Plan Trip
Getting online in Thailand
There are two sensible answers — a Thai SIM card bought when you land, or a travel eSIM installed before you fly. Which one is right depends almost entirely on how long you are staying. Here is the honest version, including the case where the cheaper option wins.
Most trips
local SIM
Under about two weeks, a Thai tourist SIM bought on arrival is usually cheaper and gives you a Thai number.
eSIM wins
on arrival
Working the second you land, no queue, no passport desk — and your home number stays active.
Check first
eSIM support
Most phones from 2019 onward support eSIM, but not all. Confirm before you pay for one.
Start here: you probably want a local SIM
Thailand has some of the cheapest mobile data in the world. A tourist package from a Thai carrier is usually better value than a travel eSIM, and it gives you a Thai number, which matters more than people expect — Grab drivers call you, restaurants call you, and hotels call you. If you are staying more than a couple of weeks, this is almost always the right answer.
Buy a Thai SIM if…
- You are staying more than about two weeks
- You want a Thai phone number for Grab, food delivery, or hotel calls
- You want the cheapest possible cost per gigabyte
- You will be in rural provinces where a Thai carrier picks the strongest tower directly
Buy an eSIM if…
- You want data working the moment the plane doors open
- You are arriving late at night, when airport SIM counters may be closed
- You are on a short trip or a stopover and do not want to queue
- Your phone has no physical SIM slot, or you need to keep your home number reachable
- You are hopping to Vietnam, Cambodia, or Malaysia on the same trip and want one regional plan
Buying a Thai SIM, step by step
Bring your passport
Thai law requires SIM registration against a passport. The counter does it for you in a couple of minutes — you cannot buy an unregistered SIM legally.
Buy at the airport, not in town
Arrival halls at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, and Chiang Mai all have official AIS, TrueMove, and dtac counters. Prices are similar to town and the staff set the phone up for you.
Expect roughly ฿250–600
Tourist packages typically run about ฿250–600 for 7–15 days with a large or unlimited data allowance. Rates change often — read the current board at the counter rather than trusting any guide, including this one.
Top up at 7-Eleven
Every 7-Eleven sells top-ups, and there is one on virtually every street. Running out of data is not a real problem in Thailand.
Which carrier
| AIS | Widest rural and island coverage. The default choice if you are leaving the big cities. |
| TrueMove H | Strong in Bangkok and the tourist south. Usually the most aggressive tourist packages. |
| dtac | Fine in cities and main tourist areas, thinner in remote provinces. |
If an eSIM is the right call
An eSIM is a data plan you install before you fly, so you land already online. It does not give you a Thai phone number, and per gigabyte it costs more than a local SIM. What you are paying for is landing connected and skipping the counter.
Check your phone first. Most phones released from about 2019 onward support eSIM, but plenty do not, and some regional models have it disabled. On iPhone, look for Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM. On Android, Settings → Network → SIMs. If the option is missing, buy a physical SIM on arrival instead.
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Our pick
Yesim
Covers Thailand plus regional plans if you are crossing into Vietnam, Cambodia, or Malaysia on the same trip, which is where a travel eSIM genuinely beats buying a new local SIM in every country. Pay-as-you-go and fixed packages both available.
Check Yesim plansYesim ↗Also worth comparing
Airalo
The best known travel eSIM brand, with a straightforward Thailand plan and a well-built app. Worth comparing on price for a Thailand-only trip — if the numbers are close, pick whichever interface you prefer.
Check Airalo Thailand plansAiralo ↗Coverage, honestly
4G and 5G are excellent across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and every provincial capital. The islands are mostly fine — Samui, Phangan, Phi Phi, and Lanta all have solid signal in populated areas. Where it thins out is national parks, mountain roads in the far north, and the smaller islands off the Andaman coast. If you are heading into those, AIS is the safer bet, and it is worth downloading offline maps before you go.
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