Planning a trip to Thailand? Whether you’re making a stopover in Bangkok or spending your holiday in Phuket, Koh Samui, or elsewhere, you surely don’t want to miss out on internet access on your smartphone. Normally, this would result in expensive roaming charges unless you get yourself a local SIM card. Particularly convenient are digital eSIMs that you can install on your smartphone before departure and start using immediately after landing.
What is an eSIM, and is my smartphone compatible?
An eSIM is a digital SIM card that can be loaded directly onto a compatible device without the need for a physical SIM card. This type of SIM card is particularly convenient for travellers because it is easy and quick to buy and activate online without having to worry about a physical SIM card.
You will find numerous providers of eSIM plans on the Internet. With most of them, you buy a one-off prepaid plan for a certain number of days and data volume. After expiry, there are no further costs and you do not need a subscription.
Unfortunately, not all smartphones support an eSIM. You have good odds with an iPhone 11 / 12 / 13, but also with an Android smartphone, e.g. Google Pixel 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 or Samsung Galaxy S20, S21, or Note 20. You can find a list of smartphones that support eSIM here: Which devices support an eSIM?
If your Android smartphone does not support eSIM profiles, eSIM.me is a physical SIM card that you can use with eSIM profiles.
Most eSIM providers only offer data volume and no free minutes. Since these are also prepaid plans, outgoing calls are generally not supported. With some smartphones, e.g. iPhones, you can still be reached via your normal SIM card and make calls.
Table of Contents
Plans Compared
Here you can easily find the appropriate plan. Simply select your travel period and required data volume, and suitable eSIM plans will be displayed:
Cheapest Providers
In Thailand, Airhub is the cheapest provider, by far. Airhub charges max. €1 per GB, and even offers a 5% coupon on those super-low prices. If you purchase 15 GB, you’re only paying 40 cents per GB!
For those who only need very small amounts of data, e.g. for a short layover or weekend escape, there are even some completely free eSIMs. Roamless offers the biggest one with 500 MB. Other options are Airhub’s free global 200 MB, as well as 100 MB from TEXTReSIM.
No time limit
If you only need a small amount of data but over a long period or intermittently, you can purchase 1-20 GB of data without an expiration date with BNESIM. You’ll only be paying €3.23 per GB, and the data never expires! An ok option.
Unlimited data
Roamify is a fantastic option. There are different durations to select, ranging from 1 to 30 days. The longest duration is 30 days and costs US$28 (~€24), i.e. less than a dollar per day. A week of unlimited data costs US$9 (~€8).
Pay as you go
The cheapest option is Yesim, charging €1,20 per GB. Also, Yesim often gives out free credit – currently, you can get €5 for free. So if you have a short trip to Thailand planned and don’t use much data, this may indeed be the best option overall for you.
The best network in Thailand
The three largest mobile network operators in Thailand are AIS, True Move H, and dtac. The market leader AIS offers the best overall coverage. However, if you primarily stay in major cities or tourist areas, you’ll also have good coverage with True Move H and dtac.