- Do I really need to buy a sim card when travelling in Thailand?
- Which company is the best and why?
- Where can I get a Thai SIM card?
- How much does a Thailand SIM card cost?
- The Best SIM Package Deal for Tourists in Thailand
- Why is Tourist SIM 599 the best sim card package for Thailand tourists?
- The Tourist SIM 599's IDD Calling Policy
- Make sure your mobile is unlocked for installing a Thai SIM card
- How to Top Up Your Thai SIM Card
Thailand has become one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Millions of international tourists entering Thailand have the same concern about whether to buy a Thai SIM card or not, and which one to get?
Thailand's communications infrastructure is as good as, if not better than, places such as the USA and UK. The country proudly boasts the latest in 4G mobile data technology and high-speed Internet connections. If you want to stay in touch with family and friends and share your amazing Thailand travel experience, then all you need is the right tourist SIM card. Almost everywhere you travel in Thailand you will pick up a strong signal for both 4G and cellular connections.
In this article, we are going to take a look at the best tourist SIM card option available in the now very popular 'Land of Smiles'.
Do I really need to buy a sim card when travelling in Thailand?
Unless your current mobile SIM allows free high-speed 4G connections overseas and reasonably priced international calls, then the best alternative is to purchase a tourist SIM card in Thailand. The benefits of having a Thai SIM include having a local Thai number and hassle-free access to Thailand's 3G and 4G networks. Plus, with the right SIM, you will have more than enough data for a one- or two-week trip.
Many tourists have bad experiences with their home-country SIM card in which their service provider cut them off because they were using their SIM card abroad. Purchasing a Thai SIM card will eradicate these snags.
In short, if you are looking for a reliable, speedy and hassle-free 4G and cellular connection, then a Thai tourist SIM is most certainly the way to go.
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My husband and I are planning a 3 week…
Alisa was a great listener to all the things we wanted to incorporate into our trip. We discussed everything throughly, and when I had questions, she had answers the next day. I really appreciate her responsiveness and detail with me. I feel like we are in the best hands with Alisa and Asia Highlights. More
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Very great experience our driver D was…
Very great experience our driver D was never late and always had waters and a cold towel for us and our tour guide Som was very informative and had amazing English I recommend them both highly for anyone else traveling More
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Excellent guide in Siem Reap
Our recent time spent in Siem Reap was made even more memorable by our expert guide, Som Piseth. Som was knowledgeable, attentive, flexible and super helpful - we learnt so much about Siem Reap and Cambodia in our 3 days with him. His English was excellent and his knowledge of, and pride in, his country was outstanding. We would highly recommend Som for anyone wanting an excellent guide in Siem Reap! More
Sharon Townshend, Feb 2024
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Asia Highlights trip to Thailand
Our first tour guide in Bangkok, Marie, was great to tour around with. She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. Our next stop in Chang Mai we were greeted by our new tour guide, Rafael. He too was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. He made it feel as if we were traveling around with a long time friend. Every time we arrived at a new destination, we were greeted at the airport by someone with a sign with our name making our travels easy. I would definitely recommend Asia Highlights to anyone looking for a well planned trip of a lifetime! More
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Amazing Thailand experience
The tour guides were all knowledgeable and accommodating, especially Mayuree in Bangkok- absolutely wonderful. We felt taken care of and every step of the way was catered to our needs. More
Ashley White, Feb 2024
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Private tour perfect for our times
Asia highlights organized a private tour with our requests. Everything was perfect ?? the driver Tom and the guide Ying were always on time with a smile in their face. Always willing to help and make our trip perfect. Bangkok is a very hot city so we minimized the time outside. The driver always had cold towels for us in the van and cold beverages. More
Virginia, Feb 2024
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Thailand
We loved Chiang Mai and Susie did a great job showing us several temples, taking many pictures of us with the elephants at the sanctuary (a definite highlight of the entire trip!), and making sure we were well fed, which became a running joke between us.We had a very relaxing few days in Phuket enjoying the beautiful beaches. Kai was great, answering all of our questions and giving us a nice tour of the old town. The all-day speedboat tour of the Phi Phi islands started off a little shaky as the sea was quite rough so if you’re at all uncomfortable bouncing around in a speedboat, you might want to skip that tour. Things did calm down as the day went on and some of the areas they took us to for swimming, snorkeling, etc were really beautiful. A couple of the islands were too crowded with people. More
Andrea Roberts, Feb 2024
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What a Wonderful Trip
What a Wonderful Trip! We booked with Sharon and our trip was great - guides were waiting for us at each stop, and they were all very nice and helpful. I cannot stress how amazing the guides were - they made the trip. More
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Ask for Victor!
If you are traveling to Bangkhok you need to request Victor. He made our trip amazing! My family completed bucket list items with his guidance. He knew exactly how to get us places, kept us on time, made us feel safe, educated us on history, spoke excellent English and was genuinely a nice man! Everyone we encountered was awesome- but Victor is the reason for my 5 star review! More
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Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a…
Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a wonderful trip to Thailand. We had a great time. The tour guides were wonderful as were the hotels you booked for us. We will definitely contact you to plan our next trip More
Carol Yeung, Jan 2024
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Ying was the best
Ying was the best. She was really knowledgeable and kind. Thank you Ying for wonderful experience in Thailand! More
Sylvester Yeung, Jan 2024
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Very well organized
Very well organized. Our tour guide, Ying, was amazing! She had full knowledge of every location we visited and made sure our itinerary was fulfilled as expected. She was extremely helpful for our airport experiences, and made sure we arrived at an appropriate time. More
David M. Kang, Jan 2024
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Family trip to Thailand
We were lucky to be greeted by Marie and her driver.In Marie, we have made a friend for life. She is incredibly smart and knowledgeable about her home country. From the vast number of temples to safely traversing Chinatown.She helped give us tips on our free days, locate left behind lost clothing and arrange for pickup. She even helped check us in for our flight to Chiang Mai.She prepared us ahead of time for every event we had scheduled and bonded with our kids, 3x 13 year olds. More
Justin Levenbrook, Jan 2024
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Thailand with and amazing tour guide Ying
I highly recommend Ying as a tour guide in Thailand. Her expertise in Thai culture, combined with her passion for food and genuine love for her country, made the tour an exceptional experience. If you're looking for a guide who will not only show you the sights but also immerse you in the local culture and help you discover delicious Thai cuisine, Ying is the perfect choice. More
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Asia Highlights Thailand trip
Asia Highlights provided us with a great travel trip. They made it very easy to navigate through Thailand with everything going very smoothly. From the easy transportation to the great day itinerary everything was awesome. Will definitely look to use this agency again in the future. More
Taylor Jones, Jan 2024
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Perfect 2 WK Thailand Trip for a Solo Female Traveler
Bank was our guide in Bangkok and he showed us around the city with ease and we were able to see and try things I never would have planned on my own. After Bangkok, our small group flew to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng lantern festival and that was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget! Pop was our guide in this city and she was knowledgeable, kind and caring which made our experience even more memorable. More
Tia, Dec 2023
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We recently have just returned from Thailand
We recently have just returned one from a 5 week trip to Thailand through Asia Highlights. We had a wonderful time and Asia Highlights went beyond our expectations. They truly tried their best to make sure everything went smoothly and we were taken care of! Everyone was amazing and we would definitely use them in the future!! Many thanks to everyone that helped to make this an incredible once in a lifetime experience!! More
Karen Rocque, Dec 2023
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Indochina Experience
On our 5th day of our trip with Asiahighlights. We felt well taken care of before and it hasn’t changed since we started from Bangkok to Hanoi (guide Kim was verrry knowledgeable!) to Halong Bay (spectacular scenery) to Hoi An (guide Nhieu Tran, giving great local (shopping) tips and insights). More
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Which company is the best and why?
The best company in Thailand offering tourist SIM cards is TrueMove, which offers pre-paid SIMs. The company is well-known in Thailand as it also provides cable and satellite TV (TrueVisions) as well as high-speed broadband Internet (TrueMove) to Thai homes and businesses, for which it has a very good reputation.
Widespread signal towers across the country: TrueMove's tourist SIM card is by far the most popular, simply because the company has 4G and cellular towers that stretch far and wide throughout the country. Its communication infrastructure stretches from as high up as the mountains of Chiang Mai down to remote islands. Wherever you decide to travel in Thailand the TrueMove 4G and cellular connections rarely seem to fade.
Widespread customer service center coverage: Another important quality TrueMove has is its customer service set up. There are TrueMove shops in almost every shopping center in the country and on most busy high streets. Furthermore, when you buy your SIM, you can use the free call support number, which is 1242 from any True SIM. When you call the multi-lingual support team, you will be able to speak with a Chinese, English, Japanese, or Thai language representative.
Convenient technical support: Other places you can get technical support for your TrueMove tourist SIM card include most 7-Elevens and Family Marts.
Where can I get a Thai SIM card?
The good news is that you do not have to look very hard to get your hands on a Thai tourist SIM card from TrueMove.
Here are just a few places you will be able to purchase one of their tourist packages:
1. Airports (international and domestic)
2. TrueMove shops
3. 7-Eleven convenient stores
4. Family Mart shops
5. Tesco Lotus Express convenient stores
6. Most mobile phone stores
Important note: Be sure to have your passport at the ready, because without it you will not be able to purchase a tourist SIM. Thai law stipulates that every SIM card must be registered to the purchaser's ID.
How much does a Thailand SIM card cost?
There are several pre-paid packages that you will be able to purchase from as little as 49 baht via the Super Saver package. This provides 300 Mbps max speed bandwidth, which costs 1 baht per MB, and around 25 minutes of calls. As a result, the low-cost SIM cards are generally only good for very short trips, and even then you may find yourself topping up for more 4G and cellular credit quite quickly.
You can top up in any of the stores mentioned in the "Where can I get a Thai Sim SIM card?" section above. Top-ups cost from 40 baht up to 500 baht. You can then transfer credit to be used specifically for calls or Internet connectivity. Topping up in this way is certainly not as convenient as signing up to the Tourist SIM 599 package, which we will cover in the next section.
In fact, if you are looking for a decent 4G and cellular package for tourists, you are spoiled for choice because TrueMove has several packages available.
The Best SIM Package Deal for Tourists in Thailand
The best package deal available from TrueMove is the pre-paid Tourist SIM 599. TrueMove is Thailand's most used mobile company. Its tourist SIM costs just 599 baht, as the name implies, and you will benefit from 8GB of high-speed internet and 50 baht (appx. 50 minutes) of talk time.
The SIM usually card lasts for 15 days before you will have to top up again. You will also get free talk time to any other True SIM card; while all other calls are 0.99 baht per minute.
With the True package, you will get the best signal in the country as TrueMove boasts the largest number of 4G/cellular towers in Thailand. It is perfect if you have hired a car and need to use apps such as Google Maps or Drive to get from A to B.
Other networks such as DTAC and AIS tend to suffer from a lack of signal in some areas, and Internet speeds tend to slow down. This rarely happens with TrueMove. Even high up in the mountains of Chiang Mai, when the 4G does cut off, there is a GPRS signal, so you can still get an Internet connection.
On top of this, the tourist SIMs from DTAC or AIS only offer 6 GB of high-speed Internet. The only advantage to AIS and DTAC tourist SIMs is they offer 100 baht of free calls, which is negligible compared to having an additional 2GB of data.
Why is Tourist SIM 599 the best sim card package for Thailand tourists?
1. The most popular Thai SIM from the most popular company (TrueMove).
2. 599-baht one-time purchase
3. 8 GB of high-speed Internet (2 GB more than DTAC/AIS)
4. 50 baht (50 minutes) of free calls
5. Countrywide cellular/4G coverage
6. Usually 15 days before top up needed
7. Low rate international calls (see below)
8. Most effective and stable signal in Thailand
The Tourist SIM 599's IDD Calling Policy
For those of you who want to call home, there is an international call option using 00600 + country code + area code + phone number. You can call landlines or mobile phones anywhere in the world for as little as 1 baht per minute using this option, which provides the cheapest international telephone calls in the country.
Countries that fall under the 1 baht per minute bracket for mobile and landlines include China, Hong Kong, Canada, and the USA. If the 50 baht's worth of free calls is not enough for you, then you can top up in any 7-Eleven or Family Mart store to gain extra credits.
9-Day Thailand Family Tour:
Make sure your mobile is unlocked for installing a Thai SIM card
Another important point to make is that you should ensure that your mobile phone is unlocked. If it isn't then in most cases, you will not be able to use a Thai tourist SIM.
You may be able to get your phone unlocked in Thailand depending on the make and model, and this can cost anything between 400 baht and 1,000 baht. You will not be able to get your phone unlocked in any of the TrueMove stores, so you will need to find an IT or mobile phone marketplace usually found on the bottom floor of most shopping centers. In Bangkok, the best places are MBK, Seacon Square, and the basement/ground floor of most Central Plaza shopping malls.
Finally, before you do get your phone unlocked, check your mobile phone provider's policy on having your phone unlocked.
How to Top Up Your Thai SIM Card
Topping up is easy. Either go to a True Store and get a ticket, use a roadside top-up machine, or go to 7-Eleven or Family Mart and ask for an over-the-counter top-up. The process is super easy:
1. Tell the staff you would like a TrueMove SIM card top-up.
2. Tell them how much you want to top up.
3. Enter your number into the top-up device.
4. Take your receipt and wait for the SMS confirmation of the top-up.
You can check your pre-paid SIM balance at any time by pressing #123# and then the call button. If you have forgotten your number, then just press *833# and then the call button.
Visiting Asia with Asia Highlights
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Our guide lele is a wealth of information, Lele is very professional and very attentive to our needs. Lele is amazing. Lele got everything spot on. It probably helps that Guilin is a brilliant place to visit so Lele has great material to work with but that doesn't take anything away from how much Lele helped make it a great trip.
moreOur guide for Beijing was super knowledgeable and experienced and able to help us to achieve as much as we wanted within the time given. We had a fun time guided by him as he is also super humorous and you can see how he interacts with the vendors and people whom he comes by. Thank you for a very enjoyable time in Beijing and accommodating to all our needs!
moreOur China Highlight guide. Michael, was attentive, thoughtful and knowledgeable. He narrated many interesting historical events about Chengdu while touring around the city and having afternoon tea with us. He was thoughtful to provide us with snacks during long hikes at Leshan or walks around the city.
moreShe was very flexible and added extra time when we needed it and we felt extremely well taken care of. She also chose the best restaurants for us,
moreOur tour guide Helen, was excellent, she was very kind, professional and passionate for her work and she also loves Pandas! She will take you to take the best panda photos and to know more about Chengdu city. Our tour was great, she took us to all our destinations always with the best spots: Temples, pagodas, famous streets, theaters, pandas...you name it! Everything was great.
moreHe picked up our pre-booked boat/other excursions tickets so we were able to avoid all the long lines and chaos. He is knowledgeable of the places we visited, courteous, fun to travel with and well-versed in Chinese classics.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreOur day trip to Hangzhou was phenomenal. Derek, our guide, was impeccable. By far the best guide we have had so far. He is extremely knowledgeable about the country’s history and geography and was always excited to share his insights.
moreXian es encantadora, el hotel Eastern house boutique muy buena elección por parte de la agencia, los desayunos muy completos para complacer todo tipo de gusto, lo recomiendo 100%, el itinerario fue muy acertado fueron 2 días en la ciudad xian, compartimos con la guía Susana, la atención, la amabilidad y sobre todo su profesionalismo fue lo que marcó la diferencia, sus detalles, estaba siempre en el lugar y momento correcto para hacer de xian un lugar inolvidable.
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