Posts Tagged ‘prepaid’

Travel Tip #3: Use Skype for overseas calls while travelling

Sunday, December 28th, 2014

In addition of making overseas calls from your home country, you can also use Skype to call family, friends and colleagues who back in your home country on their landline or mobile – when you are travelling overseas. All you need is Wi-Fi access or mobile broadband on your smartphone, and some Skype credits.

Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.

Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.

When I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while waiting at the customs, I logged on to the free Wi-Fi network in the airport and used Skype to call a local sight to make enquiries and make reservations for a day trip to a wildlife rescue centre in Petchaburi.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport serving Bangkok provides a pretty decent free Wi-Fi to travellers in its terminals – good enough to make VoIP calls using Skype.

First you need to register in the login page for the AOT network in the airport and you get to use the network for free for up to 2 hours a day.

Don’t bother to memorise the complicated userid and password they issue you, the next time you use the network – which is probably when you leave Thailand – you can register as a new user again and use a new set of userid and password.

(more…)

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in App, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Microsoft, Network, Office, Skype, Software, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Wi-Fi | 1 Comment »

Travel Tip #2: Bringing along a Dual-SIM phone overseas

Sunday, December 14th, 2014

A dual-SIM phone allows you to stay contactable to your regular contacts yet enables you to take advantage of more affordable local data/voice rates to avoid expensive overseas roaming charges – without having to carry two separate mobile phones.

The Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) is one of the increasing number of smartphones that support a dual-SIM capability.

The Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) is one of the increasing number of smartphones that support a dual-SIM capability.

Nowadays, it is increasingly easy to get a local SIM card when one travels overseas for work or leisure.

The local SIM allows you to make/receive calls at affordable local rates and more significantly, to stay connected via mobile broadband – without chalking out a huge bill.

But most mobile phones allow only one SIM card to be installed – so if you put in the local SIM card, you’ll have to remove your regular SIM card and become uncontactable to those who call you on your regular number, unless you forward those calls to your local number.

Otherwise, you’d carry a second single-SIM card phone, which is a hassle.

I brought along a Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) dual-SIM card phone during my short break to Thailand and it was such a blessing.

There are two micro-SIM card slots so I could keep my regular SIM card in one slot and plug in the prepaid local SIM card that I bought at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the other.

The guy at the True Move counter did all the set up for me.

So after five minutes of queueing and five minutes of installation and payment, I was as connected in Thailand as I was at home back in Singapore.

I could receive roaming calls on my regular number from my friends back in Singapore and other parts of the world, while at the same stay connected on email and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the mobile broadband on the local SIM card.

(more…)

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Android, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Devices, Moto, Motorola, Nokia, Phones, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Windows Phone 8 | No Comments »

Travel Tip #1: Get a pre-paid SIM card in Thailand

Saturday, December 13th, 2014

First thing I did when I exited the gates in the Arrival Hall in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was to get myself a pre-paid SIM card that gave me a local number for voice calls and seven days of mobile data broadband at 299 THB.

The truemove shop is one of the first things you come across when you exit the gates at the Arrival Hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.

The truemove shop is one of the first things you come across when you exit the gates at the Arrival Hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.

Immediately after exiting the gates in the Arrival Hall, you’ll come upon this telco shop that sells pre-paid SIM cards, as well as other mobile plans.

The 7-day prepaid SIM card offered by True Move is one of a few pre-paid mobile plans available in Thailand. This package bundles 7 days of unlimited data, free call credits of 100 THB and incoming call, your own local number, attractive international call rates - all for 299 THB or approximately S$12.

The 7-day prepaid SIM card offered by True Move is one of a few pre-paid mobile plans available in Thailand. This package bundles 7 days of unlimited data, free call credits of 100 THB and incoming call, your own local number, attractive international call rates – all for 299 THB or approximately S$12.

Here’s where you can grab an affordable and convenient pre-paid SIM card that gives you mobile broad band as well as voice calls, and a local number.

I’m here for seven days, so I was delighted to grab the 7-day SIM card that costs 299 THB, or S$12.

You get seven days of free broadband mobile data as well as 100 THB of free call credits, which gives you 100min of local talk time at 1 THB/minute.

The seven days are calendar days and includes the day you bought the card, ending at 2359hrs on the seventh day.

What I found useful was not only the free call credits but having a local number that you can give out for others to contact you via local calls.

My wife can now call me at local rates, through her autoroam.

Otherwise, she would have to make an overseas call just to get me on my Singapore mobile number – you know sometimes we get separated in crowded places, or we deliberately split up to visit different shops etc.

(more…)

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Network, Phones, Promotions, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel | 1 Comment »