SIM card or eSIM in Thailand: which network, where to buy it, how to set it up

You will want mobile internet from the moment you land: for maps, app taxis, messages, booking confirmations and paying by QR code. There are two ways to get it: a Thai SIM card, or an eSIM you set up at home before you fly.

Which network?

Thailand has two big mobile companies. AIS is one; True and dtac are brands of the other, True Corporation, which runs both after their merger. All of them cover the cities, the tourist islands and the main roads.

From Tytus’s own experience: “I have used pretty much every network here, and for me they all work the same. Every company says it is the best — that is marketing. Whichever card you choose, it really makes no difference for a normal stay.”

So pick on price and convenience, not on brand.

Where to buy a SIM card

What Tytus does: “The easiest is a 7-Eleven. Buy a tourist SIM for 30 days and have it registered with your passport right away, at the counter.”

You can also buy one at the airport on arrival (operators have counters there) or in an operator’s shop in town. Bring your passport: a prepaid SIM in Thailand is registered to the buyer’s identity document, and the shop does it when you buy.

Before you pay, check:

• how many days the package lasts and how much data it includes;
• whether calls to Thai numbers are included (useful for taxis, hotels and deliveries);
• that the SIM works in your phone: a phone locked to one network at home will not accept it.

eSIM: set up before you fly

An eSIM is a digital SIM card you buy online and install with a QR code. It works from the moment the plane lands, with no counter queue, and your home SIM stays in the phone for bank text messages. Your phone must support eSIM (most phones from recent years do, but check in the settings).

The downside: a tourist eSIM usually has data only, no Thai phone number. If you need a local number for a long stay, a Thai SIM is the simpler choice.

The trip planner puts mobile internet on your pre-departure checklist, with a labelled partner link to an eSIM provider.

Staying for months?

For a long stay, a regular Thai prepaid or monthly plan in your own name is cheaper than tourist packages. You also need a Thai number for a Thai bank account and its app: see opening a Thai bank account and paying with Thai QR codes.