Best Pre-pay Sim Card To Get?

[sfokevin]

I travel to BKK about every 3-4 months, when there I use my phone very little so few minutes are used. I want to keep the same number from visit to visit. I want to find a prepay card that has more than a 30 day time limit or one that allows you to refill and have the time cumulative... Any suggestions? What is the maximum time you can buy?... I searched the other threads and they suggested the Orange Nan Jing Jing because it had a 60 day refill for 300 baht and you could accumulate 360 days - but I think Orange has been bought by someone else?

[h5n1]

if you want to give taksin MORE money - get 1-2 call.

[britmaveric]

12Talk and keep topping the card off until you have the date that is acceptable to you.

[lung]

i m on orange because same problem.

i think 300baht makes your card 3month longer.. (other 30days)

50baht is 2week's (other 3days). the card only 99baht.

pom kii niau before i only buy new card's all time

orange.... (mai sai thaksin...)

Edited March 11, 2006 by lung

[ThunderDuck]

DTAC "Baby Sim" is also 300 baht for three months.

[xty]

DTAC "Baby Sim" is also 300 baht for three months.

I agree with ThunderDuck. DTAC dprompt BabySIM promotion gives 3 months for 300 Baht refill.

One DTAC dprompt's feature that is not available (AFAIK) in other provider is that you can exchange your remaining validity days for credit and vice versa. It's called Jai Dee Hai Lek.

Until last December, I had BabySIM. With long validity days (and exchanged), occasionally bonus credit, I can get even 600 Baht at the end for 300 Baht refill. Unfortunately BabySIM is no longer supports validity-credit exchange anymore. After then I changed my promotion to HeyHa.

Two things I hate about DTAC, the signal/quality in my apartment is very very bad. Even I stay in Sathorn business district. Secondly, it doesn't support international roaming even for receiving call or SMS. You need to deposit some money to get full international roaming capability (receive SMS/call, send SMS, make call).

By the way I and my friends have made a test on SMS charge:

- DTAC dprompt : local 1 Baht, international 5 Baht (cheapest)

- Orange : local 1 Baht, international 6 Baht

- AIS 12call : local free (during promotion), international 9.xx Baht

Edited March 13, 2006 by xty

[remmy]

i have DTAC babysim, expensive to make phone calls. I think they charge like 5 bath per minute, more expensive than calling USA on a calling card. But I went to australia for 3 months and when I returned my Sim card dont have any credits left but i simply recharge and it works again:D

[sfokevin]

Is 3 month the maximum? or can you topoff with two 300 baht refills for 6 months cumulative validity?

[peter991]

sfokevin: Thinking about this topic, may I suggest you keep your original overseas (home) SIM card and enable Global Roaming on it. As you are only briefly in Thailand and make very few calls on it - I assume mostly back to home - it would be less complicated and probably cheaper in the long run.

The downside is that you will be charged to receive calls from overseas. Before I leave Australia, I advise with my phone company (Telstra) that I am travelling to Thailand. I have a choice of AIS, DTAC or Orange - which have reciprocal billing arrangements - but if I am sent a SMS, it will not be forwarded on by DTAC.

Just a thought.

Peter

[sfokevin]

Thanks Peter911... I do have my US phone with me too - the problem with that a Thai has to call the US to reach me while I am in Thailand...

[JohnC]

I bought a One 2 Call simm card with 100baht credit for 350 baht in the shopping mall in Pattaya, I put it in my O2 contract phone and it worked fine, every time I did a top up with 50baht cards it extended the date, when I came home I had an expiry date of 17th April. I dont return until 29th April, however I purchased two 50 baht cards so when I land I will use them to top up. This seems to be a cost effective way as at some point I will cancel my contract with O2 but will be able to retain my samsung E350!

[britmaveric]

I bought a One 2 Call simm card with 100baht credit for 350 baht in the shopping mall in Pattaya, I put it in my O2 contract phone and it worked fine, every time I did a top up with 50baht cards it extended the date, when I came home I had an expiry date of 17th April. I dont return until 29th April, however I purchased two 50 baht cards so when I land I will use them to top up.This seems to be a cost effective way as at some point I will cancel my contract with O2 but will be able to retain my samsung E350!

Uh how do you expect to top up after your sim has expired?

[lingyai]

Is 3 month the maximum? or can you topoff with two 300 baht refills for 6 months cumulative validity?

With Orange you can, at least you could as of a couple weeks ago.

I got my new number in december, and used it regularly, when I left in febuary it said my balance was good until august or september.

[slimdog]

Is 3 month the maximum? or can you topoff with two 300 baht refills for 6 months cumulative validity?

With AIS there are different values which can be added as a refill, ranging from 50 Baht to 800 Baht. Each value has a different validity period. Not absolutely certain but believe the 800 Baht card is valid for at least 6 months.

Hope of some use

[croftrobin]

In our household we have a number of phones - Pre Pay and Post Paid.

I was finding that with my own pre pay DTAC (HAPPY) I had a few thousand baht in their system but never very long to use it.

After a failed ATM top up yesterday I spoke to a lovely girl at their call centre who sorted out the ATM payment refund for me, and also (when I explained why I had been trying to pay them 1500 baht instead of the (unbeknown to me) 800 baht ATM top up limit!) told me that you can exchange your credit with them for days at a rate of only 4 baht per day.

So if like me you have about 3.5k in your dtac credit just call them and they will adjust the expiry date.

Mine has now been adjusted to sept 06 and I'm happy with that.

Never buy small value top up cards (50 - 300 baht) - either with AIS or DTAC - you are throwing your money away - use the ATM top up or go into a DTAC / AIS Shop and tell them what you want.

[JohnC]

Looks like I might have boobed! I didnt realise they cannceled the sim immediately the credit ran out , I thought like here there would be a period of grace and two weeks later I could jus add some credit! Oh well a new sim at 350 baht will not break the bank and another lesson learnt!

[poorfarang]

I got tired of buying those stupid cards all of the time so now I pay my bill once a month and its great.