Sim Card Lucky Number
Beautiful beaches and landscapes, good weather, excellent food and cheap prices make it an attractive destination, and lots of millions of people flock into the nation each year.
For those seeking to stay connected while they are there, the fantastic thing is that buying a regional SIM card is a very simple and inexpensive procedure, with adequate information levels and decent coverage almost anywhere.
Here is what you want to understand.
Firms
We advocate AIS for many travellers
Though you may also get SIM cards and support from resellers, there is very little point in doing this for many short-term traffic to the nation.
AIS has the greatest market share, and includes a massive community of Wi-fi hotspots which you may get within the more expensive bundles. It looks as if you are seldom far from those hotspots, which do not count towards your cell data allowance.
The business sells prepaid support below the 1-2-Call and you also! Mobile brands. Even though the latter provides more flexibility, many travelers will find themselves utilizing 1-2-Call SIMs since they're more broadly accessible.
I have used dtac's Happy prepaid support previously, but today tend to stay with AIS because of people Wi-fi hotspots.
How
Like most other things in Thailand, purchasing a SIM card is straightforward. Should you venture into Bangkok's primary Suvarnabhumi airport, then all 3 mobile companies have stalls with each other at the arrival hall. They offer pretty much the exact same tourist-focused bundles, which can be aimed mainly at people spending a week or even less in the nation.
If you are in a rush rather than in the nation for long, don't hesitate to pick up one of those tourist suites -- but to get better bargains, find among the organization's retail stores beyond the airport.
Thailand purchased in more rigorous registration requirements for purchasing SIMs in late 2017, so the afternoon of merely handing over money at the corner shop are all gone, at least in concept. At the airport stalls and retail shops, foreigners now will need to supply their passport and also have their photograph taken when purchasing a regional SIM.
I am not a fan of onerous identification conditions such as these, however unless you are purchasing from a street vendor and are delighted with a secondhand SIM that may be closed off at any moment, you are pretty much stuck with that.
On the other hand, at least the remaining part of the procedure was relatively painless. I took a few to get an English-speaking sales rep, chose a call/text/data bundle from a printed booklet at the counter, and handed over the cash. The rep did the remainder, including tripping the SIM, loading my charge on it, and choosing the proper bundle. It took approximately ten minutes in total, and also the SIM functioned immediately.
Prices
Should you purchase one of those AIS tourist suites at the airport, then you're cover 299 baht ($10) to get a card using 1.5GB of information valid for every week, and 100 baht call charge legal for per month. There is also a 599 baht bundle that provides 6GB of information valid for a couple of weeks, and that exact same 100 baht call charge.
Both are bad value compared to buying beyond the airport, however if you are in a rush and happy to cover for convenience, it is an alternative.
If you purchase your own SIM card by a retail shop, you will have access to the entire assortment of packages.
AIS packs
Save
I purchased two distinct bundles from the AIS shop in Bangkok, one for the spouse, one for me personally. Additionally, I added a few additional baht to pay for the occasional text and call.
For 321 baht for example taxation, another bundle had boundless information throttled to 1Mbps rate, valid for a month. It is a fantastic option for men and women that only require slow-but-usable information for a couple of weeks.
Topping Up
It is possible to purchase top-ups pretty much everywhere in Thailand, such as numerous convenience stores, AIS retail places, and a number of different places. Additionally, it is possible to top up on the internet using a credit/debit card to the AIS site.
However you top up, you will then have to buy or renew the real package that you need to use. Make sure you try it, since the default telephone text, and information rates are not especially affordable.
Calling *777# out of the phone should provide an interactive menu for picking your package - have a look on the AIS website for additional information. To change your AIS SIM from Thai into English, input *700*9*7*2 and wait for a moment or 2 to the verification text.
