worked. It charges you 30 Baht and extends your SIM for another 30 days, not cheap, but if you are a regular user it might work out for you as when you spend the 30 Baht it also gives you something like 1 hour telephone connections to all other carriers FREE for 5 days - You would need to check it exactly as my Thai is not that good, but I spent 90 Baht and have validity up until July and a shed load of free call time that I will never use - maybe ring the speaking clock in Australia just to waste it!

 

 

Erm...if you are in Thailand, spending 30 baht on a package is an entirely unnecessary step.

Just use the same machine that you used to top up the 10 baht. The ten baht top up(10 + 2 baht) add the same 30 days. so 108 baht would have given you nine month of validity.

 

*500*9# gets you thirty days of validity and 30 minutes of calls that you can utilise for up to five days.

 

Better to top up 12 baht at a time outside of the convenience shops.

[Happystance]

17 hours ago, KneeDeep said:

Better to top up 12 baht at a time outside of the convenience shops.

 

You are learning ????

[KneeDeep]

14 minutes ago, Happystance said:

 

You are learning ????

 

But are you? What do you do if outside Thailand?

[Happystance]

9 minutes ago, KneeDeep said:

 

But are you? What do you do if outside Thailand?

Your vague questions could use a little more thought and context, frankly.

 

Are you asking how to top up if you are outside the country? 

I deal with True and not AIS tho would be surprised if it were not as simple:

Online. Through a browser via the web available most places on Earth.

 

Elementary my dear Watson!

[KneeDeep]

6 hours ago, Happystance said:

Your vague questions could use a little more thought and context, frankly.

 

Are you asking how to top up if you are outside the country? 

I deal with True and not AIS tho would be surprised if it were not as simple:

Online. Through a browser via the web available most places on Earth.

 

Elementary my dear Watson!

 

 

Nothing vague about it. I am asking you specifically how would you deal with this issue if you were outside of the country. Your comments on this threads have been nothing but glib thus far. 

 

So perhaps, you can explain to us all, your procedure to add validity for your particular SIM whilst abroad if you have neglected to add validity before leaving. Let's see if you are learning.