SIM Card for only making/receiving calls.

[Firepole]

   I won't be needing data as I'll just use the hotel wifi while in town. The SIM cards I've seen, so far, all have data plans attached. The only thing I want to do is make/receive calls and the occasional text. I'll be in town about 20 days. Any suggestions?

[SteveUK]

Just walk in to any of the phone shops (so Ais, dtac etc) with your passport and just buy a sim. Costs about 50 baht, then just top up with credit then have a working phone that can do calls and sms.

Cost of a data plan is pretty damm cheap though its worth getting so your not tied to WiFi.

As a example I got a 20mb/s unlimited data for 30 days from Ais, so for a total cost of 350 baht including sim (then you can add whatever credit for calls if you want ) you have full call and data etc for a month.

Edited April 5, 2022 by SteveUK

[Buddy Edgewood]

I wouldn't rely too much on hotel WIFI in Thailand.  I've stayed in high-end hotels that have had such horrible WIFI that I've had to use the hotspot feature on my phone so I can connect my laptop to the internet. 

As @SteveUK mentioned getting a SIM with both phone and a decent data plan is relatively cheap here.  I've got an AIS tourist phone+data SIM, with 120Mbps up/40Mbps down, for 200b a month.

[Thomaz73]

1 hour ago, Buddy Edgewood said:

wouldn't rely too much on hotel WIFI in Thailand

My thought exactly

[Barhop]

10 hours ago, Firepole said:

   I won't be needing data as I'll just use the hotel wifi while in town. The SIM cards I've seen, so far, all have data plans attached. The only thing I want to do is make/receive calls and the occasional text. I'll be in town about 20 days. Any suggestions?

Other BMs have made very valid posts but I will add a little.  The moment you leave your hotel, that hotels wifi dies.  Sure, you can log into wifi in almost every bar you visit, but that often entails calling over the one BG in that bar who knows the info.  Sure gets to be a PIA after once or twice.  Other bars will have wifi info on wall or menu but you still have to go through the process.

The other biggie is non-access to the likes of Google Maps while walking around.  Sure you can check onto Google Maps while paying for a beer but that is zero use while walking.

IMHO, a data plan is insignificant money for the advantages - online ALL the time - and hotspot available for laptop when your own hotels wifi is down.

Your choice...

[bangna]

Can always download and use Google Maps offline

[Arnie85]

Unlimited data packages are so cheap it’s just mindless not to get one.  Just sort it out once and it’s done.  Or fuck around with wifi passwords at every place you go to and shitty hotel wifi dropping out all the time.