Best eSIM for Thailand

Prices in Thailand

The three plans we compare for every country: the smallest plan sold, 5 GB for 30 days, and a week of unlimited data. Holafly sells only unlimited plans, so its three are 1, 7 and 30 days. How the three providers compare across all fifteen destinations is in our main eSIM comparison.

Which network you get

All three resell Thai networks; what each one says on its own page:

• Airalo lists True as the primary network and AIS as a second, with the note that the eSIM “may switch between the following networks, based on availability and speed”. Its page says nothing about 5G or hotspot use, so we make no claim for either.
• Holafly runs on True / dtac, with 5G where available, and caps hotspot sharing at 1 GB a day.
• Saily does not name its Thai network. It states 5G where the local network provides it and hotspot use with no restrictions.

Buying a local SIM instead

Thailand’s operators sell tourist SIMs openly, and registration is against your passport.

• AIS sells a Tourist SIM as a physical SIM or an eSIM: 5 days for 399 baht, 8 days for 499, 15 days for 699 and 30 days for 1,199, all with unlimited data on 5G/4G, plus a 1-day 1 GB option at 49 baht. AIS says to register the SIM before use and, to keep using a tourist SIM beyond 60 days, to re-confirm your identity by SMS or at an AIS shop.
• True sells the Tourist INFINITE SIM in 8, 15 and 30-day versions with unlimited data at full speed, available “at True and dtac service centers nationwide, as well as 24/7 at airport locations”. Its terms require a valid passport, allow at most three SIMs per person per brand, and cap validity at 60 days with no extension by top-up.
• Both operators’ pages describe the registration rule as the regulator’s (NBTC). We could not load the regulator’s own page, so the rule here is as the operators state it.

Before you land

A travel eSIM skips the counter but not the preparation.

• Install the eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly and switch it on when you land. Airalo gives you 365 days from purchase to start it; Saily 180 days.
• These are data-only plans. Keep your home SIM active for the text messages your bank and your airline send, with data roaming switched off on it.
• A tourist SIM from AIS or True is capped at 60 days; if you are staying longer, a travel eSIM or a re-registration at an operator shop is the route.
• Carry your onward reservation in a form that opens without a connection: the check-in desk asks for it before the eSIM is on. Thailand’s onward-ticket rules are on their own page, and the free checker covers your passport.