So, you’re heading to the land of smiles for a holiday and need to stay connected? Well, you’re in the right place. Having moved to, and traveled in the kingdom for over a year now, I know exactly the best practices to follow when buying a SIM card in Thailand. In this article, I will share everything you need to know to get connected, save money, and get the best deal for your trip.
Where Can I Buy A SIM Card in Thailand
You can purchase SIM cards from:
- The airport
- Any convenience store
- Any mall
Buying A SIM Card From The Airport






There are 3 areas where you can buy a prepaid SIM card in the airport:
- Before immigration after you’ve passed the final moving walkway
- After immigration in the baggage area (best location)
- After baggage collection in the arrivals area
To purchase a SIM card from the airport, you will need a passport and cash. You can withdraw cash from the ATMs located before and after the immigration checkpoints, and use this to purchase your plan from any of the above stalls.
The best network to purchase from the airport is AIS. This is the best SIM card in Thailand, and has the most coverage and fastest speeds, but is also the most costly. I would highly advise against getting DTAC, as this is considered the worst network in Thailand.
2nd best is True Move. This has great coverage, and speeds, but you’ll find in more rural areas it tends to drop out. It is slightly cheaper, and also a lot more convenient, because you can top up your True Move card at any 7/11 in Thailand.
Buying A SIM Card From Convenience Stores (DTAC & True)


You can purchase SIM cards from most convenience stores in Thailand, however, the most popular is 7/11 and it’s advisable to purchase one from here. Unforunately you can only get True Move and DTAC SIM Cards at 7/11. For AIS SIM cards, you will have to go to a mall or purchase it directly from the airport upon arrival.
This is why we suggest getting a True Move SIM card because it is the best value for money based on speed, coverage, and convenience. For 300 baht, you can get unlimited data for 30 days, and then top this up at any 7/11 across the country.
To purchase a SIM Card from 7/11 you will need:
- Passport
- Cash
To buy a SIM card, simply walk in and ask for a 30-day SIM plan at the counter. Then give them your passport. They will take a photo of you, using a phone, and after you will pay 300 baht for your plan. After this, usually, the store clerk will offer to set up the SIM for you. However, if they do not, simply ask them for a SIM pin, eject your current SIM, and replace it with the True Move one.
After 5-10 minutes you should have a connection. If you do not, go back into the store and ask them to help.
Buying A SIM Card From The Mall (AIS Only)


If you want AIS network during your stay in Thailand, you will have to find a phone shop. The best place to find one of these, is at any mall. Once you have found the AIS shop, simply ask them to purchase a blank SIM card with no plan installed on it. You can additionally ask them to load your SIM with a plan, but usually these plans are worse than the ones you can get in the app.
This SIM should only cost you 59 baht, and once you have it, install it in your phone, install the MyAIS app, choose a plan and then purchase the plan using a credit or debit card.
Purchasing a SIM card this way is the least convenient option when visiting Thailand because you have to find an AIS shop. However, once you have the SIM, using the AIS app is very simple and you can top-up from anywhere.
Beware though, some foreign cards do not work in this app, and many report having to go to the store to top-up every time. This is exceptionally annoying if you are traveling around, which is why we suggest True Move as you can top-up from any 7/11.
To get an AIS SIM:
- Go to any AIS store
- Purchase SIM for 59 baht.
- Then download “My AIS” from the app store
- Click “change main package”
- Choose your package
- Pay for package using credit or debit card
- You can also just get an already set up prepaid package at the store, but it’s a little bit more expensive and offers lower data speeds.
Can I Buy A Prepaid SIM Card Before Getting To Thailand?
Yes, you can purchase a prepaid SIM card before arriving in Thailand, although it’s not advisable due to higher costs and worse plans. There are also far fewer network options to choose from. If you have a phone that is compatible with eSIMs, then it is better to purchase a plan using a service such as Holafly, or Airlo.
If you do wish to purchase a prepaid SIM card before going to Thailand, you can do so from these websites:
When purchasing a prepaid SIM online, you will have to wait for delivery, so please allow time for shipping.
Why Buy A Prepid SIM Instead of An eSIM?



eSIMs are quite expensive for the plan you will get, when comparing it to the local prices. Although, they are extremely convenient. For those who want to save a bit of extra money, and get more data for a lower cost, it is better to look into Prepaid SIM card options for Thailand.
This does not apply to prepaid options that are bought before going to Thailand on holiday. It only applies to prepaid SIM cards bought upon arrival in the country.
For instance, for 300 baht at 7/11, you can purchase a 30-day, unlimited data plan on the True Move network. That’s around $8 USD for a month of high-speed, great coverage phone usage. Compare that to any eSIM plan, and you’ll see why it’s the better option.
Which Is The Best SIM Card To Get in Thailand
Here are the best SIM Card in Thailand (in order):
- AIS – fastest most reliable. Best for travelers going off-beaten path more
- True – fast speeds, but coverage is not as good as AIS.
- DTAC – limited to 4g speeds, coverage not as good as others
After testing both True and AIS extensively in Thailand, it’s clear that AIS takes the crown for the fastest speeds and most reliable coverage. With AIS, we experienced minimal to no coverage drop-offs, even in rural areas. While we haven’t personally tested DTAC, feedback from Thai locals consistently supports the same ranking: AIS is the best, True comes second, and DTAC ranks third. That said, all three networks perform well within cities.
Interestingly, a recent Opensignal report suggests that AIS, True, and DTAC now offer equal coverage across Thailand, challenging AIS’s longstanding dominance in this area. However, user experiences often tell a different story. Many still report that DTAC struggles with speed and coverage compared to True and AIS, especially in less urbanized areas.




As you can see from the speedtests above, done with speedtest by Ookla, AIS wins on both hotspot and direct phone usage, with AIS getting up to 142mb/s download & 56mb/s upload speeds. While True is at 24mb/s download and 5mb/s upload.
We would recommend getting AIS if you can, but True is extremely convenient if you’re not worried about speeds. You could also consider getting pocket WiFi in Thailand, however it’s often best to just use your phone as a hotspot.

I’m Harry – and I was tired of the same old “10 best places I’ve never been but I’m writing about for some reason” blog posts. So… I’m a young traveller on a mission to travel the world and share my true, unfiltered experience, including all the gristly details. From packing my life into one bag for a year, to traveling Vietnam by motorbike, to sorting out Visas for specific countries – I’ve done it all, am doing it all and only give my advice on things I have done – not regurgitated cr*p from another source *cough* most publications *cough*. So bear with us! This project will take some time to grow, and will take a fair bit of money. But I’m determined to make it the single best source of information about traveling on the internet.