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Thai sim cards at Airport


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Is it possible to buy Thai pre-paid sim cards at the Bangkok airport? I prefer to turn off my UK contract phone when I leave home because I get pissed off being stung with roaming charges even for receiving texts (imagine travelling when someone famous died and being inundated with txt jokes like when Michael Jackson died. My phone was buzzing more than it was silent).

Anyway, on my last trip to Pattaya, I was pleased that sim cards were easy and cheap to buy from the 7/11's but they expire after only a month or so, so when I make my next trip in April I will be buying another one. The sooner the better really so wondered if I could buy one at the airport. Has anyone bought from there?

"But one of the lessons a woman most rarely learns,is never to talk to an angry or drunken man."...from Adam Bede by George Eliot.

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Yes you can, I have bought one before at the airport. It was maybe 500B dont remember. It came with about 300B worth of credit on the sim.Just make sure your phone is not locked by your home provider or it will not work.You can buy them down on the lower level around the area where you get the Bell bus for Pattaya.I think it was gate 7 and 8.

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Yes you can, I have bought one before at the airport. It was maybe 500B dont remember. It came with about 300B worth of credit on the sim.Just make sure your phone is not locked by your home provider or it will not work.You can buy them down on the lower level around the area where you get the Bell bus for Pattaya.I think it was gate 7 and 8.

 

Query answered then. Thanks very much Bigpower.

"But one of the lessons a woman most rarely learns,is never to talk to an angry or drunken man."...from Adam Bede by George Eliot.

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Query answered then. Thanks very much Bigpower.

 

There is a string of shops along the highway not long after you leave the airport 7-11, family mart and the like. I have had my driver stop there for a sim card before, not 100% sure but I think you would get a better price there.

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on my last two trips to LOS, March 2010 Phuket & October 2010 Bangkok, i was handed a free prepaid simcard (with some credit) each time at disembarkation of the plane.

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Same same me, i got a True SIM card at BKK airport for free last month.

on my last two trips to LOS, March 2010 Phuket & October 2010 Bangkok, i was handed a free prepaid simcard (with some credit) each time at disembarkation of the plane.

If she aint whoring she's boring!

 

It's nice to be nice :)

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There is a 7-11 in the airport. I usually stop there and get a few beverages for the ride to Pattaya. You can easily get a SIM there without an issue. I picked mine up there last trip.

'Veni, Vidi, Velcro' - I came, I saw, I stuck around.

When I'm single I like playing the field. You call it picking up hookers. - Jim Norton

 

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Bigpower arready answered your question. I would like to add if you don't want the SIM card to expire, before you leave Bangkok, check with the service provider counter at the airport how much you need to recharge to the SIM so the validity will last for a few more months.

 

That's what I did, I knew I'll be back in 3 months time, so I ask them and was ask to recharge THB300. I got a SIM from AIS. Its just beside DTAC store. Both the service provider store are very helpful and patient to explain to you everything. I also ask them to activate Blackberry BIS for me. They even help me set up.

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i also picked mine up free at the airport.. the girls giving them out are quite cute,GoldenSmile1.gif

 

Sounds like a sweet deal...free sim card handed over by a cute TG, more info please :P

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I got mine last month from the DTAC store, it's easy to see as you come out of Arrivals. It cost 99baht and came with 30baht of credit. I asked them to put another 100baht on it, they did.

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When you acativate a SIM at the airport shops, does that mean when in Pattaya you are in 'Roaming' area, Pattaya made calls are then not local?

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Roaming on a Thai SIM card would only occur outside Thailand. I have Thai SIM card that I purchased in Bangkok many years ago. No issue or extra charges to use it in Pattaya.

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had my number 9 years its a BKK sim card, used it all over thailand no problem with costs, mainly in Samui for 8 years and patters for 1 year. there are a multitude of plans should last more than a month, basically the higher your cost per minute the longer they give you. i have basic plan and it lasts 6 months, wife has unlimited ais to ais for 199 per month thats 8-5 daytime. there should be a number on the sim card already something like *777 hash not 100% sure but you will see it, choose english option and it will go through all pay as you go plans

ONCE YOU GONE ASIAN YOU NEVER GO COCASION

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When you acativate a SIM at the airport shops, does that mean when in Pattaya you are in 'Roaming' area, Pattaya made calls are then not local?

Same country, no problem.

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If you get a Happy - prepaid sim from any 7 - 11 Im sure 300 baht it lasts for 12 months from last recharge - Ive had the same number for four years . Im sure there was another option maybe at the actual DTAC store you could get a prepaid for 500 baht that stayed in service for 3 years

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Got True sim card for free @bkk airport but constant ad-messages bothered me a bit, was too lazy to buy new one haha. Will buy next time, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How long does it take for the credit to expire?

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"I like boom boom you so much"

 

"Knowledge brings Fear"

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How long does it take for the credit to expire?

 

The one I had from 7/11 expired after a month I think.

"But one of the lessons a woman most rarely learns,is never to talk to an angry or drunken man."...from Adam Bede by George Eliot.

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Great info here, thanks to all. Drives me crazy not having my phone handy.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Yes you can, I have bought one before at the airport. It was maybe 500B dont remember. It came with about 300B worth of credit on the sim.Just make sure your phone is not locked by your home provider or it will not work.You can buy them down on the lower level around the area where you get the Bell bus for Pattaya.I think it was gate 7 and 8.

 

Yep, taking Bigpower's advice I purchased one on the lower level at the airport when I arrived. The ladies behind the counter were very helpful, loaded and configured my sim card for me then put a sticker on my sim card pack which explained in English how and what numbers to use for topping up your credit etc - a useful reminder if you're used to using a contract phone. This all took about 5 mins so didn't hold me up from my taxi ride much.

 

I mentioned "configured my sim" in the paragraph above because this included 20 hours of data download if you wanted to use the internet on your phone. Bit of a pain that you had to remember to turn your data network setting off each time you had finished being online or your hours would just continue to be used up. They did explain this well though.

 

This was all about 500 or 600b inc sim, calls and 20hours data.

 

I'll take it that they can supply dongles for laptops etc if needed.

"But one of the lessons a woman most rarely learns,is never to talk to an angry or drunken man."...from Adam Bede by George Eliot.

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What if you want to keep you number for the rest of your life? I assume that when these cards expire the number is dropped back into their pool and lost forever.

 

One individuals freedom ends where another individuals freedom begins.

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What if you want to keep you number for the rest of your life? I assume that when these cards expire the number is dropped back into their pool and lost forever.

 

There are some 'tourist' style sim cards that have a maximum 6 month or 12 month life in them after which they expire - make sure you get a permanent simcard, this will last as long as you continue to put credit on it every few months, even if its just a few hundred baht that you won't ebvn use while you are out of the country.

 

Recharge can be done over the internet quite easily.

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There are some 'tourist' style sim cards that have a maximum 6 month or 12 month life in them after which they expire - make sure you get a permanent simcard, this will last as long as you continue to put credit on it every few months, even if its just a few hundred baht that you won't ebvn use while you are out of the country.

 

Recharge can be done over the internet quite easily.

 

all of the prepaid sim cards i know about get the validity extended when you top it up with credit. What carrier are you referring to?

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all of the prepaid sim cards i know about get the validity extended when you top it up with credit. What carrier are you referring to?

 

 

I have a dtac Happy sim I have been using for 5 years - the expiring ones, I am not sure of brand, but when I flew into Chiang Mai last year they were handing them out to everyone that stepped off the plane - on them it said that the sim would expire 6 months after activation.

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