Mobile and Internet in Thailand: complete guide for travelers

Thailand has excellent mobile coverage and fast internet. You can:

• buy a local SIM card (cheapest option),
• use eSIM (buy online before departure),
• use free Wi-Fi at hotels and cafes,
• call home via VoWiFi without roaming,
• or as a last resort — use Overseas Call international phones.

Roaming from your home operator is tens of times more expensive — use it with caution, after studying your plan.

Buying a local SIM card

Buying a local SIM card is the most cost-effective option for calling home and for always being connected and online. If you only need to make one call home to let everyone know you're okay, buying a local SIM might be unnecessary. Also, you can get by without a local SIM by simply using the hotel's Wi-Fi for communication.

Three major mobile operators operate in Thailand — here they are (links open their websites):

• Ais
• Dtac
• True Move H

Strictly speaking, True Move H merged with Dtac, so now they are one operator — True Corporation. But two brands, True and Dtac, are still available, and they are practically no different in terms of tariffs or coverage.

Coverage is roughly the same for all, but there is a slight difference:

• AIS: the best choice if you're heading to the islands or remote areas. They have the most stable coverage away from cities.
• TrueMove/Dtac: Good for big cities (Bangkok, Chiang Mai) and often offer better rates for social media.

So, if you've decided to buy a local SIM, you have two options: buy a ready-made tourist SIM card, or buy a "blank" card and set it up yourself. Let's go into more detail:

• Buying a ready-made tourist SIM card

  • ✔ Easy to buy and understand tariffs and activation (sellers will help you).
  • ❌ Limited tariff selection, and you'll overpay for the ready-made package and fancy packaging.

  If you've come on a standard package tour for 7-14 days and don't speak English well, the easiest option is to buy a ready-made tourist SIM card + prepaid tariff at the airport, from meeters/greeters or hotel guides, at 7/11 stores, or other retail outlets. It's a SIM card in nice packaging with instructions, including some even in Russian from DTAC. All you have to do is insert it and activate it following the instructions, although in most cases the seller can do that for you. As a result, you can leave the airport with working internet and a balance for cheap calls to Russia.

  Tourist SIM cards start from 349 baht (10.7 USD), prices are the same everywhere. Some sellers add 100 baht (3.07 USD) to the cost for setup to make a little extra, but that's rare. There are over a dozen ready-made tourist SIM cards with different tariffs, differing not only in price but also in validity period, data volume, and calling conditions. We've gathered all tourist tariffs on a separate page, so head over there and study — everything is detailed and convenient.

• Buying and setting up a Prepaid SIM card

  • ✔ Wide selection of tariffs, you can save a lot, suitable for long trips.
  • ❌ To figure it out, you'll have to rack your brain over tariffs and activation, and you won't get by without English.

  Regular non-tourist SIM cards come in Postpaid and Prepaid. Postpaid is not an option for tourists and travelers, only Prepaid.

  Prepaid cards are mostly sold with a preloaded or starter tariff, and there are many of them from each operator. For example, a card with unlimited internet for 1-7 days, free access to city Wi-Fi, a call package, etc. Understanding these starter tariffs is difficult, but you'll have to rack your brain, because if someone else does it for you, like a salesperson in a store, they'll clearly sell you what's good for them, not what's good for you. Unusually, they don't work on a monthly basis like we're used to, but for 1, 3, 7, 10 days, and so on, and each time they renew. The price for a SIM card with a starter tariff ranges from 29 baht up to a thousand. There are also free SIM cards with no tariff at all, but they can only be obtained through promotions — tourists usually aren't given them.

  The tariff you buy with the SIM card can be changed at any time, but it's not always easy to do: you'll have to go to a telecom shop, communicate over the phone in English, or install an app. So try to choose the right option from the start. And if you find that the minutes or data included in the chosen tariff aren't enough, you can buy so-called Prepaid add-ons — packages of minutes and data in addition to what's already included in your tariff.

  Prepaid cards are sold everywhere in shops and telecom stores, including the ubiquitous 7/11. It's said that they can also be found at airports, but we've never managed to buy one there — they always offer ready-made tourist packages instead.

  Recently, in our Thailand chat, people have reported that some 7/11 stores in popular resorts refuse to sell local "prepaid" SIM cards to foreigners, saying they are for locals only, and only tourist SIMs for foreigners. In fact, there is no ban on selling "prepaid" SIM cards to foreigners — this refusal seems more like an initiative of the store or even individual salespeople who want to make more money. If they refuse to sell you such a SIM, just ask for it at other stores, including Lotus stores, not just 7/11.

  You'll have to pay for the SIM card, but this is actually not a payment for the card itself, but for the first period of use of the starter tariff you choose. For example, if you choose the Dtac 7-Eleven sim (ex. HAPPY Combo SIM) tariff for 49 baht, you immediately get a card with 7GB of internet for 7 days. After seven days, another 49 baht will be deducted from your account, and so on. Of course, for deductions to happen, you need to top up your account first, which can be done online with a foreign bank card, or with cash at stores or service counters.

  A passport is required for purchase — you'll have to give it to the seller for scanning/photocopying and registration. Previously, you could buy them without a passport, but times have changed. With the card, you'll receive instructions on activation and with useful USSD codes (balance, getting information about your number, etc.) — it's best to keep it.

  Here we've only covered the basics you need to know about buying and activating a Prepaid card, so you can decide if it's for you. Detailed instructions on buying a local SIM card in Thailand and tariff comparisons.

eSIM in Thailand: how to buy and activate

Electronic SIM cards (eSIM) work great in Thailand — they are supported by all three local operators (AIS, Dtac, TrueMove H). The main advantage: you buy the eSIM before departure, and after landing, after turning off "airplane mode," you already have internet. No need to search for a counter at the airport or explain to a salesperson at 7-Eleven.

You can buy an eSIM in two ways: in advance online (more convenient and often cheaper) or already on the ground in Thailand.

Where to buy an eSIM in advance online

• Trip.com — accepts Russian cards, has a Russian interface, QR code issued immediately.
• Airalo — the most popular service in the world, but Russian bank cards are not accepted (you need a foreign bank card or use intermediaries).
• Yesim — also doesn't accept Russian cards, but sometimes offers discounts. An alternative to Airalo.

Where to buy an eSIM already in Thailand

• At the airport: AIS, Dtac, TrueMove H counters in the arrival area. Fast, but more expensive (from 299 baht). Passport and cash needed.
• At official telecom shops: In any large mall. Wider tariff selection, prices lower than at the airport. Suitable for long trips.
• At 7-Eleven / Family Mart: Possible in theory, but at popular resorts foreigners are often refused. Better not to rely on it.

Important information about eSIM

• How much does it cost. Prices start from 6-8 dollars for a 7-10 day package with 3-5 GB of data. Enough for most tourists for maps, messengers, and social networks. Unlimited options — from 15 dollars. On Trip.com, promotions might offer an eSIM for 1 ruble or free with hotel/flight booking.
• What you need to use it. A smartphone with eSIM support (iPhone XR/XS and newer, most Androids from 2020+ from Samsung, Xiaomi, Google Pixel, Huawei). If your phone doesn't support eSIM, you can buy a physical adapter (e.g., Switch eSIM, 5ber, or eSIM.me), but check compatibility with the product description. Such adapters can be bought on marketplaces in Russia.
• How to pay for tourists from Russia. You can't pay with a Russian card on local operators' websites. The workaround is buying through international aggregators (links above). It might cost a bit more, but you can pay with a Russian card or via SBP.
• How to activate. After payment, you'll receive a QR code by email or in the app. Scan it in your phone's cellular settings — the eSIM will be saved, but will only activate when you turn it on. It's best to set it up at home, then simply turn on this eSIM in Thailand and turn off your main SIM (to avoid roaming).
• Where it works. Coverage is excellent: all cities, islands (Phuket, Samui, Krabi), and even most national parks.

Wi-Fi internet in Thailand

Internet is ubiquitous in Thailand. It's almost the norm to have free Wi-Fi in a hotel room or a rundown guesthouse. Only rarely is hotel Wi-Fi paid. To get access to free or paid Wi-Fi, just ask the hotel staff at reception, and they'll give you a login and password.

Free Wi-Fi is also available in many large shopping malls, restaurants, and even small cafes.

On the street, you can find many internet cafes. The cost is usually hourly or by the half-hour, on average from 10 to 30 (0.31-0.92 USD) for half an hour. But not everywhere has the ability to use Skype due to the lack of a microphone and webcam. These same internet cafes usually have a phone for international calls via IP telephony and a fax service.

However, public WiFi networks from mobile operators have now appeared in Thai cities and towns. But access to this network is not free, only through certain tariffs of mobile operators. If you buy a local SIM, just check if access to WiFi is included.

VoWiFi in Thailand: how to call home for the price of a local call

VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) is a technology that allows you to make regular voice calls over a Wi-Fi network, bypassing the standard cellular network with its towers. If your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, you call any number anywhere in the world (mobiles, landlines) as if you were at home, and you pay according to your home tariff. No "international roaming," no astronomical bills. The technology isn't new, but many tourists are still surprised: "How can I call over Wi-Fi and not pay for roaming?"

You can enable VoWiFi on most modern phones, although sometimes it requires some settings from your operator (free) and replacing an old SIM card (that's rare). After that, you can connect to a free network at a hotel, airport, cafe, etc., and make and receive calls to home numbers as if you were at home. And this is no trick — it's an official technology from mobile operators. More details on how to set it up and use it are in a separate article: How VoWiFi technology can help travelers save money.

Useful codes and phone numbers for mobile

• *102*9# – your own phone number
• *101*9# – balance
• *101*1*9# – remaining internet data in package
• *4000*9# – login and password for Dtac wifi
• *113*30# – extend validity for 30 days, costs 2 baht
• *113*90# – extend validity for 90 days, costs 6 baht
• *113*180# – extend validity for 180 days, costs 12 baht
• 191 – police
• 1155 – tourist police
• 199 – fire department
• 1554 – ambulance