Destination
eSIM for Thailand: which data plan to pick and how to get online
How much data you need for two weeks in Phuket, a month in Pattaya or a whole winter, how to install your eSIM before you fly, and what to do right after landing in Thailand.
Plan for your trip: Thailand · 10 GB · 30 days — See plans →
You buy and install an eSIM for Thailand at home on Wi-Fi, then after landing in Bangkok or Phuket you set it as your mobile data line and turn on data roaming on it; you’re online within a couple of minutes. Pick the allowance to fit your trip: two weeks of maps and messaging need little data, while a month in Pattaya with evening video or a winter in Chiang Mai with a laptop need a lot more. MoreSim plans are data-only with no Thai number, and a local SIM requires your passport and a face check.
How much data do you need in Thailand?
In Thailand, maps, rides and messaging use little data, while video, stories, video calls and automatic photo backup use a lot, so base your allowance on a typical day. MoreSim plans for Thailand are data-only, with no Thai number, and the data and validity options are on the country’s catalog page.
To avoid overpaying or topping up mid-vacation, think about what you’ll actually use each day. If you post clips every day, give yourself some headroom.
| Trip | What uses data | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Layover or a couple of days in Bangkok | Maps, rides, messaging | A small allowance is enough |
| A week to ten days, no video | Navigation and chats | Make sure the plan covers the whole trip |
| Two weeks in Phuket | Stories, photos, video calls | Go bigger if you shoot every day |
| A month in Pattaya | Evening video, social media | A mid-size 30-day plan or top-ups as you go |
| Remote work from a laptop | Video calls and cloud folders | A large allowance, with your balance checked in the bot |
| Wintering for several months | All of the above for a whole season | One eSIM for the season, topped up as you go |
When you need a lot of data for a short time, like the day you travel from Bangkok down south, check the short plans on the Thailand catalog page. If you shoot a lot on a short vacation and post right away, size your plan by data, not by days.
How do you install your Thailand eSIM before you fly?
You install a Thailand eSIM at home on Wi-Fi. You can buy it on the MoreSim website or in the @moresim_bot Telegram bot, which speaks 40 languages. Pay with Telegram Stars from any country, right in the bot (bank card and SBP payments currently work with cards issued in Russia); the QR code arrives in the chat in about 30 seconds.
- Check in the bot whether your phone supports eSIM: it depends on the model and the market it was made for.
- Buy a Thailand plan and wait for the QR code in the chat.
- At home, on Wi-Fi, scan the code in your phone’s settings. The menu name depends on your OS version: “Add eSIM”, “Add Cellular Plan” or something similar.
- Label the new line, for example “Thailand”, so you don’t mix it up with your home line.
- Until you land, keep cellular data on your usual line.
Installing early is safe: the plan starts counting on its first connection to a network in your destination, not when you buy it. If you install the eSIM a week before your flight, you don’t lose any days.
What should you do after landing in Thailand?
After landing in Thailand, all you need to do is set the Thailand eSIM for mobile data and turn on data roaming on it, which takes a couple of minutes.
- Turn off airplane mode.
- Select the Thailand eSIM for cellular data.
- Turn on data roaming on it: most travel eSIMs connect to the local carrier as a roaming partner, so there’s no data without it. If your plan’s instructions say otherwise, follow them.
- Turn off mobile data on your home SIM so your data doesn’t go through your home carrier.
- If there’s no signal after a couple of minutes, toggle airplane mode again or restart the phone.
From there you can book a ride straight from the arrivals hall in Bangkok or Phuket. A local SIM card is another option, sold at the airport and in phone stores. You register it with your passport, and since August 2025 the regulator NBTC has also required a face check against your passport photo for every new SIM, tourists included. A Thai SIM is worth it if you need a local number; if you only need data, an eSIM is simpler, with no line after a red-eye and no card swapping.
How good is mobile internet in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai?
In Thailand’s big cities and resort areas, mobile coverage is generally solid. It still depends on where you are: inside large buildings, in underpasses and outside town, the signal can be weaker.
- Bangkok: coverage in the center is usually dense, but it can drop in underground parking and on the lower levels of big malls.
- Pattaya: data usually works on the beachfront, downtown and in Jomtien, and gets weaker on the outskirts and on the way to far-off beaches.
- Phuket: there’s usually signal in Patong, Karon, Kata and Phuket Town, with possible dead spots on the winding roads between beaches.
- Chiang Mai: coverage is fine in the Old City and around Nimman, but it can drop on the way to the mountains, temples and waterfalls.
For remote work from a café or apartment in a Thai city, mobile data is usually enough. If you’re heading out of town for the weekend, download offline maps first. Islands and ferries are covered in our separate guide to the Thai islands.
Which apps do you need in Thailand?
In Thailand you need data from the first minute: rides and food delivery are booked through apps, routes come from maps, and you message your hotel and guide on messaging apps. Install the apps at home and sign in while your home SIM still works, since text codes don’t always arrive abroad.
- Rides: tourists usually book cars through apps such as Grab or Bolt. You see the route up front and don’t need to explain the address to the driver.
- Maps: download an offline area for the city before you go; it helps where the signal is weak.
- Food delivery: in cities it’s often ordered through the same apps.
- Camera translator: read Thai menus and signs straight off your screen.
- Messaging apps: MoreSim plans are data-only with no number, so calls go through messaging apps.
- Bookings and boarding passes: keep screenshots in case the signal is weak.
Can you use your eSIM as a hotspot, and will your home number get texts?
You can share mobile data with a laptop using your phone’s hotspot if the plan’s terms allow it, so check the plan card before buying. A laptop uses data much faster than a phone: system updates, cloud folders, video calls. Before tethering, mark the connection as metered and postpone updates, and for daily work get a bigger plan.
Your home SIM stays in the phone as a second line. Verification codes from banks and services reach it as long as your carrier provides roaming for your number in Thailand, so check with them. You don’t need mobile data on the home line to receive texts.
What if you run out of data in Thailand?
If your data runs out before the plan expires, you don’t need a new eSIM: tap “Top up data” on the eSIM card in your account or in the bot’s app and choose a package, and the data is added to your current eSIM, if top-ups are available for that plan. If you decide to stay longer than the plan’s validity, ask support ahead of time how to continue. For a winter stay, it’s easiest to start with a large, long-validity plan and add data as you go.
A Thailand plan only works in Thailand. If you’re moving on to Vietnam, Cambodia or Malaysia, you’ll need a separate plan for each country. MoreSim support is reachable via /support in the bot, a ticket in your account and email if something doesn’t connect.
If you have no internet after landing, check two things: is the eSIM selected for cellular data, and is data roaming turned on for it? If both are on and there’s still no signal, message us and we’ll sort it out.
FAQ
Which eSIM should I get for two weeks in Thailand?
If you mostly use maps, ride-hailing and messaging, a small plan that covers the whole two weeks is usually enough. If you shoot video and post stories every day, get extra data. The plan starts counting on its first connection to a network in Thailand, so you can install the eSIM at home in advance, and if you run out, top up without a new eSIM with “Top up data” on the eSIM card in your account or in the @moresim_bot Telegram bot’s app, if top-ups are available for that plan.
Do tourists need a SIM card in Thailand if they have an eSIM?
Not necessarily. Local SIM cards are sold at the airport and in phone stores; since August 2025 they require your passport and a face check, and they’re useful if you need a Thai number. If you only need data, an eSIM is easier: you install it at home before your flight, it runs as a second line, and your home SIM stays in the phone. MoreSim plans are data-only, so calls go through messaging apps.
How good is mobile internet in Phuket?
In Patong, Karon, Kata and Phuket Town, mobile internet usually works well, including in beachfront cafés and hotels. You may hit dead spots on the winding roads between beaches and on remote headlands. How much data you need for two weeks on the island depends on how much video you shoot and post: without video a small plan will do, with daily stories go bigger.
How much data do I need for a month in Pattaya?
For a month in Pattaya with maps, rides, messaging and some video in the evenings, a mid-size 30-day plan usually fits. If you work remotely from a laptop and have lots of video calls, look at the larger plans on the Thailand catalog page. If you run out early, add more with “Top up data” on the eSIM card in your account or in the bot’s app, if top-ups are available for that plan, with no need to reinstall the eSIM.
Will I still get texts to my home number in Thailand?
With a MoreSim eSIM, your home SIM stays in the phone as a second line, so bank verification codes can arrive as usual. That depends on your carrier, though: your number needs roaming service in Thailand, and carriers’ terms vary and change. Check before you go, and keep mobile data off on your home SIM, since you don’t need data to receive texts.