Overseas phone to UK

[Anonymous]

I'm travelling to Thailand and taking a basic O2 mobile phone to call home (UK). Phone is locked to O2.

What is my cheapest option to allow me to call home. Should I get a special SIM and do I have to unlock my phone from O2?

Robert

[MI5]

You will need to unlock your phone to use any sim other than an O2 one.
https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Products-and-Services/Unlocking-an-O2-phone-to-use-a-different-S...
If your phone has WiFi capability, you can use Tugo over a WiFi connection to call UK numbers from your allowances.
https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/tu-go
If not, calling home will cost you £1.50 per min to male a call, £1.25 per min to receive and 40p per text message sent.
As you won't be using data, I'm not sure a local sim would benefit you as you will be making international calls from Thailand to UK at their costs.

[MI5]

Here's a good option for you.
A WorldSim in your unlocked phone https://www.worldsim.com/uk-sim-tariffs

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

If you have a contract with O2 then using TU over wifi is by far the best option to use your UK allowances. This is what I do and is the only reason I retain my O2 contract. Along with all the various free WiFi apps such as Skype, Messanger, WhatsApp, Line, Viber etc. there is no real need to pay for calls. 

As said, £1.50/min to both make and receive calls which are rounded up to the next minute ie. A one minute and one second call in or out will cost you £3.00.

Using a DTAC prepaid international sim in an unlocked phone will cost 5 baht per min to Landlines and 7 baht per minute to mobile. That is 12p and 15p.

Obviously calls and texts will be free to receive but the down side is that people calling you will pay the international rate rather than being free to call your UK number. 

It's better to go to a dedicated network store if you go for a local sim rather than the airport or the Seven Eleven stores which are ok for easy top ups. Take your passport though. 

Ultimately you have to work out what's best for you and how much you will be using your phone to contact home. I live there normally and have two local sims which suits my needs. 

Enjoy Thailand 🇹🇭, it's an amazing country with so much to see and it really is the land of smiles 😀

[MercedesS]

Hello @Anonymous, welcome to the O2 community!

@jonsie is our Thailand Community Master!!!  

So, anything you need to know about Thailand... he is your men!