FYI - Phone plans

I started with the 15 day unlimited tourist sim. When that ended, i was just going with pre-paid (Dtac). That really chews through the data and the $$ is very high. I have read various posts here and other groups that you need to pay 1 year in advance for monthly post paid plan, or sometimes without work permit they will deny you.

I went to Dtac at Tesco Chalong. No issues at all. To note, you cant convert from tourist sim to post paid until you have had it for 30 days, and i was at only 21 days(maybe only a Dtac rule, im not sure). So i didnt get to keep my original number, but i was able to get onto a new post paid plan, with a new number straight away, no problems.

All i needed was my passport and DTV visa printout (i also had copy of my 1 year lease, but they didnt need to see this). They did ask if we have work permit, but i said no, not able to work. They also asked if we had Thai bank account, but i said no, just Australian bank account.

Plan given on the spot, no pre-payment for 12mths or anything like that.

1199 baht per mth, unlimited fast data, 350 minutes calls to any network.

Recommendations please. Mobile phone plans that include international calls or a plan that allows Hot Spot so I can make wifi calls.

Some friends & relations will download Skype or similar but there are some that won’t so I need to make calls back to Australia a few times a month.

For people who have no trouble with their phone here and in the west... Do you have one electric Sim and one physical? Or just one physical and you swap? Or two physical?