Coming from the US, I cant believe how much money I was paying for my cell phone bill

Doc46 · July 25, 2016

For gods sake people a phone is a phone ,,,,cost me at the most THB50 a month I use a Laptop for Computer work,,,Get Real,Use a phone for calling people and a laptop computer for the rest,,,Don't sit there all day playing with the stupid thing like all the kids,,,Get a life,,,

HooHaa · July 25, 2016

Considering a decent apartment in Thailand can be had for a measly US$100, that shouldn't be a surprise. The whole country is a ripoff.

A decent apartment by what standard?

Certainly not any standard of mine.

DrDave · July 25, 2016

Yes, a few years ago I was paying about $100/month for 2 phones on AT&T mobile, still using a corporate discount from a company I retired from years prior. At the time, you also had to pay extra if you wanted to use data tethering on the plan you were already paying for.

I think the situation has gotten better over the past few years, as you can now buy plans at a lower cost that don't include phone subsidies. The old plans were generally 2 year contracts that provided a new top of the line phone every two years either free or at nominal cost, so they were basically bundling in the cost of a $600 phone over then life of the contract ($25/month).

In Thailand, I pay a total of $45/month for 2 phones with DTAC, and while MrsDave occasionally exceeds the voice allotment, we've never exceeded the monthly high-speed data limit.

Coincidently, I was just looking at AT&T's prepaid options for an upcoming trip before reading this thread. Their prepaid plans are beginning to look a lot more like the ones we have here in Thailand, albeit a little more expensive. For example, $45 gets you prepaid 30 days of unlimited voice and text, and 3GB of high-speed data. Like the Thai plans, usage over the data limit continues, but at a lower speed. Additionally, data tethering is now included at no extra charge.

Pib · July 25, 2016

I pay 6.25% tax with T-Mobile US. I believe this is the standard, universal rate for any/all pre-paid/pay as you go top up amounts. (So $10.63 for $10.)

When I had the $40/month plan I paid $42.50 all in.

I pay 7% tax with DTAC.

(The concession fees here are ~ 35%, telcos pass the 7% to the gov't., and spectrum auction revenue is obviously robust.)

http://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-global-prices-for-a-big-mac/

$4.93 in the U.S.

$3.09 here

you can get 30$ - 40$ plans but most of the time you get what you pay for.

Yes, you get to ride on the same network for a lot less.

Assuming you are happy with a Google Nexus phone, Project Fi offers an incredible service - I'd consider using this if I lived in the U.S. full time. $20/month for unlimited voice/text, then $10 per GB. And you get to roam on many, many networks, both mobile and WiFi. And you get unused data refunded.

Various taxes/fees can vary greatly from state to state for a mobile plan. For example, see this 2013 CNN article where it shows "average" taxes are 17.2%. You can hover your mouse pointer over different states and see what the additional telecommunications/state/federal taxes would work out to. For example 24.4% for Washington state, 12.4% for Virginia, 16.8% for California, 23.7% for New York, 8% for Nevada, Oregon 7.7%, etc.

http://money.cnn.com/interactive/technology/mobile/wireless-taxes/index.html?iid=EL

Also, since many plans are subsidized plans where you are also getting a free phone for the probable 2 year contract that ups the monthly average price as you are basically paying for a phone and the plan. And from what I read, when the contract is up and you just want to continue the mobile plan but the phone is paid off many U.S. mobile companies still will not lower your month plan cost.

mtls2005 · July 25, 2016

Tethering (direct, or mobile hot-spotting) is allowed on many, but not all, pre-paid/PAYG plans in the U.S. Some MVNO's do not allow it, but both AT&T and T-Mobile do on some of their plans. And there may be a separate FuP for tethering.

https://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-international-tourist-plan?icid=WMM_PD_Q216TRSTPL_05RK4SWSO755015

https://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-monthly-plans?icid=WMM_PD_SMPLYPRPD1_AAW88WBN93755

It's (tethering) never really been an issue here - except for TrueMove H early on - as there just aren't that many people abusing/utilizing this app., and there are Fair Use caps, so who really cares? It was an issue in the U.S. because of truly "unlimited" data plans.

$ 75-100 a month in Canada for <deleted> service where I live.

WIND has some decently priced plans.

https://www.windmobile.ca/plans-and-devices/plans

Various taxes/fees can vary greatly from state to state for a mobile plan.

Could be, I was just relaying that I've been paying 6.25% for the last 15 years. Suspect those taxes and fees are tied to contract plans?

Edited July 25, 2016 by mtls2005

4evermaat · July 25, 2016

Currently on 0 baht/mo plan with AIS 1.2 satang/second (with VAT), .0.72 baht/min

SMS is 1.2 baht with vat, and internet is 0.2625 baht/MB. No monthly fee. No hidden fees. Turn off all spam messages.

2nd sim is My by Cat 3GB for 399 post paid. Not the cheapest anymore (dtac has like 10gb or something similar for 399), but it is a backup internet when i do not have wifi. MY network is pretty reliable though although their 4g rollout is quite slow.

Phone is dual sim, dual stand-by. I like the seconds billing better than the minutes rounding.

Edit: This specific Ais plan is not available via eService. This exact plan you must go to the 12call website and sign up that way, pay the full 50 baht fee. But i think new sim users have a similar plan that is about 30% cheaper.... But you must activate that within 30 days after using sim.

Edit2: in usa they do try to rape customers with fees or cheap plans that dont make much sense.... And then you must either get the more expensive plan or get the 2 year contract. You can pay full price for phone and get no contract.... But you'll probably still want insurance if the phone is expensive.

Edited July 25, 2016 by 4evermaat

anto · July 25, 2016

For gods sake people a phone is a phone ,,,,cost me at the most THB50 a month I use a Laptop for Computer work,,,Get Real,Use a phone for calling people and a laptop computer for the rest,,,Don't sit there all day playing with the stupid thing like all the kids,,,Get a life,,,

Its the new World we live in .Go to any shopping Mall .People of all ages glued to their phones .In a few years the phones will be replaced by a chip in the brain .The Worlds ONE Government will be keeping an eye at central control ,and they will decide when to turn you off lol

anto · July 25, 2016

When I visited the US and asked for a local sim card I couldnt believe how expensive it was there. Finally I found a place selling T-mobile for $40 with internet that would last me 2 weeks. Someone is earning good money over there.

t-mobile is german?

don't you have 'ALDI' in the usa? they are by far the cheapest providers in germany and in australia.

i pay less to them in a year than what i pay to AIS in 4 months.

Great i missed old Aldi living here in Thailand .;-)

Aldi the grocer provide a phone service as well in Australia ? Curious as i am just about to go to Aus .

yes, not only in oz but - i think - in all countries you'll find their stores.

you can buy a 'starter kit' alive for 365 days in oz at all aldi sores for A$5, check out their web site, go from there...

https://www.aldimobile.com.au/

Thanks i will check it out .

Edited July 25, 2016 by anto

Aussie69 · July 25, 2016

Ive always found it odd the cost & limited providers in USA, both with cell & home internet, considering USA is the origin of the internet. I understand these are often also bundled in with your cable providers which may make the overall monthly bill seem high.

ev1lchris · July 25, 2016

I love the cell service here compared to America.

kokesaat · July 25, 2016

Last year on a 6 month trip to Texas I opted to use Cricket for 2 phones. $12 or so dollars for each sim ($24), $40 per month for one phone for 1.5 gig internet and free US calls/texts, and $25 for the other phone, no internet but free calls in the US. Total monthly bill was about $65. Here I pay 199 Baht for 1 gig internet with AIS (I use about 3/4) and top up as necessary for phone calls. But I've noticed the calls hardly dent the balance in my account these days. Plus, we use LINE, free, to communicate with most all our friends here and in the US.

I don't feel our mobile internet is any worse than it was in the US. While in CT for a week, my phone kept dropping out (mountains). Texas was better, but still occasional drop outs.

bkk_mike · July 25, 2016

The US just has ridiculous plans.

It's at least partly due to the numbers being the same as landlines. People don't know they're calling a mobile from the number which is why you pay when people call you. In other countries mobile numbers are in a different range, so that people calling a mobile from a landline pay more, but in the US the person receiving the call pays instead.

You also have really low data caps... unlimited calls + 30GB data on 4G is £30/month in the UK. £33 is actual unlimited data. and UK prices include tax. To rub salt in the wound, on that plan on three, you can travel to the US and continue to call the UK for free from the US, and continue to use your data plan while on holiday there, for no extra money (although it doesn't cover calls in the US while there)

(and UK prices include the 20% tax in the quoted price - no adding it afterwards)

nisakiman · July 25, 2016

Here in Greece I pay €38 per month for 400 minutes talk time to any mobile or landline nationally, 40 SMS and 5.4 GB data. I don't normally use data on my phone, as I have fixed line internet at home, but at the moment I'm doing up a house I bought elsewhere in Greece, and I use my phone as a mobile hotspot for the laptop while I'm staying there. I thought it was quite expensive (and it is, compared to UK), but looking at some of the prices here it doesn't look quite so bad.

When I've done the house up, and move, I'll put in a landline with ADSL and go back to pay-as-you-go, as I never use even a fraction of the 400 minutes talk time I have with the package. And of course, if you don't use it, you lose it. It's a real con. Same as when I don't get over to the other house during the monthly billing period, I lose the 5.4 GB I've paid for. Rip-off, or what? But it doesn't seem possible to get a contract here that just bills you for what you use. Either you sign up for a 'package' or you PAYG, which has restrictions on data usage.

MissAndry · July 25, 2016

Better deals in UK, where most include free calls and texts for the same initial outlay.

Nope, I paid 10gbp for internet and a few calls in the UK, I pay 199bht (4gbp) for the same service in Thailand.

Small difference 500Mb in the UK, 1.5Gb in Thailand. But I don't use much anyway, everywhere I go here seems to have free wifi.

wwest5829 · July 25, 2016

399 for post paid AIS

630 for 3BB wifi at home

400 for TV satellites

NickJ · July 25, 2016

With both phones all in about a buck three fifty.

The manic · July 25, 2016

How little money not how much. The headline is misleading.

ericthai · July 25, 2016

This is really not an apples-to-apples comparison. A 1.5GB plan would not be 75$ in the US. T-mobile with 5GB (LTE) is $30 per month.

Sorry not true, it starts out at $30 a month then +this + that. I used T mobile in the USA and my bill was $70-80

BudRight · July 25, 2016

This is really not an apples-to-apples comparison. A 1.5GB plan would not be 75$ in the US. T-mobile with 5GB (LTE) is $30 per month.

Sorry not true, it starts out at $30 a month then +this + that. I used T mobile in the USA and my bill was $70-80

Look man, I bought one yesterday and am using it RIGHT NOW. It's $30 a month at Walmart. Next month it will be $30 again. You just picked a crappy plan with lots of extras.

Edited July 25, 2016 by BudRight

IMA_FARANG · July 25, 2016

I am a "dinosaur", and I don't have or want a cellphone.

Perfectly good telephone in my room.

As for internet access, the place where I live offers internet access by WIFI at the cost of 430 Baht for a month.

That's all this "dinosaur" wants.

BudRight · July 25, 2016

I am a "dinosaur", and I don't have or want a cellphone.

Perfectly good telephone in my room.

As for internet access, the place where I live offers internet access by WIFI at the cost of 430 Baht for a month.

That's all this "dinosaur" wants.

Phones are not for just calling people. They are for:

Paying off my credit card, instantly, with my fingerprint.

Making free video calls to anyone in the world similarly equipped.

Summoning a chauffeured car wherever I am to take me wherever I want.

Sending food or groceries to anyone with a few taps.

Playing any song ever published by verbally requesting it.

Learning anything that anyone ever wrote down, filmed or recorded.

The things I can do with my phone would be considered superpowers a generation ago. That's the difference in capability.

Edited July 25, 2016 by BudRight

thaibry · July 25, 2016

My input to the discussion, I split my time between England and Thailand, a few months at a time in either place.

Because of this I do not have fixes line internet but use my mobile as a hotspot for my laptop instead.

In the UK I use Three with a basic cost of 3p per minute call and 1 pence per megabyte.

In Thailand I use AIS 1tocall and spend 189 baht on a internet package giving 2 mg at full speed for 30 days and if I exceed the internet allowance the speed just drops. Other packages are available just check out their website.

In summary I avoid fixed line internet with its associated costs and contracts and have the flexibility of using my phone or laptop almost anywhere at a reasonable cost.

I admit to doing software updates and downloading podcasts, torrents etc in bars, hotels and cafes with free WiFi of which there are many in Thailand and the UK

Sent from my ASUS_Z010D using Tapatalk

jacko45k · July 25, 2016

To be honest on my Pay as you Go package (I don't want a contract) I think I ended up paying slightly less in the UK. There £15 gave me enough phone data and silly amounts of SMS and minutes to any network. Here they did not include SMS or had rather tight data limits. Hard to find a package that includes 'everything' without it being the top-end one.

aronp1 · July 25, 2016

I read somewhere that in the US cell service companies charge the highest rates.

chicowoodduck · July 26, 2016

When I visited the US and asked for a local sim card I couldnt believe how expensive it was there. Finally I found a place selling T-mobile for $40 with internet that would last me 2 weeks. Someone is earning good money over there.

When on a visit, I stop into the local Wal-Mart and get a prepaid Go phone card.....$25/$30 Bucks tops for unlimited calls.....cheap, easy to use with my Thai phone......why make it so hard???.??

anto · July 26, 2016

>>yes, not only in oz but - i think - in all countries you'll find their stores.<<

Yes ,they have cheap packages in Germany also .

fusion58 · July 26, 2016

I was getting jacked to the tune of ~$100 per month by Verizon back in the U.S.

Now I pay ~450 THB for the same service from AIS.

elgenon · July 26, 2016

When I visited the US and asked for a local sim card I couldnt believe how expensive it was there. Finally I found a place selling T-mobile for $40 with internet that would last me 2 weeks. Someone is earning good money over there.

When on a visit, I stop into the local Wal-Mart and get a prepaid Go phone card.....$25/$30 Bucks tops for unlimited calls.....cheap, easy to use with my Thai phone......why make it so hard???.??

So it didn't include data?

balo · July 26, 2016

Ive always found it odd the cost & limited providers in USA, both with cell & home internet, considering USA is the origin of the internet. I understand these are often also bundled in with your cable providers which may make the overall monthly bill seem high.

USA were the origin of internet ? I think you'll find that it was an international project back in the 70's with researchers from Stanford University, a range of other universities, and researchers from the United Kingdom, France and Norway.

One of them were a Norwegian Paal Spillng who established Arpanet and made the first successful international "internet" connection back in 1973.

Edited July 26, 2016 by balo

katana · July 26, 2016

I pay the equivalent of 150 baht per month in the UK. That gets me unlimited data. I pay more in Thailand. Though I could cut it down to much the same as I pay in the UK, as I don't use more than 1GB monthly on my phone.

It's a phone for goodness sakes.

USA doesn't offer great value. What is cheap is usually crap....apart from petrol.

Where do you pay 150 Baht (£3) in the UK for unlimited data?

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Coming from the US, I cant believe how much money I was paying for my cell phone bill

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