How Do True Prepaid Voice/data Packages Work?

[wpcoe]

I have two friends in slightly different circumstances who want True PREPAID voice/data plans. One lives here in Thailand and has been frustrated with face-to-face contact at the local True store. The other lives overseas and wants me to set him up with a one-week (or one-month) plan.

Friend A:

Lives here in Hua Hin and has a 3G phone that he mostly uses to tether the connection to his tablet. When we bought the phone, we went to the True shop and bought a SIM and then prepaid a 30-day plan with 1GB data for about B350.

When that 30 days ran out, he went to the same True shop to get another 30 days. Even though he pointed to the plan on a pamphlet, they said "Cannot!" and sold him a 3GB plan for 30 days for about B650, which works, but is way more than he needs.

On this web page, it looks like they still have a 1.25GB, 30-day plan for B399. no?

He asked me if he can go to 7-11 and buy a True 30-day, 1GB plan. Can he? How does that work? Is it like the old scratch cards where you dial a number, tap in the codes revealed on the card and the phone is topped up?

Friend B:

Visiting from Canada for a week in late December. Wants me to buy a nano SIM (iPhone5) and load it with, at best, one week of unlimited data, or as an alternate, a 30-day plan with minimum 500MB data.

IIRC, I can buy a SIM for B50 or B99 and then add a plan such as those on the True web page above, but they activate on the date of purchase, so if I go to the True shop today -- 15Nov -- and buy him a 30-day package, it will expire before he even gets here.

Again, could I simply buy a SIM card (B50 or B99?) and then buy a scratch card at 7-11 and mail them to him so that when he lands, he can activate the plan at that time by using the 7-11 scratch card?

Both friends:

OR, what is the method of topping up indicated on that web page? It looks like if you dial *9789 and input codes like V2 and *900*41# you can top up that way? How does True get the money? Do you somehow set up a "bank" with credit in advance? If so, how?

Also, on that True web page, if you click on the "TH/EN" link on the top repeatedly, you alternate between two versions of the page -- the EN page has two columns of top-up options, one with V1/V2/V3 and *900 codes and one with CV1/CV2/CV3 and *901 codes. What is the difference?

Sorry for so many questions, but it surely is a puzzling system!

[lomatopo]

For Friend A:

TrueMove or TrueMove H?

It's confusing as you seem to mention 3G and reference an TrueMove H plan, but then link to a TrueMove page/plan which are just 2G,

Once we understand which SIM he has we can figure out how to address his issues.

Assuming TrueMove H, they have one-time plans and recurring plans. One-time plans may be self-explanatory - they are good for one, single 30 day period then end, unless you add value and re-subscribe via a *900*3n# request - these are NOT unlimited so be warned. Recurring plans may also be self-explanatory - these automagically renew on day 31 assuming you have enough money for the plan and associate VAT. One subscribes to a recurring plan via the *900*4n# request - these plans are unlimited with a FUP of 128 Kbps.

http://truemoveh.tru...er;ิน

I think friend A had a one-time 3G plan from TrueMove H, but that is just a guess. It might be best for this friend to get a recurring plan? You can add value to a SIM/number in many, many ways. PErhaps the easiest are to go to a 7-11 with your SIM telephone number written on a piece of paper, hand that over to the 7-11 Employee along with some baht, then they will add the value. True have TrueMoney scratch cards which can be purchased everywhere, and the instructions are written on the card re: scratching and entering onto a phone.

For Friend B:

I think you want a TrueMove H SIM, these are generally available for 99 baht but you will need a nano SIM for the iPhone 5 so not sure how widely those are available, esp. pre-paid? TrueMove H is/was also running out of numbers, but they may have addressed that issue, but maybe not manufactured new SIM yet?

If you buy a SIM today, activate it, add value, subscribe to a plan then the SIM/money should be valid for 60 days, while the data plan - if subscribing to a one-time plan - would be good for 30 days, or until 15 Dec.

Edited to add: some TrueMove H numbers begin with 09 so make sure you don't slip up and add value to the 08 number.

Edited November 16, 2012 by lomatopo

[wpcoe]

Thanks! I went to the True shop at Market Village in Hua Hin this morning and had a VERY helpful and friendly lady with GOOD English skills walk me through everything.

Yes, I wanted TrueMove-H 3G for both friends. I didn't even notice the page I linked wasn't 3G!

She walked me through using the "ATM-type" machine in the True office to add funds to the newly purchased B99 nano SIM, since the screens are all in Thai. We added enough funds so that when Friend B lands on December 23 and turns on the phone he can either:

(1) send an SMS with the text V3 to 9789, or

(2) dial *900*43#

to purchase a 30-day B350 package with 1GB data, and activate it, and have about B100 left over for phone calls & SMS. That was the only way I could mail him the SIM now and not have the data plan expire before he arrived Thailand.

The TrueMove nano SIMs don't come with a pre-assigned phone number. You pick a phone number from a stack of traditional SIM card packages, then they mate the account in the computer to the nano SIM. The True shop here had a supply of nano SIMs.

Assuming TrueMove H, they have one-time plans and recurring plans. One-time plans may be self-explanatory - they are good for one, single 30 day period then end, unless you add value and re-subscribe via a *900*3n# request - these are NOT unlimited so be warned. Recurring plans may also be self-explanatory - these automagically renew on day 31 assuming you have enough money for the plan and associate VAT. One subscribes to a recurring plan via the *900*4n# request - these plans are unlimited with a FUP of 128 Kbps.

I don't know if Friend A originally had a one-time or recurring plan, either. Does he need to notify them directly if he wants to switch to recurring, or is it sufficient to self-elect by using the *900*4n#? i.e. Can he simply use the *900*4n# and from then on be on a recurring plan, regardless what he has now?

Based on today's, and past, interactions with staff at this True office, I have NO idea why they didn't help him. He's more of a luddite than even I, and trusted them to guide him, and they seem to not have done well.

Just to totally make the True shop rep's day, I also signed up for TrueOnline DOCSIS (15Mb/1.5Mb) with free TrueVisions (72-channel) CATV package.

[lomatopo]

For Friend B, note that that plan is not unlimited so not sure what happens once he reaches 1 GB. Nothing I could find in the T's & C's details this, maybe it stops working? Or dings the account 1 baht/KB?

For Friend B, he can add value then subscribe to any plan he wants. If he subscribed today to a recurring plan then he would be on that recurring plan until such time as he cancels it, or is dropped for not having enough balance to cover the next month's fee.

Q: Does he need to notify them directly if he wants to switch to recurring, or is it sufficient to self-elect by using the *900*4n#? i.e. Can he simply use the *900*4n# and from then on be on a recurring plan, regardless what he has now?

A: Yes. Yes.

The steps are - this is more for others who may be reading and looking for information: buy a SIM, install the SIM in a phone (which in most cases automatically activates it), add value, subscribe to a data plan. Most plans automatically renew so one needs to add value before the current plan expires. Many service providers prompt a few data before a plan is set to expire.

Finally, check any TrueMove H APN setting as it was my recent experience where the auto APN - not sure if this is auto-generated by the SIM or the network - was not correct. For the username it was spelled "ture" rather than "True". Go figure.

http://www.truemove-...pnsettings.aspx

Edited November 16, 2012 by lomatopo

[wpcoe]

Recurring plans may also be self-explanatory - these automagically renew on day 31 assuming you have enough money for the plan and associate VAT. One subscribes to a recurring plan via the *900*4n# request - these plans are unlimited with a FUP of 128 Kbps.

We added enough funds so that when Friend B lands on December 23 and turns on the phone he can either:

(1) send an SMS with the text V3 to 9789, or

(2) dial *900*43#

to purchase a 30-day B350 package with 1GB data, and activate it, and have about B100 left over for phone calls & SMS

For Friend B, note that that plan is not unlimited so not sure what happens once he reaches 1 GB. Nothing I could find in the T's & C's details this, maybe it stops working? Or dings the account 1 baht/KB?

Dagnabbit, I thought I had it straight, and now I'm confused again

If Friend B dials *900*43#, he's getting a recurring plan with unlimited Fair Usage, no?

[lomatopo]

If Friend B dials *900*43#, he's getting a recurring plan with unlimited Fair Usage, no?

*900*43# SEND/CALL would enroll you in monthly recurring plan which has 1 GB of data and costs 350 baht + 7 % VAT each period. This plan is NOT unlimited, as far as I can determine, so expect to pay surcharges above 1 GB, maybe 1 baht/2 KB?, or get cut off. The next plan up, 2 GB, is unlimited.

It may easier to just dial *9000 to get into the IVR system, then wait a few seconds, press 9 for English then follow the prompts to enroll in a package.

[wpcoe]

Ay, ay, ay. Thanks for leading me by the hand!

For Friend B, I'm sure 1GB would be enough for his 1-week stay in Thailand.

However, for Friend A, his two choices are probably:

B350 = *900*43# for 3G recurring 30-day plan, no FUP after 1GB, or

B599 = *900*599# for 3G recurring 30-day plan, shaped down to ???kbps after 2GB

(Rhetorical question Why is it *900*599# and not *900*44# ???)

I think he will probably go for the B350, since in his first month he managed with only 1GB.

[edited to add:]

I just read the DTAC thread with the B199 one-week 1GB 3G package with unlimited EDGE. That would have been a good fit for Friend B. Oh, well.

Edited November 20, 2012 by wpcoe

[wpcoe]

Friend A and I went to the corner 7-11 store and added B1,000 to his phone's TrueMove-H account. Then we went home and he dialed *900*599# and pressed the green send/call icon. We got a pop-up on the phone saying to wait for a message. I thought we got a confirmation SMS, but he says now that we didn't. (We did this about five hours ago.) He's been sending B messages to 9789 and his data used is creeping up past 2.04, 2.09, 2.1GB, etc. He apparently is still on his previous 2GB package which shaped down to slower speed -- he said the speed has been slow starting a few days ago.

I'm going to BKK tomorrow morning, and he leaves for upcountry (Surin) before I get back, so he's left to his own devices to figure out just what is going on. At this point, it seems the B1000 got into his account, but the *900*599# apparently didn't work?

Sudden thought: Would the new *900*599# 30-day package not take immediate effect, but he needs to wait for his current 30-day package to expire?