i am heading back to the States for 3 months (yick), and am wondering, am I gonna lose my phone number by being gone so long? it's a pre-paid sim with AIS. is there some way to prevent it from expiring?

I have a 1-2-call card, which I can use almost everywhere in the world.

As I sometimes are out traveling for 3-4 months, I send a message once in a while to keep it alive.

But to the States? Hmmm, isnt that a step back within the mobile world? Have a feeling the card probably wont work there.

Well you could always check your present validity (by sms or by call) and reload sufficient amount to keep it alive for 3 months. Search the forums if you need advice how to check your balance/validity

Well you could always check your present validity (by sms or by call) and reload sufficient amount to keep it alive for 3 months. Search the forums if you need advice how to check your balance/validity

Thats a good idea actually.

I normally load my card via internet banking (using a Thai bank).

Hi, Im pretty sure that if you charge your phone with 300 -500 baht it is valid for a year. Other option is to leave some money here with someone on the AIS network and they can transfer credit to your sim via *140 send. You can transfer up to 100 baht to any AIS phone and it costs 3 baht.

I used to load couple of thousand sometimes to keep the validity over longer periods traveling. In any case by my normal use i accumulated more than a year validity within few months use and i don't talk that much on the phone. Converted to post paid a while ago, cheaper calls and i still could keep my old number.

It's not rocket science actually, same category as how to cash a check, how to fly to Chiang Mai and so on...

Well you could always check your present validity (by sms or by call) and reload sufficient amount to keep it alive for 3 months. Search the forums if you need advice how to check your balance/validity

Call 900121 and listen in, my 1-2-CALL SIM is evidently good to Oct 2010! Hey, maybe I should switch plans?

I also have a LAO SIM which seems to last longer, it's on ETL system. It's inactive when I get back there since I'd have been out for some months but recharging with kip 30,000 or so reactivates it.

Mac

If you put 600 baht I think they give you a year validity.

Good luck, I did that and when I got back it didn't work so ha/sip ha/sip

Cheers,

Rated you for some good posts, have fun

Just topped up Saturday AIS 1500 baht buys 6 months used to be 1 year in 2004 . Not sure on D-tac

hmm i know your actual credit is valid for a year or whatever, but i remember reading once that if you didn't use your phone in a certain time period the sim expires. i will call AIS when they open in the morning and find out for sure.

Their number is 1175 :D

After loading the 1-2-call card several time it is valid now for one year. But I always have some 50 Bath cards with me and from time to tim I login and can if needed upload that amount.

Nevertheless, this only works from real GSM Networks and these are valid all over the free world but maybe except the US... You need to have a treebander phone or use an US-Phone with the Thai-Sim Card...

DTAC you can pay a small fee and extend any top up amount for up to a year.

Just vist the web site www.dtac.co.th

DTAC you can pay a small fee and extend any top up amount for up to a year.

Just vist the web site www.dtac.co.th

Yes, you can buy time on DTAC - call *1103

Don't know about AIS.

i am heading back to the States for 3 months (yick), and am wondering, am I gonna lose my phone number by being gone so long? it's a pre-paid sim with AIS. is there some way to prevent it from expiring?

Surely you have been here long enough to have sufficient validity? If not, phone them and make sure you keep what you have.

I have a 1-2-Call (AIS) card which extends its validity for one year whenever I top up no matter what the amount (it's currently good until mid-March 2010). I believe I'm paying a higher-than-normal call charge in order to have this privilege. But it's good for me, because I'm only sporadically in Thailand, and often away for 6 months or more. Each time I come back, my SIM card just starts up again, no problem. I have the number printed on business cards, so this is a real advantage.

So do call them at 1175 (press 2 for English) and get your plan changed - unfortunately I have no idea what AIS calls it. After you come back to stay, you can always get it changed to one with a cheaper call rate again.

It was four years ago now, but I didn't bother loading my AIS card up before going to the UK for 6 months. Came back and it worked just fine...

I have a 1-2-Call (AIS) card which extends its validity for one year whenever I top up no matter what the amount (it's currently good until mid-March 2010). I believe I'm paying a higher-than-normal call charge in order to have this privilege. But it's good for me, because I'm only sporadically in Thailand, and often away for 6 months or more. Each time I come back, my SIM card just starts up again, no problem. I have the number printed on business cards, so this is a real advantage.

So do call them at 1175 (press 2 for English) and get your plan changed - unfortunately I have no idea what AIS calls it. After you come back to stay, you can always get it changed to one with a cheaper call rate again.

Yes I'm on that plan. Calls are 2 Baht/min AIS, 4 Baht/min other networks. Even a 50 Baht top up will extend to 1 year from top up date (cannot get more than one year). Can't remember the name of the plan though - something like Oon-Oon. But they reserve the right to disconnect if no use in a certain period

I have a 1-2-Call (AIS) card which extends its validity for one year whenever I top up no matter what the amount (it's currently good until mid-March 2010). I believe I'm paying a higher-than-normal call charge in order to have this privilege. But it's good for me, because I'm only sporadically in Thailand, and often away for 6 months or more. Each time I come back, my SIM card just starts up again, no problem. I have the number printed on business cards, so this is a real advantage.

So do call them at 1175 (press 2 for English) and get your plan changed - unfortunately I have no idea what AIS calls it. After you come back to stay, you can always get it changed to one with a cheaper call rate again.

Yes I'm on that plan. Calls are 2 Baht/min AIS, 4 Baht/min other networks. Even a 50 Baht top up will extend to 1 year from top up date (cannot get more than one year). Can't remember the name of the plan though - something like Oon-Oon. But they reserve the right to disconnect if no use in a certain period

I am on this plan too. Just call them up, and they will switch it for you.