changing sim card from phone in home country

[Pouatchee]

i might be going back home, canada, for work purposes. in my province you have to pay for a package deal which includes the phone. my question is: can i get the cheapest phone and switch out sim card? my samsung phone supports 2 sims.

 

1. what happens if i switch out the sim from canada phone and put it into my samsung?

2. will there be a conflict? 

3. have any here ever done it?

[gargamon]

It's the phone that is locked to the carrier. The sim will work in any phone.

 

I'm Canadian also. I regularly buy sim cards there without getting a phone and use them in a phone bought here. Shop around. It's a federal rule, not provincial.

[Pouatchee]

10 minutes ago, gargamon said:

It's the phone that is locked to the carrier. The sim will work in any phone.

 

I'm Canadian also. I regularly buy sim cards there without getting a phone and use them in a phone bought here. Shop around. It's a federal rule, not provincial.

 

im from quebec and it seems really complicated there. i didnt live there when the smart phones came out. from my research it seems really difficult to find in around mtl. i think... there is a bell and rodgers monopoly...

[gargamon]

1 minute ago, Pouatchee said:

 

im from quebec and it seems really complicated there. i didnt live there when the smart phones came out. from my research it seems really difficult to find in around mtl. i think... there is a bell and rodgers monopoly...

Just walk into a phone shop and tell them you need a sim for your phone. The shops are everywhere. Forget dealing directly with bell or rogers.

[Pouatchee]

can i pay monthly or is it a one off., havent been back in 20 years so i really am ignorant...

what about internet package?

[gargamon]

33 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

can i pay monthly or is it a one off., havent been back in 20 years so i really am ignorant...

what about internet package?

Last one I bought was prepaid, 1 month with 30gb was maybe $25 cdn. Need 2 months then top it up. If you don't expect to give anyone your number and only use it for internet, it's cheaper to get a new sim every month because new users get a better deal.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, Pouatchee said:

i might be going back home, canada, for work purposes. in my province you have to pay for a package deal which includes the phone. my question is: can i get the cheapest phone and switch out sim card? my samsung phone supports 2 sims.

 

1. what happens if i switch out the sim from canada phone and put it into my samsung?

2. will there be a conflict? 

3. have any here ever done it?

The first time I did it I got in a bit of a mess. I got a sim from the UK and put it in a phone that I got here with two slots and activated the sim.

When I landed in UK I phoned my son on the UK sim and was a bit astonished when he phoned me back on AIS. I rejected his first call thinking it was someone from Thailand.

It is all about getting the setting right for where you are and how you want things to work, particularly the data settings. Once you have a hang of the settings it will work fine.

[mushroomdave]

I travel between Thailand in winters and summers here in Ontario.  Got an old Samsung from my niece 3 yrs back and walked into a Fido shop and in minutes had a SIM put in it.  Just $24.95/month unlimited calling/texting across Canada (I hear it's more now but mine is locked in).  Don't mind shelling out that small amount while away in winters.

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

I use a dual SIM option for Norway and Thailand, now with both being eSIM (embedded SIM). When I used eSIM for AIS and a physical SIM for Norway I had both active, and because I was new to this I wasn't careful about what SIM was used when calling, I kind of assumed that making a local call would use the local SIM. So while thinking I was using the Norwegian SIM I actually used the AIS SIM in Norway. BIG mistake, since I quiickly run up a bill for more than THB 5,000 and AIS just shut down my SIM without contacting or informing me.

 

I did pay as soon as I found out, but even AIS in Bangkok couldn't manage to turn it back on and restore service, so I couldn't receive OTPs for bills paying. Very awkward indeed.

 

Now when I use both as eSIM it will only allow me to have one active at the time, which is a better solution.

[msbkk]

If using multiple SIM cards or e-SIM cards you have to make yourself familiar with the settings-connections-Sim manager menu. It is just a tip with your finger to

change the different options.

[Pouatchee]

another important question... most of my info is on my ais sim... stupid hotmail can only work in thailand... if i go somewhere else i will get a message saying i have to enter a code ...

 

question is... can i put my phone on roam and will the message be sent to my ais card/sms?

 

so, so far, thanks for the help. I got valuable info on getting sims in canada and this has helped me try to google solutions. 

 

another problem brought up here by @MeaMaximaCulpa is the chance of making a mistake and getting a surprise bill...

 

Have you guys got any other ideas of mistakes that might happen that have not been discussed here so far?

 

thanks

[Yellowtail]

I think you can get a US Mint Mobile SIM that has free roaming in Canada, eh. 

 

 

[Pouatchee]

5 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I think you can get a US Mint Mobile SIM that has free roaming in Canada, eh. 

 

 

 

that wasnt really my question... I need to know about putting my ais thai sim card on roam and I need to know will I get the code to unlock my hotmail account once I am there... 

and oh... i don't use 'eh'... i was raised in american english... lol

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Pouatchee said:

 

that wasnt really my question... I need to know about putting my ais thai sim card on roam and I need to know will I get the code to unlock my hotmail account once I am there... 

and oh... i don't use 'eh'... i was raised in american english... lol

I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to buy a phone that included a SIM and most the SIM to your existing phone. 

 

I use AIS post-pay and when I travel I buy a roaming package. Since I retired, calling from the US to Thailand I typically use Line. 

 

AIS Internatonal Roaming - Using mobile phones while abroad, International calling promotion, Opening roaming services

 

Ready2Fly international internet add-on pack is more valuable than anyone else. (ais.th)

[msbkk]

30 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

another important question... most of my info is on my ais sim... stupid hotmail can only work in thailand... if i go somewhere else i will get a message saying i have to enter a code ...

 

question is... can i put my phone on roam and will the message be sent to my ais card/sms?

 

so, so far, thanks for the help. I got valuable info on getting sims in canada and this has helped me try to google solutions. 

 

another problem brought up here by @MeaMaximaCulpa is the chance of making a mistake and getting a surprise bill...

 

Have you guys got any other ideas of mistakes that might happen that have not been discussed here so far?

 

thanks

Yes, you will receive AIS SMS messages if are overseas.

[treetops]

5 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

Have you guys got any other ideas of mistakes that might happen that have not been discussed here so far?

 

Using VoLTE for (long) calls if you have a limited amount of data but lots of free call minutes available.  You can soon find your data gone and having to cough up for more.

[NowNow]

8 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

another important question... most of my info is on my ais sim... stupid hotmail can only work in thailand... if i go somewhere else i will get a message saying i have to enter a code ...

 

question is... can i put my phone on roam and will the message be sent to my ais card/sms?

 

so, so far, thanks for the help. I got valuable info on getting sims in canada and this has helped me try to google solutions. 

 

another problem brought up here by @MeaMaximaCulpa is the chance of making a mistake and getting a surprise bill...

 

Have you guys got any other ideas of mistakes that might happen that have not been discussed here so far?

 

thanks

 

 

You cannot get a 'surprise bill' from an AIS Prepaid SIM(or have you Postpaid?) and you do not need to apply DATA Roaming(Internet) when you activate International Roaming on your AIS SIM. SMS do not need Internet. So activate IR and disable Data usage on the aeroplane when you are leaving.

 

Using the phone's keypad, tap in *125*1# and then hit the dial key. Do that now.

When you are leaving tap in *129*1# and then hit the dial key. That will switch mobile Internet off for that SIM. No chance to accidentally lose credit nor need worry about the settings on your phone.

When you get back to Thailand tap in *129*2# and then hit the dial key to restore Internet service.

Don't neglect to extend validity before you leave.

 

[Pouatchee]

1 hour ago, NowNow said:

Using the phone's keypad, tap in *125*1#

 

 i am still in thailand for a few weeks. waiting to see if i get the job. just curious ... what will 125*1# do exactly? 

 

thx

[Luuk Chaai]

17 hours ago, msbkk said:

Yes, you will receive AIS SMS messages if are overseas.

I had a similar situation  ( 2sims ) back in the US  .....

Thai/True Move Post paid and US Verizon  I had to be hooked up to WiFi to get True msg's    (without going into roam mode)

p.s.    thank goodness that Verizon plan ended ..   has to be the most expensive rip off on the planet

[bamnutsak]

On 9/1/2024 at 3:47 PM, Pouatchee said:

in my province you have to pay for a package deal which includes the phone.

 

I dpn't think this is accurate. AFAIK you can BYOD (bring your own device). Obviously there are some potential frequncy-supported issues.

 

You have a phone here, in Thailand? It works with a local Thai SIM? If so it is unlocked.

 

(You could get a DTAC/True/AIS data roaming package to get you over the hump on arrival.)

 

What is the make and model of your Samsung phone?

 

https://www.comparecellular.ca/compare-plans-in-quebec/byod/

 

https://www.comparecellular.ca/compare-plans-in-quebec/prepaid-phones-and-sim-cards/

 

 

[Pouatchee]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

What is the make and model of your Samsung phone?

 

it is a samsung galaxy A52S 5G

 

as i said, its been a long time since i went back. the last i remember there were only 2 service providers. many so far seem to say i can now get an over-the-counter... not sure how they will work when i head way out to the north-east

[bamnutsak]

3 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

it is a samsung galaxy A52S 5G

 

While it would help to have the exact variant (In Settings), you should be fine.

 

https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/CA/samsung-galaxy-a52s-5g

 

4 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

not sure how they will work when i head way out to the north-east

 

Most major providers probably have coverage.

 

And the lesser-known brands are MVNOs that use the major provider's networks.

 

So again, you'll be fine.