eSIM for Thailand

Viasimo's Thailand eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 7 days, running on DTAC and TrueMove H with 5G where available. Plans last 3 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Thailand

Amnat Charoen
Ang Thong
Bangkok
Bueng Kan
Buriram
Chachoengsao
Chai Nat

Select your planIn stock

Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$8.00

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$8.00

Going to more than one country? See regional plans

Does my phone take an eSIM? Check now

Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

Not sure it works on your phone? Check compatibility

Network

Which networks does the Thailand eSIM use?

Host networks: DTAC / TrueMove H

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 100 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
Validity: 3–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE / 5G
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Automatic on arrival
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Connects via: Hong Kong
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$1.791 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$5.005 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$9.0010 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$14.9950 GB, 10 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$1.29

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

Price check

How Viasimo compares in Thailand

Each row puts one of our plans beside the closest plan Airalo and Holafly list for the same destination: the same data allowance and a similar number of days.

How Viasimo compares in Thailand: price per plan, Viasimo in USD, competitors in USD
Plan	Viasimo (USD)	Airalo (USD)	Holafly (USD)
5 GB · 30 days	$5.00	$8.00	No comparable plan
10 GB · 30 days	$9.00	$11.00	No comparable plan
20 GB · 30 days	$14.99	$18.00	No comparable plan
50 GB · 30 days	$51.00	$27.50	No comparable plan
Unlimited · 7 days3 GB a day at full speed	$16.00	$21.00	$27.50

Competitor prices collected from their public websites on 23 September 2026. Prices change; check before buying. Competitor prices are in US dollars as each site lists them, not converted. Unlimited plans can carry different fair-use limits from one provider to another.

Sources: Airalo, Thailand (23 September 2026); Holafly, eSIM for Thailand (23 September 2026)

About this eSIM

Half a Thailand trip gets arranged on the move: a Grab to the pier, a LINE message to a guesthouse that gets answered in ten seconds, a ferry departure that quietly moved since the website last said otherwise. A Thai eSIM covers all of that from the arrivals hall onward, whether you come in at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai or Samui. Your usual number stays live in the background for bank codes and messages from home.

Getting online when you land

Set the profile up before you leave, over wifi at home. Installing needs a connection, and the airport is the worst possible place to find that out. Keep the line dormant until you arrive.

Off the plane, switch the travel line on, make it your data line, and enable data roaming for it if your phone asks. Turn mobile data off on your home line so nothing sneaks through it. You should be connected by the time you reach passport control, which matters, because the ride-hailing pickup points at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang are signposted for people who already have a booking open on screen.

If you are connecting straight onto a domestic flight or an overnight bus, load the boarding pass or ticket while you are still standing still. Terminal signal beats signal on a bus grinding out of the city.

The networks you'll be on

In Thailand you connect through DTAC, True Move or TrueMove H. All three run 4G LTE, DTAC and TrueMove H add 5G, the phone attaches on its own, and there is no setting for you to get wrong.

Day to day that means dependable 4G/LTE nearly everywhere people live and stay, with 5G in Bangkok and the larger tourist centres. It is comfortably enough for video calls from a beach bar, which is really the benchmark most people care about.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Bangkok is dense and thoroughly covered: on the street, on the BTS and MRT, inside the malls, up in the towers. Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya and Krabi behave the same way around town, along the main beach strips and on the highways linking them.

The gaps are roughly where you would guess. Ferry crossings to Koh Samui, Koh Tao and the Phi Phi islands lose signal in the middle, and the far ends of the smaller islands, away from the main village and the pier, can be thin. Inland, the hill roads on the Mae Hong Son loop and around Pai, national parks like Khao Sok and Khao Yai, and rural stretches of Isan between towns will hand you one bar or nothing. Limestone karst plays tricks too: full signal in the boat, none in the lagoon behind the rock.

What you'll actually use data for here

Ride-hailing comes first. Grab and Bolt in the cities take the fare haggling out of the day entirely, and being able to drop a pin outside a temple whose name you cannot pronounce is worth the connection on its own.

Messaging is close behind, and specifically LINE. It is how a lot of Thai businesses actually talk to customers: guesthouses, dive shops, drivers and tour operators will show you a QR code to add them, then reply within minutes. Plenty of bookings here exist only as a LINE thread. WhatsApp works fine, but LINE is the local default.

After that it stacks up quickly. Reading Thai script through a camera, checking ferry and sleeper train times that shift with the season and the weather, working out which pier a boat actually leaves from as opposed to which pier the ticket says, doing constant mental arithmetic with a converter app, and uploading photos while the beach still looks like that.

Before you fly

Download offline maps of the islands and any hill routes you plan to drive or ride. The dead spots are short, but they show up at exactly the turn where you needed a map.

Screenshot whatever you cannot lose: ferry and bus tickets, your accommodation with its Thai name and a phone number, and the address written in Thai script to hand to a driver. Small island guesthouses are frequently not where the map pin claims they are, and a number solves that in one call.

Bring a power bank and something waterproof to keep the phone in. Longtail boats, wet-season downpours and full-day snorkelling trips are hard on phones, and a flat battery is the one thing an eSIM cannot fix for you. Finally, turn your home line's data roaming off before takeoff so the travel line handles everything.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Good to know

Before you travel to Thailand

Do I have to register a SIM here?

Every local Thai SIM must be registered in person against your passport, at an operator branch or authorised dealer. A pre-purchased travel eSIM skips that entirely.

Local SIM-registration rules apply to buying a SIM in the country. A travel eSIM is a foreign profile roaming onto the local network, so you are not registering anything locally and there is no counter to queue at.

What actually catches people out

Coverage differs by operator. In Opensignal's June 2025 Thailand report AIS won Coverage Experience outright, meaning the widest footprint across populated areas, so it is the network to want if your trip goes beyond the big cities.

Checked 23 September 2026 against tilleke.com , insights.opensignal.com . Rules change — verify anything that affects your trip.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
5G only works where the host network has deployed it and your phone supports it. Everywhere else it falls back to 4G LTE.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Thailand?

Yes. Your Thailand eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are DTAC, TrueMove H. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

Do I get 5G in Thailand?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on DTAC, TrueMove H in Thailand, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

Do I need to fill in the TDAC before flying to Thailand?

Yes. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card replaces the old paper arrival card and is submitted online before you arrive. The official immigration website states that no fee is required, so avoid agents that charge. Save your confirmation as a screenshot, and check the admit-until date stamped in your passport when you land.

Are dtac and TrueMove H the same company now?

Yes. True and DTAC merged in March 2023 to form True Corporation, which runs both the TrueMove H and DTAC networks. Together they are Thailand's second and third largest operators, after AIS. Your eSIM can connect to either DTAC or TrueMove H, picking the stronger signal, with 5G in Bangkok and the main tourist areas.

Can I get in trouble for a bad review in Thailand?

Potentially, yes. The US State Department warns that Thailand's strict defamation laws mean a negative review posted on a public website can lead to civil or criminal penalties. Keep reviews factual and measured. Criticising the royal family is a far more serious crime, with prison sentences of up to 15 years per offence.

Do I need permission to fly a drone in Thailand?

Yes. You must register the drone with both the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and have drone liability insurance valid in Thailand. The US State Department advises not to fly at all until both registrations are approved and your insurance is confirmed.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Thailand?

For 7 days in Thailand, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 500 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $1.79, and unlimited data for $16.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Thailand: what to know before you land

Your Thailand eSIM connects to DTAC or TrueMove H, two brands that have belonged to the same company, True Corporation, since their 2023 merger, with 5G in Bangkok and the big resorts. AIS is the largest operator. Before you fly, fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and be careful what you post online, because Thai defamation law even covers bad reviews.

Emergency: 191 police
1669 ambulance
1155 Tourist Police
Plugs: ABCO 230V
Currency: Thai baht (THB)

Main airports

BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)
DMK Don Mueang International Airport (Bangkok)
HKT Phuket International Airport
CNX Chiang Mai International Airport

Apps worth having GrabBoltLINEGoogle MapsGoogle Translate

TDAC and the admit-until stamp at Suvarnabhumi (BKK)

Thailand has replaced the old paper arrival form with the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC). You register online before you arrive, and the official immigration site states that no fee is required, so be wary of third-party sites that charge for it. Save the confirmation on your phone as a screenshot.

Many nationalities can visit visa-free. The US State Department says US citizens currently get up to 60 days, but warns that the government may cut this to 30 days, so check the rules close to your departure date.

When you land at Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Don Mueang (DMK), Phuket (HKT) or Chiang Mai (CNX), look at the admit-until date stamped in your passport and stick to it. Overstaying can bring fines, detention, deportation and a ban on returning. The State Department also notes that immigration may refuse entry to people who come in more than twice a year, or repeatedly without much of a gap, which matters if you plan to do visa runs to neighbouring countries.

Your eSIM covers Thailand only. If you cross into Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia, add a plan for that country before you go.

AIS, TrueMove H and dtac after the 2023 merger

Thailand used to have three big mobile operators: AIS, TrueMove H and dtac. In March 2023, True and DTAC completed their merger, creating the new True Corporation, which keeps both TrueMove H and DTAC networks under one roof. Together they are the second and third largest operators, behind AIS.

Your eSIM can use DTAC or TrueMove H, choosing whichever is stronger. Since the merger, True has been combining the two networks, so you may see the network name change as you move around. Both brands have 5G in Bangkok and the larger tourist centres, and 4G/LTE elsewhere.

AIS isn't one of the networks your eSIM uses. If you meet travellers on AIS SIMs who have a signal in a remote spot where yours drops, such as a national park or the far end of a small island, that's why.

Local mobile payment apps are hugely popular, but the State Department points out that they usually need a Thai bank account. Visitors generally rely on cards in hotels, malls and larger restaurants, and cash in baht at markets, street stalls, taxis and tuk-tuks.

Reviews, royal criticism and drones: what not to post or fly

Thailand's laws on speech catch out visitors more than its laws on most other things.

Lèse majesté. Criticising, threatening or insulting the royal family is a crime that carries up to 15 years in prison per offence. Damaging royal images, including on banknotes, can also count.
Defamation. Thailand's defamation laws are strict, and the US State Department warns that a negative review on a public website can lead to civil or criminal penalties. Keep reviews factual and calm, or wait until you're home.
Drones. You must register a drone with both the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the NBTC, the telecoms regulator, and hold drone liability insurance that is valid in Thailand. Don't fly until both approvals and your insurance are confirmed.

It's also worth watching for common tourist scams in Bangkok, Pattaya and the islands: inflated bar tabs, gem and tour scams, and rental shops that hold your passport until you pay for invented damage. Never hand your passport over as a deposit. If you need help, call the Tourist Police on 1155, who are used to dealing with visitors.

Researched October 2026 · 4 sources

travel.state.gov Thailand International Travel Information (US State Department)
tdac.immigration.go.th Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)
en.wikipedia.org True Corporation (Wikipedia)
en.wikipedia.org List of emergency telephone numbers (Wikipedia)

7-day itinerary

Seven days in Thailand: Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai

An overland week through Thailand's historic heartland by train and bus: two days of temples and river life in Bangkok, the ruined royal capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, then two days in Chiang Mai's old city and mountains before flying home.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 4

When to go November to February is coolest and driest, especially in the north; March to May is very hot, and the June to October rains bring flooding risk; in late September 2026 all of Bangkok's districts were declared flood-affected, so check conditions before travelling.

Day 1 Bangkok

Bangkok: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun

From Suvarnabhumi (BKK), take the Airport Rail Link into the city in about 30 minutes, then a taxi or ride-hailing car.

Go early to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha, dressed with shoulders and knees covered. Walk south to Wat Pho to see the gold Reclining Buddha and the temple's massage school. Take the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier to Wat Arun and climb its steep central prang. In the evening, ride a Chao Phraya Express boat back up the river.

Signal DTAC and TrueMove H both have 5G across central Bangkok; inside the temple halls and on the river it may drop back to 4G.
Day 2 Bangkok

Bangkok: Jim Thompson House, Lumphini and Chinatown

Visit the Jim Thompson House, a collection of traditional teak houses beside a canal, assembled by the American silk trader who vanished in 1967. Walk in Lumphini Park and look for its monitor lizards. If it is a weekend, go to the Chatuchak market instead. In the evening, take the MRT to Wat Mangkon and walk Yaowarat Road in Chinatown for street food.

Signal Strong 5G along the BTS Skytrain and in Chinatown; the underground MRT has coverage in stations and tunnels.
Day 3 Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya's ruined capital

About 1.5 to 2 hours by train from Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat station.

Take the train north to Ayutthaya, the Siamese capital for four centuries until it was sacked in 1767, now a UNESCO site on an island ringed by rivers. Hire a bicycle and visit Wat Mahathat, with its Buddha head held in tree roots, the three chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the restored Wat Chaiwatthanaram, best at sunset from across the river.

Signal 4G, with 5G in parts of the town, across the Ayutthaya island; the open temple grounds keep good coverage.
Day 4 Sukhothai

North to Sukhothai

Train from Ayutthaya to Phitsanulok in about 5 hours, then an hour by bus to Sukhothai.

Travel north to Sukhothai, the first capital of a Thai kingdom in the 13th century. Settle into New Sukhothai, then take a songthaew about 14 km to the old city in the late afternoon. Walk among the lotus ponds and chedis of the Central Zone's Wat Mahathat as the light drops, and come back for the evening market in town.

Signal 4G on the train for most of the journey, with gaps in rural stretches; New Sukhothai and the historical park have 4G.
Day 5 Chiang Mai

Sukhothai Historical Park and the bus to Chiang Mai

About 5 hours by bus from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai.

Rent a bicycle at the park entrance at opening time and ride through the Central and Northern Zones: Wat Si Sawai's Khmer-style towers, Wat Sa Si on its island and the giant seated Buddha of Wat Si Chum framed by a narrow opening. Visit the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum by the entrance. After lunch, take the bus north to Chiang Mai.

Signal 4G in the historical park; on the bus through the hills between Tak and Lampang expect some patchy stretches.
Day 6 Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai's old city and Doi Suthep

Explore the moated old city on foot: Wat Phra Singh with its classic Lanna-style hall, the ruined great chedi of Wat Chedi Luang, and the quieter temples of the side lanes. In the late afternoon, take a songthaew up Doi Suthep to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, climbing the dragon staircase for the view over the city. If it is Sunday, walk the night market on Ratchadamnoen Road.

Signal 5G in central Chiang Mai, 4G on the winding road up Doi Suthep and at the temple.
Day 7 Chiang Mai

Doi Inthanon National Park and departure

About 1.5 to 2 hours by road from Chiang Mai to the summit; Chiang Mai airport (CNX) is close to the old city.

Make a morning trip to Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain at 2,565 metres. Walk the boardwalk through cloud forest near the summit, visit the twin royal chedis with their gardens and stop at Wachirathan waterfall on the way down. Return to Chiang Mai for an evening flight, or stay on and take the overnight train back to Bangkok.

Signal 4G at the summit area and the chedis, patchy in the forest and lower valleys; AIS users may have signal where you do not.

Staying connected on this route

Register the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card on the official immigration site before you fly and keep the confirmation offline.
Your eSIM uses DTAC or TrueMove H, not AIS; in national parks AIS is sometimes stronger.
Check flood updates for Bangkok before you travel, and keep data on for local news and transport changes.
Download an offline map of the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya ruins, which spread over several kilometres.

Itinerary sources · 5

en.wikivoyage.org Sukhothai (Wikivoyage)
whc.unesco.org Historic City of Ayutthaya (UNESCO)
whc.unesco.org Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns (UNESCO)
gov.uk Thailand travel advice (GOV.UK)
tdac.immigration.go.th Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified October 30, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified October 30, 2026
Local rules: SIM registration and device rules, checked against the sources below.Source: tilleke.com, insights.opensignal.com; Verified September 23, 2026