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.
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
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Book Your Accommodation:
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Last Updated on
Martin1 says
I guess the most important advice is missing: Get a dual-SIM phone! :-)
Recently I had to grin (excuse my Schadenfreude please) when a friend of mine could not book his flight, because he had his Thai SIM card in his single-SIM Apple phone and MasterCard sent him some code he was to enter.
So he had to shut down the phone, change the card to his European card, boot the phone again and receive that SMS.
By that time the code had already expired... ;-)
For calling the airline's customer service he had to do the same procedure again, of course, vice versa.
After enabling roaming on my Thai mobile provider I am able to receive my Thai bank's texts even in Europe for free (I haven't tried voice, due to the presumely high roaming charges - but I am positive that it would work also fine).
May 12, 2017 at 5:20 am
richard nash says
May 08, 2017 at 11:55 pm
TheThailandLife says
May 09, 2017 at 12:03 am
Martin1 says
my TRUE prepaid SIM card works actually worldwide, but roaming must be activated!
I don't have the code at hand, but you might google it up for yourself or ask customer service.
May 12, 2017 at 5:06 am
Tim says
I come to Thailand 3 or 4 times a year I am moving there in a year or two. My question is. I own a condo. I have a Thai bank account. The problem is when I transfer money to people in thailand pay some of my cost. I need a Thai cell number to get a code that I have to input to finish the transaction and using other peoples numbers is getting old. Could I get a phone, put credit on it, extend the sim card say 6 months or a year. When I need to use the phone, turn it on and get text in the US
Thanks
Apr 21, 2017 at 6:32 am
TheThailandLife says
Apr 21, 2017 at 4:03 pm
James says
I've got a dual SIM phone which - in theory - should make this easier. But, I have never succeeded in getting the Thai (dtac) SIM to wake up while back in the States. Without an active SIM I can't dial the code that activates roaming on the dtac SIM. I had just written it off to the typical "C is required to do A but to get C make sure you bring your A when you go to apply" data flow I've encountered a few times now. Do you have to activate roaming before you leave Thailand and then just pay a daily fee when you use it or (as I find typically happens) am I looking at this the wrong way?
Thanks!
Apr 21, 2017 at 9:34 pm
TheThailandLife says
Apr 22, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Carmen says
Apr 07, 2017 at 9:28 pm
TheThailandLife says
Apr 08, 2017 at 3:52 pm
James says
I recently uncovered a really useful service if you need to top up your (or someone else's) phone when you're not in Thailand. It's called MobileTopup.com. I use dtac and their online service doesn't work from overseas (unless you activate roaming so you can get the SMS code). Mobiletopup works like walking into a 7-11. You give them 100baht and your phone gets credited with 100baht. It happens fast and if there's a problem with the automated top up, they keep trying it manually. The other services I've tried hit you with a service fee along with making you (at least for the US) pay in your local currency.
Apr 01, 2017 at 9:48 pm
Martin1 says
May 12, 2017 at 5:10 am
sidney leonard says
Even though you say that for longer stays, it is a good idea to get a phone plan directly from a provider store or from a provider’s booth at a local mall because there you can find a more flexible range of plans that that will suit your needs at a lower price, I hope to be able to purchase at the airport prepaid plans similar to the prepaid monthly plan we now have with AT&T here in the USA, which provides unlimited calling and texting with 4GB of data; actually, I am not sure we need that much data; now we use very little data since almost all our use is from our home WIFI, and I am sure this will also be the case in Thailand; where WIFI is not available, I will tether my laptop to my phone hotspot, but I am sure this will not be necessary often, if ever.
After comparing the various service providers, I have decided on DTAC due to its good customer service, and since we are not concerned about the fact that it has fewer WIFI hotspots.
After, subscribing to our plans at the airport and paying there for the first month with cash or debit card, I assume that we will subsequently be able to pay monthly by auto-debit to our Bangkok Bank savings account and that we will be able to change our plan online if we wish. Is this a reasonable expectation?
So, what do you think? Will I be able to subscribe to the plan I want at the airport, or will I have to subscribe to a lesser plan on a temporary basis to give us immediate use of our phones in Thailand and then subscribe to the desired plan described above later?
Thank you for any guidance you can offer in this matter.
Regards,
Sid Leonard
Feb 22, 2017 at 4:16 am
James says
Prepaid in Thailand doesn't work the same as in the US. It's a much more granular service - think in terms of Days, Weeks, AND Months - coupled with the amount of money in your account being a wallet rather than payment for service. You put money in, choose your service, and go. This is good and bad. The good being: you're free to choose between an insanely large group of services and not get trapped into a plan that works best for the provider. Plus the providers are always changing services and running specials so you can hop from one to another as your needs evolve. The bad is: there are an insane number of choices and you've got to understand which does what better. It takes some getting used to.
My suggestion would be to pick a provider, follow TTLs advice to leave the airport. If you have Thai friends get one of them to get you a SIM at a 7-11. Put 300 baht on your phone and visit the website and review all the plans. (I chose a cheap voice/text plan with slow data, my partner is an internet junkie so she has a slightly more expensive voice/text service that gives her free social media access and higher speed data). When it gets to be time to top up, make sure you do so when a promotion is active so you'll get more/better service for the same price (faster data, bonus time, stuff like that).
If you need to call home right away from the airport, your best (and cheapest) bet is Skype.
Apr 02, 2017 at 9:56 am
Laura says
Thanks four your article. It's driving me crazy that I can't get online! I've bought true move h with my passport and topped up. I've bought a 4g internet package and received the text to confirm it, along with lots of other free bonuses like free facebook browsing for a month and a password for Wi-Fi hotspots.
I still can't get any internet! I think it's my mobile data,I've switched it back on now I'm on Thai sim but why I go into settings it's saying disconnected.
Any ideas?
Many thanks
Laura
Jan 31, 2017 at 9:48 pm
TheThailandLife says
Jan 31, 2017 at 10:43 pm
Wayne Rogers says
Im from Australia and want to open a Thai bank account Has the rules changed for opening a bank account, I have been told that you have to inform the Australian Embassy .
Regards
Wayne
Jan 15, 2017 at 9:36 am
TheThailandLife says
Jan 16, 2017 at 5:31 am
David Silverman says
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:20 pm
TheThailandLife says
Jan 13, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Ken says
I got my first Thai SIM card on one of my visits back in 2003 after I got fed up with having to use (or trying to use) Thai pay phones or hotel room phones every time I wanted to call someone in Thailand. I actually purchased my Thai Orange SIM card online from a company called Telestial in advance of my trip because I wanted to have a Thai phone number to give to everyone I knew, both in Thailand and the States, before I even left the country (unfortunately today they only sell generic international SIM cards and the prices seem to be almost as high as international roaming in some cases). Of course, this also entailed purchasing a second phone, as most cell phones in the USA at the time (including mine) were CDMA or TDMA while most of the rest of the world, including Thailand, were using GSM networks. And it doesn’t really matter if your phone is unlocked or not if you are using a different frequency, and, or, format than the networks in the country you are visiting. Not to mention the fact that many phones in the USA did not even use removable SIM cards to store the phones network registration data back then.
Fortunately today this is no longer an issue however and pretty much any unlocked phone will work. Also, as you mentioned above, some service providers will unlock your phones for you these days. Ten years ago when I was still working in the industry no service providers would ever even dream of unlocking your phone for you. The reason for this of course is that they would all subsidize the phones (thus the term “subsidy lock”). In other words, they would sell them to the customer for much less than cost. And naturally they didn’t want to take such a big loss on the phone just to have you cancel your service and turn around and use the equipment with another service provider. This is also why you always used to have to have a contract and would have to pay penalties for canceling it early. Anyway, back then you either had to pay 2 or 3 times more to buy an unlocked phone online or you had to pay some shady character who had the computer software and know-how to unlock your existing phone for you.
By the way, after that first Thai phone I got to like using prepaid plans (pay as you go) so much that I now use a prepaid SIM here in the USA. I had never considered prepaid prior to getting my Thai cell phone because in the USA at the time there was a real stigma associated with prepaid phones. This was due to the fact that the only people who used them where those who had such a pathetically low credit score that they could not even qualify to get a regular cell phone plan. And today of course the so-called “burner” phones (prepaid phones that are meant to be used for a short time and then disposed of) are associated with criminals. All I know though is that I like not getting any surprises in the form of a huge bill due to overages. And if I ever have any kids and I have to buy them a phone it will DEFINITELY be a prepaid. That way if they go over their limit they will just be S.O.L. until the next month - or until they get a job and can pay for their own phones.
Jan 10, 2017 at 6:47 pm
TheThailandLife says
Jan 12, 2017 at 2:33 am