How to Buy a Local Prepaid SIM Card in Thailand: A Complete Guide to Prices and Plans

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

If you're traveling around Thailand for longer than a standard package tour (i.e., more than 14 days) and you're comfortable with English and logical thinking, then we definitely and without alternative recommend buying a local prepaid or 'prepaid' SIM card instead of a ready-made tourist SIM card package. Locals use these SIM cards, and they offer advantages and savings compared to tourist SIMs or roaming from your home operator. You can buy a Prepaid SIM as either a physical card or an eSIM; the plans are exactly the same.

• ✔ Wide selection of plans, you can save a lot, great for longer trips.
• ❌ You'll need to wrap your head around the plans and activation, and you won't get by without some English.

Prepaid cards are mostly sold with a pre-set or starter plan, and there are loads of them from each operator. For example, it could be a card with unlimited internet for 1-7 days, free access to city Wi-Fi, a call package, etc. It's unusual that they don't work on a monthly basis like we're used to, but rather for 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 30 days, and so on, renewing 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 empty SIM cards without a plan, but you can only get them through promotions; tourists usually aren't given them.

The plan you buy with the SIM card can be changed anytime: you can go to a mobile operator shop or dial a special USSD command. But the easiest way is to install the mobile operator's management app. There you'll 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, meaning additional minute and data packages on top of what your plan already has.

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 current ones on each operator'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 mobile shop (prices, passport)

Prepaid cards are sold in mobile operator shops, but it's more convenient for tourists to buy them at the ubiquitous 7/11, Family Mart, or Lotus's supermarkets. Tourists report seeing them at airports too, but we've never managed to buy one there; instead, they always offer ready-made tourist packages.

You'll have to pay for the SIM card, but effectively you're paying not for the card itself, but for the first period of usage of the starter plan you choose. So, 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, 49 baht will be deducted from your account again, and so on. Of course, for automatic deduction, you need to top up your balance first.

You'll need a passport to buy it; you'll have to give it to the seller to scan or copy for registration (activation). Previously, you could buy them without a passport, but times have changed. With the card, you'll get an activation instruction sheet with useful USSD codes (balance check, get your number, etc.), it's best to keep it.

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

Local operators offer the option to buy a Prepaid eSIM online on their websites, but they don't accept Russian cards. You can also buy an eSIM at mobile operator shops, but they're not so easy to find, as sales channels are mainly through supermarkets, online, or third-party shops. So as an alternative, you can consider buying a tourist or global eSIM online on these sites:

• Trip.com (accepts Russian cards, choose local dtac or AIS cards)
• Airalo eSIM (international SIMs, Russian cards not accepted for payment)
• Yesim eSIM (international SIMs, Russian cards not accepted for payment)

Comparing and choosing a Prepaid plan

So, before buying a SIM card, it's best to decide on the operator and plan option in advance. In the table below, we've gathered the current options for comparison at the time of writing; you can use them for an initial choice, at least of the operator or series. And here are some recommendations on what to look for:

• Plans can be loosely divided into lines for data (Net), for calls (Call), and for social media (Social). All include some amount of data and minutes, but the quantities vary depending on the purpose. So you can decide right away what's more important to you: calls or data.
• Each plan has a validity period, usually 1, 7, 10, 14, 30 days, etc. This means that at the end of this period, the plan fee will be deducted from your balance again if there are funds; if not, the plan will simply pause until you top up. It's better to choose a long-term plan for your whole trip, as it's cheaper.
• Descriptions of voice call plans usually specify 'All networks' (calls to any number) or 'Within network' (calls only within the operator'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 Wi-Fi stations in cities. But access isn't free; it's only available with certain mobile operator plans. We wouldn't say this is a very important feature, but if you're staying mostly in cities and large resorts, Wi-Fi access will give you higher speeds and won't use up your mobile data.
• If you run out of data or minutes on your plan before its validity ends, or if the validity period isn't long enough, you can purchase additional minute and data packages with limited validity; these are called Prepaid add-ons. The best way to do this is through the operator's app.

How to top up your Prepaid SIM card balance in Thailand: cash, top-up cards, online

After purchase, your card balance will be zero, as its cost is immediately deducted upon activation for the chosen plan. If you want to continue using it, activate add-ons, or just make calls and send SMS if they're not included in your plan, you need to top up your balance. Of course, it's better to study the plans beforehand to avoid topping up unnecessarily, but more on that below.

There are tons of ways to top up your card. These include various e-wallets, payments through banks, terminals, etc., but not all are accessible or convenient for regular tourists and travelers, especially those from Russia.

Here are the most convenient ones you can actually use in practice:

• The most accessible option - cash or card at mobile operator shops or at the checkout counters of supermarkets like 7/11, Tesco, Family Mart, Tops, and many others. Just tell the cashier you want to top up and by how much, or simply show the SIM card package with the number and hand over the money; they'll understand.

• Using a top-up card (Loading Card, Refill Card, Cash Card, or Top-Up Card), sold in stores with denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200 baht, etc. The card has a code under a protective layer that you need to send from your phone, and the balance will be topped up. In practice, stores usually sell cards from 100 baht and up, but you might have to look for them.

• On the operator's website or via app with a bank card, but Russian cards don't work.

  • Dtac Online Top-Up

How to manage plans and expenses on a Prepaid SIM card

Each SIM card comes with a small instruction sheet with activation codes, balance inquiry codes, etc.; this information is also available on the official websites. But it's much simpler and more convenient to use the operators' apps. There you can choose a plan to switch to without any codes or calls to operators, see your balance and top it up, activate add-ons, and use bonuses. Each operator has such an app:

• For Ais it's the MyAIS APP
• For Dtac it's the Dtac app
• For True Move H it's the TrueID app

Download the app, register your new SIM card in it, and manage your balance and options with ease.

Handy tips: how to extend your plan and check balance

A tourist SIM card (or rather, the chosen starter plan) is valid for a strictly defined number of days (8, 10, 15, 30). Here's how to check your balance, remaining data, and extend the validity.

USSD codes for checking

USSD codes can vary by operator. Here are the most universal ones that work for most:

• *101*1# or *101# – remaining data, minutes, validity period, account balance
• *102# or *103*8# – my phone number
• *107*9# – change message language to English
• *100*CARD NUMBER,TOP-UP CODE# – top up your account balance using a scratch card

All these codes are on the card's packaging when you buy it. But it's way more convenient to install the operator's app – there you'll see everything clearly and can manage your plans and balance yourself.

How to extend the validity of your tourist SIM card

After the plan (data package) expires, the SIM card itself and the number remain active for a certain 'grace period'. This varies by operator: dtac – about 120 days, TrueMove H – about 90 days, AIS – up to 180 days. If you don't extend the SIM's validity during this time, the number will be permanently blocked and deleted. You can extend it in two ways:

• Option 1 — you are still in Thailand or will return soon: Just top up your balance (even by 10 baht). The validity will automatically extend by 30 days.
• Option 2 — you want to 'freeze' the number until your next trip from Russia: Use the codes below. They will deduct 2–12 baht from your balance. If the code doesn't work from Russia – try via the operator's app (works over Wi-Fi).

Codes for different operators:

• Dtac: *113*30# — 30 days (2 baht), *113*90# — 90 days (6 baht), *113*180# — 180 days (12 baht).
• TrueMove H: *934*30# — 30 days (2 baht), *934*90# — 90 days (6 baht), *934*180# — 180 days (12 baht).
• AIS: No direct codes – just top up your balance (every 10 baht = +30 days) or use the myAIS app.

Extension does not happen automatically even if you have money in your account — you need to do it manually.

How to call Russia from a local SIM card

International calls are only possible with a positive balance on the card, so you'll need to top it up (we explained how above). Then calls to Russia and other countries become possible, with charges deducted per minute from your balance.

The cost of a call to Russia varies by operator. To get the minimum rate, always use the operator's special code before the number. Here are the current rates: dtac — 8 baht/min. (code 00400), AIS — 4 baht/min. (code 003), TrueMove — 7 baht/min. (code 006). Just dial the code, then 7 (Russia's code), and the subscriber's number. For example, a call with AIS would look like this: 003 7 901 123456.

However, there is a way to call home completely free or at the cost of a local call – VoWiFi technology (Voice over Wi-Fi).

Alternative ways to call Russia:

• Messengers — free if you have internet, no blocks like in Russia.
• Calls via apps like Zangi, TalkU — low rates for international calls, can be topped up with a card.