Getting a Thai SIM card

From what I%26#39;ve read online, getting a pre-paid SIM card is easy, and pre-paid minutes are cheap. Since I have an unlocked quad-band GSM phone, this sounds like a good idea. There seems to be 3 or 4 good cell providers in Thailand, but I can%26#39;t seem to find out much about their rates.

I%26#39;d appreciate any recommendations for a provider that offers a cheap SIM card and affordable minutes. I don%26#39;t need very many minutes, as I will primarly just use it to make or confirm reservations (many out-of-province calls). If you know the rates, please post them in your reply.

Also, are there kiosks at Suvarnabhumi airport where I can buy a SIM card? If not, are there any kiosks/shops near the Grand Palace? (that%26#39;s where I%26#39;m going first).

Thanks for your help!

Getting a Thai SIM card

The most reliable SIM cards are AIS (1-2-Call), DTAC, or True. True may be the cheapest. As there are new offers every day from each phone company, its hard to quantify rates. I recently saw a True deal at 50 satang (half a baht) a minute with free calls at night. The SIM card themselves are very cheap. 1-2-Call has the best coverage but may be the most expensive of the three. Don%26#39;t buy Hutch.

Getting a Thai SIM card

When in Thailand I use True but be careful of what you select. The best option is the per second option as the other bonus option is dependent upon how much you spend and sometimes you won%26#39;t benefit until the second month. Normally rates on prepaid run between 1 to about 5 bhat per minute so it%26#39;s really cheap to operate a cellphone in Thailand. Overseas calls are not much more when converting back to CAD. So you can always use it to call home and let the folks know how you%26#39;re doing!

There is a True store in Siam Discovery Centre (Mall) on the 3rd or 4th or 5th floor - can%26#39;t quite remember. This is next door to Siam Paragon on Sukhumvit Road. Otherwise you can buy SIM cards in department stores however the issue is that you will need to show your passport (for security purposes) to the company as they register your sim card against the passport number. Otherwise you can try MBK however I don%26#39;t trust the SIM from there as it seems to run out faster than what I paid - better to just get it from the department store or the True or DTAC stores.

Enjoy your stay in Thailand!

I use 1- 2 - call and get all the coverage I want

SIM cards and refills are now available in almost all 7/11 stores.

sometimes special offers are available but most are available for around 199 Baht with normally If I remember 30 Baht balance. You can top up at 7/11 and the good staff will normally put the value into your phone for you if you smile and ask nicely.

If you want to call upcountry, buy pre-paid 1-2-call of AIS or pre-paid of DTAC. Don%26#39;t buy TRUE and HUTCH. I think both AIS and DTAC have shops at the airport.

So, now that we have established that the calls are cheap and the deals are many, does anyone know if there is a kiosk selling sim cards at Suvarnabhumi airport?

I have some time to kill between flights to Chiang Mai.

Last year I got a ';DTAC Happy'; sim card. The reception was always good. The calls were really cheap, too.

Thanks

Chris