cell phone use in Bangkok

[Gchan15]

I have tmobile and you're right they have international converage but it's just too slow.  Make sure your phone is unlock and buy a sim card from AIS. Cost around $20 usd depending on the package you get.  

[LASportsNut]

1 hour ago, Gchan15 said:

I have tmobile and you're right they have international converage but it's just too slow.  Make sure your phone is unlock and buy a sim card from AIS. Cost around $20 usd depending on the package you get.  

Agree.

I have t-mobile and use my internal sim for my USA number at $90 a month (3 lines).

But I have a True Sim for my external SIM for my Thai number.

I pay extra for great data service (600 baht a month?).

I pre pay 10,000 baht at a time so I forget the exact amount.

[Gchan15]

8 hours ago, LASportsNut said:

Agree.

I have t-mobile and use my internal sim for my USA number at $90 a month (3 lines).

But I have a True Sim for my external SIM for my Thai number.

I pay extra for great data service (600 baht a month?).

I pre pay 10,000 baht at a time so I forget the exact amount.

Yeah, it's about 600baht a month for the unlimited I get.

[Lacasadeauckland]

is there any advantage in buying a local thai sim, vs. activating roaming on my home country's phone number?

If I have a local thai sim, does that come with data-only, or would it also have a local thai phone number - which can be used to sign up another line/wechat account?

[don henley]

AIS offer a package costing 300B a month. Includes a lot of data and a telephone line with a Thai number. It’s going to be your best bet.

Available I think ( or certainly was) in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi by the luggage carousels or if you miss that just after you pass through customs.

AIS has good coverage - I still use it today and never let me down.

[karuso]

On 10/1/2022 at 1:02 PM, Lacasadeauckland said:

is there any advantage in buying a local thai sim, vs. activating roaming on my home country's phone number?

If I have a local thai sim, does that come with data-only, or would it also have a local thai phone number - which can be used to sign up another line/wechat account?

Vastly cheaper. Roaming is expensive especially for data.

All sims come with a local number which you can use for services that require a phone number. Just keep in mind that services that are tied to your number like Whatsapp or iMessage/Facetime may also switch to the local number.

[marcus_bus]

True free sim card, 200 baht / one month / unlimited datas at 7 Eleven

[Qoal]

Things may have changed but here is how I compare to the carriers

True = T-Mobile low price. worst customer service experience. hardest to reach agent on the phone. Minutes counts against you when talking to them.

AIS = ATT middle of the road

DTAC = Verizon highest cost. Best customer service experience. Minutes don't count against you when talking to them.

I used DTAC the first few times I visited Thailand because my Thai friends told me to. When I got to understand how things worked on subsequent visits, I switched to True. Don't need to call customer service for help anymore.

This is from personal experience from visiting in the past decade. Things may and likely have changed.
 

[little_me]

On 9/30/2022 at 9:12 PM, don henley said:

AIS has good coverage - I still use it today and never let me down.

I think they all have pretty good and similar coverage around Bangkok and Pattaya, anywhere most of us would go.

If AIS has any difference in coverage it's going to be out in the country side. Something to consider if you want to see where the latex for your condoms comes from, but otherwise, eh.

[Koko]

Thailand has good cel service with AIS, DTac,and True Move. I have used them before but this trip decided to try Google Fi unlimited plus. Google Fi uses all 3 of these networks. If for some reason, Google Fi disappoints, I will just get AIS SIM as I can cancel Google Fi at any time.

[Martin67]

More great info for us newbies.... this helps a lot

 

Thanks

[little_me]

On 10/8/2022 at 7:15 PM, Koko said:

Thailand has good cel service with AIS, DTac,and True Move. I have used them before but this trip decided to try Google Fi unlimited plus. Google Fi uses all 3 of these networks. If for some reason, Google Fi disappoints, I will just get AIS SIM as I can cancel Google Fi at any time.

I've been using Fi for years, and mostly it's worked good.  Had a real slow connection one night up outside Khon Kaen, it was working, just sluggish, out in the little farm village.  In Bangkok, it just worked every time I looked at something, and fast.

Main reason was really multiple devices, I could tether my laptop or use a separate data only sim in a tablet, no additional charge, same rate as any other data. Since I don't use the tethering or the tablet w/ GSM modem often I hate paying extra, but when I do need them it's kinda priceless. 

Cheap International roaming and instant data almost anywhere, same rate as any other data, domestic, etc,. just makes life that much easier.