AIS 1-2-Call and roaming in England

[ceejay]

For my recent stay in Thailand I bought, as usual, a 1-2-Call pay SIM, bog standard cheap pay as you go type. Cost 90 baht if I remember rightly.

When I got home to England I switched the phone on to retrieve a number from it and was surprised to get a text message from AIS saying that I was now set up for roaming and giving a free number to call to confirm it. So I did and now I am connected to the Orange network here,

Totally unexpected, and excellent news for me to because I can now receive one time passwords for  internet banking on my Thai account. It also means, I believe that someone in Thailand can call me on the number at local rates. I shan't be encouraging that - I guess it will cost me a packet. I have a text that sets out the charges, but it's in Thai and I can't read it. 23baht and 30 baht are mentioned - I'm guessing one is the cost of a text and the other is the cost of a minute's speech. Anyone who knows what the charges are for definite, I'd be grateful.

[Guest scottishguy]

The "catch" may well be that, with most AIS 1-2-Call sims your "service" will cease within a month or two (depending on how many times you topped up while in Thailand) unless you make further top-ups to keep the number active. The system they have in place is the one we had in the UK 10 years ago where you had to buy not only calls, but service and if you did not top-up regularly then you lost service even though you had Credit on your phone.

 

When I kept my AIS Thai number open, it was impossible to do from the UK unless you happen to have left-over "top-up" vouchers in your possession or have a friend in Thailand who can buy a voucher and text you the Code - or you can buy them on Ebay at a premium. It was not possible to top-up over the internet or anything like that.

 

What I found though was that if you email AIS every 2 or 3 months and tell them how you would like to keep your number in service but can not "top-up" they will most likely agree to take money off your remaining Balance as a top-up and since they always have offers on, it can cost as little as 50/100B off your balance to secure another 30 days service. But you wouldn't get away with that every month.

 

It's tempting to keep the number open as it's quite convenient to have your "Thai" phone up and running the minute you arrive in LOS - but my situation was that I was ending up with large credit balances due to topping up every month - which I struggled to use up when back in Thailand (although it is possible to transfer your balance to a Thai friend on AIS). Eventually I decided to regard the SIM card as a one-off disposable item and now I just buy a fresh one each time. The best option for you depends how often you go to Thailand I guess.

 

Hope this is still accurate info, and you find it helpful.

[ceejay]

Thanks for your input S-G.

Yes, the service does end if you don't make a minimal top up once a month. However, I have a Thai bank account and I can top up 50 baht a month online. Worth it to keep the service.

Actually, it will only be 30 baht a month. On the service I have, if you have more than 30 baht in the account, you can phone a free number which automatically extends the life of your credit for another month. AIS text a reminder to me, just before the credit expires. It costs 30 baht (you get 30 free minutes inside Thailand, valid for 5 days). So, with roaming, you could keep a number active for 11 months by starting with 400 baht or so in there, even without a Thai bank account.

It's certainly worth it to me to keep the number. I have just returned from a 5-month stay in Chiang Mai, and plan on doing the same thing again this year. The number is linked to my bank account, and there are people in CM who I will be seeing again who have my number on their phones.

[Guest scottishguy]

Ah, well that sounds the best plan for you - I didn't have a Thai Bank Account - so my only option was to use a 300B top-up voucher per month (that was the minimum value I could get my hands on from the UK).

 

You can see how I soon ended up with a few thousand baht of credit which was really unnecessary.

 

Likewise, thank you for your info - it brings me up to date and gives food for thought.

[kokopelli]

Before leaving Thailand you can go to TelWhiz, there is one at Tukcom in Pattaya, and, for a modest charge,can extend expiration date for one year.

[Bob]

When I was worried several years ago about losing my Thai number (AIS - 1-2 Call), I ended up buying 1200 minutes for 1000 baht which were good for a year.  After doing that one time, I really don't need to worry about it after that as all top-ups extend the length the expiration time. I recently added 500 minutes and the minutes I have remaining expire at the end of March, 2014.

 

[i'm guessing....but don't know for sure.....that the 1200 minutes for 1000 baht deal is still available.  Even if it isn't, Koko is probably correct that you can stop in one of the local offices and make some form of reasonable deal to extend the minutes out a fair length of time.  Prior to signing up for an additional data service (mine is 150 baht per month), I rarely ever spent more than a couple hundred baht every 2-3 months and my expiration date has for years been 8-14 months into the future.]

[baobao]

I've heard differing opinions on this 1-2-Call time limit before credits expire and I confess I'm still a bit confused about it. I don't maintain a Thai bank account and have just added minutes to my phone near the end of each trip.

 

So far I've been fortunate enough to get the message after topping up that my credits will expire a year from the date they were added. I probably ought to do a search in a couple of places and see if/how SIMs can be topped up from home.

[Guest scottishguy]

Maybe there are different types of 1-2-Call sim cards with different tariffs/service conditions.

 

Certainly, with the ones I had, each top-up only extended the "service validity" by 30 days - but I take the point that visiting one of their offices or a mobile shop might lead you to discover alternative deals.

 

Unfortunately I was simply topping-up via vouchers from 7-11 and they obviously didn't come with any advice thrown in.  

[Guest]

Thai bank accounts are very easy to set up, as discussed on a recent thread.

 

However, I find it even easier to buy a new SIM card each time I go to Thailand.

[Guest anonone]

I have 1 2 call SIM card (Freedom) which is apparently like SG's.  Credits seem to expire about 30 days. 

 

I inquired at some phone stalls in Tuk Com and was told 1 2 call does not have the SIM with the year-long credit option.  Another company (DTAC ??) had one, which I purchased.  I went back to 1 2 Call within a couple of days due to trouble getting internet packets to work. 

 

There is an AIS code you can use to extend your credit expiry 30 days at a cost of 30 baht.  You can do this multiple times, to push out your expiration for many months.  I did this in January to ensure my SIM will be active when I come back next week. 

  *500*9# Call

 

This upcoming trip I am really going to try and get some long overdue tasks completed, including opening a Thai bank account.  I will also try to find an AIS store and get some specific info on making better use of the service / value / expiration of the phone.  With both of these completed, I hope this becomes less of an issue.

[Guest scottishguy]

Thanks for that code Anonone - it solves the problem completely!

 

[kokopelli]

  *500*9# Call

Can you provide clarification? By Call do you mean that after entering the numbers/symbols are you to then press the Call/Send button? Or are you to enter the letters Call along with the numbers?

 

Secondly is the charge then deducted from the balance in your account?

 

My cell phone is now in Thailand and I am not. So I will ask a friend to attempt to do this.

[Guest anonone]

Hi koko...may I call you koko?  LOL

 

You enter into the phone *500*9#  You then press the "Send" or "Call" button.  The 30 baht is deducted from your credit.  You will receive a text that states your new balance is good until the new date (which is 30 days longer than before you made the transaction).  If you follow the same procedure a 2nd time, another 30 baht is deducted and the date gets pushed out an additional 30 days.  This code works for AIS 1 2 call...I have no idea if the same code works on other SIM cards.

 

I used this as a quick fix to ensure I kept my phone number and I had an active phone when I landed at BKK.  As I mentioned above, I hope to open a Thai bank account, so I might not have to do this anymore.  I am also going to spend some time to find a knowledgeable AIS clerk to see if there is another way to extend credit expiration...maybe loading up with 1000 baht instead of the 100 baht 7-11 slips?  There has to be a better way, but this works in a pinch.

 

Scotts....glad to be of help.  BTW...New BF is cute.  How did you pull that one off?

[kokopelli]

Thanks anonone. As mentioned early in a post, you can go to TelWhiz at places like Tukcom/Pattaya and extend the expiration for one year for a modest amount. Can't recall but a few hundred Baht??

[Guest anonone]

Yes, I saw that comment.  During my last trip, I asked at Tukcom (don't remember which exact place) on ways to extend my expiration.  The only option offered was the code for 30 day / 30 baht. 

 

I am wondering if there are different options with AIS depending on what type of SIM card you have.  Perhaps the "Freedom" card that I purchased does not offer the one year extended option.  That might be why there is not consistent answers to some of these questions...it may depend on the exact type of SIM card, even though all AIS 1-2 Call.  

 

That is why I plan to spend some time to find a knowledgable clerk to get more clarity...of course this might all become a non-issue if I open up the bank account and am able to easily top off while still in the US. 

[ChrisUK]

I am wondering if there are different options with AIS depending on what type of SIM card you have.  Perhaps the "Freedom" card that I purchased does not offer the one year extended option.  That might be why there is not consistent answers to some of these questions...it may depend on the exact type of SIM card, even though all AIS 1-2 Call.  

 

That is why I plan to spend some time to find a knowledgable clerk to get more clarity...of course this might all become a non-issue if I open up the bank account and am able to easily top off while still in the US. 

 

About five years ago, after hearing of many expats who had a SIM card from AIS/12Call that remained active for a full year, I enquired in Tukcom on Pattaya Tai for a similar card. I was presented with one that remains with me to this day. It was a Freedom card and sold in a pink box, although the card itself was green. I soon discovered that even topping up the card with just 50bt pushed the expiry date forward to one year from the date of topping up.

 

About a year ago, a friend wanted the same so, while in Bangkok, we went around the MBK Center and looked for the pink coloured box while browsing all the phone stalls. We were successful and even had the one year ability confirmed by the stall holder. To confirm this, we got the assistant to install the card in my friend's phone and it soon indicated by text message that the validity was for one year from that date.

 

I have checked out the AIS/12Call website and it gives no indication of the one year card, but I seem to remember not seeing it listed a few years ago either. I would suggest people browse the phone stalls while shopping and you might strike lucky.

 

I spend up to six months in Thailand and six months in the UK, so I just ensure I have topped it up with just 100bt before I leave and it shows it will still be active for another year. The only other cautionary thing i do is switch it on about once a month and let it send me the adverts. Also, about once every three months I send a text message to a friend in Thailand to prove it's still working and that I am actively using it.

 

The company obviously knows I'm in the UK when it send me their adverts as tell me how to activate the roaming feature, but I've never botherd with it, as most of my communications are by text.

 

One of the side benefits of having a Thai bank account is the ability to top up your phone, not just at the  ATM, but also over the internet while at home, which is what I did last trip to ensure I had enough credit to use the phone at the airport.

[kokopelli]

After reading ChrisUK's post just remember Buyer Beware. Recently a friend and I were at TukCom and he purchased some type of 12Call card that was supposed to have an expiration date of one year. But after the purchase and after activating the card he read the package and saw that the one year expiration date had an expiration date of about 9 months. So he got nine months not 12 months. Then every time he added minutes/Baht to his card the expiration date decreased for 30 days!. Just the reverse of what you would expect. Even calls to customer service could not resolve this issue.

[Guest scottishguy]

This topic is exactly the kind of useful information people find worthwhile.

 

[bkkguy]

perhaps you should be asking AIS and/or the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) what happened after January 15 2013 when it was announced with great fanfare that  "NBTC has set a Friday deadline for mobile operators to start properly registering prepaid SIM cards and scrapping the expiration date on prepaid mobile credits, or face tough fines and other penalties"

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/330819/nbtc-sets-sim-card-deadline

 

but then this is Thailand so you probably shouldn't waste your time ...

 

bkkguy

[ChristianPFC]

You can transfer balance (up to 100 Baht per operation) or validiy (up to 30 days per operation) for a fee of 3 Baht between two 1-2-call numbers. I think I posted how to do it somewhere, maybe it was here:

 

http://gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4080&start=0

[baobao]

About five years ago, after hearing of many expats who had a SIM card from AIS/12Call that remained active for a full year, I enquired in Tukcom on Pattaya Tai for a similar card. I was presented with one that remains with me to this day. It was a Freedom card and sold in a pink box, although the card itself was green. I soon discovered that even topping up the card with just 50bt pushed the expiry date forward to one year from the date of topping up.

 

About a year ago, a friend wanted the same so, while in Bangkok, we went around the MBK Center and looked for the pink coloured box while browsing all the phone stalls. We were successful and even had the one year ability confirmed by the stall holder. To confirm this, we got the assistant to install the card in my friend's phone and it soon indicated by text message that the validity was for one year from that date.

 

Chris, we may have lucked out... I bought my first basic cell phone to use in Thailand back in early 2006/7 at a shop in Center One Mall along with an AIS SIM. Same pink box, same "Freedom" product description. WHY I still have that packaging and user manual (99.9% of it in Thai) I don't know, but I just looked and you're correct on the type. Any minutes I add updates the validity for a full year. That chip's in a newer phone, but still works like a charm.

[kokopelli]

You can transfer balance (up to 100 Baht per operation) or validiy (up to 30 days per operation) for a fee of 3 Baht between two 1-2-call numbers. I think I posted how to do it somewhere, maybe it was here:

I am trying this method; a friend in Thailand said he would transfer Baht to my phone. It will be awhile before I know if it worked.

[Guest scottishguy]

It should work - over the years when I've been due to leave Thailand, a number of Thai boys have insisted on emptying my unused 1-2-Call balance into theirs.

 

At 100B a time, their patience has been commendable!

[chaotou]

I have Dtac/Happy service. The plan, or as they call it "promotion" that I have allows for all top-ups to expire one year from the time of the top-up.  The cost of voice calls is higher on this plan/promotion.

 

With Dtac you can top up via the internet using a credit or debit card issued by a foreign bank, mine's an American bank. No need for a Thai bank account.

[Guest No2]

For my recent stay in Thailand I bought, as usual, a 1-2-Call pay SIM, bog standard cheap pay as you go type. Cost 90 baht if I remember rightly.

When I got home to England I switched the phone on to retrieve a number from it and was surprised to get a text message from AIS saying that I was now set up for roaming and giving a free number to call to confirm it. So I did and now I am connected to the Orange network here,

Totally unexpected, and excellent news for me to because I can now receive one time passwords for  internet banking on my Thai account. It also means, I believe that someone in Thailand can call me on the number at local rates. I shan't be encouraging that - I guess it will cost me a packet. I have a text that sets out the charges, but it's in Thai and I can't read it. 23baht and 30 baht are mentioned - I'm guessing one is the cost of a text and the other is the cost of a minute's speech. Anyone who knows what the charges are for definite, I'd be grateful.

On my last visit I bought a new SIM card from DTAC desk at airport. Back home I am now able to use this as it connects through T-mobile. The texts/sms's cost 12 baht to send, no cost to receive, but calls are 55 baht to receive and 73 baht to call. Might be useful for text/sms's. I get a friend in Thailand to top-up the phone just before expiry of the previous one, which is about a month between.