Pre-paid Sim Card For Very Low Volume Use

[grahamb]

We've got a Happy DPrompt card that we bought about 6 months ago and use when visitors are over - cheaper than them roaming with their home number.

When we got it, the credit was valid for 6 months and I thought that by adding more credit, I would get another 6 months. I just bought a B50 card and discovered that with DTAC, B50 only gives me another 3 days of calling time... I could buy more to get a longer time but we'd never use the credit.

Do any of the networks have a pre-paid card where you can extend the usage time for e.g. 6 or 12 months by just adding credit? If yes, how much credit do you need to add to get this?

I'm sure there must be pre-paid users who only visit Thailand every few months - do you need to buy new numbers each time you visit?

[astral]

I can't speak for Thailand, as I have not done the research,

but this is true in several countries that I visit on business.

The "life" of the number is quite short unless you use it, so you need a new

number each time you visit.

However the saving on calls, especially international, is well worth the set up cost each time.

India bundles in a "rental charge" of 100 baht a month, but the international calls are 15 baht/minute

compared to 60 baht, when roaming.

Over a week ot two the saving is substantial.

[Firefoxx]

For Orange, the prepaid sim (justtalk) is 199 baht, valid for 7 months, with 350 baht initial value, and 50 baht/month extra. Normal calls are 5 baht/min, with a few exceptions. There are different call options to choose from. Cards are 300 baht, valid for 1 month each (not sure).

Dtac's prepaid is Dprompt. The sim is 199, initial value 50 baht, valid for 30 days. Calls 5 baht/min (except promotions). Various call options. Cards are 400 baht/40 days, 50 baht/3days.

Ais has One2Call. Sims are 499 baht, 100 baht initial value, valid for 30 days. Calls are 5 baht/min, normally. Cards are 300 baht/30 days (there are others, but 300 is the easiest to find), but there is a choice of the "sawasdee" option, which doubles the time, which comes out to 1,500 baht for 1 year.

[sniffdog]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Orange, the prepaid sim (justtalk) is 199 baht, valid for 7 months, with 350 baht initial value, and 50 baht/month extra. Normal calls are 5 baht/min, with a few exceptions. There are different call options to choose from. Cards are 300 baht, valid for 1 month each (not sure).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Incorrect.

This program is available for customers who subscribe for Just Talk from now until 31 March 2005.

2. Daily special rate 1 baht per minute during 23.01 to 17.00 shall be applied after first 30 seconds. Regular rate for the first 30 seconds. Calls made besides this special offer will be charged at a normal rate of 5 Baht / minute. Call charged by second. Regular rate for the first 30 seconds.

3. This promotion is only for calling to mobile phone number and home-based telephone that registered in Thailand. It does not include International Services, International Roaming (IR) Data Transfer usage, some types of SMS, Information Services and other VAS usage.

4. Customers can choose just talk sim at the price of 199 baht will receive a bonus worth 50 baht every month immediately after the service is activated. The first free call bonus lasts for 30 days. Other 6 free call bonuses will be received every 30 days without limited period of use.

5. If just talk service ends, customers cannot use the free call bonuses until the sim card is topped up.

6. The free call bonuses cannot be exchanged into cash and is non-transferable.

7. Orange reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at anytime as Orange deems appropriate.

8. Orange reserves the right to terminate this offer at any time if Orange believes that the customer has acted fraudulently or faked any document in connection with this offer or used the mobile phone for immoral or illegal purposes.

9. This promotion is valid until 31 December 2005.

The cards: THB 90 (7 days), THB 300 (one month).

You can make calls at 1 baht a minute (with exception of the first 30 seconds) between 11pm and 5 pm the next day. Only from 5pm to 11 pm (six hours) you pay 5 baht per minute.

DTAC and Orange use by-the-second billing, while AIS charges by-the-minute (10 seconds = 1 minute).

Also, the info for One-2-Call is not complete. Sawadee is available in many flavours ranging from 3 days to 1 year.

You better refer to the company websites for the correct info:

http://www.orange.co.th

http://www.one-2-call.com

Please note that prices and conditions maybe lower at Mahboonkrong.

[tchk]

Do any of the networks have a pre-paid card where you can extend the usage time for e.g. 6 or 12 months by just adding credit? If yes, how much credit do you need to add to get this?

I'm sure there must be pre-paid users who only visit Thailand every few months - do you need to buy new numbers each time you visit?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No need to buy a new number every time. I visit Thailand 2 to 3 times a year and I have my 1,2-call SIM card. Every time I add credit it extends the validity, luckily not from the current date but from the expiration date. So before you leave Thailand just top up to beyond the date of your return. There my be a limit, but my credit is now good until 23/11/2005.

[Jai Dee]

Dtac's prepaid is Dprompt.  The sim is 199, initial value 50 baht, valid for 30 days.  Calls 5 baht/min (except promotions).  Various call options.  Cards are 400 baht/40 days, 50 baht/3days.

I bought a DTAC DPrompt starter kit in SCB Park Plaza 3 years ago... it cost about 750 baht then, and I have been topping it up ever since.

If I top it up with a 200 baht or greater card, I get a year's extension.

Maybe I bought it on an old promotion, but I always get 1 year's credit validity.

[autonomous_unit]

On most, you get more lifetime per baht if you add larger amounts. We added 800 or 1000 baht refills several times to a Happy Dprompt card (you can do it at one of the "counter service" places at a mall) while I was using it for GPRS for a while. It now has an expiration date too far into the future for me to remember. Also, some have loyalty plans built in, where the time extension gets multiplied to a larger amount after your lifetime refill balance on the card exceeds some amount.

After checking the different refill options, just think through the number of times per year you expect to use it and work out the cost per year to keep it alive. Don't just think in terms of how many minutes of talk time you need. If the average cost is low enough, it will be cheaper than activating new cards when you need them. I currently keep a pre-paid card alive for use in the US for this same reason; it gives me a stable number when I travel there, and it ends up costing less than the cheapest subscription plan to top it up a few times a year and keep it active. It is definitely cheaper than buying a new SIM each year or each trip.

[easyride]

Do any of the networks have a pre-paid card where you can extend the usage time for e.g. 6 or 12 months by just adding credit? If yes, how much credit do you need to add to get this?

I'm sure there must be pre-paid users who only visit Thailand every few months - do you need to buy new numbers each time you visit?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've got a 1 2 Call card in my phone. If you put in a 1500 baht credit in you'll get a full 12 month of credit time, though if you don't make calls you lose that at the end of 12 months. They cards are tricky to get but TELEWIZ or AIS stores do it (! know because I did it). Otherwise credit the phone with 100, 300 or 500 baht top-up cards. I think a 500 baht gives you 60 days. Whatever, they are consecutive up to a maximun credit time of 12 months.

Keep topping up as the credit time goes down. Make calls

[daxbr]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Orange, the prepaid sim (justtalk) is 199 baht, valid for 7 months, with 350 baht initial value, and 50 baht/month extra. Normal calls are 5 baht/min, with a few exceptions. There are different call options to choose from. Cards are 300 baht, valid for 1 month each (not sure).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Incorrect.

This program is available for customers who subscribe for Just Talk from now until 31 March 2005.

2. Daily special rate 1 baht per minute during 23.01 to 17.00 shall be applied after first 30 seconds. Regular rate for the first 30 seconds. Calls made besides this special offer will be charged at a normal rate of 5 Baht / minute. Call charged by second. Regular rate for the first 30 seconds.

3. This promotion is only for calling to mobile phone number and home-based telephone that registered in Thailand. It does not include International Services, International Roaming (IR) Data Transfer usage, some types of SMS, Information Services and other VAS usage.

4. Customers can choose just talk sim at the price of 199 baht will receive a bonus worth 50 baht every month immediately after the service is activated. The first free call bonus lasts for 30 days. Other 6 free call bonuses will be received every 30 days without limited period of use.

5. If just talk service ends, customers cannot use the free call bonuses until the sim card is topped up.

6. The free call bonuses cannot be exchanged into cash and is non-transferable.

7. Orange reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at anytime as Orange deems appropriate.

8. Orange reserves the right to terminate this offer at any time if Orange believes that the customer has acted fraudulently or faked any document in connection with this offer or used the mobile phone for immoral or illegal purposes.

9. This promotion is valid until 31 December 2005.

The cards: THB 90 (7 days), THB 300 (one month).

You can make calls at 1 baht a minute (with exception of the first 30 seconds) between 11pm and 5 pm the next day. Only from 5pm to 11 pm (six hours) you pay 5 baht per minute.

DTAC and Orange use by-the-second billing, while AIS charges by-the-minute (10 seconds = 1 minute).

Also, the info for One-2-Call is not complete. Sawadee is available in many flavours ranging from 3 days to 1 year.

You better refer to the company websites for the correct info:

http://www.orange.co.th

http://www.one-2-call.com

Please note that prices and conditions maybe lower at Mahboonkrong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good info. I would only add that B1000 top up is good for 5 months. It seems to be the cheapest way to mantain account if you do not make many calls. Unlike in the USA, all incoming calls are free.