Expiry of Pay As You Go Sim's

[Briggsy]

I have a Pay as you go Sim which is my only phone number in Thailand. When I bought it, the seller told me it would expire in one year. Is that true? Or will it continue to remain active and usable provided I keep topping it up to keep pushing out the validity date? Mobile provider is DTAC.

[sungod]

unless its a 1 year unlimited data sim, your should be able to top it up. 

[Briggsy]

@sungod

No, it is not an unlimited data sim.

Yes, I have been able to top it up for the last ten months. And, as a result, the validity keeps getting pushed out to a year in the future.

I was just concerned that after a year of use, the sim/number would stop working. I am now realising that is not likely to happen and I was misinformed or I misunderstood. Either way, it is great as I have no wish to change my number and all the hassle that that entails.

[CanadaSam]

24 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

the validity keeps getting pushed out to a year in the future.

 

I think you answered your own question.  Every time you top it up, it extends for another year.

[norsurin]

I had a SIM from one to call.I fill it up with 30 baht every month My number was reached more then 850 baht.

I forget to fill it up the following month and they just closed my number and took the money.

I contacted AIS but they just refused my request.Typical thai style.

[Briggsy]

My number has an automated 200 Baht deduction every month for 30 GB of data, so I have reminders everywhere to myself to keep the balance up. If I don't have 200 Baht balance, DTAC switches to a daily rather than a monthly package. I don't know what happens when the balance drops to zero. 

[topt]

5 hours ago, norsurin said:

I had a SIM from one to call.I fill it up with 30 baht every month My number was reached more then 850 baht.

I forget to fill it up the following month and they just closed my number and took the money.

Well something in your explanation is missing. 

Every time I top up my AIS sim it tells me when it is extended to. Maximum life from what I understand is 12 months. Currently valid to February next year based on a top up from last month. This is a payg sim taken out over 15 years ago.

 

Balance and validity are 2 separate concepts......

 

Maybe the sim you had was more restrictive..........

[norsurin]

13 hours ago, topt said:

Well something in your explanation is missing. 

Every time I top up my AIS sim it tells me when it is extended to. Maximum life from what I understand is 12 months. Currently valid to February next year based on a top up from last month. This is a payg sim taken out over 15 years ago.

 

Balance and validity are 2 separate concepts......

 

Maybe the sim you had was more restrictive..........

I bought it in the airport on arrival 3 years ago.Cant use abroad.Its a tourist SIM.Anyway when stay abroad can fill it up monthly thrue the app.The validity depends on how much its filled up with.

[steve187]

20 hours ago, norsurin said:

I had a SIM from one to call.I fill it up with 30 baht every month My number was reached more then 850 baht.

I forget to fill it up the following month and they just closed my number and took the money.

I contacted AIS but they just refused my request.Typical thai style.

with AIS ( maybe others) topping up for as little as 10thb ( 12thb using machines outside 7/11 stores) will extend validity by one month, if the balance builds up you can use some of the balance to extend validity 30thb for 30days using  *500*9#

[norsurin]

23 minutes ago, steve187 said:

with AIS ( maybe others) topping up for as little as 10thb ( 12thb using machines outside 7/11 stores) will extend validity by one month, if the balance builds up you can use some of the balance to extend validity 30thb for 30days using  *500*9#

Its minimum 30 baht a month when stay abroad.I forgot 1 month and they closed my number and took the 850 baht that i have paid already.

[BritManToo]

On 7/12/2025 at 10:21 AM, Briggsy said:

I have a Pay as you go Sim which is my only phone number in Thailand. When I bought it, the seller told me it would expire in one year. Is that true? Or will it continue to remain active and usable provided I keep topping it up to keep pushing out the validity date? Mobile provider is DTAC.

DTAC costs 3bht for 30 days extension.

I usually dial *113*90# for another 90 days validity

[KhunBENQ]

15 hours ago, topt said:

Well something in your explanation is missing. 

Every time I top up my AIS sim it tells me when it is extended to. Maximum life from what I understand is 12 months. Currently valid to February next year based on a top up from last month. This is a payg sim taken out over 15 years ago.

 

Balance and validity are 2 separate concepts......

 

Maybe the sim you had was more restrictive..........

Absolutely agree.

You get a warning when balance runs low.

And even if you empty it out the SIM/number is not lost immediately.

If it's empty you can only do emergency calls or the like.

Then(!) after a year or earlier(?) the SIM is deactivated and the number can be newly assigned (which will take another time span).

For 12call you need a minimum topup of 10 Baht for a one month extension.

Can use the orange machines and pay 12 Baht (2 Baht fee).

Other topup methods will require a higher minimum like 20 Baht.

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

22 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

DTAC costs 3bht for 30 days extension.

I usually dial *113*90# for another 90 days validity

I remember they had a 3 Baht extension only?

DTAC now dissolving to True.

Maybe changes ahead.

[KhunBENQ]

And of course anyone who is in the country can do topup at the machines (or other means) for you (AIS 12call).

 

[steve187]

1 hour ago, norsurin said:

Its minimum 30 baht a month when stay abroad.I forgot 1 month and they closed my number and took the 850 baht that i have paid already.

ppp 

[Mavideol]

my unlimited DTAC sim internet & calls (2,240 baht last year) will expire next month, does anybody about any good deals going or should I just renew with DTAC

[SMIAI]

If DTAC offer renewal of the same package for another year, then take it. As there are no more Unlimited data 12 month SIM packs from DTAC, but only TRUE. 4000 baht for Unlimited 15 Mbps or 2600 baht for Unlimited 6 Mbps.

All other packs are limited to a maximum of 100GB per month.

Alternative monthly Unlimited options come from Finn Mobile and GoMo.

[sandyf]

On 7/12/2025 at 3:19 PM, Briggsy said:

My number has an automated 200 Baht deduction every month for 30 GB of data, so I have reminders everywhere to myself to keep the balance up. If I don't have 200 Baht balance, DTAC switches to a daily rather than a monthly package. I don't know what happens when the balance drops to zero. 

There are a variety of packages on the go and the only way to find out the detail  is to log into your account on the DTAC website, think you should be able to do that with your phone number.

I use AIS and have had the same pay as you go number for about 15 years. Each time I top it up get a month extension.

I did have a 12 month DTAC data sim at one time when I had a sim router and think that became pay as you go when the data expired but threw it away when I changed the router.

[sandyf]

On 7/12/2025 at 9:07 PM, topt said:

Every time I top up my AIS sim it tells me when it is extended to. Maximum life from what I understand is 12 months.

Not quite sure what you mean by "maximum life".

AIS only allow to extend validity up to 12 months in advance, next month you can get another month.

I have had my AIS voice only since 2010.

You can check your account by logging into the "MyAIS" phone app, just need phone number. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

On 7/12/2025 at 9:08 AM, norsurin said:

I had a SIM from one to call.I fill it up with 30 baht every month My number was reached more then 850 baht.

I forget to fill it up the following month and they just closed my number and took the money.

I contacted AIS but they just refused my request.Typical thai style.

Yes. AiS cancelled a SIMM for my wife's phone which had around ThB 1200 credit on it because it had not been used for six months. Refused to return the credit.

[topt]

34 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Not quite sure what you mean by "maximum life".

AIS only allow to extend validity up to 12 months in advance, next month you can get another month.

Which is what I meant.

[sandyf]

7 minutes ago, topt said:

Which is what I meant.

Fair enough, but not quite "life" of 12  months, mine's been 15 years already.

[topt]

17 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Fair enough, but not quite "life" of 12  months, mine's been 15 years already.

Suggest you reread my original post that you selectively quoted from and then perhaps you won't need to be so picky.........