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Unlocked Cell Phone for Thailand but available in the USA?


User Name Eric

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So I have a problem with the phone I was going to take on my upcoming trip.  I was planning on taking a older Iphone I have laying around.   The problem is it's locked and the battery would have to be replaced for about $80 dollars through apple.  

Tried unlocking the phone through AT+T website and it said the phone can't be unlocked.  Which makes no sense the phone is not my current phone and it has been paid off for many years.  

So do I buy a cheap unlocked international phone that will work in Thailand for under $100?  Has anyone purchased a phone like i described through amazon and knows it works on dtac or ais cell service?

Thanks

 

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Can buy a cheap disposable phone with LINE app, for use in Thailand for under $60USD. However, there’s no google maps and other accessory apps you may use. 

Not sure where though..possibly 7/11.

I used my old iPhone for travelling as the camera was decent enough for most shots except low light stuff. 

I mainly use google search, google maps, LINE & Thai Friendly

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1 hour ago, User Name Eric said:

So I have a problem with the phone I was going to take on my upcoming trip.  I was planning on taking a older Iphone I have laying around.   The problem is it's locked and the battery would have to be replaced for about $80 dollars through apple.  

Tried unlocking the phone through AT+T website and it said the phone can't be unlocked.  Which makes no sense the phone is not my current phone and it has been paid off for many years.  

So do I buy a cheap unlocked international phone that will work in Thailand for under $100?  Has anyone purchased a phone like i described through amazon and knows it works on dtac or ais cell service?

Thanks

 

I travel from LAX and need my phone for business for my 27 days I am normally in LOS. 

I had AT&T and paid the $200 for the 30-day international fee. it is worth it for me, as one client lost is worth $300 annually.  

Last year, I switched to T-Mobile as they offer free international as part of the monthly service.  However it is less expensive but the data speeds are governed at a lower speed, so I am thinking of switching back to AT&T.

I am also contemplating switching from iPhone to Android, as I can get the phone with dual sim cards.  Keep my business line if for USA usage and get a Thai sim card for Thailand.

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A dilemma for sure. I think if it were me, rather than get a grey market phone off eBay with an unknown history, I'd rather go to some storefront in Thailand and just buy the phone over here. A guaranteed genuine brand new Samsung J2, which is more than good enough for anything you might need to do on holiday is around $100 USD from Tesco, Big C, Powerbuy, BananaIT, JIB, etc. It is certain to be unlocked and is certain to work.  If you go for a Chinese phone like an OPPO, it would be even less. (Personally, I'd go for one of the "J" series Samsungs though, just because.) :-)

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If you really wanted to buy a new throwaway phone ahead of the trip and have a little bit of time before your trip, then I'd buy one off of aliexpress.com .  They have some decent throw away android phones that are new and some of them will take 2 sims.  The only issue is maybe the shipping time to get it to you.  You could always upgrade the shipping but then it could add to the cost.

As for the AT&T phone, it might be worth it to just unlock using some of the services that cost maybe $10 to give you a code like: http://triphackr.com/how-to-unlock-your-phone-for-traveling-abroad/

Then just buy a sim when you get there and use away.  

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This is an interesting topic. My mongering phone for the UK might be crap as there are not many apps for it for example no LINE app - although it will run a web browser just fine - I thought being able to run the likes of LINE as an app would be an advantage.

Not heard of the Samsung J2, but looking at Youtube reviews the 2018 model looks quite nice.

I have been considering a Chinese phone, such as one of the (confusingly) many many different Xiaomi phones, though rather than AliExpress I was looking at Ebay sellers with good ratings. The Three network in the UK is said to be about to start selling Xiaomi and the Pocophone F1 is also said to be coming to England, but neither of those is likely to happen before my upcoming trip to Pattaya.

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Why a "throwaway"?  You have lots of options offered but another would be to buy a cheap android, load with Thai sim, LINE, Google etc and then keep it for future trips.  Just ensure you have extended the Validity date (VERY IMPORTANT) past your next anticipated arrival before you leave.  And keep your crappy iphone as is.  Easy.

 

 

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you can get a samsung s5 unlocked on ebay for $70 to $90 usd, those should work and a decent camera on that one.

 

 

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54 minutes ago, nekkid said:

I have been considering a Chinese phone, such as one of the (confusingly) many many different Xiaomi phones, though rather than AliExpress I was looking at Ebay sellers with good ratings. The Three network in the UK is said to be about to start selling Xiaomi and the Pocophone F1 is also said to be coming to England, but neither of those is likely to happen before my upcoming trip to Pattaya.

You can't go wrong with a Xiaomi phone.  They're actually really good.  Unfortunately the USA is fucked for cell phone bands so sometimes Xiaomi phones will only get 3g speeds.  

40 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Why a "throwaway"?  You have lots of options offered but another would be to buy a cheap android, load with Thai sim, LINE, Google etc and then keep it for future trips.  Just ensure you have extended the Validity date (VERY IMPORTANT) past your next anticipated arrival before you leave.  And keep your crappy iphone as is.  Easy.

I only said throwaway because it's 50-80$ and he wouldn't be using it as a main phone when he's home.  Yes, I don't throwaway that kind of money but his crappy iPhone would be a cheaper solution if he wanted to use it.  Only used throwaway in so much as that if you lose/break/give away to your lub'd up TG (Yes TG's only take iPhone X's now) then it's not a huge loss.

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2 minutes ago, manb00 said:

You can't go wrong with a Xiaomi phone.  They're actually really good.  Unfortunately the USA is fucked for cell phone bands so sometimes Xiaomi phones will only get 3g speeds.  

I only said throwaway because it's 50-80$ and he wouldn't be using it as a main phone when he's home.  Yes, I don't throwaway that kind of money but his crappy iPhone would be a cheaper solution if he wanted to use it.  Only used throwaway in so much as that if you lose/break/give away to your lub'd up TG (Yes TG's only take iPhone X's now) then it's not a huge loss.

Yeah ok...but my understanding is that "throwaway" seems to be referred to generally as a "one trip" phone...whatever...lost in translation :D

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Yeah ok...but my understanding is that "throwaway" seems to be referred to generally as a "one trip" phone...whatever...lost in translation :D

 

I guess I was thinking more in line with @manb00 My own take on a "throwaway" phone wouldn't necessarily be a one trip phone, it would be more like a phone I wouldn't be overly upset if I left it in a bar or dropped it down the loo, or had my barfine de jour vomit all over it. :-) 

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15 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Yeah ok...but my understanding is that "throwaway" seems to be referred to generally as a "one trip" phone...whatever...lost in translation :D

Same same but different =D.  Hopefully if he gets out to Thailand more then one time a year then it wouldn't be so bad paying $100 for a phone.  The best is finding a cheap phone with two sims that you can throw your personal sim in and then also throw a DTAC sim in.  Unless you don't get free roaming from your home sim.  Google Fi in the USA and I'm sure T-mobile has roaming throughout Thailand albeit probably spotty enough to warrant a local sim.  The last thing you want is your TG getting pissed because you didn't have service and didn't message back fast enough!  My fault for already setting up meeting non P4P girls off of TF in the biggest red light district and expecting her to be cool with hanging out with my friends.

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2 minutes ago, manb00 said:

Same same but different =D.  Hopefully if he gets out to Thailand more then one time a year then it wouldn't be so bad paying $100 for a phone.  The best is finding a cheap phone with two sims that you can throw your personal sim in and then also throw a DTAC sim in.  Unless you don't get free roaming from your home sim.  Google Fi in the USA and I'm sure T-mobile has roaming throughout Thailand albeit probably spotty enough to warrant a local sim.

Well yes, have aussie sim and ais sim in dual sim moto g myself...but I posted in response to op who seemed to need to retain his crappy iphone and I had initially replied based solely on that...have said all I need to...have fun :Party1:

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Well yes, have aussie sim and ais sim in dual sim moto g myself...but I posted in response to op who seemed to need to retain his crappy iphone and I had initially replied based solely on that...have said all I need to...have fun :Party1:

Yes but he'll have better pictures for his report if he gets a decent crappy phone instead of the iPhone!  We need all the juicy details!  He's gone anyways... probably sleeping on the east coast dreaming of Thailand. :Party1:

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Alot of things going on here...

At no point did I mentioned throw away phone.  I just need a phone that is unlocked and is able to be used international.  I will keep this phone as I plan on doing more traveling and will be used on those trips too.

So I contacted AT+T today and explained that I tried using there dumb website and it would not accept my information.  He said my information will be forwarded to a problem department and I should hear back in 2 days.  Why it takes two days to unlock a phone this is mine is so stupid.  So I will let this play out to see what happens.  If phone gets unlocked most likely I will send to apple for a battery replacement because I like the features of the Iphone plus I do need to have google maps and some other apps.

If I get the run around from AT+T it looks like I will buy a new phone.  So I want to avoid Ebay because you never know what you are going to get new or used.  So Ebay is not an option.  I think Amazon will be my best option since I would like a new phone over a used phones.  Also I would like to have the phone in hand before I leave on my trip so buying a phone in Thailand is not really going to work.  

So anyone ever order a phone on Amazon thats internationally unlocked?  Still looking at 100$ US or less on the phone price.  

Also whats with all the Iphone camera hate?  I have seen super nice camera take crappy picture if the operator doesn't know what they are doing or drunk!

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Assuming you can get it unlocked, have you given any thought to getting the new battery for your spare phone from a third party source (as opposed to Apple)?

My Verizon iPhone 8 is unlocked, so I just use a Thai SIM card. I had been very lucky until February, when my iPhone 6 got waterlogged/ruined (which is when I bought my current phone)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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If you want an unlocked phone you could try Staples - they sell entry to mid grade unlocked phones now (in Canada at least). If not just hope on Craigslist or FB Marketpalce and buy a used whatever that is unlocked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Lots of 2nd hand phone bought off ebay or other web sites are carrier locked and it can be a pain in the ass to get the IMEI number unlocked if the phone has a shady history I learned the hard way when I bought a used iphone 6 a few years ago. It basically ended up being used just as an IPod, games, music, camera, etc, everything but no phone calls

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I ordered a Oppo A37 off ebay. It was around $150. I think it was cheaper in Patts, not sure on that. Added Line, TF, Sim Card and it was ready to go. Can't use Cell Service in U.S. but use Line app everyday, over the internet. Last 2 trips, I get a Sim card at the Airport and good to go. I still carry my Iphone for pictures and communication until my plane leaves the States.

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Bought a Moto G4 at Costco... under $200 on sale at the time about 2 years ago...  They don't come with a plan...

Bought a SIM at AIS... all worked fine...

Costco currently is selling the Moto G6...at about $200...

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Seems like you want to spend more money on this than the suggestions above, for example sending iPhone into Apple to get battery replacement or buying off of Amazon.  I'm sure the Amazon cheapo phones will work as long as they're GSM.  Go nuts but you might want to make sure they have the bands that DTAC or AIS use in Thailand.  You might be limited to 3G or less speeds if you purchase a phone meant for use only in the USA.

For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Thailand

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19 hours ago, Wolf Cat said:

Lots of 2nd hand phone bought off ebay or other web sites are carrier locked and it can be a pain in the ass to get the IMEI number unlocked if the phone has a shady history I learned the hard way when I bought a used iphone 6 a few years ago. It basically ended up being used just as an IPod, games, music, camera, etc, everything but no phone calls

This is why I don't want to deal with Ebay or some third party sellers.  They will say the phone is unlocked but when you check to see if its unlocked its not.  

On Amazon the cheapest new 4g unlocked android phone is about 70$ and the price to repair my Iphone is 70$ plus I know the Iphone will run all the apps I want to use.  Line, TF, Google Maps, and a few other basics.  

I have not heard from AT+T yet but I should hear back sometime Wednesday.  So that will make my decision a little easier but knowing AT+T they will mess this up.

Also the situation with cell phones and service in the USA is messed up!

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7 minutes ago, User Name Eric said:

This is why I don't want to deal with Ebay or some third party sellers.  They will say the phone is unlocked but when you check to see if its unlocked its not.  

On Amazon the cheapest new 4g unlocked android phone is about 70$ and the price to repair my Iphone is 70$ plus I know the Iphone will run all the apps I want to use.  Line, TF, Google Maps, and a few other basics.  

I have not heard from AT+T yet but I should hear back sometime Wednesday.  So that will make my decision a little easier but knowing AT+T they will mess this up.

Also the situation with cell phones and service in the USA is messed up!

Seems like a no brainer to me to stick with your old iPhone (and get it fixed) ASSUMING you can get it unlocked.  It should have a lot of your music and some pother stuff pre-loaded, so you should be ready to hit the ground running.

WTF is AT&T's policy on unlocking phones?!?  I thought Verizon required you to have it at least a year, but my iPhone 8 would take a Thai SIM card right after I bought it.

 

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54 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Seems like a no brainer to me to stick with your old iPhone (and get it fixed) ASSUMING you can get it unlocked.  It should have a lot of your music and some pother stuff pre-loaded, so you should be ready to hit the ground running.

WTF is AT&T's policy on unlocking phones?!?  I thought Verizon required you to have it at least a year, but my iPhone 8 would take a Thai SIM card right after I bought it.

 

What ever there policy is it should be easier to unlock.  I mean send a signal to the phone once the unit is paid off and be done with it.  I will be taking my current cell phone with me but want to keep that sim card in the phone to send SMS messages over wifi.  Will be using the Thai sim card for everything else.  

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