Internet in Thailand for Tourists: What to Use and What It Costs
You land in Bangkok and need your phone right away. You want the hotel address, a ride, and a way to text home. If your carrier charges by the day, that first text can also start the meter.
Internet in Thailand for tourists comes down to three good choices: a Thai tourist SIM, a data eSIM you install at home, or daily roaming with your US carrier. Thai tourist plans are a strong deal if you are happy to register your passport. A data eSIM is the easiest option if you want to be online when you land, with nothing to do at a counter. Roaming fits a stay of a day or two.
In short:
- AIS tourist plans start at 399 baht (about $12) and True and dtac plans at 499 baht (about $15), with unlimited data, in October 2026.
- Verizon TravelPass and AT&T International Day Pass both list $12 a day for one line, so 14 days of use is $168.
- The Moosetrip Thailand eSIM starts at $5.50 for 1 GB over 7 days, and 5 GB for 30 days is $13, on 2026-10-30.
- Every Thai SIM needs a passport. Bring the original to the counter.
Thailand eSIM from $5.50Install at home, connect when you land.See plans
Internet options in Thailand compared
Dollar amounts for baht prices are rough, at about 34 baht to the dollar. Your bank's rate will differ.
| Option | Price | What you get | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIS tourist plan | 399 to 1,199 baht ($12 to $36) | Unlimited data, a Thai number, some calls | Trips of 5 to 30 days |
| True or dtac tourist plan | 499 to 1,199 baht ($15 to $36) | Unlimited data, a Thai number, local calls up to 15 minutes each | Trips of 8 to 30 days |
| True or dtac data-only SIM | 349 baht ($10) | 10 days of data, no outgoing calls | A short data-only trip |
| Verizon or AT&T daily pass | $12 per day for one line | Your US number, talk, text, and data | A day or two |
| Moosetrip eSIM | $5.50 to $30 | Data only, 1 GB to 20 GB | Being online on landing, no counter |
| Free Wi-Fi | $0 | Whatever the hotel or cafe offers | Backup |
Roaming with your US carrier
Roaming needs no setup, and your normal number keeps working. You pay for that by the day.
Verizon lists TravelPass at $12 per day, per line, outside Mexico and Canada. Each session lasts 24 hours and includes 5 GB of high-speed data. AT&T lists International Day Pass at $12 per day for one line, plus $6 for each extra line used that day, for customers on an unlimited plan. Confirm Thailand and the rate in your carrier app before you fly.
For one line, 7 days of use costs $84 and 14 days costs $168. A Thai tourist plan for 15 days is 699 baht, or about $21, on 2026-10-30. That gap is why roaming rarely makes sense past a few days here.
Some US plans include travel data. If yours covers Thailand and gives you enough high-speed data, keep it. You do not need anything else.
Thai tourist SIMs and eSIMs
Thailand has two network groups. AIS is one. True and dtac are the other: both brands belong to True Corporation, and their networks were merged in 2025.
AIS prices below are from its site on 2026-10-30. True and dtac prices are from 2026-10-11.
| Days | AIS | True and dtac |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 399 baht | not offered |
| 8 | 499 baht | 499 baht |
| 15 | 699 baht | 699 baht |
| 30 | 1,199 baht | 1,199 baht |
The FAQ on True's page still showed 449 baht for 8 days on 2026-10-30, so confirm the price at the counter.
These plans differ in calls. AIS includes calls inside its own network and gives 100 baht of credit for other Thai networks. True and dtac make local calls free for up to 15 minutes per call, and longer calls are charged at standard rates. True and dtac also list a 10-day data-only SIM at 349 baht. It cannot make outgoing calls, except to the call center and emergency numbers.
"Unlimited" here means data at the maximum speed available. True says speed depends on coverage, how many people are connected, and your phone. It does not guarantee a top speed.
A Thai plan beats us on price for most trips of a week or more. You get unlimited data for about what we charge for 10 GB, plus a local number. Choose it if your phone has a SIM tray or can take a Thai eSIM, and you do not mind the passport step.
Which network is best in Thailand
No single network wins everywhere, and the big reports disagree.
- Opensignal: in its August 2026 report, with data from April 1 to June 29, 2026, dtac and True shared the Best Network title and won on download speed and reliability. AIS took the upload award at 15 Mbps and the most awards overall.
- Ookla: for the first half of 2026, AIS was fastest, at 164.84 Mbps against 120.79 for True dtac.
- Coverage: in Opensignal's June 2025 report, AIS scored 8.5 out of 10, against 7.4 for TrueMove H and dtac.
Here is how Opensignal's average download speed looked by region for April to June 2026:
| Region | AIS | dtac | TrueMove H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | 59.9 Mbps | 56.7 Mbps | 54.4 Mbps |
| Pattaya and the east | 46.9 Mbps | 43.2 Mbps | 42.0 Mbps |
| Phuket, Krabi, Samui | 34.5 Mbps | 33.5 Mbps | 33.0 Mbps |
| Chiang Mai and the north | 33.7 Mbps | 34.1 Mbps | 31.0 Mbps |
Those gaps are small. Any of them handles maps, ride apps, and video calls, so pick by plan and price.
Buying a SIM at the airport
Save the location before you board. dtac lists these spots on its site, and it publishes no hours for them:
| Airport | Where to find dtac |
|---|---|
| Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok | Second floor of arrivals, near Gate 7 |
| Don Mueang, Bangkok | Arrival floor, between Terminals 1 and 2 |
| Phuket | Terminal 2, across from the arrival gate |
AIS said on 2026-10-11 that its counters at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket run 24 hours. At Phuket they are in the international hall by the baggage belts.
At the counter, ask for the full price and the date the plan ends. If your phone has no tray, a plastic SIM will not help, so ask for an eSIM. Your phone must also be unlocked. You can check your phone here.
Staying in one city? Our Bangkok SIM card guide and Phuket SIM card guide list shops in town.
Passport rules
True says its tourist SIM must be registered with a valid passport under Thai regulator rules, with a limit of 3 SIMs per person per brand. Bring the original, because a photo may not be accepted.
AIS sells its tourist eSIM online, but its site first asks for a passport photo and a selfie. That check can take from one hour to 48 hours, so do not leave it for the night before you fly. AIS also warned on 2026-10-11 that the plan can start when you email yourself the QR code, and that payments are not refunded.
True also says topping up does not extend a tourist SIM after it expires, so choose a plan that covers the whole trip, including the ride back to the airport.
Internet on Phuket, Phi Phi, and the islands
Thailand's coverage is strong overall. Opensignal says more than 97% of connections run on 4G or 5G. Still, a national score says little about one beach.
True said in May 2025 that it finished upgrading its network across Phuket. In February 2026 it announced 5G at Maya Bay on Phi Phi, naming the beach, the Loh Samah pier, and the park office. That does not cover the whole island group. On nPerf's maps, updated 2026-09-30, the ferry route from Krabi to Phi Phi has stretches of up to 21 km with no measurements at all.
So ask your hotel which network works in the rooms. Save boat tickets and meeting points as screenshots, since you may have no signal on the water.
Travel eSIM for Thailand
An eSIM is a digital SIM. You install it at home over Wi-Fi with a QR code, and your regular number stays on as a second line. Days count from your first connection in Thailand.
Two limits apply. Your phone must support eSIM and must not be locked to your carrier. And our eSIM is internet only, with no phone number, so you call through apps.
Our Thailand plans list the AIS, DTAC, and TrueMove H networks. Prices on 2026-10-30:
| Data | Valid for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $5.50 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $9.50 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $13 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $19.50 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $30 |
To size your plan, use a cautious rule: 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and taxi apps, or about 1.5 hours of video calls. An hour of maps a day for 10 days is about 2 GB. Add 20 minutes of video calls each day and you reach about 4.2 GB, so 5 GB is the safer pick. If you run low, you can add data to the same eSIM.
Going on to Vietnam or elsewhere in the region? Our Asia eSIM covers 14 countries, with 5 GB for $15. Check that every stop is included first.
Questions
What is the best way to get internet in Thailand as a tourist?
For a week or more, a Thai tourist plan gives the most data for the money. For the easiest start, install a data eSIM at home. For a day or two, roaming is fine.
Can I buy a SIM at the airport at night?
AIS says its counters at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket run 24 hours, on 2026-10-11. If you land very late, an eSIM installed at home means you do not depend on any counter.
Will I keep my US number with an eSIM?
Yes. Your regular number stays on as a second line. Turn off data roaming on that line, or check what your carrier charges, so you do not start a daily pass by accident.
Sources
- True and dtac, Tourist SIM terms and FAQ, checked 2026-10-30, card prices checked 2026-10-11
- dtac, where to buy a tourist SIM, checked 2026-10-30
- AIS, tourist plans, checked 2026-10-30
- AIS, where to buy a tourist SIM, checked 2026-10-11
- AIS TOURIST eSIM, plans and terms, checked 2026-10-11
- Thailand Mobile Network Experience Report, Opensignal, August 2026
- Thailand Mobile Network Experience Report, Opensignal, June 2025
- Fastest mobile network in Thailand, Q1-Q2 2026, Ookla, July 2026
- True Corporation One Network Complete in 2025, December 2025
- True, Phuket network modernization, May 2025
- True, 5G at Maya Bay, February 2026
- nPerf, AIS coverage map of Thailand, map updated 2026-09-30
- Verizon, TravelPass FAQs, checked 2026-10-30
- AT&T, International Day Pass, checked 2026-10-30