You can buy a local SIM card anywhere in Thailand, but it is best to buy a SIM card at Bangkok Airport or any other airport of your arrival to get connected right away. At Bangkok Airport you will easily see the shops of all 3 Thai mobile phone service providers. Discover SIM card price at Bangkok Airport and detailed information about ALL data plans for tourists.
Thailand SIM Card at Bangkok Airport
Getting a Thai SIM card for tourist is easy, as all the main mobile phone service providers in the country offer special plans for tourists. All of them have numerous branches at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), which is the arrival point for most of the tourists visiting Thailand. Most of the shops are located on the landside of the airport (after passing customs), but you can find some shops on the airside, before passing immigration.
Buying a Thailand SIM card at Bangkok Airport is not complicated, as you only need an unlocked phone, a passport, and some cash in local currency to get a local SIM card for Thailand.
At least some of the branches at Suvarnabhumi Airport also accept credit cards for the payment, but this payment option might not be available in all shops. However, you can pre-book a Thai SIM card and pay for it online with your card to avoid cash payments at the airport.
If your mobile phone is eSIM compatible, you can get eSIM Thailand by instant email delivery and use it right after landing in Bangkok. It will help you to save time at the airport!
Bangkok Airport SIM Cards for Tourists
All 3 main Thailand mobile phone service providers, AIS, DTAC, and TRUE, are present at Bangkok Airport and offer ‘pay as you go’ deals of Thai SIM cards for tourists. However, DTAC and TRUE merged recently and now offer identical plans to travelers, so you basically have two different choices.
All three mobile networks have 4G/5G capability, providing fairly good coverage in all but the most remote corners of the country, so your choice of SIM card at Bangkok Airport should basically depend on the price, duration, and amount of data needed. Actually, when your purchased plan expires, you can top it up at any 7-11 convenience store or via the app of the service provider, so it's not necessary to book a plan covering the full duration of your trip since the start.
The shops of three mobile phone service providers at Bangkok Airport can be recognized by distinct colors, and they are often located next to each other so you can compare their offers without running all around the airport.
DTAC SIM Card Price at Bangkok Airport
The shops of Thailand's mobile service provider DTAC at Bangkok Airport are blue.
DTAC is currently offering several types of prepaid SIM cards for tourists at Bangkok Airport.
The most basic is Happy Tourist 49 THB – Pay-As-You-Go plan that includes 1 GB Internet for 24 hours and then needs to be extended by getting add-ons.
Other Happy Tourist plan options offer unlimited Internet for 8 to 15 days and Internet at max speed for up to 15-50 GB. DTAC is also offering Happy Tourist Infinite plans with unlimited Internet and no speed limits for 8 to 30 days, but they cost from 449 THB to 1,199 THB and are more expensive alternatives. The most popular Thai SIM card options at Bangkok Airport are the following:
- Happy Tourist 349 THB – unlimited Internet for 10 days (max speed up to 50 GB)
– Get this SIM card for as little as 183 THB when booking online! - Happy Tourist Infinite 699 THB – unlimited Internet for 15 days
– Get this SIM card at a discounted price when booking online!
To get a discounted rate, you need to book a DTAC SIM card online via the links provided and then pick up your SIM card at the airport on arrival.
AIS SIM Card Price at Bangkok Airport
The shops of Thailand's mobile service provider AIS at Bangkok Airport are green.
AIS is currently offering a pay-as-you-go plan and 4 other types of prepaid SIM cards for travelers with unlimited Internet for 5 to 30 days that cost from 349 THB to 1,199 THB.
As AIS claims to be the No. 1 network in Thailand, their tourist SIM card plans are more expensive and can't be pre-booked online at a discounted rate, so choosing another Thai SIM card at Bangkok Airport can help you save a significant amount of money.
TRUE SIM Card Price at Bangkok Airport
The shops of Thailand's mobile service provider TRUE at Bangkok Airport are red.
As it was mentioned before, after merging, TRUE is currently offering identical prepaid SIM card options for tourists like DTAC. The most popular of them can also be pre-booked online at a discounted rate:
- Thailand Tourist 349 THB – unlimited Internet for 10 days (max speed up to 50 GB)
– Get this SIM card for as little as 183 THB when booking online! - Thailand Tourist Infinite 699 THB – unlimited Internet for 15 days
– Get this SIM card at a discounted price when booking online!
Best Price for Thai SIM Card at Bangkok Airport
If you want to get the best price for a Thai SIM card at Bangkok Airport, you should book your Thailand SIM card online and get it at the airport with the voucher. There are few advantages to pre-booking a Thai SIM card online and then picking it up on arrival at the airport:
- You can get your Thai SIM card at a discounted price.
- You don’t need to exchange your money to Thai baht at the airport (exchange rates at the arrivals are really bad).
- The desk of the reseller is normally less crowded than the shops of the providers, so picking up your SIM card there can save time.
Where can you get the best deal for a Thai SIM card? By booking it online via the link below and picking it up at Bangkok Airport:
Thai SIM card at Bangkok Airport
After your purchased plan expires, you can top it up at any 7-11 convenience store or via the app of the service provider. Therefore, getting a discounted DTAC Happy Tourist package online and topping it up once the plan gets expired or max speed Internet is used is normally cheaper than buying the plan for 599 THB at once.
Tips
Install the app of the chosen service provider, as you will be able to top up easily, track your data usage, and get various deals from time to time (they give away various discounts or freebies, such as free ice cream at Thailand McDonald's, so you might be lucky to get something worth attention).
Other useful apps for Thailand are listed here: Best Apps for Thailand Travel.
