Best eSIM For Thailand As A Tourist (2024)
Looking to find the best eSIM for Thailand? You’ve come to the right place.
Visiting Thailand is an unbelievable experience. It provides amazing memories and opportunities – but it can be hard to stay connected at times.
When taking a trip to Thailand, I recommend buying an eSIM. I’ve visited Thailand multiple times and it’s always my go-to way of staying online throughout the country.
Using mobile data roaming packages with your provider from home can quickly get expensive, and eSIMs are a cheaper alternative (and they often have better coverage too).
So to help you out, I’ve put together a complete guide using all my experience to teach you how to find the best eSIM for Thailand.
Best eSIM for Thailand – Airalo
As a full-time traveller, I’ve played around a lot with finding the best eSIM and from my experience, I find Airalo to be the best.
Airalo is the original eSIM store, they were the first eSIM store in the world, and they have eSIMs in pretty much every country, Thailand included.
The thing I find with eSIMs is that they can often be more expensive than buying a real SIM card, but this isn’t the case with Airalo.
Every time I go back to Thailand, I always get an Airalo eSIM. It has never let me down, and I get a strong connection everywhere I go. And I mean everywhere – I took a jungle trek near Chiang Mai and I assumed I would lose connection, but I had 5G the whole way through!
I’ve recommended them to plenty of friends and family since, and they have all reported back that they had just as good of an experience. Airalo is tried and tested.
They offer a number of packages for visiting Thailand, ranging from 7-day plans to 30-day plans, with a variety of data allowances for each. The cheapest plan (1GB for 7 days) starts at $4.50 and the most expensive is $22 (20GB for 30 days).
I don’t know about you, but I pay more than $22 for my SIM at home, so Airalo is a really good deal. Especially when you consider that you are also saving money, as the other option is to pay huge data roaming charges with your provider.
Mine, for example, charges £5 a day ($6.28). So if I was to pay that for 30 days, I would spend almost $200! With Airalo, it’s $22. It’s a no-brainer if you ask me.
Airalo is also really to use. You simply download the app, choose your package, install your eSIM and then activate it once you arrive in Thailand.
The only downside about Airalo is that I haven’t found a way to extend an eSIM, you simply have to buy another one. But I don’t find that to be too big of an issue, it’s just more of a convenience issue.
Another possible downside is that you can’t make phone calls or text messages, as Airalo’s eSIMs are data only, and do not come with a phone number. But when I have purchased physical tourist SIM cards in Thailand, this was the case too.
Personally, I find it more convenient to keep my phone number from home and get an eSIM as I need my phone number to receive verification texts for my bank, for example.
All in all, I can’t recommend Airalo enough. It’s got the best value, a good range of packages to choose from, incredibly good data coverage and it’s very convenient. What more can you ask for?
🇹🇭 Buy your Thailand eSIM with Airalo 📱
Other Thailand eSIM Options
While I personally swear by Airalo and recommend them very highly, I understand that you want to have all of the options laid out on the table for you.
Again, as a full-time traveller, I’ve experimented with a lot of different eSIMs, many of which haven’t even made this list.
But there are 3 others which I would say are worth considering. Maybe you’ll find that one of SimOptions, AirHub or Nomad might suit you better than Airalo.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another well-known eSIM store, with plans available in more than 160 countries.
Like with Airalo, the eSIM data plans work out cheaper than paying for international roaming charges with your home provider.
The plans with SimOptions are slightly more expensive though, with the 1GB, 7-day plan costing $4.90 (50 cents more than Airalo), as an example. That’s why when backpacking Thailand on a budget, I always opt for Airalo.
But what I do like about SimOptions, is that they have options to take a plan with calls and SMS text messages included.
So if you need phone calls and text messages for work or something, then it’s worth considering.
From my experience though, it’s easier to just use the likes of WhatsApp which you can use for free. And if you have an eSIM, you will always have a connection to the internet to be able to use WhatsApp.
Top Tip: I would recommend downloading WhatsApp before visiting Thailand as it is how tour companies, bus companies, hotels, etc. like to communicate with you. It’s one of my must-have apps for travelling Thailand.
SimOptions also don’t have the option to top-up, you simply need to buy another eSIM plan again. It can be frustrating if you are travelling for 11 days, for example, as you will need to choose whether to get the 10-day plan and have no data for a day, or get the 15-day plan and waste 4 days.
Nonetheless, SimOptions is a strong alternative to Airalo and I like the fact that they have the option of getting a phone number along with the data plans.
🇹🇭 Buy your Thailand eSIM with SimOptions 📱
AirHub
Airhub also offers plans which include phone calls and text messages. To be fair to them, some plans are really good value, but I feel like they’re too much.
For example, you can get a 50GB plan which lasts ten days for only $7.99. It’s amazing value, but who is ever going to use 50GB in 10 days? I know I don’t and I’m on social media all the time!
Whereas the 30-day plans are a little worse value than Airalo, in my opinion. You can get as much as 100GB! But again, who is ever going to use that?
My other problem lies with the fact that their website isn’t very user-friendly. Originally, I thought there wasn’t a way to view all of their plans as I had to view an individual plan and see the “related plans” underneath.
But eventually, I found a page with all of their plans listed. To make it easy for you, I’ve linked to that page throughout this section.
I also like that they offer plans for Asia generally rather than specific to Thailand. They’re a good option if you are backpacking Southeast Asia, for example.
🇹🇭 Buy your Thailand eSIM with AirHub 📱
Nomad
My third and final alternative to Airalo is Nomad.
Again, they have a ton of plans and packages to choose from.
For the most part, Nomad actually offers cheaper prices than any other eSIM provider, but from my experience, the coverage isn’t as good and the connection isn’t as strong.
If you are travelling on a shoestring budget and you’re happy to sacrifice your connection quality for a couple of dollars, then Nomad is an option to consider. Otherwise, I personally wouldn’t use it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s by no means a bad eSIM, but I personally just find it to not be as good as Airalo. It’s just my opinion, other people disagree for sure as they have thousands of positive reviews on Trustpilot.
They do offer unlimited data plans which are pretty neat, although naturally, they are more expensive. But again, unless you buy a really low-data plan, I would say you’re unlikely to hit even a 30GB limit within 30 days.
But if you’re looking to save some pennies, Nomad is the one for you.
🇹🇭 Buy your Thailand eSIM with Nomad 📱
Thailand eSIMs Comparison
Now that I have gone through all of the best options for an eSIM in Thailand, I’ve put together some of the most important information into a table so it is clear for you to decide which one is right for you.
| Number of Plans | Cheapest Plan | Connection Speed | Coverage | Calls & SMS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | 6 | $4.50 | 5G | 99.1% | Out of stock |
| SimOptions | 5 | $4.90 | 5G | Very good | Some plans |
| AirHub | 12 | $7.99 | 5G | Very good | Some plans |
| Nomad | 16 | $8 | 4G | Good | No |
Is it worth buying an eSIM for Thailand?
Yes, it is definitely worth buying an eSIM for Thailand.
There are many advantages to buying an eSIM anywhere in the world, and the same advantages apply to Thailand.
Firstly, it’s extremely convenient. All you need to do is download the app, pick your plan, install the eSIM and activate it. It’s very straightforward.
Secondly, it’s an affordable option. If you pay for data roaming on your home contract, you will pay a fortune compared to the price of an eSIM.
Thirdly, it’s cheaper than buying a SIM card at the airport. SIM cards in airports in Thailand are ridiculously overpriced. I fell for it once and I won’t ever pay it again. And it’s very difficult to get from the airport to a store to buy a cheaper SIM card without internet, so it’s easier to buy an eSIM.
eSIMs also have incredibly good coverage. I was very pleasantly surprised using Airalo in Thailand by just how good the coverage is. I had better data coverage than what I get back home in the UK.
Lastly, for some people, it’s the only other option. If you are from the US and you have a relatively new phone, you might not have a SIM slot anymore. This means that an eSIM is your only other option unless you want to pay for international roaming fees.
So is it worth buying an eSIM in Thailand? Absolutely.
How to buy an eSIM for Thailand
I recommend using Airalo to buy an eSIM for Thailand.
They have the best prices and in my opinion, the best variety of packages.
Buying an eSIM is very straightforward. You simply go onto Airalo and choose your plan.
Then you download the app, install your eSIM before you get on your flight, and then activate it once you arrive in Thailand.
It’s as easy as pie, and you really can’t go wrong. But if you do, Airalo has amazing 24/7 customer support who can help guide you along the way.
Is it better to have a SIM Card or eSIM in Thailand?
In my opinion, it’s better to have an eSIM. There are a few reasons for this, and I’ll go over each of them briefly.
Firstly, it’s much easier. You land in Thailand stress-free, knowing you are connected to the internet. You don’t have to worry about finding a SIM card from somewhere.
Secondly, it’s cheaper than buying a SIM card from the airport. The SIM cards in Thailand’s airports are super overpriced and the packages aren’t great in my opinion.
To be transparent, you can probably find SIM cards from phone shops in Thailand for slightly cheaper than eSIMs, but it’s not worth the hassle in my opinion.
Thirdly, some phones don’t have an actual physical SIM card slot anymore in some countries. It’s not the case for me in the UK, but if you have a new phone in the US, you won’t have an actual SIM card anymore, everything is done digitally.
So if you ask me, it’s better to have an eSIM in Thailand than to get an actual SIM card.
FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions related to the best eSIM in Thailand along with my expert answers to each question.
The best eSIM coverage in Thailand is Airalo. It has a strong 5G connection throughout all of Thailand, even in remote areas such as jungles in the north of Thailand. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the coverage is.
Yes, you can get an eSIM in Thailand. The best option is Airalo. All you need to do is choose a plan, download the app, install the eSIM and then activate it. It’s very convenient and the data coverage is extraordinary.
The best eSIM card for Vietnam and Thailand is Airalo. You can get a data plan for Asia which covers both countries, or you can get separate eSIMs for both countries. Either way, it’s really simple and convenient and the internet connection is the best.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, a complete guide to the best eSIM for Thailand.
Remember, my personal recommendation is Airalo. It has the best prices, best coverage, best plans and it’s never let me down.
Thailand is an amazing country to visit, and being assured that you will always have an internet connection helps the trip go all the more smoothly.
Enjoy your trip to Thailand, it’s an amazing country! On the topic of saving money, make sure you also use Revolut while in Thailand to save on currency exchange fees from your bank.
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