THE BEST SIM CARDS

By far the most economical way to purchase the SIM card you will need for your International Cell Phone (Mobile phone) is at a local shop AFTER you arrive at your destination. However, sometimes it is handy to have your SIM card in advance of your departure so that you can give your phone number to friends, family and associates.

It doesn't take much of an online search to find vendors for about every country. There are also plenty of sites that try to refocus you on "Global" SIM cards. Sometimes these Global SIM cards seem to be a good value, until you read the fine print and note the high cost of making and receiving calls. It is a good idea to avoid Global SIMs and Global plans unless you simply don't care about their high calling rates. Even those online dealers that sell REAL SIM cards hold their product very dear, so be prepared to pay 10 to 20 times the street value of any SIM they offer.

This is a small rotating inventory of SIM cards at GREAT prices. It's different SIM's from different countries all the time. Presently, our supply is from Southeast Asia. If you are headed that direction.

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@ THAI AIS FREEDOM SIM @

The Thai AIS Network is one of the best in Southeast Asia and offers great coverage in Thailand. The Freedom SIM comes with a Thai phone number and 15 Baht of calling credit. Domestic calls are only 2 or 3 Baht (depending on time of day) and international calls are as low as 5 Baht (about 15 cents/min). All incoming calls are FREE. Operates on GSM 900 MHz.

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@ THAI AIS "NET" SIM @

If you want to use your PC aircard or WAP on your cell phone, this is the card for Thailand. It comes with 30 hours of GPRS/EDGE internet access and can be refilled with any AIS Top Up card. After the first 30 hours, Internet usage cost less than 1 cent/min. It works great for voice and SMS text too! Calling cost are the same as the Thai AIS Freedom SIM above. Operates on GSM 900 MHz.

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@ THAI DTAC HAPPY SIM @

The DTAC "Happy" SIM is the only Thai SIM card sold by Travel Ready Phones that is pre-activated. We pre-activate so that we can provide the traveler with the user ID and password necessary to access their DTAC account online. DTAC also offers some interesting features such as a Translation Service. If you find yourself unable to get your point across, just call a special number, tell the operator what you are trying to say, and hand the phone to the Thai person you are trying to communicate with. The operator will take it from there. This service is free. Domestic and international call are similar to the Thai AIS cards; 2 to 3 Baht and 5 to 6 Baht respectively.

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@ LAOS TIGO SIM @

For those traveling to Laos this is a handy SIM to have. The TIGO Network covers all of the urban areas and a good part of the country side. The SIM comes with 10,000 Kip (about $1) of calling credit. This is the only major network in Laos, so refill cards are sold everywhere. Domestic calls are only 8 cents/min or less, depending on time of day, and calls back to the US are 24 cents/min. You can receive 10 free domestic SMS text per day, after that they cost 8 cents each. All incoming calls are free. Operates on GSM 900 MHz.