Happy Sim Card.

Anyone have experience with a Happy sim card? Are they on the AIS network? Thinking about acquiring a phone for the latest boy special and was wondering the plus and minus of this sim card.

[Dick]

Happy is DTAC.
Let your boy chose which sim card is right for him.
Even with Happy, you need to read/listen in Thai to the many special rate offers that they have available to get the best deal (for you). He will likely have an opinion about which network he wants because some offer better coverage/reception depending on the area he lives or travels to. And if he doesn't already have an opinion, as soon as he gets a new phone, his friends are sure to tell him which network he should have!
If you're buying a phone in Thailand that comes with a sim card... I don't know whether they come locked to the network of the sim card provided, but its cheap (150B?) enough to get them unlocked.

If you're buying a phone in Thailand that comes with a sim card... I don't know whether they come locked to the network of the sim card provided, but its cheap (150B?) enough to get them unlocked.

Not a concern in Thailand. Phones are not sold with SIM cards anymore, and phones are not locked.

[Dick]

Thanks bg for the update. I couldn't see the reason for the 'which simcard' question, other than that the phone came with a simcard as might dictate from where he bought the phone.
So there you have it Monkeysee... just buy the phone and let the lad decide which simcard to get. Job Done :-)

[Dick]

This might be useful information for any Brits or British residents in Thailand who visit UK.

Virginmobile UK (http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/home.do) has one of the most competitive Pay As You Go rates in the UK. Their website always has offers on new PAYG phones, many of which come with substantial air time vouchers.
A Virgin simcard (they give you 2 with a new phone so you can give one to a friend) has no time limit. Any credit you put on the simcard remains there indefinately until you use it. Nor are you required to use your sim i.e. make a call within any pre-defined time periods. With Orange for example you are required to use your Orange sim/phone at least once every 6 months. Not so with Virgin. So its useful if you want a UK mobile number but only go back home periodically.

Virgin will give you the unlock codes to your phone for free once you have registered the phone and accumulated ┬г30 of airtime on the simcard registered with it. The free airtime vouchers you get with a new phone purchased from their website qualify. So buy a new phone with for example ┬г50 airtime as currently advertised, and you can unlock the phone for free. Then perhaps you might give the new phone to boy special without the Virgin sim, and keep the virgin simcard with its ┬г50 of airtime to use yourself in the UK on your old phone. After 3 months, you can if you prefer have that new simcard upgraded so you are billed by direct debit for your airtime monthly in arrears. The benefit is that your international and roaming calls are then billed at significantly cheaper rates. Handy if you need to call frequently whilst outside the UK.

Apologies to those that already knew that.

[jinks]

You forgot to say that there is no monthly standing charge with Virgin.

No calls = no lost credit or in my case no bill.

Virgin will also give a credit charge at the same pat as you go rates.

I take my old phone with me, nobody wants to steal it :))))
A local SIM, whatever network is best at the time, is to make calls.
My UK phone is "on" but not answered.
Caller ID allows me to return the call on the Thai card.

Family know, because of the time difference, to send text.

In reference to Bucknaway's problem in the other SIM card thread (which is now locked for some reason), I would recommend against mailing your SIM card back to thailand in an envelope. I have sent two greeting cards to my BF in BKK over the last two months, neither of which he recieved. My perception is that some Thai postal worker, Seeing the US postage and return address, assumes there might be money in the envelope and opens it, then throws it away once he see's it doesn't contain anything worthwhile. Anybody else experience such problems sending things to their Thai bf?

[bucknaway]

I don't know why my post became locked..... But I think I have a solution. I sent an e-mail to a friend of mine in Bangkok asking him to buy a few 300 baht re-charge cards and to send me the needed codes in e-mail and I will send him the money to cover the cost.

He has not replied to me yet but I am sure he can do it.

Today I tried using my Thai phone to send a sms to a few guys in my phone address book. I don't know if they got it or not. I am wondering if I can receive a reply SMS... At any rate, I will let you guys know what happens.

We're on the edge of our seats in anticipation.

[bucknaway]

Anticipation... Is that a gogo bar or a host bar?

JakeNasty writes, "In reference to Bucknaway's problem in the other SIM card thread (which is now locked for some reason), I would recommend against mailing your SIM card back to thailand in an envelope. I have sent two greeting cards to my BF in BKK over the last two months, neither of which he recieved. My perception is that some Thai postal worker, Seeing the US postage and return address, assumes there might be money in the envelope and opens it, then throws it away once he see's it doesn't contain anything worthwhile. Anybody else experience such problems sending things to their Thai bf?"

Call me lucky but I have never had problems with Thailand's postal system. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a friend mail me my new credit card from home through the mail service. No problem whatsoever.

If Jake's BS lives in a flat, it is more likely that the management there is to blame rather than the postal service.

Either that, or his BS has given him a non-standard/unintelligible transliteration of his address, that the post office can't make heads or tails of.

I have never had anything go astray, and receive on average a couple dozen pieces of mail from overseas every week.

[Smiles]

" ... Anybody else experience such problems sending things to their Thai bf?"
Call me lucky but I have never had problems with Thailand's postal system. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a friend mail me my new credit card from home through the mail service. No problem whatsoever ... "
I have been sending (and receiving) letters, cards, and (early) parcels to Thailand for 7 years now. Given the length of time and the many hands which touch your stuff during the trips around the world, all in all I would say the service (vis-a-vis 'non-deliveries' that is) has been very good.

In total, there has been 2 letters which did not arrive there, and by what he says, one letter which did not get here. And I'm talking in the low 100's here in terms of volume. Important letters which arrived in Thailand with no problem included the one containing his ATM card.

On the other hand, a fairly large parcel got "lost". That one pissed me off as it was early in the relationship and conained a grab bag of decent presents ... a couple which were reasonably expensive. Again, 'on the other hand' I sent it by a slow boat ~ it was heavy (read 'expensive') ~ so that method adds even more hands-on-the-parcel . . . and not all Thai.

Another thing ... each of the 3 problems I had with the Thai postal service (perhaps it was on the Canada end, who knows) was quite a number of years ago. In he last 4 years, there has been no problems at all.

Having been bitten only three times in all these years (2 of which were just silly letters), I take a minor precaution and don't send parcels any more. Now I just take the loot with me or shower him with presents bought in Thailand. I would also not send ATM cards and the like . . . not so much because of fear of being stolen, but just because it's a hassle if they go missing. So much easier just to bring important stuff in the carry-ons.

My faith in the various postal systems ~ in this case, Canada's & Thailand's ~ is about 90% (to the good).

Cheers ....

Well, the funny thing is, my New BF lives in a house in a nice neighborhood with a very simple address. My ex lived in a flat with a much more complicated address.. and he always got everything I sent. So I suspect it is just maybe the postman that works in my new BFs neighborhood. As a test, I sent a postcard (obviously unable to contain money), and he got that in a week no problem.

[bucknaway]

My friend says he will buy a few 300 baht sim cards and e-mail the code to me...

Yesterday I used my Thai phone to send a SMS message to him and was wondering if he got it. When I got home from work I checked the phone and found that I had a SMS waiting for me from him! I did a balance check and the SMS did not cost me anything! When I get my recharge I will use the phone to make a 2 min call to Thailand and see what the charge will be.

I was informed by a friend that the 12call (blue box colour) sim pack now last for (did he say 6months or a year?), if not topped up. As apposed to the original sim pack which dies off as mentioned above, if not topped up regularly. I wont know the full results until my return to los next year now.
ItтАЩs a little more expensive than the regular sim, but still works out a better deal, if it does indeed work again.

I have no signal on this sim in the uk, yet a friend who has just returned does, (but then he has the regular sim which needs topping up every month), oh well lucky him.

Does any one have more details on what I believe to be a new sim pack deal тАУ the blue coloured pack?

Monkleigh, I bought a 1, 2, Call sim card last year and topped it up before I left Thailand in order to keep my same number. When I returned to Thailand this year, I heard about this new promotion, I think it is called One Two Go, Sawasdee Uun Uun. If you already have a 1, 2, Call sim card, then all you need to do is to call them and tell them you would like to change your plan to Sawasdee Uun Uun. Your special call rate will be 2 baht per minute in AIS network and for out-of-network calls, it is 4 baht per minute. SMS are 2 baht per message. The good part about this promotion is that when you top up your minutes with 50 baht or more, then your phone number is good for 365 days. I believe the promotion is good until June 2007.

I forgot to say, if you are in Pattaya, then you can go to the second floor of Tuk.com building on South Pattaya Road for help in changing plans. I was directed to the Telewiz office (to the left of the escalators, against the wall). This is the place many Thais pay their phone bill. The lady at the desk was very helpful. She dialed the 1, 2, call number and was able to put me in touch with a customer service representative that spoke English. Once you tell them you want to change plans, it takes about 30-60 minutes to update the computer. They will send you an SMS message once you are in the system. It is possible to buy a fifty baht card from this same Telewiz office. It is all very easy to do.

where do I get this one 2 go and one 2 call sim card if I am in Bangkok? Are this AIS cards? Thanks.

Yes, Rustee the one, two, call uses the AIS network. I should think that most shops that sell mobile phones should also be able to sell you a 1, 2, call sim card. I recently paid 250 baht for a starter kit that included the sim card and 50 baht worth of minutes. If you want the promotion service that gives you the 365 days of service, you may have to ask the shop to make sure you have the Sawasdee Uun Uun program.

Thanks monkeysee, it sounds much better than my present dtac card which always expire 1-2months. Thanks for your help again.

[jinks]

where do I get this one 2 go and one 2 call sim card if I am in Bangkok? Are this AIS cards? Thanks.

Any 7 - 11, its too easy now.

And dispite my publishing my number in the calendar, noboby new to me has called, boo hoo hoo.

Jinks wrote: "Any 7 - 11, its too easy now."

Good news Jinks. I knew you could buy minutes at 7-11, but I did not realize you could buy a sim card there.