Telephone Advice Sought

[jsflynn603]

I'll be in Chiang Mai for several months. My cell phone here in the US won't work there, and it would be downright dumb to try to use Sprint as a carrier in Thailand.

So I need to purchase a phone in Chiang Mai.

I could care less about internet connectivity, fashion, "what's in," etc. and will only use it for voice calling and texts. Other than that I really know little about cell phones.

Can someone kindly suggest what to look for and if you're from Chiang Mai (or even if you aren't) where to buy a phone, and what to look for.

I don't want anything fancy beyond good reception, clear voice, ability to use my Bluetooth and good sound quality. In my estimation cheaper is better and when I return to the states I don't think even if it's a quad band that I can use it with my Sprint account--but I'm not sure.

I don't care about using a phone as a camera, music source or anything fancy.

What about used phones? Worth it or not? Do they even sell used phones in Chiang Mai?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks

[RKASA]

You can get a new one for 30us and a used one for half that - a sim card for use a month or so is cheap. Can get millons of them everywhere. Friends of ours that travel here normally get one for each person so they can locate each other in the mall etc. stop in most any store or 7/11 and get a refill on the sim card if you need more air time. Can call anywhere with it.

[H2oDunc]

Tesco, BigC or any of the mobile phone shops will sell you a basic nokia or Imobile phone for around 4-600 baht. A AIS sim card from the 7/11 will cost you 49 baht. Simply top it up when needed.

[AussieKenny]

True hand out free True Move sims at all international air ports here in Thailand.

Good value sims that allow you to call most western countries for 1.5 baht min.

Kenny

[H2oDunc]

True hand out free True Move sims at all international air ports here in Thailand.

Good value sims that allow you to call most western countries for 1.5 baht min.

Kenny

Is a trip to the nearest airport to get a free sim really worth it to save 49 baht ? BigC had an offer last week with buy one get one free.

[whybother]

True hand out free True Move sims at all international air ports here in Thailand.

Good value sims that allow you to call most western countries for 1.5 baht min.

Kenny

Is a trip to the nearest airport to get a free sim really worth it to save 49 baht ? BigC had an offer last week with buy one get one free.

He is probably coming in through an airport.

[lomatopo]

The OP's specific requirement for Bluetooth means they may have to look for a specific phone. The Nokia C1-01 has Bluetooth and is 1,540 THB new. You can find mobile phone retailers everywhere in Thailand. Jaymart is a national retailer, with slightly higher (+2%) prices, but there are thousands of mobile phone shops.

With more detail about calling patterns we could make a better recommendation regarding local pre-paid SIM cards. The leading providers are:

AIS/One-2-Call

DTAC/Happy

TRUEmove

[BngkkB]

Maybe you should call Sprint before you leave and see if they will send you an "Unlock Code". Enter the code and when you arrive just change sim card. That way you will still have all your contact info in your phone. Just an idea.

[astral]

Maybe you should call Sprint before you leave and see if they will send you an "Unlock Code".

It may not be that simple.

Some of the US systems use different freqencies.

[BB1950]

The OP's specific requirement for Bluetooth means they may have to look for a specific phone. The Nokia C1-01 has Bluetooth and is 1,540 THB new. You can find mobile phone retailers everywhere in Thailand. Jaymart is a national retailer, with slightly higher (+2%) prices, but there are thousands of mobile phone shops.

With more detail about calling patterns we could make a better recommendation regarding local pre-paid SIM cards. The leading providers are:

AIS/One-2-Call

DTAC/Happy

TRUEmove

There are lot of phones these days that have Blue Tooth capability.