Using a Thai cell phone in the USA

[fittobethaied]

I am planning a trip back to the USA later this year and am wondering if I can use my LG smartphone once I arrive. Of course, I purchased the phone here last year and it uses two separate sim cards, one of which is the new DTAC program called TriNet whereby I can make calls and use unlimited internet. Is this sort of thing available in the US now? I've been away for three years, so I'm not familiar with all the techno changes. Actually, I'll only be in the States for two weeks, so I need something that will be a single purchase with no contract type of arrangement. This is my first post on ThaiVisa, so I'm thanking you all in advance for your generous responses and advice.

[bonobo]

Don't use your Thai cell. You can go into any US phone company and buy a US sim. You get a certain number of days, and each day you actually use the phone, that counts as one of the those days. If you don't use the phone in any given day, then that day rolls over and you are not charged for that day.

I use ATT when I am there as I bought an ATT burner phone some time back, but I can actually use any service. WIth ATT, it is $20 for ten days of calling and I think $30 for phone and internet. There may be better rates available. Regardless, you do not want to pay romaing charges for your THai sim, and you certainly don't want to pay roaming internet.

Make sure you turn off your data roaming before you arrive. If you do not and you keep your Thai phone on, all your e-mails will still come, and you will pay a small fortune for all of that. I keep my THai business phone connected (I use the burner phone for my US calling), and it is my ritual to turn off data roaming at the airport before I board my plane.

[lomatopo]

Can you give the exact LG model number?

Where in the U.S. will you be?

What are your requirements re: calling and mobile data? Budget?

I would probably just remove your DTAC SIM, and then get a pre-paid SIM from T-Mobile, AT&T or one of their MVNOs like StraightTalk.

I use T-Mobile during my frequent, but brief visits to the U.S. I use a $3/day unlimited calling, text and 3G (1900 MHz) data plan. Remember that in the U.S. you pay for both outgoing and incoming calls and texts.

Edited July 27, 2013 by lomatopo

[misterphil]

I used my AIS SIM card just last week there and I got a 5MB roaming package for 500 baht. Worked fine with no problems at all. I only needed internet for 1 day as I was travelling through the US and had a night there.

[lomatopo]

All of the major Thai mobile service providers have international roaming agreements with T-Mo or AT&T in the U.S.

Your phone would need to support GSM 1900 MHz for standard GSM voice, text and low-speed GPRS/EDGE data. You might be able to get 3G on AT&T (850 MHz or 1900 MHz, varies by market) ot T-Mo (1900 MHz, select markets).

If you've switched to one of the new 2100 MHz subsidiaries (Tri-NET, AWN, RealMove) you should check with them to verify IR.

You may need to enable IR with your Thai provider.

Calling rates can be quite high, ~ 80-ish baht/minute. In the past I've left my Thai SIM in an old phone which does not support mobile data - disable it otherwise, monitored calls then returned them via a second phone with a local T-Mo SIM, often using a calling card.

There are many nuances to IR, too many to cover in a single post. If you have specific questions post them.

With DTAC you'll typically get a couple of SMSes once you get onto a roaming network detailing IR procedures and prices.

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/services/gointer.html

[Heng]

*bump kind of a tangent question to this topic.

I have an US based Verizon cell number that I keep on (on roaming) here in Thailand. Mostly because some of the smaller Texas banks that I use require a valid local phone number.

Does anyone have any experience with using non-Thai SIM cards in Thai phones? Is it plug and play? I'll ask around in the phone shops of course.... but I'm thinking that most of those folks might not have run into such a situation as it's kind of a rare situation. Most tourists probably wouldn't need a new phone for their US number.

The situation is that I retire my phones once every 5 years or so and I don't have a US trip coming up any time soon. It'd be so much easier to pick up a 500 Baht cell phone at AIS, DTAC, Jay Mart, etc.... and plug in my AT&T SIM card into it. Would that work?

[lomatopo]

You need a local (Texas) valid number for OTP's delivered via SMS? Or for some other reasons?

Personally I would get a Google Voice number, which supports SMS? Or a VoIP number via something like magicJack/netTalk.

What is this AT&T SIM you have? Pre-paid? Post-paid? Contract? Current?

I am honestly not sure if T-Mo and/or AT&T have international roaming for Thailand on their pay as you go plans. T-Mo did just announce a major IR enhancement, which appears to include Thailand, but that looks to require a specific recurring plan.

[lomatopo]

Just to add:

My pre-paid T-Mobile (U.S.A.) SIM now appears to roam here in Thailand; I had to choose the TH-GSM (AIS/One-2-Call: 900 MHz) network to get registered on a local network - this is the first one I tried. I was able to receive status/welcome messages from T-Mo, and receive an in-bound SMS.

[Cheapcharly]

Ah ah in thailand I buy 2$ a sim card and can use it for 1 month without any problem.

In usa, 30 bucks and your money is gone after 3 months... Even if u don't call.

What a country of joke. No wonder why they reach fiscal cliff...

Thailand beat them with my great respect....

[khunron13]

Ah ah in thailand I buy 2$ a sim card and can use it for 1 month without any problem.

In usa, 30 bucks and your money is gone after 3 months... Even if u don't call.

What a country of joke. No wonder why they reach fiscal cliff...

Thailand beat them with my great respect....

Chuck, if the US is such a joke, then why do you continually bother to make comments? Why don't you just put it out of your mind? Besides, most of your posts make no phucking sense whatsoever, so why don't you spare us all.

[fittobethaied]

If you need a US number while in Thailand, purchase a Magic Jack online at http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/ I'm not sure if they can ship to Thailand; but if not, then have it sent to a friend or relative in the States and have them send it to you by US Post. The USB device is a little larger than a memory stick and can be sent in an inexpensive envelope. You can make and receive free calls from the US and Canada and there is also a voice mail feature. If a call comes in and your are not on your computer, the caller can leave a voicemail and a notice will be sent to your email account to remind you to play your message once you come back to your computer. I've used it for 4 years now and it's perfect for my requirements. Initial cost was $39.95 and annual renewals are only $19.95.

[Heng]

Lomo: not for OTP purposes, just to keep on file with them. They occasionally call to verify some transactions (as in banker on the line), again these are small town banks. I really don't want to change the number I've had on file with them for 15+ years. Yes, it's $30 a month for pretty much no activity each month for years now. But everything is working perfectly, I just want to retire my old phone without having to either carry one over or have someone mail another one to me. That's what I'll do of course if there are no other alternatives.

I appreciate the suggestions but I was really just wondering if my Verizon SIM would work in any local phone. I've tried it in my local smartphone but it doesn't work,... I'm assuming because I don't have a data plan on it... it's just a call plan. And yes, it's a contract number.

[Heng]

update: okay, I dug deep and bought a 630 Baht Nokia 105, and the Verizon SIM links up to the True network. Used to link up with DTAC but whatever. Test calls coming through okay. I think a celebration is in order.....

[lomatopo]

My best guess is that TrueMove/(H) is Verizon's current roaming partner here now. As your new Nokia 105 supports GSM 900/1800, you are getting onto TrueMove's legacy GSM1800 MHz network. Not sure what will happen when that network goes away next year?

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all have international roaming partners here, and provide cross-roaming for Thai customers (on AT&T, T-Mo) when in the U.S.

There has been a complete rejiggering of roaming partnerships, perhaps as a result of the new 2100 MHz subsidiaries. I haven't stayed up to date, except to notice that my DTAC SIM roams in the U.S. fine (on T-Mo and/or AT&T); and my T-Mo Pre-paid SIM roams here in Thailand, on AIS at least, which is a recent development.

You can port your existing Verizon number out to any other provider, including AT&T, T-Mo, or a VoIP provider, if you wanted to save some money. You can maintain a T-Mo pre-paid number for $100/year, while a VoIP number might be as little as $40/year. (Google Voice is still free - I keep a Google Voice number as it supports in-bound SMS, which is handy for OTPs.)

[T_Dog]

I took my Thai GSM phone to the the USA and bought a simpleplan SIM card for it from a retailer for about ten bucks. It is pay as you go, month by month and you get unlimited voice, SMS, and GPRS internet for about 40 dollars a month. Worked great.

[lomatopo]

bought a simpleplan SIM card

Simple Mobile is a T-Mo MVNO, so assuming your phone supports GSM 1900 MHz (i.e. "tri-band": 900/1800/1900), then you can use T-Mo, or one their MVNOs. StraightTalk is another popular MVNO for AT&T and T-Mo.

http://www.simplemobile.com

http://www.straighttalk.com

[Cheapcharly]

Ah ah in thailand I buy 2$ a sim card and can use it for 1 month without any problem.

In usa, 30 bucks and your money is gone after 3 months... Even if u don't call.

What a country of joke. No wonder why they reach fiscal cliff...

Thailand beat them with my great respect....

Chuck, if the US is such a joke, then why do you continually bother to make comments? Why don't you just put it out of your mind? Besides, most of your posts make no phucking sense whatsoever, so why don't you spare us all.

Chuck is using his 2 amendment....

By the way, 6 weeks in thailand, 60 bahts sim card, 60 bahts call card.

Total 4$.

Where do you get this in usa?

Been dentist, crown 8000 bahts.

[Sam Drucker]

Looks like Straight Talk has now essentially been undercut by Walmart Family Mobile, at $39.98/mo. It's using the T-Mobile network.

http://www.walmart.com/cp/Family-Mobile/1076544

They slow things down after 2.5GB consumption/month, but that would probably work for most people.

[lomatopo]

I think there is a T-Mo month-to-month plan which offers 5 GB of data and 100 voice minutes, for $30/month, and people buy discounted vouchers on eBay driving the price even lower. But this plan may be challenging to locate and subscribe to.

If people are going back for more than ~ two weeks then a month-to-month plan, if only subscribed to for one month, may be the best option? Further, a StraightTalk/AT&T SIM/plan might offer the most coverage. My trips are frequent but short so I use the T-Mo $3/day plan.

As always, I'd recommend reviewing any/all terms and conditions, being aware of any automatic renewals tied to a credit card, for example. It looks like that WalMart promo requires a one-time starter package fee of $25.

The good news is that there are so many options now, they are getting a bit easier to subscribe to, there is plenty of coverage including 3G and 4G, and prices are coming down. Unlimited voice is important as, in the U.S., we pay for both incoming and outgoing calls.

Edited November 4, 2013 by lomatopo