Question Travel and international compatibility problems, on sim card and phone type to buy, can you help?

[Tim3269]

So I have an English sim card.

Im in Thailand

I want to call my family back home. in England

My sim card appears to be broken or the phones here simply dont recognize an English sim card.

I noticed some phones dont work in Africa or Asia or Europe it seems not all phones are international? How do you know if the phone you buy on say amazon is going to work world wide?

The sim card is a pay as you go Vodaphone sim card

What happens if I get a pay as you go Thai sim card?

Should I instead order a new English Vodaphone sim card?

I want to do it all as cheaply as possible I dont give a damn about phones, the cheapest skanky phone is good for me, I dont want a smart phone

I usually get a Nokia non smart phone but im unsure if it will be international it says no use in Africa Europe and Asia for some of them on Amazon

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Older phones tend to be a little more limited in terms of network band compatibility around the world, so your questions depend in large part on the exact brand and model number of your phone. Go to Settings>About Phone to get that info.

The ability to roam internationally can also depend on your home carrier. For Vodafone UK, read this: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/global-roaming. It looks like international roaming is included in your plan for certain countries, but for more expanded roaming, you have to pay extra.

 

[Tim3269]

Welcome to Android Central! Older phones tend to be a little more limited in terms of network band compatibility around the world, so your questions depend in large part on the exact brand and model number of your phone. Go to Settings>About Phone to get that info.

The ability to roam internationally can also depend on your home carrier. For Vodafone UK, read this: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/global-roaming. It looks like international roaming is included in your plan for certain countries, but for more expanded roaming, you have to pay extra.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C81QSNKQ/ref=twister_B0C81L9KBH?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Will this do what I want?

 

[B. Diddy]

No, because that phone is 2G only, and many countries have shut down 2G networks in favor of 4G (including Thailand).

 

[Tim3269]

No, because that phone is 2G only, and many countries have shut down 2G networks in favor of 4G (including Thailand).

Amazon.com

What about this one, its 4g?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Amazon.com

What about this one, its 4g?

Your link is broken. I get an Amazon doggy.

 

[B. Diddy]

Amazon.com

What about this one, its 4g?

I can see the listing. That's a locked prepaid Tracfone, which means it has to be used on Tracfone's network (which I believe is only in the US).

 

[Tim3269]

I can see the listing. That's a locked prepaid Tracfone, which means it has to be used on Tracfone's network (which I believe is only in the US).

aH YEA YOU ARE RIGHT DAMN EVERYTHING IS SO PROBLEMATIC THANKS FRIEND, BUT OTEHRWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE. ONE MORE GO iLL SEARCH PROPER THIS TIME

 

[Tim3269]

I can see the listing. That's a locked prepaid Tracfone, which means it has to be used on Tracfone's network (which I believe is only in the US).

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Amazon.com

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Pay As You Go Sim Card​

Brand: O2
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,915

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GBP 4.58GBP4.58












No Import Fees Deposit & GBP 11.69 Shipping to Thailand Details







Style: Single

Brand	O2
Service Provider	O2
Cellular Technology	4G

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About this item​

• No Contract To Sign
• No Monthly Bills
• Pay As You Go
• Official Dealer Pack
• Great Call & Text Charges

oK ITS GETTING TO THE POINT THAT ITS CHEAPER TO BUY A SMART PHONE IN tHAILAND THAN it is to buy a crap phone from england and ship it over

so im instead going to buy a sim card and ship that over and then test the phone before i buy it in thailand

Is this sim card suitable for world wide calling? So an English pay as you go sim and I want to use it in Thailand and ironically call England

 

[B. Diddy]

Sorry, I know this is frustrating. From what I can tell on the web, O2's PAYG SIM should give you international roaming to Thailand, but it ain't cheap -- 2 pounds/minute for calls, 50p per text, 7.20 pounds per MB of mobile data: https://www.o2.co.uk/international/using-your-phone-abroad

I also can't absolutely guarantee that their SIM will work with any old phone you get in Thailand. It should work, but I would advise you to speak to an O2 support agent and see if there's anything you'd have to watch out for. Good luck!