for those of you who lived in the states i would like to know what is the choice for phone service in thailand, main concern is phoning back home, are phone cards the best or is there a cell phone company with good rates, thanks in advance

joe p

call collect.

Use the 008 prefix from landline or cellphone and its about 7.5 baht / minute.

Use the 008 prefix from landline or cellphone and its about 7.5 baht / minute.

008 is 7 Baht/ min to Europe - I think its the same to the USA. Thats about 17 cents, not a bad deal.

I undersatnd that VOIP is used by the phone company, which is why its so cheap.

If you don't use 008 the calls will be very expensive.

There are access numbers now in the UK from which you can phone Thailand, which are even cheaper. I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't the same type of numbers from USA.

Mobile(Cell) or landline is the way to go. If you have a good internet connection. you can use Skype.

009 via mobile

Discover Skype.

You can also use AT&T USA Direct. The Thai number is 001 999 11111 and is a toll free number in Thailand. I use that, then make the call with my AT&T calling card. Probably not the cheapest but always reliable.

thanks folks your a great help

jasper

I downloaded net2phone (www.net2phone.com). I can call the US or almost anywhere in the world from my computer to phone for pennies.

Nothing beats SKYPE, www.skype.com

Very reliable, great sound quality... i think on a paying call it's only one or two baht per minute... if you both have computers with skype, it's FREE FREE FREE, unlimited. Can't beat that.