Getting a landline or mobile phone in Thailand

Pre-paid and post-paid phones in Thailand

If you are only traveling to Thailand on holiday, you can find tourist-targeted plans for SIM cards and load them at the airport. Still, they do tend to be more expensive and are only valid for short periods as they have an expiration date, especially for tourist SIM cards. If you are staying for a longer period in Thailand, consider buying a pre-paid SIM from a provider store or booth in a shopping mall, where you can find a flexible range of plans to suit your needs and budget.

SIM cards include call and data packages, and you can top up your phone in any 7-Eleven, Tops, or Family Mart, at the provider's store, and even online using your credit and debit cards. A good thing about a pay-as-you-go plan is that you will never be surprised with an enormous bill, and you will simply run out of minutes, texts, or data. To ration your data, connect to WiFi networks in restaurants and shopping malls whenever possible. Also, contact your plan provider's customer service to request alerts to be sent to your phone in English, informing you of how much you have left.

Furthermore, if you are staying in Thailand on a long-term basis and have already opened a Thai bank account, your best option — depending on your usage — may be to get a post-paid plan, where you will be billed after use. The main service providers offer packages that are good value for money and should meet your needs. It also has freebies that you can use, such as the password for their free WIFI everywhere.

However, you can only get a post-paid plan if you have a Thai business visa and work permit. If you don't, you won't be able to find any service providers willing to give you a post-paid plan. A workaround to this is to have a Thai friend, partner, or spouse put a postpaid plan under their name, and you pay the bill each month from your bank account. 

Read also Connecting to the Internet in Thailand

Buying a new phone versus a used phone in Thailand

It's not out of the ordinary for people in Thailand to buy used phones because new phones, especially best-selling models, cost a lot more in the country due to import taxes. Also, you can't get a new phone for a couple hundred dollars just for signing a new contract with a phone provider. In Thailand, you have to pay full price for your phone upfront. This might come as a shocker to those from places like the United States, where a new iPhone costs $200 with a new contract. In Thailand, expect to pay well over $1,000 for that same phone.

Phone service providers in Thailand

There are two leading mobile phone providers in Thailand: AIS and TrueMoveH. All offer pay-as-you-go deals for short and long-term stays and provide 3G, 4G, and 5G services. However, the quality varies depending on the different carriers, locations, network upgrades, and capacity.

DTAC is considered to be the most expat-friendly in terms of customer service, both True Move and AIS provide a lot of WiFi hotspots across Thailand, which is great for those on a budget.

The different service providers offer different packages at competitive prices. Once you arrive in Thailand and know your priorities and budget, do some research and choose the one that suits you best:

• TrueMoveH post-paid plans: THB 399 to THB 499; 
• AIS post-paid plans: THB 199 to THB 899.

The process

Generally, you will need to bring your passport to purchase a pay-as-you-go SIM card, as all providers must register the SIM card under your name and passport number by law. Be sure to ask for a recurring package and make sure that it has been activated before you leave the shop. You should receive a text message informing you as soon as it has been activated.

If you are signing up for a post-paid plan, you will need to show your passport, business visa, work permit, and lease or house book.

Service for phones

If you have any issues with your phone, such as having the line open for an international SIM card, your phone getting wet, and any other issues, do not fret, as Thailand has you covered. Below are the places to go to if you face such issues and don't have any idea how to fix them, or maybe the warranty is not in Thailand.

MBK Mall

It is a huge and inexpensive shopping mall located near the National Stadium Sky train station. It has dedicated one floor to electronics, and it has almost 500 stalls selling and repairing mobile phones at a low price.

Fortune Town

It is quite the same with MBK, and the prices are also low. Fortune Mall is known as a place to repair not only phones but also PCs and printers. More like an IT place, it is located near Rama 9 MRT station and is very easy to access.

Pantip Plaza

One of the largest malls famous for Bangkok electronics, it is known as the mother of all IT shops as it has all equipment - from new and used computer accessories, new and used phones, and cheap technical specialists for repairs and upgrades. It is located near BTS Chidlom and on the opposite side of Pratunam.

Seacon Square

Seacon Square in the Bang Na area of Bangkok also has an entire floor dedicated to phone repairs and part replacements. It's located on the basement floor of the mall, near the giant Japanese supermarket Don Don Donki. You will also find replacement parts for tablets and laptops here as well.

Selling your phone in Thailand

Surprisingly, the value of second-hand phones is quite high in Thailand. So, if you want to sell your phone before buying a new one here, you can post it on the Facebook marketplace or sell it at one of the places listed above. If you want to make the most of your second-hand phone, though, it's better to sell it to an individual instead of a shop. 

Useful links:

DTAC

AIS

True Move