phone advice

[mancity09]

i will be back in thailand in september, and need some advice regarding my phone

 

was there in april, and i took my iphone to tukcom in pattaya for a sim card, but they said my phone was locked to 1 simcard or somthing, i didnt hang about to ask, as it was last day of songkran and wanted to get backout, anyway i ended up using my phone and got a bill for over £200 quid when i got back home

 

so i want to take my iphone again,  and i am in bangkok for the first couple of days, where is the best place to take it and get it unblocked?  or am i best to get it unblocked back in england?

 

i will be in thailand for 16 days, and would like to have unlimited internet, so i can have access to my emails and social networks ect. 

 

and i would also like to have the same number for when i arrive back in thailand in december. (same simcard)

 

what would be the best options please

 

cheers

 

[Woofiee]

I think the UK has the same rules as the EU - after a year your network operator has to unlock your phone so you can use other sims. Is the phone & contract over a year old? If so, your best bet is to go directly to your provider. 

[Patapusr]

If in BKK you could go to the phone floor in MBK centre (beside Siam square) and get it done there. Theres generally two ways they can unlock it. One is that its only unlocked to allow a specific Thai  SIM card which you must not let expire or another SIM will not work (i found this out last weekend when my mate returned to Thailand after a year away), Or,

Get it fully unlocked so any SIM card in any country will work (best option so make sure to find out which one they will do)

I use AIS and if you put in enough credit the maximum expiry date is 12 months. It tells you the expiry date when you top up or ask for your balance.

You can also pay about 20 baht to extend you validity to 12 months if you dont want to load your credit up, but you will have to get a phone shop to help you there.

[yahootoo]

Do NOT get your iPhone unlocked in Thailand! They will have to jailbreak it which will lead to problems if you don't know what you're doing

 

Get your iPhone unlocked legally in your home country by your current carrier. They will do if you are out of contract. Once they unlock it (in Apple's database) you need to wait a few days and then backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes. This process releases the carrier and Apples grip on the iPhone.

 

When you get to Pattaya you can buy a SIM card and swap. I recommend DTAC. You can buy 1 month of unlimited internet for 400 baht.

 

Have fun!

[jinkee]

Get your phone unlocked and stick 300baht on it,, its dirt cheap to use 1/ 2 call and if you want it really cheap if you phoning the uk and here is the trick,, as you know it is 0044 ----- ok,,, now with one to call it is 00 9 44  and do not forget the 9 it is just so cheap the other way is use the internet or skype ok..

[999Baht]

i will be back in thailand in september, and need some advice regarding my phone

 

was there in april, and i took my iphone to tukcom in pattaya for a sim card, but they said my phone was locked to 1 simcard or somthing, i didnt hang about to ask, as it was last day of songkran and wanted to get backout, anyway i ended up using my phone and got a bill for over £200 quid when i got back home

 

so i want to take my iphone again,  and i am in bangkok for the first couple of days, where is the best place to take it and get it unblocked?  or am i best to get it unblocked back in england?

 

i will be in thailand for 16 days, and would like to have unlimited internet, so i can have access to my emails and social networks ect. 

 

and i would also like to have the same number for when i arrive back in thailand in december. (same simcard)

 

what would be the best options please

 

cheers

I would highly recommend that you get your iPhone unlocked at home before your trip if your carrier will let you. 

Once in Thailand you can get many packages for data.

I use a dtac sim and usually purchase a monthly package for 650 Baht for a month of 3G...much cheaper than the 200 pound you spent last trip.

[jennings]

I would highly recommend that you get your iPhone unlocked at home before your trip if your carrier will let you. 

Once in Thailand you can get many packages for data.

I use a dtac sim and usually purchase a monthly package for 650 Baht for a month of 3G...much cheaper than the 200 pound you spent last trip.

+1

[mancity09]

cheers for all the comments, all taken notice off

 

my phone is only a few month old thow, i will take it into vodaphone and see what they say

 

cheers again

[Woofiee]

cheers for all the comments, all taken notice off

 

my phone is only a few month old thow, i will take it into vodaphone and see what they say

 

cheers again

 

You might still be okay - I replaced my old 3GS with a iPhone 5 and when I picked it up I asked how long phones are simlocked - T-Mobile Netherlands informed me that all phones with them are currently unlocked, by law. Don't know whether it's a Dutch thing or perhaps European law, but call a few different major phone stores and see what they say before heading to your shop. 

[mancity09]

You might still be okay - I replaced my old 3GS with a iPhone 5 and when I picked it up I asked how long phones are simlocked - T-Mobile Netherlands informed me that all phones with them are currently unlocked, by law. Don't know whether it's a Dutch thing or perhaps European law, but call a few different major phone stores and see what they say before heading to your shop. 

hello mate, i rang vodaphone up today,said i was going working away for a couple of months, and would like it unblocked, they said it would cost £20, so i am more then happy with that

[tt2008]

I'm surprised Vodafone charged you. I have had 3 Vodafone iphones unlocked by them for free, I just apply online via their website.

 

Having said that £20 is not a train crash!! Maybe they charge because its quite a new phone.

 

When you buy a sim in Thailand make sure you get one that will work on an iphone - the basic ones don't. Also best to get the shop to set it up to make sure its all working. It can sometimes be a bit more tricky to get working than in a standard nokia phone.

[Woofiee]

hello mate, i rang vodaphone up today,said i was going working away for a couple of months, and would like it unblocked, they said it would cost £20, so i am more then happy with that

 

Excellent to hear! £20 isn't bad if you need it - and you'll likely pay that in thailand, done in some dodgy jailbreak manor. Good that it's resolved…

[Woofiee]

When you buy a sim in Thailand make sure you get one that will work on an iphone - the basic ones don't. Also best to get the shop to set it up to make sure its all working. It can sometimes be a bit more tricky to get working than in a standard nokia phone.

 

I've never had this problem and I've travelled there over a dozen times now with my iPhones. You do have to make sure you have the right SIZE sim card - there are 3 sim card sizes: Standard, Mini and Micro.

 

Older phones use standard, iPhone 4 and 4S use the Mini and iPhone 5 uses the Micro. All booths at the airport will give you the right size when you ask them to set it up. 

 

Came across this video of a guy walking through from baggage claim to get his sim cards - he basically walks and talks you through the arrivals area to getting a SIM at the AIG or True booth...maybe it's of some use (he does need an editor tho…)

 

[hetepatat]

Woofiee said :

I've never had this problem and I've travelled there over a dozen times now with my iPhones. You do have to make sure you have the right SIZE sim card - there are 3 sim card sizes: Standard, Mini and Micro.

 

Older phones use standard, iPhone 4 and 4S use the Mini and iPhone 5 uses the Micro. All booths at the airport will give you the right size when you ask them to set it up. 

 

I think you got the sizes a bit wrong  :

Standard would be the one that is still a bank card size, not used for new (normal) phones any more as far as i know.

 

Mini : the ones that most Nokia simple phones use..  The most used size the last 10 years.

Micro :    the ones that Iphone 4 and 4S uses, and some other brands as well

Nano :  the ones that Iphone 5 uses.

    For Iphone 4 - 4s, you just need the right size, indeed. But if they don't have the right size, often it can be just clicked out of the normal sim card. 
Don't know about the availability of Nano sim. Didn't use Iphone5 or any other that uses this type of simcard. It can be cut from a mini sim too, altough the risk seems a little larger to me.
 

 

 

 

More info on sim sizes :        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module

 

Mini , Micro , Nano : 

 

 

[Woofiee]

 

Woofiee said :

I've never had this problem and I've travelled there over a dozen times now with my iPhones. You do have to make sure you have the right SIZE sim card - there are 3 sim card sizes: Standard, Mini and Micro.

 

Older phones use standard, iPhone 4 and 4S use the Mini and iPhone 5 uses the Micro. All booths at the airport will give you the right size when you ask them to set it up. 

 

I think you got the sizes a bit wrong  :

 

Standard would be the one that is still a bank card size, not used for new (normal) phones any more as far as i know.

 

Mini : the ones that most Nokia simple phones use..  The most used size the last 10 years.

 

Micro :    the ones that Iphone 4 and 4S uses, and some other brands as well

 

Nano :  the ones that Iphone 5 uses.

 

For Iphone 4 - 4s, you just need the right size, indeed. But if they don't have the right size, often it can be just clicked out of the normal sim card. 

Don't know about the availability of Nano sim. Didn't use Iphone5 or any other that uses this type of simcard. It can be cut from a mini sim too, altough the risk seems a little larger to me.

 

More info on sim sizes :        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module

 

Yep - I forgot the Mini. I went from a Nokia 6110 to the Siemens SL45 to a SonyEriccson P800, to their P900 to an iPhone and then a 3GS - all used the same SIM size, which I took to be the standard SIM - seems it the Mini.

 

I then jumped to the pinky-fingernail-sized iPhone 5 sim - what I can say is at no time do I seem to have any problem with the SIM shifting, or needing to be reinserted. I had that problem with every other phone, so perhaps the smaller SIMs are better in that regard - it's all contacts now. I think cutting down to a Nano size would be problematic because of the tight tolerances.