Help Needed: Mobile Internet and Calls to Europe/US

[leola74]

I will be in Thailand for ~3 months soon, and I am looking for some help sifting through the options for mobile access. I've never had a prepaid card before anywhere, so apologies in advance if some of these questions are a bit silly.

Here is some info on what I need/want:

1) Provider: Don't really care. I'm staying in the NW of Samui, and I've been told by the owner of the house that access on True Move H is very reliable there. So all else equal I'd prefer that provider.

2) Requirements: Quite a bit of data usage (maybe 3GB a month). Occasional calls in Thailand to another mobile, and more frequent calls to Europe and the US (maybe 100 minutes a month)

3) Phone: I have a Samsung S4 Mini, which has quad-band incl. 850 MHz, so I believe True Move H should work ...?!

And here are my questions:

1) I've heard that for calls to EU/US, there are "pre-dial numbers" which make the calls very cheap. How does this work, i.e. how does it get billed to me? If I buy a card with 100 minutes pre-paid, that's meant for calls within in Thailand. If I now make a call to the US which costs, say, 100 Baht, how do I pay for this?

2) Where do I best buy the SIM-Card in Bangkok (I mean without getting ripped off)? How much should it cost? How do I then sign-up for the True Move H plan?

3) Given my requirements above, what data/call plan do you recommend?

4) If I get a plan with 100 minutes, does that refer only to outgoing calls or also incoming calls? I'm asking, because in Europe, incoming calls are almost always unlimited, whereas in the US, incoming calls count the same towards the allowance as outgoing calls.

5) Recommendations for another provider over True Move H? I'm aware of the 3G coverage maps out there, so I can check whether what you recommend would work for me...

Thanks for the help!!

Edited February 8, 2014 by yoellax

[sumrit]

Your best option would be to get a PAYG True H Inter sim card, available from most 7-11's for 50 baht. Then just top up for calls and internet data as and when you need to.

International calls are from just one baht per minute, the same price as calls made to numbers within Thailand.

For internet data there are various packages available, from hourly/daily packages for just a few baht to monthly packages that start at a about 250 baht for 500mb of data up to nearly 1000 baht for 4-5 gig of data.

http://truemoveh.truecorp.co.th/international_services/calls/entry/2257

[KittenKong]

With the True SIM the cheapest advertised rate (1B) involves using the 00600 prefix. You can get better quality with the 006 prefix but it costs about double.

Either way the cost of the call is just deducted from your prepay credit in the normal way.

If you make one brief call (or send a text) at least every two months you will retain your balance and number indefinitely.

True have a fairly good Android app in English that makes following your credit and packages quite easy.

[leola74]

Thanks guys. So I take it you recommend the Tourist Package from True instead of their "regular" packages?

Where do I get the SIM for that?

[sumrit]

Thanks guys. So I take it you recommend the Tourist Package from True instead of their "regular" packages?

Where do I get the SIM for that?

Available from most 7-11's for 50 baht

[KittenKong]

They used to give them away at the airport too. Dont know if they still do.

Also any True shop or stall should have them.