Telephone Newbie...

[doctorcopenhagen]

Considered where to post this request since I am not a newbie, but I am a newbie phone user in Thailand?

 

I always just travel with my normal cell phone.  Girls here ask me to give them my number but I refuse based on the fact that this would be my main number and I do not want them to contact me on that number when I am home.

 

I read that many of you guys have a Thai phone. How do I get one? I get I have to buy a phone. Where is a good place in Pattaya for that? Then how do I get a number etc?

 

I mean, where to go, what to ask for, how to make it work... Thanks in advance 

[whitelotuslane]

1. Decide if you need to be reachable on your existing number while in Thailand.

 

2. If yes, then buy a cheapo phone and local prepaid SIM, sold in the same small shops all over town. (Any department store or supermarket)

 

If no, then:

 

3.  Is your phone locked to your provider at home?

 

If yes then easiest to proceed as point 2.  (Phones are cheap enough; 1000 baht for the cheapo Nokias. and *ALL* phones in Thailand are not locked to any provider, so you now have a 'travel phone' to use anywhere). An alternative is getting it unlocked at some phone repair shop (The Tukcom computer mall on South Pattaya Road has those I assume).

 

If no, then

 

4. You could get a local prepaid sim (Any 7-eleven, or any mobile phone shop) and swap out the SIM.   You can add credit at any 7-11, they'll even add the credit for you if you hand over the phone.

 

Easy..

[FatKiwi]

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/postpaid/products/ShortStayVisitors.html

 

Get a happy tourist sim, if you want to be a happy tourist, give out your number to everyone happy in the knowledge it'll expire after 35 days. Talk to her via WhatsApp on Android/iPhone, that's tied to your thai number.

[Hambone69]

Sounds easy as long as the 7-11 will put the old SIM back in for you when it is time to leave. Also, is it safe to assume any hotel safe will be big enough for an iPad?

[bigbill340]

Go to tukcom and buy a cheap mobile and then tell them you need a sim for it and some credit, job done!

 

 

 

 

Bill

[billbill]

my question is.... I bought a phone two years ago in Phuket... it was a Nokia 1000 baht phone.... I still have the phone... will there still be minutes on the phone if i did not use them all up? if no minutes will be left on it.... Can I just take the phone into 7-11 and buy some minutes?  will the phone number on the phone stay the same?

[pattayablue67]

my question is.... I bought a phone two years ago in Phuket... it was a Nokia 1000 baht phone.... I still have the phone... will there still be minutes on the phone if i did not use them all up? if no minutes will be left on it.... Can I just take the phone into 7-11 and buy some minutes?  will the phone number on the phone stay the same?

 

No almost certainly not, the credit on the phone will have expired and the number been reallocated. Just buy a cheap new sim card from 7-11. If you want to keep the same number in future then you need to check the expiry terms, they vary between networks and change every so often but usually you need to add credit to the phone at least every 6 months or so to keep the number live.

[Isr255]

Will it be less expensive to unlock a phone (old flip phone), or buy the 1000bht phone?

[hetepatat]

I would buy one if i were you. Probably cheaper, certainly easier and no hassle - no risk.

[Woofiee]

I would buy one if i were you. Probably cheaper, certainly easier and no hassle - no risk.

 

I bought a brand-new Samsung candybar phone (great battery life, simple 10-year-old OS) and got a sim for about €13 at TukCom. No brainer - if someone nips it, my life isn't over…