Thai Cellphones

If you have an older phone and charger from America
…Bring it to Bangkok.

If you have an iPhone or Blackberry you want to use
…Bring it and you can get it unlocked to use the local network

If you don’t have an older phone
…Don’t worry. You are moving to the best city for cheap, older phones. You can buy phones at MBK (famous market-style mall at the National Stadium BTS stop) for as cheap as 500 baht. There are at least 50 kiosks where you can buy phones at MBK.



SIM Cards
You can buy a SIM card at any 7-11 counter (I use 1-2-Call, but any provider will work).
You can buy a SIM card at MBK when you purchase your phone.

Minutes
You can buy minutes in increments of 50 baht at 7-11. I found that 100 baht of minutes lasts me through the week. Tell the cashier that you want "100 baht, 1-2-call" and it'll work like magic. They'll hand you a slip of paper with a sequence of numbers. To top off your account press...
*120* (Enter in sequence of numbers) # Send

Calling Out
You can buy a calling card to call America- they are very reasonably priced, and you'll be charged for a local call. If you use Hatari calling cards, they have a "call-back" feature so you won't be charged for a local call (receiving calls costs nothing).

Calling In
Let's just say your Thai phone number is 0856286635
If your family or friends want to call you from America, they would dial 66-856286635. So add the "66" and drop the "0."