How to buy a local Prepaid SIM card in Thailand: a complete guide to prices and plans

And now, more detailed info for those who want to be fully in the know:

What is a Prepaid SIM card in Thailand and why it's better value than a tourist SIM

If you're traveling in Thailand for longer than a standard package tour, i.e., more than 14 days, and you're comfortable with English and logic, then we definitely and without alternative recommend buying a local prepaid SIM card, rather than a ready-made tourist SIM package. These are the SIM cards locals use, and they offer advantages and savings compared to tourist SIMs or roaming from your home carrier. You can buy Prepaid as either a physical SIM or eSIM – the rates are exactly the same.

• ✔ A wide selection of plans, you can save a good amount, suitable for longer trips.
• ❌ Figuring things out requires some head-scratching over plans and activation, and you'll need some English.

Prepaid cards are mostly sold with a pre-installed or starter plan, and each carrier has a bunch of them. For example, it could be a card with unlimited internet for 1-7 days, free access to city WiFi, a bundle of minutes, etc. What's unusual is that they don't work on a monthly basis like we're used to, but for 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 30 days and so on, and they renew each time. The price for a SIM card with a starter plan starts from 49 baht and goes up to thousands. There are also free blank SIM cards without a plan, but they're only available through promotions; tourists usually don't get them.

The plan you buy with the SIM can be changed at any time: you can go to a mobile carrier store or dial a special USSD command. But the easiest way is to install the carrier's app for management. There you can see your remaining package balance, your account balance, and manage everything.

If you find the minutes or data included in your chosen plan insufficient, you can buy so-called Prepaid add-ons – additional minutes and data packages on top of what your plan already includes.

Below on this page, we've gathered descriptions of current Prepaid plans for new SIM cards in a table for easy comparison and selection, but they can change, so before your trip, you can check the latest on each carrier's website:

• Ais Prepaid cards (One-2-Call)
• Dtac Prepaid cards
• True Move H Prepaid cards

Where to buy a Prepaid SIM card in Thailand: at 7-Eleven, Family Mart, or a carrier store (prices, passport)

Prepaid cards are sold at carrier stores, but it's more convenient for tourists to buy them at the ubiquitous 7/11, Family Mart, and Lotus's supermarkets. Tourists report finding them at airports too, but we've never managed to buy one there – they always offer ready-made tourist packages instead.

You'll have to pay for the SIM, but it's actually not a fee for the card itself, but for the first usage period of the starter plan you choose. For example, if you choose the Dtac 7-Eleven sim (ex. HAPPY Combo SIM) plan for 49 baht, you immediately get a card with 7GB of data for 7 days (see description in the table below). After seven days, another 49 baht will be deducted from your balance, and so on. Of course, for money to be deducted, you need to top up your balance first.

You'll need your passport for the purchase – you'll have to give it to the cashier for scanning or copying and registration (activation). In the past, you could buy them without a passport, but times have changed. With the card, you'll get instructions for activation and useful request codes (balance, getting your number, etc.); it's best to keep it.

eSIM in Thailand: how to buy and where to get one if Russian cards don't work

Local carriers offer Prepaid eSIMs online on their websites, but they don't accept Russian cards. You can also buy an eSIM at carrier stores, but they're not so easy to find since the main sales channels are supermarkets, online, or third-party shops. So as an alternative, you can consider buying a tourist or global eSIM online from sites like:

• Trip.com (accepts Russian cards, choose local dtac or AIS cards)
• E-sim Airalo (international SIMs, don't accept Russian cards)
• E-sim Yesim (international SIMs, don't accept Russian cards)

Comparing and choosing a Prepaid plan

So, before buying a SIM card, it's best to decide on a carrier and a plan option in advance. Below in the table, we've gathered the current options at the time of writing for comparison – you can use them for an initial choice, at least of the carrier or line. Here are some tips on what to look for:

• Plans can be roughly divided into lines for internet (Net), for calls (Call), and for social networks (Social). All include some amount of data and minutes, but the quantities vary depending on the purpose. So you can immediately decide what's more important to you: calls or internet.
• Each plan has a validity period, usually 1, 7, 10, 14, 30 days, etc. This means that after this period ends, the plan fee will be deducted from your balance again if there's money on it; if there's no money, it will simply be suspended until you top up. It's better to choose a longer plan for the entire trip – it'll be cheaper.
• In the description of voice call plans, you'll see 'All networks' (calls to any number) or 'Within network' (calls only within the carrier's network).
• All incoming calls and SMS on any plan are free.
• Plans include various nice bonuses for top-ups, activation, etc. You can save a bit if you figure them out.
• Besides mobile networks, Thailand has an extensive network of WiFi stations in cities. But access isn't free – it's only available through some carrier plans. We wouldn't say this is a very important feature, but if you're mostly staying in cities and large resorts, WiFi access will give you higher speeds and won't use up your mobile data.
• If you use up your plan's data or minutes before its validity period ends, or if the validity period isn't long enough, you can buy additional limited-time minute and data packages; they're called Prepaid add-ons. The best way to do this is through the carrier's app.