Using Home Country Phone While in Thailand

[gk10002000]

This I what I am looking for.  I want to use my USA phone in Thailand without doing anything special.  I do not want to buy  Thai Sim Card.  I want to use my regular number.  Yes my phone and plan have a foreign country pricing plan, but that is fairly expensive.  I have heard of apps that use local wifi service and transmit your phone number through that.  A friend uses Republic here in the USA.  I do not know if that will work the same overseas.  On my list to check on that.

 

  Anyway if anybody has any experience with using wifi as a bridge for your cell phone voice and text or to transmit videos or photos, please let me know.  I am well aware of the process to buy and register a Thai Sim car.  I just prefer to not give such an organization my passport details.

[gk10002000]

Addition.  I apparently did not understand how Republic wireless works.  Checking with a friend she says that still would need a Thai Sim card.  So forget that.  She then said she uses Viber app when overseas for voice and text and that uses wifi instead of the celluar plan.  Anybody got any experience with that?

[gk10002000]

I guess apps such as WhatsApp also does what I think I am trying to do, i.e. call from overseas without using my cell phone call plan which has high charges, but still having my phone work and without me having to bother switching SIM cards.  

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

38 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I guess apps such as WhatsApp also does what I think I am trying to do, i.e. call from overseas without using my cell phone call plan which has high charges, but still having my phone work and without me having to bother switching SIM cards.  

Are you willing to switch to a different USA cell provider?  Google FI offers what you are looking for.  Keep the same Google FI USA SIM no need to switch.  When on WiFi you can recieve calls to your existing USA number for free.  Roaming 4g data is $10 per gb if you need it.  You might need to buy a phone if yours isn't compatible with the service.  My monthly bill is around $35 USD averaging about 1gb a month roaming data.  

[gk10002000]

30 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Are you willing to switch to a different USA cell provider?  Google FI offers what you are looking for.  Keep the same Google FI USA SIM no need to switch.  When on WiFi you can recieve calls to your existing USA number for free.  Roaming 4g data is $10 per gb if you need it.  You might need to buy a phone if yours isn't compatible with the service.  My monthly bill is around $35 USD averaging about 1gb a month roaming data.  

Oh yeah I would need a new phone. I have an old 3g voice and text no internet flip phone.  Looking around and getting educated on this "new" smart phone stuff.  Yes, I am an anachronism engineer when it comes to mobile stuff.  Have been with ATT for 20 years.  No special allegiance.  I am researching all this cell-wifi transport stuff.  Going forward I will want this mobile internet and stuff. 

I also just talked with a friend who uses Viber.  But apparently that requires the user on the other end to have Viber also.  So that is not what I want.  She uses a pixel 3 phone that she got on sale last month. 

[JamJar]

If you don't want to give them your passport details, ask your 'friend' to register a SIM for you. Just endeavour to keep it alive.

 

But any of the Applications mentioned will work with your USA SIM with any cheap Smartphone via WiFi. You can also buy a monthly WiFi package for 106 baht with AIS or Truemove H via your girlfriend's number and use the login details on your phone.

https://www.ais.co.th/wifi/en/wifi_package.html

http://www.ais.co.th/wifi/en/wifi-app.aspx

 

 

[JamJar]

If Truemove H; 

http://www3.truecorp.co.th/truemoveh/wifi/entry/3592

http://www.truewifi.net/2011/buy_wifi.htm

https://portal.trueinternet.co.th/wifiauthen/web/buywifi.php

https://portal.trueinternet.co.th/wifiauthen/web/buywifi-cashcard.php

 

 

[JamJar]

If DTAC(can include 3BB WiFi Hotspots);

 

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/wifi.html

https://www.dtac.co.th/en/network/wifi.html

[Hackney35]

Use WhatsApp or FaceTime to call (can do an audio only call on FaceTime)

And presuming you have an iPhone make sure you have iMessage setting on when sending txts and it won’t cost you anything when on WiFi. 

When I was in thai I got a second cheap thai phone/sim and Bluetoothed the internet to my English phone when I was out of range of WiFi. 

[JamJar]

9 minutes ago, Hackney35 said:

Use WhatsApp or FaceTime to call (can do an audio only call on FaceTime)

And presuming you have an iPhone make sure you have iMessage setting on when sending txts and it won’t cost you anything when on WiFi. 

When I was in thai I got a second cheap thai phone/sim and Bluetoothed the internet to my English phone when I was out of range of WiFi. 

 

Why would you do that? Did you not read what he wrote?

 

Quote

I have an old 3g voice and text no internet flip phone. 

 

[ChristianBlessing]

If you do upgrade to a new phone you might consider Skype. Skype is the original "Voice over IP (VoIP) application which allows communication between nearly every sort of web-connected device. What's more, it offers a number of add-on services, such as Skype Out. With this service you secure a number from your home area code (or the area code of your choosing). VoIP then allows calls from your Skype number to transport to mobile and landline numbers. The recipient sees the call originating from the number you selected. There is an annual subscription fee for the service, and a per-call charge, typically about 1 or 2 cents per minute. 

 

I've had the same Skype number for the past 18 years during which I've lived abroad, and use it to call home to those who will only use a normal landline phone or mobile phone. It's the number I provide my bank, insurance and other entities that require a phone number. 

[mtls2005]

Some/all providers in the U.S. offer WiFi calling.

 

Assume you want to make and receive calls using your U.S. 10-digit mobile SIM/Account? While controlling costs?

 

Republic Wireless, Google Fi, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, AT&T Mobile all do. But you may need a branded phone, and a specific plan where this is an option.

 

Obviously, you'll need a steady, reliable WiFI signal here; free WiFI may not cut it.

 

Google Fi is pretty decent, both for use in the U.S. and global roaming, via traditional and WiFi calling options.

 

A simpler solution might be Google Voice or Talkatone, but you'd have to get a new 10 digit number or port your current number in. These are free, and are essentially WiFi calling. Calls made to your GV number from the US would ring through here, and the caller would simply be using their standard minutes, and you can call the U.S. for free.

 

That said, communications with Thai numbers will be expensive, or impossible, but most use LINE here so that may be less of an issue.

 

Not sure what the hang-up is on registering a local SIM with your passport, nor do I want to know, but can you ask a Thai friend to buy one for you?

 

And still not clear on the applications?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Daryle]

I use a Skype number linked to my mobile number. You will need wifi for this option to work.

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