Cheap International Phone Calls to the U.K. Using A.I.S.

[Blueman1]

Anyone got a Code for this & Does it Work.....??

[CharlieH]

MOVED to Mobile device forum

[Equatorial]

First, you have to enable the 00500 calling for your SIM:

• Enable international calling via 003, 005, and 00500 - *125*3#send

Optional: check the rate:

• Check “00500″ call rate to another country – *005*0*country code#send

Then, you can call by preceding the country code with 00500 prefix, e.g.

• 00500(country code)phone number

Not sure what the UK rate is; the US rate is 3 Baht per minute. 

 

Let us know if this worked for you. (I have postpaid AIS SIM, not sure if it works on prepaid.) 

[hotandsticky]

1 hour ago, Blueman1 said:

Anyone got a Code for this & Does it Work.....??

 

 

Maybe off topic but have you tried the MY TELLO app?

 

Cost me 9 Baht for a 19 minute phone call to HSBC.

[Blueman1]

16 hours ago, Equatorial said:

First, you have to enable the 00500 calling for your SIM:

• Enable international calling via 003, 005, and 00500 - *125*3#send

Optional: check the rate:

• Check “00500″ call rate to another country – *005*0*country code#send

Then, you can call by preceding the country code with 00500 prefix, e.g.

• 00500(country code)phone number

Not sure what the UK rate is; the US rate is 3 Baht per minute. 

 

Let us know if this worked for you. (I have postpaid AIS SIM, not sure if it works on prepaid.) 

Let us know if this worked for you. (I have postpaid AIS SIM, not sure if it works on prepaid.) It Never Worked for me Infact I Dialled the Number 00344191**** Got Through to The DWP & Whilst I was waiting to " Speak " to a Human with 120 Baht in Pre-Paid credit the call just Cut Off, Saying I'd used ALL My Available Credit......

[Equatorial]

Sorry to hear that. 

 

If you have a way to see your itemized charges it would be interesting to know what happened. After I make an int'l call I always look at my itemized charges and so far I haven't had any issues. 

 

On postpaid, the 003 rate to the US is B2.5, compared to the 00500 service at B3. I used the 003 service exactly one time. The quality was atrocious. 

[Guderian]

I haven't tried it since the times BC (Before Covid, lol), but using 004 instead of 001 as the international access code gave a cheaper rate with AIS 1-2-Call. The downside was that the call quality was poorer. Someone told me it still works, so it may be worth a try?

[Magictoad]

I just use WhatsApp.  & it costs nothing

[KannikaP]

3 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

I just use WhatsApp.  & it costs nothing

That can only be to someone who is in your Whats App contacts. I doubt whether DWP, or Nationwide Bank are on it.

[Srikcir]

With Skype gone I use rakuten viber with fixed subscription Out that provides calling from mobile phone and pc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viber

 

 

[marcho]

I use Yolla or myteklo they are both so cheap and great for Landlines and mobile 

[Surasak]

Use 'Mytello'. Cheap as chips.

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 5/23/2025 at 4:03 PM, Blueman1 said:

Anyone got a Code for this & Does it Work.....??

Yes, use Viber, it'll be much, much cheaper.

I am pretty sure I used '005' as a prefix, such as calling my cousin...005 001 area code and then the number.

[AgMech Cowboy]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

That can only be to someone who is in your Whats App contacts. I doubt whether DWP, or Nationwide Bank are on it.

Probably true.  I used Viber to call Capital One earlier this month.  I miss Skype. I think it was easier to use, but I'll get use to Viber. (Now if I could just get it to quit asking me after every call to invite my son or friends to the app).

[KannikaP]

14 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Probably true. 

Definatly true!

[mackayae]

I tried myTello, but it does not accept US 800 numbers.

[Tazmo]

My wife contacts AIS to find out about the package available at the time, cheapest one, to call the UK.

They give her the details and gets a rate of 5 baht per minute.

I have used it several times for pension and bank queries and relatives.

Best if you can get a Thai person to set it up, as with all administrative matters in Thailand.

[Equatorial]

46 minutes ago, Tazmo said:

Best if you can get a Thai person to set it up, as with all administrative matters in Thailand.

 

Generally speaking, I would agree. But not in this case. 

 

This is not a matter of talking to anyone - this is a matter of using the available technology. At technology, I'd say that we farang are much superior to our Thai wives. I figured out the USSD codes, signed up for the 00500, queried the rates, and dialed the overseas numbers entirely without my wife's assistance. And I can say with confidence that it was a lot easier for me to figure out than it would be for her. 

 

Here is what Grok has to say on this topic: 

 

Quote

 

The AIS 00500 service in Thailand is an international calling service with rates starting at 3 Baht per minute, covering over 230 destinations worldwide. There is no specific "timeframe" restriction mentioned for the AIS 00500 Economy Calling service, meaning it is available 24/7 with steady rates, and there are no time-of-day restrictions for making calls. The minimum charge for international calls is 1 minute, with billing in 6-second increments after the first minute.

 

For example, calls to destinations like China, the contiguous U.S., Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Hong Kong, and Singapore are charged at 3 Baht per minute, while calls to Malaysia are 4 Baht per minute, and other countries like Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Israel, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Macao, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan are 5 Baht per minute.

 

Prepaid AIS One-2-Call! and AIS 3G One-2-Call! customers can use the service without registration, while postpaid customers (AIS GSM Advance and AIS 3G Postpaid) registered for over 4 months with a good payment record can activate it by dialing *125 or 1253#, or contacting AIS Call Center at 1175. Those registered for less than 4 months or corporate customers must apply through AIS or TELEWIZ shops.

 

 

And here is the AIS response to the international rates queries:

 

[The Fugitive]

3 hours ago, mackayae said:

I tried myTello, but it does not accept US 800 numbers.

Has recently been confirmed that "Viber" does. Loud and clear too apparently! Hope this may assist. 

[Digitalbanana]

On 5/23/2025 at 5:52 PM, Equatorial said:

the US rate is 3 Baht per minute. 

Have you tried MyTello app where the call rate to US is 0.34 Baht per minute?

[Digitalbanana]

30 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Has recently been confirmed that "Viber" does. Loud and clear too apparently! Hope this may assist. 

Viber uses VOIP so can call 800 numbers, but MyTello does not use VOIP and is cheaper for other international calls.

[Equatorial]

51 minutes ago, Digitalbanana said:

Have you tried MyTello app where the call rate to US is 0.34 Baht per minute?

 

No I have not.

 

At 3 Bath per minute direct dial, if I need to make one or two 10-minute phone calls a month, to an overseas bank etc., that's 30-60 Baht per month. It's not worth my time downloading yet another application and creating yet another account. 

[scubascuba3]

On 5/23/2025 at 5:55 PM, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Maybe off topic but have you tried the MY TELLO app?

 

Cost me 9 Baht for a 19 minute phone call to HSBC.

That's even cheaper than they advertise 

[Blueman1]

On 5/24/2025 at 11:30 AM, Equatorial said:

Sorry to hear that. 

 

If you have a way to see your itemized charges it would be interesting to know what happened. After I make an int'l call I always look at my itemized charges and so far I haven't had any issues. 

 

On postpaid, the 003 rate to the US is B2.5, compared to the 00500 service at B3. I used the 003 service exactly one time. The quality was atrocious. 

If you have a way to see your itemized charges it would be interesting to know what happened. After I make an int'l call I always look at my itemized charges and so far I haven't had any issues. I Actually Went to the AIS Shop & Got them to Check,The Guy TOLD Me I Hadn't put the 003 in before I Dialled....What a Load of Rubbish,I'm NOT That Stupid.....Also NOTE That with the 003 Code You CANNOT Make 0800 Numbers to The U.K. Just comes up as " EMPTY Number when dialling ....003800 Then the Number !!

[Blueman1]

22 hours ago, KannikaP said:

That can only be to someone who is in your Whats App contacts. I doubt whether DWP, or Nationwide Bank are on it.

That can only be to someone who is in your Whats App contacts. I doubt whether DWP, or Nationwide Bank are on it....They Definately WON'T Be !!

[JakeC]

Quote

Viber uses VOIP so can call 800 numbers, but MyTello does not use VOIP and is cheaper for other international calls.

 

555555...seriously?

MyTello provides an online platform and mobile application for VOIP calling....

[JakeC]

Quote

Also NOTE That with the 003 Code You CANNOT Make 0800 Numbers to The U.K. Just comes up as " EMPTY Number when dialling ....003800 Then the Number !!

 

That would be 00344800....

[billd766]

On 5/24/2025 at 10:37 AM, Blueman1 said:

Let us know if this worked for you. (I have postpaid AIS SIM, not sure if it works on prepaid.) It Never Worked for me Infact I Dialled the Number 00344191**** Got Through to The DWP & Whilst I was waiting to " Speak " to a Human with 120 Baht in Pre-Paid credit the call just Cut Off, Saying I'd used ALL My Available Credit......

My AIS mobile is post paid and the sim is enabled.

 

Yes it works for me, though I don't make that many international calls/

 

It works with DTAD as well but perhaps with different prefix numbers. For True and anybody else I have no idea.

[Tazmo]

5 hours ago, Equatorial said:

 

Generally speaking, I would agree. But not in this case. 

 

This is not a matter of talking to anyone - this is a matter of using the available technology. At technology, I'd say that we farang are much superior to our Thai wives. I figured out the USSD codes, signed up for the 00500, queried the rates, and dialed the overseas numbers entirely without my wife's assistance. And I can say with confidence that it was a lot easier for me to figure out than it would be for her. 

 

Here is what Grok has to say on this topic: 

 

 

And here is the AIS response to the international rates queries:

 

 

5 hours ago, Equatorial said:

 

Generally speaking, I would agree. But not in this case. 

 

This is not a matter of talking to anyone - this is a matter of using the available technology. At technology, I'd say that we farang are much superior to our Thai wives. I figured out the USSD codes, signed up for the 00500, queried the rates, and dialed the overseas numbers entirely without my wife's assistance. And I can say with confidence that it was a lot easier for me to figure out than it would be for her. 

 

Here is what Grok has to say on this topic: 

 

 

And here is the AIS response to the international rates queries:

 

You’re probably right, no doubt, maybe I phrased that wrong, but it’s just that I could not be bothered with any administration type stuff and my partner is very good with dealing with not only AIS but all other relevant agencies.

Of course it depends on the background and education of any Thai person, if you’re going to get them to do it for you. Or. DIY as you have proven.

[hotandsticky]

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

That's even cheaper than they advertise 

 

They also provide these details under 'call history ':-