need Thai sim card that will work in the US without roaming charges?

[jaideeguy]

Just wondering if anyone knows of a local Thai mobile company that has a prepaid sim that I can use upon arrival in the US without roaming charges?? I have an open/unlocked phone.

Mods, please let this sit in the general section for a day or so before moving it to the 'mobile devices' of the internet and computer section.

Thanks in advance for any info.............

[TheCruncher]

Let us know if you ever find one, because that will be worth gold.

[CharlieH]

The fact you are outside Thailand immediately means you are "roaming", so I dont think what you want exists.

[Soutpeel]

The fact you are outside Thailand immediately means you are "roaming", so I dont think what you want exists.

and even if there was the minute rate charge would be through the roof

[NeverSure]

I've seen prepaid sim cards for sale in US airport shops. Every Walmart has them. I don't know where else.

Do you have time to order one from the US?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

You should also check your phone as to what GSM frequencies it uses. Many Smartphone are set up for four (freqs) which is right handy, many cheaper phones sold here only have the two freqs used in Thailand, 900 MHz & 1800 MHz.

The USA mostly uses 850 MHz & 1900 MHz.

I got caught on that a few trips ago and my Thai phone wouldn't work so just bought a cheapie T-Mobile phone with pre-paid SIM and fill-ups, worked fine.

But, obviously, didn't work on arrival, so as NeverSure mentioned, good idea to order up a SIM from the U.S. Check the footprint coverage of the pre-paid SIM you're looking at to make sure it covers the areas you're interested in. Plus, a biggie here, remember that in the U.S., BOTH parties pay, the caller and the callee, booo. I just tell callers to talk fast if it's going to be a longer conversation, send an email....

Mac

[bdenner]

My standard, no frills, AIS 12Call sim works in Australia (affiliated with OPTUS) without charges, if I do not make calls. Only use it to receive the OTP (one time password) SMS from KasikornBank Internet banking.

[BKKdreaming]

What are you trying to do ?

Just have a working phone when you get off the plane ? if so that is easy , just buy a pre-loaded activated sim card on ebay , $20 a month or so

if you want people to be able to call your Thai number and you can answer in the USA , then I am not sure how you can do that

[noise]

While in Seattle for the month of August, and using a simple cell phone, I bought a T-Mobile sim card for $80 that gave me unlimited calls within the U.S. and to Thailand for 30 days.

[jaideeguy]

While in Seattle for the month of August, and using a simple cell phone, I bought a T-Mobile sim card for $80 that gave me unlimited calls within the U.S. and to Thailand for 30 days.

That sounds like what I want...............unlimited to the US and Thailand??

Did it have data too?? and do you remember the name of the T-Mobile card??

[Langsuan Man]

While in Seattle for the month of August, and using a simple cell phone, I bought a T-Mobile sim card for $80 that gave me unlimited calls within the U.S. and to Thailand for 30 days.

That sounds like what I want...............unlimited to the US and Thailand??

Did it have data too?? and do you remember the name of the T-Mobile card??

Here is the url for T-mobile and their SIM card offerings and explanations. But I have some real doubts about the part above regarding unlimited calls to Thailand from the US. You also might want to read a little more about data in the US, it is handled separately from voice

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/sim-card

[BKKdreaming]

you can get a virtual calling card for 2-3 cents a minute USA to Thailand , yes you will have to use up your Tmobile minutes to use it...... I do that every couple days.....

do you also need Data and does your phone have the 3g 4g bands that T mobile uses which are not the same as AT+T

this only matters if you need data and the speed you will get it

[GaryB1263]

I used my 1-2-Call in the US last week. It worked with T-Mobile. It didn't seem all that expensive

[BKKdreaming]

I used my 1-2-Call in the US last week. It worked with T-Mobile. It didn't seem all that expensive

was this a monthly contract Sim or a pay as you go ?

did you receive calls + texts from Thailand ? Did you call out with it too ? send text ?

any idea what the cost to receive is ?

For those that do not know in the USA you pay to receive and send calls and texts

I might have to get one next time as my True sim does nothing when in the USA

[IAMSOBAD]

Skype free and use wifi free at coffee shops.

[JDGRUEN]

Metro PCS (owned by T-Mobile) ... I believe that they still exist as a separate company... Anyway Metro PCS has easy deals for a SIM card by the month prepaid...

I have found that one function may not work - that is the Mobile WiFi Hot Spot ... and that could be the case with most any SIM card you will find in the States when using a phone bought in Thailand.

Unless there are new features in America ... the 3G packages found in Thailand that give you a certain type of Internet Access do not exist in the States... someone correct me if I am out dated... Basic services on prepaid accounts give you voice and text...

Only a year ago - I had AT&T and Metro PCS phones and do not recall anything similar to the 3G Internet Service available from AIS...

A Skype Account with the Premium $9.99 a month gives you unlimited calling anywhere with a WiFi connection using a SmartPhone - even without a SIM card... And of course Apps like LINE allows - Contact to Contact Messaging - voice calls - and video calls to your contacts via a WiFi connection - even without a SIM card.

I find communicating with LINE and Skype back to the U.S. to be able to cover most any need... I mostly use my PC Laptop for that and sometimes my smartphone... They of course work in reverse back to Thailand and in the States... at the same time.

I have found LINE to be superior to any communications App when it comes to sending photos back and forth...

Edited October 10, 2014 by JDGRUEN

[lomatopo]

What are you trying to do ?

This is very important detail to provide, along with the exact make/model of phone.

Depending on what it is you want to be able to do, there will be different options.

Many/most Thai service providers have roaming agreements with T-Mo or AT&T in the U.S., and minimally you'd need GSM 1900 (and/or 3G 850 or 3G 1900). But you will pay roaming fees for incoming and outgoing calls, on the order of 40 baht/min. People could dial your Thai number to reach you. You may have to register for international roaming before you depart.

AIS offers this site (DTAC and TrueMove H have similar details), which allows you to step through the various offers.

http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/index.aspx?language=en

http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/en/3g-prepaid/package-rate.aspx#top

http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/en/3g-prepaid/package-rate/5/North%20America/7/USA (click on "Mobile Network")

Getting a local, prepaid SIM (T-Mobile, AT&T, Simple, StraightTalk, Cricket, et al.) might be a better option, you can even get data and use a calling card to call back to Thailand.

Many, many, many, many options - too many to detail - so depends on your individual requirements and equipment.

Personally, I keep my Thai SIM in a spare phone to monitor calls/texts, then return calls using my T-Mobile SIM in another phone using an AT&T calling card. I pay $3/day to use T-Mobile and get unlimited calls, texts and 3G data (on refarmed 3G/1900 MHz). My trips back are short, if I stayed longer than a few weeks I would get a $45/monthly plan.

Edited October 10, 2014 by lomatopo

[GaryB1263]

I used my 1-2-Call in the US last week. It worked with T-Mobile. It didn't seem all that expensive

was this a monthly contract Sim or a pay as you go ?

did you receive calls + texts from Thailand ? Did you call out with it too ? send text ?

any idea what the cost to receive is ?

For those that do not know in the USA you pay to receive and send calls and texts

I might have to get one next time as my True sim does nothing when in the USA

Yes I pay for minutes at the 7>

See if this link works:http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/en/prepaid/package-rate/5/North%20America/7/USA

Works in Japan also.

[NamKangMan]

Why bother with a sim card at all?

Have you considered a Skype subscription to Thailand. Last time I looked, they were about about $12 for the month and unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in Thailand.

Also, buy yourself a "Skype-in" phone number, which allows anyone in Thailand to ring a local Thai number that goes to Skype, who then forwards the call to you. The Thai person ringing you just pays the price as if they were ringing a phone in Thailand.

I haven't looked at the cost of a Skype-in number for a while, but they weren't expensive, either.

If you would like long conversations with a spouse, why not buy two Skype subscriptions, one for USA and one for Thailand? From memory, both can ring unlimited to mobiles and landlines for each country.

(same post copied from a similar thread also running at the moment)