LAXlocal

When I was in Bangkok last week I used my mobile phone to call back to the USA with my True Sim card , you can get 2 rates , 1 baht a minute and 3 baht a minute ,
The 1 baht a minute was usable but not good , but the 3 baht a minute was amazing , it was as if they were in the next room .
I believe it was 006 then 1 and USA number for the 3 baht a minute calling ,
Is there another way to get the high quality call for less ?

and on the USA side calling Thailand , I use callmuangthai.com , its cheap , 1-2 cents a minute but the quality is bad just like the cheaper True sim.
you dial an access number and if your phone number is registered with them you do not need to enter a PIN code, I have my USA "dumb" mobile phone and home phone registered and the thai numbers I call on speed dial

Is there another service that I can use that will get me "next door" quality. and work on my "dumb" phone ?

I assume these are both VOIP , and there must be many grades of quality available.

I am calling Thai Mobile phones and landlines so it needs to be phone to phone and not VOIP computer to computer.

Thanks for your ideas

transpac

For calling Thailand to the U.S.A. I think the options fall into some general categories:

1.) low cost/low quality: ~ 1 baht/min via calling cards ot TrueMove H 00600

http://www.thaitelephone.com/EN/call...enet/index.php

CAT phonenet cards offer free local access and/or call-back, rates are 1 baht to mobiles or land-lines in the U.S.

http://truemoveh.truecorp.co.th/3g/s...aid/entry/2271

2.) Each mobile service provider offers low rates, maybe a bit better quality:

TrueMove H 006
DTAC 004
AIS 005

~ 3 baht/min.

3.) Standard rates: 001/+1 are 6 ~ 8 baht/min

4.) CAT(009) TOT (007) ~ 3 baht/min


Calling from the U.S. to Thailand there are a lot of calling card options, either sourced in Thailand or the U.S. Quality/completion rate will probably be spotty. A fuller service option like AT&T might offer better quality, albeit at a higher rate.

http://www.thaidial.net/

http://www.thaitelephone.com/EN/call...land/index.php


For me, I use my magicJack (at home), GoogleVoice (GrooVeIP) and 004 (DTAC) to call the U.S. When in the U.S. I use a pre-paid AT&T calling card to call Thailand. I've used idPhonecard also, the quality is OK, but call completion is ~ 50%. http://www.idphonecard.com/idreg/rat...&countryto=THA

LAXlocal

Thanks for the review

Where did you get the AT+T calling card ?
is there a special one for Thailand or Asia

and how much a minute ?

the true 006 Thailand to USA 3 baht a minute is what I used and it was very good, I would just like to get the same when calling Thailand

forumpersona999

Cat2Call Plus prepaid VOIP is very high quality, gives you an incoming Bangkok landline number, corectly displays that number's caller ID, correctly displays incoming call caller ID and you can pay it by credit card via their web portal. Also have iOS and Android apps to facilitate calling.

The catch ?

1) The topups have somewhat short expiration dates. It is geared towards SME users with a bit of volume, I guess.

The topups start at ฿100.00 10 Day(s)
and go to ฿1,000.00 200 Day(s).

Credit does roll over but still... You are gonna spend close to 2000 Baht a year on this.

2) You need to appear in person to set it up initially.

You could have someone else go to CAT and set one up and then give you the passwords - it's prepaid so there is no financial risk to them.

Only risk that person would face is exposure to the computer crimes act or lese majeste complaints if you were to make specific prank calls with it.

goodeats21

Not sure how often you are calling USA to Thailand, but Skype has unlimited plan for calls to Thailand, both landlines and mobile. I think it is about $13 a month. I have been very happy with call quality.

You can put Skype on mobile phone and as long as you have 3G or better connection, should work fine. Of course, wifi or lan connected computer even better.

Skype also has free dialing to USA toll free numbers from anywhere in the world. Very useful for calling airlines, etc.

From Thailand back to USA, I have 12Call and use 005001. Never had any quality issues and works fine for personal (not business) calls.

LAXlocal

trying to keep away from skype as my mobile phone does not have internet.

I looked at AT+Ts website and it is 21 cents a minute to a Thai mobile which seems pretty high, but I am sure the quality will be good,
I was hoping for around 10 cents a minute for the better quality as the lower quality is less than two cents a minute,

but thanks for your reply and I will be trying Skype for calling Thailand to USA, but it would have to be from my computer which limits it use,,,,,

transpac

For calls from the U.S. to Thailand, you can drive that rate down to $0.08 (eight U.S. cents) per minute - to a Thai mobile - with a 1,000 minute ($40) pre-paid calling card. This does not cover any per minute fees you might incur calling the AT&T toll-free access number.

You can buy pre-paid AT&T calling cards pretty much anywhere, including a 'virtual' card on-line: https://att.ecustomersupport.com/ATT...roductLineID=2

EmailKid

Indeed ^

Had to use it to call UA when BKK was shut down a few years ago during the protests as I simply could not get through to UA local number.

And of course the time UA cancelled my PVG-SFO flight (had TG reward ticket from/to China).

I do all my Skype calling in Thailand from internet cafes, but I was able to call UA from Tokyo on my netbook via a hotel connection. Come to think of it, from Jakarta as well @:-)

Decent quality too.

transpac

If you are a UA/MP 1K then you can ring the 1K line for free - no local airtime charges, no LD charges - from Thailand - UA subsidizes this for 1K flyers in many countries.

Simply dial one of the two AT&T USA Direct numbers:

00199911111
1800000133

and at the AT&T "bong", dial the 1K number 8xx nnn-NNNN. (You'll have to enter your MP #, unless you're calling from your "number of record".

EmailKid

You mean I could use my ancient 3 band cell with Thai Sim card and minutes would not be deducted

In all honesty I kind of like using internet cafes: while I'm on infinite hold I've got the headset on and continue to surf internet @:-)

But if it's an option, that's always a good thing.

And for future reference, does UA offer same for other countries? I've been known to show up in Europe and Latin America

I was under the impression 1K number was no more. And since MP never sent me my 1K kit last year, I don't have it anyway

tide

Yes. Zero airtime charges on your local Thai SIM.

As a matter of fact, I used it twice last week and landed up on either the 1K or GS desk with little to no wait.

Great benefit - AT&T access numbers for practically every country UA does business in.

You get the list of access numbers, along with the 1K number, in a business-card sized fold-out included in the 1K kit.

EmailKid

Ah, but when MP refuses to send you the kit despite several calls it's hard to find numbers

Despite crossing 100,000 miles in first half of 2013 haven't received this year's kit either, all the while reports have been posted that people who reached that plateau in November already have their kits

LAXlocal

would the AT+T trick work with other toll free numbers?

I had to call USA Ebay the other day........

transpac

Probably not. This is not really a "trick", it's just that UA subsidizes the cost. Other entities may also subsidize their toll-free access for select customer segments. I doubt eBay does this. If they don't then you'd get the AT&T prompt to enter your payment details.

The AT&T USA Direct local access numbers are available on the AT&T website, no need for a 1K "kit".

http://www.att.com/media/att/2012/su...ccessCodes.pdf

The 1K number is also easily found.

aBroadAbroad

T-Mobile, USA to Thailand (and a bunch of other countries, too) -- unlimited calling and text, $10/mo.

Not sure about phone compatibility, but if you get a new phone, they will let you spread payments over two years as long as you keep the service.