Questions about eSIM in Thailand

An eSIM is a SIM that arrives as a QR code instead of a plastic card. You scan it at home on Wi-Fi and keep the line off until you land; in Thailand, turn it on and choose it for mobile data. It runs on a Thai network, and your usual SIM stays in the phone, so calls and texts to your own number keep arriving.

The one you can check before you pay: which network it runs on, the data and the days, whether it includes a Thai phone number, and the price in US dollars with tax. The plans here run on dtac, True or a four-country regional network, cost from US$4.88 with tax, and are refunded in full if they do not work and cannot be fixed.

Yes. Pick a plan on VietSIM, the same company's store for Vietnam and Asia: this site's buttons open the store's Thailand page, and the QR code appears right after payment. Install it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly.

Yes, as a travel eSIM: the plans on this site run on dtac or True, or on a four-country regional network, and the Thai networks also sell eSIMs to their own customers. Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked.

No, if the eSIM is installed: you switch it on after landing, with nothing to collect at the airport. A SIM card bought in Thailand is registered with your passport at the point of sale and comes with a Thai number. Some plans include a Thai number, and each plan states before you pay what it includes; your own number stays in the phone either way.

Most visitors do: the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, TDAC, is free on the official portal and filed within the 3 days before you arrive. Keep the confirmation on your phone and have it ready with your passport at immigration. It is not a visa.

It is +66. From abroad, drop the first 0 of a Thai number: 08X XXX XXXX is dialled +66 8X XXX XXXX. Inside Thailand, dial the number as written, with its 0.

The Thai baht, written THB, divided into 100 satang. Cards are accepted at hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist attractions; cash still matters for markets, street food and small vendors. Change money at banks or official exchange booths.

Thai sockets take flat type A and B pins and round type C and F pins; the official standard is the three-round-pin type O, which takes a type C plug. A charger rated 100 to 240 volts works as it is: only the plug shape may need an adapter.

Take normal care: Canada's level is exercise a high degree of caution, due to ongoing political tensions, and the UK advises against all but essential travel to parts of the far south. In tourist areas, petty theft is the common issue; keep bags and phones secure. Emergency: 191 police, 1669 ambulance.

Type *#06#: an EID on the screen confirms the phone has an eSIM. It must also be unlocked, not tied to the carrier that sold it. Check before you buy: a working eSIM is not refunded because a phone cannot install it.

Right after payment the store shows the QR code on screen: keep the page link, because the code stays there. Install the eSIM within 30 days of the purchase. If it does not work and cannot be fixed, the refund is full.