2 Year Old Thai Sim (1-2-call)

[paulnuek]

I was using a 1-2-Call card a couple of years ago.

The pay as you go type.

Will it still work or will I have to buy a new card/new number?

[astral]

I think you will find that the number has long expired.

You only get a certain amount of time for each top up.

From the sound of your message you have not been to LOS for some time?

Buy a new card when you arrive.

Under the new terrorist rules you will need a copy of your passport.

[bkkbound04]

u need a passport to buy a sim card?

i guess it makes sense in some ways....

in the uk u can buy sim cards just about anywhere..no questions asked...in pubs, boot sales and regular markets they are common...no passport required...

*here's what puzzles me though...i returned a few weeks back...

when i arrived at the final customs(before boarding my plane) and x ray machine i remembered that i had my razor and scissors in my toilet bag inside my hand luggage....

before handing over my bag i said i needed to remove some things...they understood what i said but just took my bag...put it through the machine and handed it back to me.... i was so shocked that i asked them if they were going to/ or wanted me to remove the items from my hand luggage(they knew what they were)

"mai pen rai" was the reply

i'm concerned at what others could do in this situation...

i would rather have lost my items than have them handed back to me before boarding a plane...it didn't inspire confidence anywayz

thought i'd share this as it relates to terrorism/terror threats and how the thai's are handling it...or not*

i think your sim has expired...as mentioned u have to top up every few months to keep the account/number active....i imagine after 6-12 mths idle the number would be lost...but u may get lucky

[icecubes]

I was using a 1-2-Call card a couple of years ago.

The pay as you go type.

Will it still work or will I have to buy a new card/new number?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry man 100% wont work

by a new one.

[britmaveric]

No it won't work - need to top it off and extend the expire date. However that being said it sounds like you never did so. No worries easily can buy another - just pay close attention to expirey date and add baht at appropriate time. As stated bring your passport with you when you buy a new one.

[paulnuek]

Passport,eh...

Sounds like they are getting strict on sims in LOS.

Thanks for the info.

How much are the sims now?

Can`t remember how much my last one was,but topup cards were available everywhere,is this still the case?

I have just bought a new unlocked phone in the UK,Will I be able to send mms messages with the new 1-2-Call card.

Paul

[edh]

Paulnuek,

sim are fairly cheap today. A couple of years back when I bought mine it was a couple of thousand if I remember it correctly. Today only a few hundred.

Yes you will be able to send MMS.

EH

[mumbojumbo]

How much are the sims now?

Paul

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bought a DTAC sim last week=200 bt w/50bt worth of calls. 12 call prob 3-4bt

[paulnuek]

Paulnuek,

sim are fairly cheap today. A couple of years back when I bought mine it was a couple of thousand if I remember it correctly. Today only a few hundred.

Yes you will be able to send MMS.

EH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looks like I will just have to buy a new sim...

Didn`t think I would be able to send mms.

Thats a bit of good news.

Will I have to download any new setting for my 6680 to be able to send mms?

Cheers Paul

[edh]

Just follow your phone instructions to be able to send mms.

I have a sonyericsson 610-something, old model, and all i did was to follow the instructions given to me on the phone screen.

After that, I could check my e-mails, send mms etc. via the phone laying back in a sun chair at the beach

If it doesn't work out, see a phone shop at Big C and they'll help you out.

Remember - no mms from the naughty airconditioned outlets

[Kerryd]

I topped up the sim in my phone a few months ago, just before I left LOS. The more you put into it, the longer you have before the minutes expire.

Having said that, my time seemed to have expired 10-14 days before I returned, and the phone number had already been re-assigned !

I had to buy a new sim (with a new number of course ). This time, I left it with my landlady so she can keep it active until I return (11 days !!! Woohoo !!!)

[paulnuek]

When you say re-assigned,do you mean someone else actually gets you number??

[Kerryd]

When you say re-assigned,do you mean someone else actually gets you number??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep ! I had given my number to a couple of my buddies who were arriving a couple of days after me. When they arrived and tried to call, they ended up talking to a Thai person that apparently didn't speak english.

As I had no way of contacting them to give them my new number, we ended up not getting together. I found out when I got back to work (about them trying my number and someone else having it).

Last time back, I spoke to the landlady about it and she confirmed that they reassign the numbers very quickly if they aren't kept charged up.

(I think they have a rule in Canada that states the number has to be inactive for a set period of time, like 6 months, before it can be reassigned)

[paulnuek]

When you say re-assigned,do you mean someone else actually gets you number??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep ! I had given my number to a couple of my buddies who were arriving a couple of days after me. When they arrived and tried to call, they ended up talking to a Thai person that apparently didn't speak english.

As I had no way of contacting them to give them my new number, we ended up not getting together. I found out when I got back to work (about them trying my number and someone else having it).

Last time back, I spoke to the landlady about it and she confirmed that they reassign the numbers very quickly if they aren't kept charged up.

(I think they have a rule in Canada that states the number has to be inactive for a set period of time, like 6 months, before it can be reassigned)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Never knew they did that,but I suppose they would run out of numbers sooner or later...

I wonder who has my old number then......Thaksin maybe

Edited November 8, 2005 by paulnuek

[wilko]

My 1 to Call has 316 baht on it valid until 8 - 1 - 2007......

So it all depends on how long you've had it and how many times you've topped it up.

AIS do a package for visitors for about 800 baht you get a SIM with roaming on it and about 500 baht credit....this offer may be defunct by now.

[paulnuek]

My 1 to Call has 316 baht on it valid until 8 - 1 - 2007......

So it all depends on how long you've had it and how many times you've topped it up.

AIS do a package for visitors for about 800 baht you get a SIM with roaming on it and about 500 baht credit....this offer may be defunct by now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I must remember to leave enough money on my new card then.

Cheers Paul

[lomatopo]

My 1 to Call has 316 baht on it valid until 8 - 1 - 2007......

So it all depends on how long you've had it and how many times you've topped it up.

AIS do a package for visitors for about 800 baht you get a SIM with roaming on it and about 500 baht credit....this offer may be defunct by now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure the expiry date is 8 Jan 2007? You can press *121# and send to check the current balance and expiry date. It is true, for 1-2-Call, that top-up cards of 500 baht add 90 days to the current expiry date (top-up cards of value less than 500 baht add 30 days) however I am unable to extend my expiry date beyond 364 days regardless of how many times I top-up.

There is a shortage of mobile numbers here as least for some mobile providers due to the way in which they were initially auctioned.

1-2-Call and DTAC are the leading providers so I'd go with one of those. The last time I checked for friends both had pre-paid SIMs for 200 baht, with 50 baht of calling time.

I am experienced with 1-2-Call only. I do know that they support the sending and receiving of MMS on pre-paid services. They also offer voicemail and international roaming, both of which require pre-registration. Just call 1175 from your 1-2-Call phone and press 2 for an English-language CSR. 1-2-Call does allow one to retain their number in the event that a SIM is lost. This service is only good for 30 days so my sense is that they recycle numbers 31 days after expiry. I imagine it takes a a while to work that number back into the retail chain? And if it was an unlucky number it might still be available? The OP could go to a larger Telewiz shop in a large, centrally-located shopping mall, where the odds of getting an knowledgeable English-capable rep. are higher, and see if the old number is available and if it can be assigned to the newly purchased SIM.

Edited November 11, 2005 by lomatopo

[wilko]

My 1 to Call has 316 baht on it valid until 8 - 1 - 2007......

I'm quite sure...117 baht...valid until 8/11/2007....Sorryt, not Jan - November!

I've had this card for quite some time (4 years?) and it doesn't seem to get any longer than that.

If you have any problems with SIM etc you're better off going to an AIS shop rather than Telewiz as they don't offer the full range of services. AIS have a shop in Sri Racha and Rayong, I don't know about Pattaya.

SMS isn't (or rather wasn't in April) avaiable on roaming, which makes the whole thing rather expensive and a waste of time. However I was using my Thia One to Call pre-p[ay SIM in UK last April.

I had my phone stolen and AIS gave me my old number back, no problem....but they want a police report though.

I had a second SIM and that expired and I can't get the number back on that one.

Has anyone got the Jumbo SIM? - 3 memories that store up to 250 numbers each and 100 SMS storage.

Edited November 12, 2005 by wilko

[paulnuek]

Jumbo sim?

Never heard of that one.

What problem have you had with sms?

I haven`t had any problems wth sms.

mms is another matter though as the settings will almost certainly have to be changed.

[wilko]

Jumbo sim?

Never heard of that one.

What problem have you had with sms?

I haven`t had any problems wth sms.

mms is another matter though as the settings will almost certainly have to be changed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I couldn't SMS from UK with roaming. - in fact I was told it wasn't available and as calls worked out about 70 baht per min it wasn't really a working proposition.

If you go to an AIS shop or ring their EL info line they have quite a range of products that are not very well advertised in English Language.

[paulnuek]

I have never had a problem with sms.

Used Vodafone UK once,was ok but very very expensive.

1-2-Call for the last 2 visits and sms was ok that I remember.

Mms will be a different bal game.

Settings are involved here.I have just changed networks and it has took several emails/phone calls to sort out.

So I don`t even think I will try.