Best internet deal

[rijit]

hi

 

will shortly be in Bangkok for 6 months  ideally like an unlimited date package not 2 worried bout minutes use  line ect ect   but defo  need 30-40gb per month tethering my  mobile  , anyone know whats the best deal?

 

in uk paying £30 ish  per mth so around  1200 -1500 is ok,

 

thanks in advance

 

rijit.

 

 

[Jiu-Jitsu]

You can just stack up packages: http://www.ais.co.th/3g/en/package.aspx?id=4&type=mobile_package

[rijit]

thanks for that used  have ais b4 and they were fine ,, but they really dont make things easy,, click for english and half is still in thai , and around forty packages add on packages alone  ,, ridiculous, tbh dreading looking any further into whats on offer,, i'm surprised a 'budget supplier like 3 started off   in the uk or someone else hasnt taken a chunk of the market,but then the Thais dont like a free market, all tied up with 'deals for the boys' i would suspect.

[Scotwight]

5 minutes ago, rijit said:

thanks for that used  have ais b4 and they were fine ,, but they really dont make things easy,, click for english and half is still in thai , and around forty packages add on packages alone  ,, ridiculous, tbh dreading looking any further into whats on offer,, i'm surprised a 'budget supplier like 3 started off   in the uk or someone else hasnt taken a chunk of the market,but then the Thais dont like a free market, all tied up with 'deals for the boys' i would suspect.

You wrote " in the uk or someone else hasnt taken a chunk of the market"  What does that mean in English?  

 

[rijit]

12 minutes ago, Scotwight said:

You wrote " in the uk or someone else hasnt taken a chunk of the market"  What does that mean in English?  

 

•  

 

got anything to add or help or just looking to find fault ?

[mtls2005]

While some post-paid plans have high data caps - I think there are some in the 25 GB/month range - you won't qualify for post-paid so you'll need to utilize multiple pre-paid plans.

 

The largest pre-paid plan I could find in short order was 12 GB/799 baht (DTAC), 14 GB/888 (AIS), so figure ~ 2,500 for 35 GB.

 

The landscape here is quite competitive, with the 3 providers closely matching each other's price/package so not a whole lot of "deals".

 

Sometimes there is a double-cap offer, maybe for a short period, but haven't seen those recently.

 

 

[rijit]

Thanks for that, excuse my ignorance but what are ' post paid'
are they 12 mnth contracts?

[mtls2005]

18 minutes ago, rijit said:

Thanks for that, excuse my ignorance but what are ' post paid'
are they 12 mnth contracts?

 

Yes.

 

You said "...will shortly be in Bangkok for 6 months..." so you couldn't qualify assuming you intention was to stick to the contract or pay the early-cancellation penalty.

[rijit]

Gotcha so its only 12 month deals, are they much cheaper ? might be worth paying the cancelation fee?

[rijit]

Oh and the ' major 3 providers' being ais dtac and true, are they the only ones? and anyone know if there price comparison sites in thailand?

[mtls2005]

Probably not worth paying the cancellation fee, but feel free to check it out when you arrive. Entering in to your first 'contract' in Thailand with the express intention of cancelling it may not be the best approach?

 

Each provider has hundreds of on-going promotions, and thousands still running. Hard to keep up. There's honestly not that much difference in price given the competition and price matching.

 

Just take a look at the AIS, DTAC and TrueMove H web-sites to get a feel for packages and prices.

 

You really need to get here first, and try different providers to see which works in your location(s); then you can research the various options.

 

You may be able to complement your usage with some WiFi, so check that out as well after your arrive.

Edited August 30, 2016 by mtls2005

[wpcoe]

1 hour ago, rijit said:

Gotcha so its only 12 month deals, are they much cheaper ? might be worth paying the cancelation fee?

 

The "cancellation fee" would basically be paying for 12 months service even though you only need six.

 

Not sure if this is current -- this post-paid plan was on offer last month when I signed up for AIS  -- but if you essentially double the price (paying for 12 months, getting six), would you be interested?

 

 

Or, if you're not as concerned with fast speed, TOT offers unlimted data plans, but at slower speed (up to 3Mbps):  http://tot3g.net/Postpaid/Promotion/x-treme.aspx  (That page is different than what I recall.  Can someone with decent Thai reading skills please verify that those plans are still unlimited data/month?)

 

The AIS plan includes voice minutes (the last numeric column in the # of minutes) and free access to AIS public WiFi such as at the airport, in shopping malls, etc.  The TOT plan (as far as I know) is data only.

 

Some data plans offer FUP up to the advertised data amount, and then are "shaped" down to anywhere from 128Kbps to 384Kbps.  Other plans offer only the advertised data amount and then terminate when the limit is reached.  The former are widely advertised as "unlimited data" plans, which they are, but only high-speed (3G/4G) for the advertised amount

[mtls2005]

Links to the AIS promotions:

 

http://www.ais.co.th/postpaid/4gmaxspeed/

 

http://www.ais.co.th/postpaid/4gisecond/

 

It looks like these are still available, open to both new and existing subscribers and do not require the purchase of a phone. Also includes WiFi, although not sure about coverage?

 

DTAC and TrueMove H have similar post-paid promotions, albeit with a different mix of large-volume data and calling minutes.

 

The TOT service is contract, 12 months, post-paid, truly unlimited, but speed is capped. This service runs on 2100 MHz (3G), and has decent coverage even though it has been a bust for TOT.

Edited August 30, 2016 by mtls2005

[wpcoe]

Thanks for the links.  I've given up trying to navigate the mobile phone web sites.  Good to know AIS still has that plan.  I actually was ported over to a different (but similar) plan once I bought a subsidized iPhone from AIS.

 

My experience with the AIS free WiFi has been good.  I live in Hua Hin, and it's a strong signal at the local mall (Market Village).  I also have connected at Suvarnabhumi Airport and in Pattaya at Central Festival Mall.  All with 30+Mbps speed and strong signals.  YMMV, as always.

 

When I was on a TrueMove H plan, their WiFi was reliable and fast, too. 

 

Oh, and to the OP, my only experience close to what you *might* do, i.e. sign a 12-month contract but only use it for six, was with True Online/cable TV.  I moved to a home in an area without True service after only ten months.  They would not accept a return of their equipment before the 12-month period, but didn't care if I paid for the final two months and then returned the hardware.  At least with a mobile phone contract, you'd have no equipment/hardware to deal with.

 

And, to get a post-paid mobile phone contract, I think you'll need a Thai bank account.  Not difficult to get one, but thought you should know.  When I recently changed from True to AIS, it took four tries <sigh>, and each time I had to submit a copy of my passport and my bank book.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

12 hours ago, rijit said:

thanks for that used  have ais b4 and they were fine ,, but they really dont make things easy,, click for english and half is still in thai , and around forty packages add on packages alone  ,, ridiculous, tbh dreading looking any further into whats on offer,, i'm surprised a 'budget supplier like 3 started off   in the uk or someone else hasnt taken a chunk of the market,but then the Thais dont like a free market, all tied up with 'deals for the boys' i would suspect.

 

 

It's all very simple.  Top up with 1000 baht, click on the link: http://www.ais.co.th/one-2-call/en/package-addon-detail.aspx?type=1&id=44   choose your package. Go back to the link before the package ends and select another package and repeat.

 

Example:

 

gets you approx. 30GB for around 805 baht.

 

If that is too difficult for you, life is too difficult for you.

[mtls2005]

^ That's a great suggestion. Didn't even think of using 5 day or even weekly packages. Awesome deal.

 

Hard to find...

 

http://www.ais.co.th/one-2-call/en/package-addon-detail.aspx?type=1&id=44

 

Internet Max Speed, Valid for 5 days

 scroll to the right.

 

And a single time plan so while you have to proactively renew, you don't have to worry about something automatically renewing.

 

One word of warning though...the confirming SMS mentions what looks like a hard-cap, above which your balance might be charged. So maybe closely monitor usage, and resubscribe as you get close to the cap?

 

 

Edited August 31, 2016 by mtls2005

[mtls2005]

Meant to add that you can use the AIS Android app. to monitor usage: