Price guide and other "bits 'n pieces" - Page 3

kimbo · #21 (**permalink**) IP: 116.48.21.168 04-22-2008, 01:08 PM

Just to add to Kitty's comment - "All money exchanges are on 4th floor zone D." There are others............. ground floor in the central section near the front door, there's a bank with a money exchange section and another on either 2nd or 3rd floor near the restaurants and the ice cream shop. There's also a money exchange on the ground floor in the small food court area just near the door out to the taxis (that's also where the Tops supermarket is). And another just by the inside entrance to Tokyu.......I think it's the 3rd floor(???)

kitty1499 · #22 (**permalink**) IP: 59.101.47.37 04-22-2008, 09:38 PM

OK ... sorry Kimbo but for this I was just going off the Floor guide I got cos I didnt change any money there and it sd that all money changers were on the 4th floor. I guess thats where "most" of them are.

Good advice about phone calls overseas ... I did see plenty of internet cafe places (mainly in Patong) so think Id look into using these next time. While getting a Thai sim card seems like the perfect alternative, as you said, there may be flaws with that as well. Thanx for your info! All our mobile phones here are pre-paid and Im told that you cant put them onto global roaming, only with a phone on a plan - I dont know if thats correct or not???

Kitty

michelle · 02:16 AM

Hi Kitty,

No it's not correct. I have taken a pre-paid phone with me and used it without a problem. You just ring your service provider to make sure it is unlocked, that is what Optus told me. You then buy a starter kit with Thai simcard. I think that it may have been about 10 dollars and it comes with credit on it and after that you can go to a phone shop or 7/11 and buy a top up card. They are widely available in Patong. I usually buy the starter kit on Bangla Rd. Walking up from the beach it is about half way along on your right hand side. I had no success in buying a starter kit in Kata but the top ups were in lots of places in Kata.They are definitely worth buying. It cost something like 70 baht for 10 minutes to call Australia but you have to enter the prefix they give you to get this special call rate.

Regards
Michelle

shanek · #24 (**permalink**) IP: 210.0.106.26 04-23-2008, 02:33 AM

You cannot put a prepaid phone into "global roam" mode. Michelle is correct about using a prepaid phone that has been unlocked (most prepaids are locked into a certain carrier(ie...Telsta) for a peroid of time as they subsidise the cost of the handset) on a Thai sim card, but this is not Global roaming. GR refers to using your phone with your sim card on an overseas network who bill your carrier, who susequently bills you. THe problem with this is that you will get charged for incoming as well as outgoing calls at a amazingly high rate, but you keep your phone number. This is only practical for business travellers, it is much cheaper to get a Thai sim card and use that, as their call rates are incredibly cheap...even the lowly paid hotel workers all have phones.

Grace · #25 (**permalink**) IP: 202.7.166.174 04-23-2008, 05:00 AM

Hi all.. sorry to contradict.. but you can definatly activate global roaming with prepaid mobiles. BUT only in some countries. I know my mum had her prepaid working fine all over Europe, but as soon as she got to New Zealand it stopped working. I called optus for her and they said they only have a limited number of 'global roaming' countries for prepaid and NZ was not one of them.

So.. not sure if Thailand is or not.
That is just optus though.. you would have to call your provider to find out if they have global roaming for prepaid or not.

Grace

#26 (**permalink**) IP: 61.68.146.44 04-23-2008, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitty1499

Thanx Laurs, I will def do that on my next o/s trip. So ... any unlocked mobile phone will be ok?? And you can pretty much get a local sim card in most asian countries?? Sounds like a much cheaper and easier option ... thanx!

Just for anyone who is interested, a MBK floor guide ....

There are 8 floors and 4 zones on each floor. The zones are A B C and D, with A being near the skytrain end and E being near the Pathumwan Princess Hotel end.

Ground floor Apparel, fashion goods, leather, jewellery, silk, supermarket (we never found the supermarket!), DVD's and CD's in zone B

2nd floor Apparel, fashion goods, leather, gold and jewellery, and I think cosmetics on this floor too

3rd floor Same - apparel, fashion goods, leather, gold and jewellery, CD's, DVD's. Also on this floor (in ZoneD) is a really cheap area called "The Image" much like a market area. You'll know you are there cos there are these coloured circle things hanging from the roof. Unfortunately we didnt discover this area until 3rd day!

4th floor Mobile phones & asseccories, cameras, appliances, IT, banking and exchange in zone D

5th floor Furniture and home decorations, Fifth Avenue Food court in zone A (this place is gr8, very very cheap and quick and lots of variety!)

6th floor CD's and games, food centre, Thai handicraft products and cheap market clothes this is in zone D i think with some good bargains to be had in here.

7th floor Theatres, bowling alley, karaoke, games zone

8th floor Theatres, MBK's Offices

So ... hoping this is of some help to anyone going there soon. There are touch screen directories scattered everywhere, but I still found it hard to find what I wanted on them. There are food outlets on every floor, but the main ones seem to be on 5th 6th and 7th floor. Beauty/Massage places are on either 3rd or 5th floors. All money exchanges are on 4th floor zone D. Post Office is on 2nd floor zone B. Tokyu Dept Store is 4 floors in Zone A and worth a look at.

Kitty

Fifth Avenue is regarded as the "upmarket" food court in the MBK complex and hence the prices are double those of the original food court on the 6th floor. You might have noticed that all of the locals head to the 6th floor and that Fifth Avenue is sparsely patronised, particularly at lunch times. I thought you might like to know this for your next trip to Bangkok.

shanek · #27 (**permalink**) IP: 210.0.106.26 04-23-2008, 05:28 AM

Grace is correct. I was going on old information, Telstra does now have GR on prepaid mobiles. You dont even need to activate it. To make up for my error, I have done some research into call charges on prepaid Telstra phones used in THailand. $1.30 per minute for a local call. $2.15 per minute to make a call from Thailand to OZ. $1.10 per minute to receive a call from OZ and .65c per text. AS I initially said, if you have a prepaid buy a Thai sim card.

kitty1499 · #28 (**permalink**) IP: 59.101.59.239 04-23-2008, 09:38 AM

OK ... so now Im getting a bit confused here! So, if I have a prepaid phone (mine is with optus) that is not locked (and Im sure mine wdnt be as Ive had it for years - I think they are only locked for the first 6 months usually) THEN ... I can use this phone and get a thai simcard BUT ... I cannot put it onto global roaming - IS THIS RIGHT!!??? So ... global roam is where you use your own sim card and activate it to be used overseas and NOT changing it for a Thai sim card??? If I wdve known this, then I wdve taken my phone and done the Thai sim card thing - I had just assumed cos it was a pre-paid phone, that I cdnt do this. 70 bt for a 10 minute call to Australia is dirt cheap - I paid $18 for a 5 minute call!!!
Shane ... you say Telstra does have GR on prepaids - what about Optus??? Next trip, I may have to ring them up and find out ... but it still seems that using the thai sim card is a much cheaper option, as you sd that its $2.15 per minute for a call to oz with Telstra GR. Thats still much cheaper than using a hotel phone, but nowhere near as cheap as what using a thai sim card seems to be.

Thanx all ... something for me to ponder for my next trip!!!

Kitty

fishy · 04-23-2008, 10:36 AM

You can get your phone unlocked in Thailand for a few Bt at most places that sell mobiles,they have all the codes!

I bought a locked phone on ebay from the UK and it worked fine in OZ and a friend who lives in Pattaya uses pre paid locked phones from here with no probs.

Den

ellyeagle01 · #30 (**permalink**) IP: 220.235.22.26 04-23-2008, 01:06 PM

Hi Guys
Me again--The reason that i gave the advise that idid was thati have ran the whole gamut of phone stuff overseas and after various costly stuffups the local sim in an unlocked phione was definately the way to go.If all your numbers are saved to the handset and not the sim they will remain there for future holidays--thats why i use different phone for holiday purposes.Alot of phone shops in Asian destinations only have software to unlock big name phones like Nokia etc--that was another pitfall i discovered when i tried to get my LG unlocked in BK.
Even ifthe sim only last the duration of the holiday they are so cheap to replace.
Cheers laurs