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10-Steps to Buying & Using a Thai Sim Card & Mobile Data Plan

You’ve touched down in tropical Thailand- you’re excited for impending adventures with elephants, lounging on beautiful beaches, trekking through lush jungles and making new friends.

You you reach for your phone to let everyone back home know that you’ve arrived and maybe to snap a selfie to post on social media.

But wait! You’re service-less and airport wifi is a bummer.

What to do?

Below is your step by step guide to getting excellent (and cheap) cell service in the Land of Smiles.

thailand sim card mobile data

Krista Stelzner, assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge, snaps a selfie with a Thai girl during a community service event at The Child Development and Protection Center in Huay Yai, Thailand.

Step 1. Unlocking Your Phone

Bringing your pre-existing service overseas can be inconvenient and can cost an absolute fortune in fees.

So consider having your phone unlocked from your service provider before you board your flight. It only costs a small fee, and that way you can get a Thai sim card instead.

Also! Know your phone. You may not be aware, but different phones carry different size sim cards. iPhones generally take nano SIMs and Androids may take micro SIM cards. Before you leave, quickly Google your phone model and check- they may also be able to tell you at any provider booth in Thailand. All size sims are available in Thailand.

Step 2: Deciding on Roaming vs. Thai SIM Card

Some travelers would like to keep their current number, which requires that they turn on international roaming.

Before doing this, contact your provider and ask about charges you’ll rack up for data and service roaming. You may also want to ask if they have any partner networks in Thailand.

I don't recommend roaming because it can get pretty pricey, and buying a SIM at either the airport or at a provider shop is a quick, cheap and reliable alternative.

Step 3: Getting a Sim at the Airport Vs a Provider Store

If you’re staying in Thailand for a week or less, getting a plan at the airport is likely a good choice. There you can find tourist targeted plans that provide internet, calling and texting for shorter time spans.

For longer stays, it is be a better idea to get your phone plan directly from a provider store or from a provider’s booth at a local mall. There you can find a more flexible range of plans that that will suit your needs at a lower price.

Generally, purchasing a SIM will require a passport, as most providers register the card under your name and passport number.

You may not be asked at smaller locations or stores in more obscure parts of Thailand, but this registration practice is still the general procedure, so be sure to bring your travel documents with you.

Step 4. Choosing Your Provider & Your Plan

There are three main cell service providers in Thailand: AIS (also known as One-2-Call, DTAC and Truemove. All offer ‘pay as you go’ deals for short and long term travelers and have 3g/4g capability.

Popular plans include daily, weekly and monthly deals that suit pretty much any traveler’s schedule.

Check out the best deals from each service below:

1. AIS: daily unlimited internet (19 THB); weekly unlimited data for varying speeds (from 79-89 THB) and monthly data- 5 GB (488 THB/month); 14 GB (888 THB/month). Calling plans start at 9 THB per day.

2. Truemove: daily unlimited internet (15 THB); weekly data for varying speeds from 55-199 THB depending on amount used; and monthly data ranges from 199-899 THB/month, depending on amount used and speed. Unlimited monthly starts at 599 THB. Calling plans start at 13 THB a day.

3. DTAC: daily internet ranges from 19-49 THB depending on amount used; weekly unlimited internet is 59 THB; monthly internet ranges from 299-799 THB; depending on amount used. Calling plans start at 29 THB a day.

While DTAC is most friendly to Western users in terms of customer service, Truemove provides the most wifi hotspots across Thailand, which is fantastic for travellers on a shoestring budget.

Step 5: Topping Up with Credit

Adding money to your phone plan- also referred to as ‘topping up,’ is very easy and convenient as it can be done at any 7/11, at the provider’s store or even at a Boonterm kiosk on the street.

Additionally, choosing a plan is extremely simple. You can call the provider’s customer service, who will give you a code to dial in and activate immediately.

The cost of the plan your select will be deducted from the amount of money you’ve added to your number through the top up process.

In recent years, most providers have also started to offer an app that makes choosing a call, text and/or data plan a snap. You may also be able to find promotional codes for phone plan deals, which is always helpful if you’re on a budget.

Step 6: Tethering from Phone to Laptop

Spotty wifi is the bane of every traveller’s existence. If you’re planning on using a tablet or a computer but realize that everyone else’s Netflix is hogging the hotel or apartment’s wifi, you may want to consider using your phone’s data plan to set up a hot spot.

This will require quite a large data plan, so if you’re considering this, getting a prepaid unlimited data plan is a good bet.

To set up a hot spot:

1. (for iPhone) go to ‘settings’
2. Click on ‘personal hotspot’
3. Turn it on
4. Choose how to connect tablet or computer (with either wifi, USB cable, or bluetooth) – you will be prompted

Step 7: Guarding Your Data

One interesting element of Thai data plans is that you’re actually buying however many GBs of data at a certain speed. Once you use that up, you can still get access to data, but it’ll be throttled to 128kbps; so slow you’ll want to pull your hair out!

Therefore, trying to ration your data is just good sense, especially if you only want to top up once during your time in Thailand.

Whenever possible, connect to wifi networks provided by dining or shopping establishments near you or even mobile wifi zones enabled by your internet provider.

Save data sucking activities, like video streaming (hello YouTube!) or Skype calls (hi, Mom and Dad) for wifi zones, and make sure that your phone is on ‘power saver mode,’ if possible. That will prevent apps from constantly refreshing and sucking data.

Another good idea is to go into each application – preferably those that you don’t use often – and turning cellular data ‘off’ so that the application cannot be enabled without entering a wifi zone.

Step 8: Avoiding Over Charging

One great thing about ‘pay as you go’ plans is that you’re never going to be surprised by an enormous bill- you’re simply going to run out of minutes or data or texts.

Contact your plan provider’s customer service line to ensure that alerts are sent to your phone in English so that you know how much of your plan you have left or if there is any information you need to know about service coverage.

If you have the provider’s app, you can also check plan levels and contact customer service there. Note the time and date that your plan is set to expire, as most have daily, weekly or monthly limits. As any traveler knows, it’s no fun to be caught without any way to communicate!

Step 9: Staying Active

Keeping your sim card active depends on what type of sim card you have. For prepaid tourist sim cards the general rule is that after a top up you have 30 days of validity. To check when your package expires, you can dial the following codes, based on your specific mobile provider.

To check your date of expiry you can use these USSD codes:

  • AIS –  *121#
  • DTAC – *101*9#
  • True – #123#

Extend Your SIM’s validity

To extend your validity:

AIS:

  • Add 10 Baht credit for 30 Days Validity
  • Alternative method: Dial *500*9#  Add 30 days validity for 30 THB via Mao Mao package

DTAC:

Extend your validity for up to 365 days, at a cost of 2 Baht per month.

  • Press : *113*30*9# for 30 days extension.  Cost 2 Baht
  • Press : *113*60*9# for 60 days extension.  Cost 4 Baht
  • Press : *113*90*9# for 90 days extension.  Cost 6 Baht
  • Press : *113*180*9# for 180 days extension.   Cost 12 Baht
  • Conditions: Must activate SIM for at least 90 days or have usage of 200 THB.

TrueMove H:

Extend your validity for up to 365 days at a cost of 2 Baht per month

  • Press : * 934 * 30 # for 30 days extension.  Cost 2 Baht
  • Press : * 934 * 90 # for 90 days extension.  Cost 6 Baht
  • Press : * 934 * 180 # for 180 days extension.   Cost 12 Baht

Step 10: Contacting Customer Service

To contact a call center with questions or concerns about international roaming, a SIM card or activating or deactivating a data plan, here is a list of the major carrier customer support numbers.

DTAC
1678 – from your phone
Line: @dtac
feedback@dtac.co.th

AIS/One-to-Call
1175 – From your phone
Line Messenger @12Call_Fan
callcenter@ais.co.th

TrueMove
1331 – From your phone
LINE: @truemoveh

With these easy steps, you’re well on your way to exploring the beauty of Thailand, all while sharing it with those back home. Happy travels!

I've got a fair bit of experience with sims, providers, plans and all things mobile in Thailand, so if you've got a question, leave it below and I'll answer it as best I can.

Tips to Start Planning Your Trip Now

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance:

Travel insurance protects you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never travel without it. I’ve been using SafetyWing for years. You should too.

Book Your Accommodation:

Best hotel rates are found at Agoda, Booking.com, and Hotels.com.

Do You Need a Backpack?

Check out my top tips for the best travel bag. that will make your trip 10x more comfortable



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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. Chris says

    Hi James, I need to use a Thai banking app which will require a Thai SIM or E-Sim card. Is it possible to buy a pre-paid card and top up monthly? The Sim is only used for SMS for banking purpose only . Would it be cheaper than buying a Post-paid plan? Can the Sim or E-Sim be activated on the same day of purchase?
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      In general, yes, your cheapest option is pre-paid for the low-use scenario you describe. One thing to be aware of, though, is that pre-paid balances expire. To get around that (I'm only in Thailand part of the year) I use dtac which has the inappropriately-named service called JaiDee Day Giveaway. For ฿3 you extend your balance expiration day by 30 days without needing to do a monthly top-up. You can extend by up to 180 days/transaction, so two transactions gives you a year, in essence. If you buy your SIM/eSIM from a local vendor they'll activate it on the spot. If you buy before arrival you just enable the line in Settings and it activates itself.
      Reply

        • JamesE says

          The only issue I can see would be that the initial SIM activation is done in Thailand. So, you can buy and install the eSIM on your phone anywhere but it won't work until it shows up on the Thai network. There's a lot more control on this sort of thing in Thailand because Thai SIMs are frequently used in call center scam operations run jusy over the borders of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

          Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward, buy the SIM, top up with a few hundred Baht, and you're good to go. The JaiDee Day Giveaway is only to extend your balance's (and SIM) validity so don't wait until expiration to buy more months. The ฿299 plan eSIM you mention is only good for 8 days and comes with just ฿15 in usable balance (SMS cost ฿3/each). So top it up as soon as you install it. As long as you keep an active balance the SIM itself will remain valid.
          Reply

  2. Joe says

    Hi, as a tourist who will be in the country for 6 weeks I will need to purchase what looks like its going to be a 30 day plan and then another 2 week plan. The costs for "traveler" plans are much more expensive than those for local thais. Am I stuck with buying a traveler plan or are foreigners able to buy plans that a thai person is able to at reasonable prices? I've read that's possible with physical SIM cards but my phone ONLY has the option for E-SIMs.
    Thanks.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      You can buy eSIMs online for dtac and AIS (not sure about True but I'm guessing so). There's really no difference between the tourist and "regular" SIMs functionally so you can get a cheap eSIM, add some balance and then buy the plan(s) that fit your needs. I use dtac so I'm most familiar with them. Check out https://www.dtac.co.th/en/new-number/esim for online purchase (note: the Tourist eSIMs may be your cheapest option for the short time period you're talking about. Your other (and probably cheaper) option is to go to a physical outlet and get one at the source. But that will take some time out of your trip. Regardless of which you choose you will, as you suggest, need to get two plans - at least for data.
      Reply

      • JamesE says

        eSIMs can also be purchased online and activated immediately on arrival. They send you QR code which you scan to load into your phone. When the wheels hit the ground just enable the eSIM on the iPhone 15's second line and you're good to go.
        Reply

    • Rick says

      The iPhone supports multiple eSims. So you can typically get another eSim wherever you are traveling and have it added to your phone. Make sure that you correctly configure your phone to use the traveling eSim for calls and data, otherwise the phone will default to the 'native' Sim with which you bought your phone..
      Reply

    • JamesE says

      You'd have to check with the individual carriers as plans change constantly. And are you talking pre-paid or post-paid? For pre-paid, unlimited plans are often low-speed - 10-20Mbps - or throttled so you get high-speed up to a certain volume and then the speed falls back. You can buy an add-on (everything seems to require an add-on) that can boost your speed. But, again, there is always a catch like volume limits. So, while you may have unlimited data, you'll be buying one or two extra packages a month to keep it at high speed. I use dtac and just buy one of the 100Mbps limited data packages (I think they're 4, 12, and 24GB levels) as I don't need unlimited data. Also look at AIS's 5G plans. I've heard they're pretty good with the downside that most of the time you'll be on 4G. If you want post-paid your best bet is to go to a carrier store and explain - in excruciating detail - what you need and whether they have a plan for that.
      Reply

  5. Rick says

    This is slightly off topic but I am moving to Thailand permanently and currently have an iPhone and Watch. Any advice on whether I can just move my phone & watch onto a Thai plan after I cancel my US plan? Or would getting new devices be the way to go?
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Depends on whether your devices are still tied to your carrier, AKA: Locked, or not. If locked, you'll have to get your US carrier to unlock them first. After that, no problem. If you have recent editions of your tech it's easy. iPhone X (XR?) - 13 are all dual-SIM phones with one physical SIM and one eSIM. iPhone 14 is dual-eSIM. So, you just stroll into a Thai carrier store, pick a SIM, pick a plan, and you're good to go. If your Watch is cellular, it'll be the same deal.

      Thai cellular plans are structured differently than US plans. There are different "kinds" of SIMs that have different base pricing structures and you add calling plans or data plans on top of that. And you can add data speed on top of that. There's also a big difference between pre-paid plans and post-paid. In general, you'll get a better pricing structure on a pre-paid plan (i.e. cheaper but more management) unless you just don't want to think about it and get post-paid.

      Have a look at the three carriers' websites: AIS, True, and dtac. AIS tends to get the best reviews but all have excellent coverage and robust networks. I use dtac because it supports use outside of Thailand essentially for free (well, same cost as in Thailand) with no roaming plan required.

      Lastly, don't get rid of your US number. Migrate it to a VOIP service (I use voip.ms). That, combined with a VPN, will make managing any US communication needs - like 2-factor authentication - much easier.
      Reply

    • JamesE says

      Do you already have the SIM? The One-Day Deals are typically stand alone and not part of a package. Which One-Day Deal are you asking about? The carriers all offer several options for data/voice or either that can be paid day-to-day. Also, it depends on whether your asking as a longer-term visitor (> 1 month) or a shorter-term visitor (< 3 weeks). In general you will be better served by getting the longest term plan you can for the length of your stay with the goal of not leaving any money in your account when you leave. So, say you're here for 3 weeks, compare the cost of a two-week PLUS a one-week plan to the cost of a one-month plan, and so forth. That compared to the cost of 30 days of a daily plan will be cheaper. But, going back to the top, it all depends on which plan you're asking about.
      Reply

      • Simon says

        Hi James,

        I need an internet service that provides me with the same level of high speed (25 mbps+) and data (unlimited) that I have in the UK (from BT/EE), albeit through broadband over here, for which I pay around £70 per month (so, around THB3,000 equivalent).
        So, is this combination of speed and data available on pay-as-you-go SIM card only plans over there - and if so would it be more or less than THB3,000 per month do you think)?
        Or would I be better advised to get one of those mini-broadband hubs from a provider store do you think and, if so, is it straightforward to do so?
        It is my intention to stay in Thailand, as from June?
        Thanks in advance for your help and forgive any techncial ignorance on my part, as previously all I have done is just take out broadband plans wherever I have lived with everything included.
        Reply

        • JamesE says

          Hi Simon,
          Typically, the speeds on unlimited plans are slower than on metered plans but vary between the carriers. I'm on a dtac pre-paid plan and their "high speed" plans are typically in the 20-25Mbps range. But, (there's always a but in Thailand) the carriers also offer true high-speed data in either base plans or add-ons. I use dtac's Internet Max Speed plans which get me 100Mbps (actual is more like 50 as I go through a US server on my VPN). They're available in 6, 18, and 36GB for 30 day bundles for the absurd price of ฿199, 299, or 499 respectively.

          I've heard good things about AIS's offerings as well but don't have direct experience with them. Same with True (now merged with dtac) although the True commenters don't seem to have the partisan fervor of AIS's. dtac serves my needs nicely as they have a VOIP app (dtac Call) that works globally for voice and SMS at the same price as in Thailand.
          Reply

          • Simon says

            Hi again, James; quick question on your VPN (which I will also be using, of course), but do you also have the VPN on your phone - for banking apps I'm thinking of?
            I suppose it would make sense, but when I did it in the UK (admittedly using a less fast than say NordVPN, in ym case Avast VPN) my phone was going at a snail's pace.
            Also, by the way, as I'm on the subject, is it NordVPN and Vyper as well that you would recommend (I know Peter uses them).
            Ideally, aside from security, I want to be able to stream as many of my usual TV streaming sites as possible (Netflix, BBCI Player, ITVX - it's a regular site, by the way, ahem, despite it's odd title, and maybe Amazon Prime).
            Reply

            • JamesE says

              I am clinically Data Paranoid (I think that's the term from the DSM...) so, yes, I run a VPN on my phone (Surfshark, it handles network switching better than Vypr (which I run on my PC)). There's a speed penalty with any VPN so a lot will depend on the speed of your cellular network (I use 100Mbps on dtac) as well as your server choice. For me (needing to get US content) it's much faster if I go to a West Coast server than central or East Coast.I haven't tried Nord as their rates are too pricey for my budget but use Vypr on my laptop and Surfshark on my mobile devices. (Both of which together cost me less than a Nord subscription.) I used Avast in the past but found their performance a bit sluggish plus they didn't handle sites which drop known VPN connections quite as well as the others.
              Reply

              • Simon says

                I share your particular paranoia, James - and, as the saying goes, 'just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you'.
                Both of your recommendations are extremely well noted on my part, as has been all of your terrific advice on this.
                Thank you very much, James, and have a great remainder of your evening.
                Reply

              • Simon says

                Good afternoon, James - a quick supplemental question: is there any particular reasons (speed, security, whatever) why you don't use Surfshark on bith your laptop and phone?
                Thanks again in advance for your answer on this and best regards.
                Reply

                • JamesE says

                  Hello, Simon. I have found that Surfshark is good enough but that Vypr's performance is better. Where Vypr really shines is in keeping their servers up and running. Surfshark's Thai server, in several instances, has vanished off their network and has taken weeks to get back online. This is not too big a deal as I'm mostly using a US server. However, if I really need to use that Thai server, it's fatal.

                  BUT Vypr can have times where their performance goes downhill on one server but is fine on a second. This requires a manual switch of servers which is no big deal on my laptop but a pain on my phone (largely because it's in my pocket and I'm unaware that it's running slow...).

                  So, in addition to having a backup for times when I need it (like right now with Surfshark on my iPad), that's why I have two VPN subscriptions.
                  Reply

                  • Simon says

                    Hi, James - so a quick update for people who might have thought about using NordVPN.
                    I bought it earlier today, installed it, and tested it by trying to watch Netflix (I am a subscriber) using several different servers, including one in the UK (which is where I am sitting).
                    Not only did it not manage to stream it but also Google picked up on odd activity and I kept having to tell it where traffic lights were.
                    I then tried to do the same with BBCiPlayer (paid subscriber through TV licence, no chance), ITVX (paid subscriber, nope), Prime (paid subscriber, not a hope), AllFour (no).
                    In short, not a single site I usually visit allowed me to proceed. And no streaming site worked - just buffering.
                    So, I have now asked for a refund and uninstalled it all.
                    I shall try Vypr - as you suggested, and also Peter - and see what happens there.
                    Reply

                    • TheThailandLife says

                      Hey Simon, that's strange. Nord works well for me. Their Thai server has actually been more reliable for me than Vypr over the last few months. Did you close Chrome before starting your VPN? Also worth using the incognito browser option in Chrome.

                    • Simon says

                      This is in answer to Peter, but there is no 'Reply' bit in your comment.
                      I use Edge as a browser and sometimes Firefox, so maybe that had some impact.
                      However, when I just talked to Nord (in addition to sending them the required email for my refund) they said they have had some problems with Google across many of their servers in the past few weeks.
                      I tried ExpressVPN a whiel back and that was useless as well.
                      Perhaps it is because I have AvastOne as my security software but I checked that out specifically with bothe sets of VPNs (Express and Nord) and they said it did not make a difference.
                      My broadband here is around 50 mbps (EE/BT broadband) so I don't think it's that either.

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