cell phone use in Bangkok

[jason6467]

while I am overthinking my trip in late October I had some questions

using cell phones,

My company (Tmobile/sprint) has an international package, but I see some talk about buying an in country sim card for a second phone, I don't plan on calling anyone(why would I) in country unless for food delivery or scheduling a "grab" (uber) to go across town for something unless my big ass likes the motorcycle taxis. I was thinking about maps for walking around as well. I just am not sure yet on the best way to do this.

do I need to go that far or just use my regular phone with the international add on, I am thinking that any call to home may be done with Facebook messenger anyway. 

thoughts?

[BangCock469]

if i remember correctly the tmobile/sprint is only 2G when roaming internationally which should be fine for Maps.

not sure why you would need to call for Grab as all can be set up via the app unless you want to coordinate pickup with the driver. you can also use wifi calling, google voice should be another option. there are a bunch of apps that allow you to make calls for cheap as long as you are connected to wifi, service should be good.

[touchagrey]

Local SIM gives you reasonably fast internet everywhere... on the street, in a bar, at massage, etc... Don't want to miss that Line message from your next Thaifriendly lady! Cheap enough. But, if you need to receive/make calls from your home number, then international roaming is what you'll want. If your phone does dual SIM, then both local and roaming coexist. I think AIS now supports e-SIMs, so a modern iPhone can have local (e-SIM) and roaming (physical SIM.)

Local SIM and tourist package can be purchased just outside customs at Suvarnabhumi at carrier kiosks, at carrier stores in Terminal 21, or at many convenience stores. Study up on the various packages available. Clerk will swap out the existing SIM in your phone for the local one and activate it, then pack up your old SIM so you don't lose it. You'll need to show your passport. For iPhones, you'll also need to enter your Apple ID password to finish activation.

Probably best to buy a cheap package and top up occasionally to keep the number alive and add more data.

https://www.ais.co.th/travellersim/

Top-up: 39 baht for 8 more days and 3 more GB

Edited March 28, 2021 by touchagrey

[hbit]

18 hours ago, BangCock469 said:

if i remember correctly the tmobile/sprint is only 2G when roaming internationally which should be fine for Maps.

This is the problem with using international roaming plans.  You'll often get put on the slowest network available.

I have a dual-sim phone and I highly recommend it.  Being able to receive SMS messages from your bank to verify your identification when trying to unlock your debit card is a life saver.  And having a local sim card gives you access to faster data networks.

[deltasunrise13]

I usually buy a "Tourist SIM Card" (30 Go / 15 days / 599thb)  just after Immigration,  in DTAC kiosk,  just in front of carrousels (18 if i remember well). I bought a pocket wifi router years ago,  I put the thai sim card in the router to generate my wifi , and connect my phones (2 ..personal and pro) . I turn off my data, but keep my phones for calls. 

 

[Outlandish]

For my next trip I will buy a cheap phone and get myself a simcard from DTAC or whatever.

My main phone is full of data, as in files, apps, financial things and such, that I don't want to have the risk of getting hacked or losing these things..

[bobblobfish]

Why do you

On 4/2/2021 at 6:35 AM, Outlandish said:

For my next trip I will buy a cheap phone and get myself a simcard from DTAC or whatever.

My main phone is full of data, as in files, apps, financial things and such, that I don't want to have the risk of getting hacked or losing these things..

Why do you think popping in a SIM card from a Thai carrier would increase your risk of hacking?

If anything, US consumers tend to be wealthier, and thus a more valuable target for hackers than an average Thai.

[LASportsNut]

On 3/28/2021 at 11:44 AM, jason6467 said:

while I am overthinking my trip in late October I had some questions

using cell phones,

My company (Tmobile/sprint) has an international package, but I see some talk about buying an in country sim card for a second phone, I don't plan on calling anyone(why would I) in country unless for food delivery or scheduling a "grab" (uber) to go across town for something unless my big ass likes the motorcycle taxis. I was thinking about maps for walking around as well. I just am not sure yet on the best way to do this.

do I need to go that far or just use my regular phone with the international add on, I am thinking that any call to home may be done with Facebook messenger anyway. 

thoughts?

I have T-Mobile as well.

The reason you want to get the SIM card in Thailand is for data charges, not for phone charges.

If you use your phone like I do, your extra data charges will be off the chart.  

I use the data for mapping and trip advisor to find restaurants or entertainment.  It adds up quickly.

Plus, like someone mentioned it goes down to 2G or 3G if you continue to use T-Mobile.

What I have learned to do is to get a TRUE SIM card for the time I am in Thailand, then once a day I switch to my T-Mobile SIM to check an phone or text messages.

There is a way to use your e-SIM and have both numbers live, yet I have yet to figure that out but will be trying to figure it out soon, as I am due to travel 17 April.

[Neon_court]

I've just been using the sim cards at Suvarnabhumi and haven't run into any major issues.

 

[missed]

I use google fi, phone works just like I was home with no extra cost for data. 

[malenurse]

I just got sim card at AIS. 400 baht 1 month.

[parasitius]

On 6/12/2021 at 12:46 PM, missed said:

I use google fi, phone works just like I was home with no extra cost for data. 

I have it but turned my data! No "extra cost" but OTOH 1 gig is $10 American which is as much as my entire unlimited AIS plan. So I use Fi as an emergency backup and for post-landing before I get my new SIM in each LCOL country 😉