Thai sim cards

Did you constantly recharg (top up) the SIM card in past years? That is the way to extend the expire date of your number which moves forward the date at each recharge otherwise it expires and you cannot use it anymore.

It's enough to make it online by adding 20 baht in multiple times and each amount extends it one month to a maximum of 12 month and the credit remains always valid.

You can ask AIS counter when you arrive at Airport

Did you constantly recharg (top up) the SIM card in past years? That is the way to extend the expire date of your number which moves forward the date at each recharge otherwise it expires and you cannot use it anymore.
It's enough to make it online by adding 20 baht in multiple times and each amount extends it one month to a maximum of 12 month and the credit remains always valid.
You can ask AIS counter when you arrive at Airport
-@Maxi Mari

If you top-up your balance, the total is valid 365 days. So, you just need to top-up once a year,not monthly.

@Leeds forever! Thanks mate, I’ll enquire at the airport👍🏻

@Leeds forever! Thanks mate, I’ll enquire at the airport👍🏻
-@kevh

You can visit any 7/11 in Bangkok or where ever you're going. Operators at the airport will just try to make you buy some expensive tourist sim- package. In my opinion DTAC is better (and it's cheaper) than AIS and have more packages to chose from. Just remember, never surf using the balance, it's really expensive compared to a package.

Speaking of DTAC that's the one I use. There are quite a few packages to

choose from. Mine is 699B per month for unlimited data.

2 1/2B per minute international calling.

@scbrock sounds good,it’s only for my wife’s phone but a decent data allowance would be useful as she spends a lot of time using Line. Can you sign up to this package at a 7/11 or was this from the airport?

@kevh I signed up at a dtac office at a mall. Not sure if it can be

done at a 7/11. I can understand about Line app it's very popular

here.

Hope that helps

Well, we arrived a Bangkok airport, mentioned DTAC to my wife, she came back with an AIS happy tourist sim costing 2300 Baht. Apparently it’s unlimited use for 3 months for social media(internet) and to other AIS users and unlimited texts then that’s it? This is what I mean, I’m pretty sure your average Thai isn’t paying anywhere near that but that seems really expensive to me, even by British prices.

Im going to make a point of asking in the local 7-11 what deals they do on sim only just to compare, however they’re probably on commission to sell foreigners the most expensive package too, we’ll see.

Well, we arrived a Bangkok airport, mentioned DTAC to my wife, she came back with an AIS happy tourist sim costing 2300 Baht. Apparently it’s unlimited use for 3 months for social media(internet) and to other AIS users and unlimited texts then that’s it? This is what I mean, I’m pretty sure your average Thai isn’t paying anywhere near that but that seems really expensive to me, even by British prices.
Im going to make a point of asking in the local 7-11 what deals they do on sim only just to compare, however they’re probably on commission to sell foreigners the most expensive package too, we’ll see.
-@kevh

You should listen when people give you advise about this and that. Instead you're doing the opposite and waste money. Not a very smart move.

My advice - take it or leave it - up to you.

Never get a SIM in Thailand at the airport - a huge tourist rip off.

Buy a 'standard' SIM at a local Mall and put about 500 Baht in credit on it - use cash only.

Do not let them sell/scam you the 'tourist SIM' - specifically say you do not want a Tourist SIM.

At any 7/11 you can 'top up' your SIM credit balance - easy as.

You can go online and decide for yourself what 'plan' you want and select it using the credit.

That can be done at the Mall (if you trust them), online or via the phone (if you know the codes).

Do not give them your credit card or bank card details - I top up at 7/11 with cash only.

Note - the only websites are misleading and deceptive (would be illegal in Australia) - you have to work to find all the plans available and bypass all their marketing crap - simple basic plans are available but they are 'hidden' away - and every now and then they change them on you - always check. 

https://www.tourismthailand.org/Article … d-internet

@Leeds forever! Each top up extends the validity and moves up the expire date for 30 days (1month) each time untill it reaches the maximum of 12. So is convenient to top up multiple times with the minimum of 20 baht so that the amount blocked in the SIM is just little. Cause even 500 baht top up on a single time does extend just 30 days. That's how I do for myself and for friends since 10 years. Is it not the same for your SIM....?

@kevh why did you have so much pressure and rush to buy at Airport? It's wide known that exchange rate and others are always worse at airports. And by the Way the airport brokers oblige you to recharge with them. Just 1 hour patience and you could buy in town then activate a temporary monthly subscription even directly with call center at a convenient rate for 250-300 baht, apart of promotions that they send you by sms even for 200 baht a month.

@Maxi Mari I hear what you’re saying and I did pass on all the information to my wife before we arrived in Thailand but old habits die hard I suppose.😀I’ve seen a number of mobile outlets here in the local mall in Cha am so I’ll have a look at what they have to offer. If you can top up by a minimal amount every 30 days via an app we should be able to do so from the U.K. when we return home with a bit of luck then we could keep the same number for good, hopefully.

@Leeds forever! having read scbrocks post above, he says he pays 699Baht per month for unlimited data with Dtac and he bought that sim in a local mall so very little difference between local mall and the airport price comparing the package my mrs bought, just saying.

@Maxi Mari no pressure to buy at the airport just old habits die hard I suppose. If you go down to the basement floor where the transportation system( skytrain station?) is you can get a much better rate of exchange, there were about 5 exchange booths down there, first one you come to was offering the same poor rate as in arrivals but if you check out the others down there they were offering the top exchange rates of the day, comparable with just about anywhere outside the airport, I know because I usually use Wise money service when transferring money to Thailand and they always show the best rate available and they were matching that. I never change money in arrivals, always head down to the basement if I do need bahts.