Mobile data in Bangkok: airports, Skytrain, river and ride apps
Bangkok's traffic decides most plans, so several times a day the phone picks between the Skytrain, the metro, the river boat and a ride app. This is how that works from the moment you land.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Thailand?
- Yes. It connects to TrueMove H, DTAC (5G).
- Price
- From 5,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 7,49 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Thailand is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Thailand. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang
Long-haul flights land at Suvarnabhumi, where the Airport Rail Link runs into the city and ends at Phaya Thai, linked by walkway to the BTS Skytrain. Don Mueang, used by many regional and low-cost flights, has a covered walkway to the SRT Red Line, which runs to Krung Thep Aphiwat, the main rail terminal, where you can change to the MRT Blue Line. The A1 bus from Don Mueang goes to Mo Chit on the BTS.
With heavy bags, a taxi from the official rank or a ride app is often simpler, and the app needs data before you reach the kerb. Install the eSIM at home, then switch on its line and data roaming after landing: the plan counts from that first connection in Thailand.
eSIM for Thailand
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
BTS, MRT and the Chao Phraya boats
The BTS Skytrain and the MRT metro are separate systems with their own tickets and gates, so a route that switches between them means leaving one network and entering the other. The MRT accepts contactless bank cards at the gates. For the old town, the river is often quicker than the road: the Chao Phraya Express Boat stops at Sathorn pier, right by BTS Saphan Taksin, and at Tha Tien for Wat Pho, where a cross-river ferry goes to Wat Arun.
Door to door, Grab and Bolt both run in Bangkok and show the fare before you book. Set them up at home, because the sign-up code goes by SMS to your usual number.
Heat, downpours and a phone that runs hot
A day walking between temples in Bangkok's heat is hard on a phone running maps and the camera. Apple's guidance is that an iPhone that gets too hot can weaken its cellular signal while the radios go into a low-power state, and can slow or stop charging and dim the screen. Leaving it in direct sun or in a parked car is the usual cause, so keep it in the shade and in a bag between photos.
Download the offline map of the city before you head out, so a sudden downpour under a shop awning is not the moment you need to load it. A screenshot of your hotel's address in Thai also helps when a driver does not recognise the English name.
Ayutthaya, the markets and the next border
Ayutthaya, the old capital about 80 km north, is the classic day trip, and the faster trains to it leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat. The floating market at Damnoen Saduak, the railway market at Maeklong, Kanchanaburi and Pattaya are all in Thailand too, so the eSIM keeps working; on a tour you mostly need it for the pickup message and the meeting point.
Bangkok is also where many routes leave the country, and the Thailand pack stops at the border. Going on to Angkor needs the Cambodia eSIM, and Vientiane or Luang Prabang the Laos eSIM. The Southeast Asia guide explains how to install one per country on the same phone.
Sizing the pack for Bangkok
Four or five days in Bangkok with ride apps, maps and messages fit the 3 GB pack, which lasts 15 days. A week that adds Ayutthaya and a couple of market trips is safer on 5 GB, valid for 30 days. If you post a lot of video or share the connection with a travel partner through the hotspot, take 10 GB. Misjudged it? Top up the same eSIM in a minute, without reinstalling. The data calculator gives a figure for your own plans.
I land at Don Mueang. How do I get into the city?
A covered walkway leads to the SRT Red Line, which runs to Krung Thep Aphiwat and the MRT Blue Line, and the A1 bus goes to BTS Mo Chit. A ride app works too once the eSIM is on.
Does the eSIM work on a day trip to Ayutthaya?
Yes. Ayutthaya, the floating markets and Kanchanaburi are all in Thailand, so the same pack keeps working wherever TrueMove H or DTAC has signal.
Why does my phone lose signal in the midday heat?
An iPhone that overheats can put its cellular radios into a low-power state, so the signal weakens until it cools. Keep it out of direct sun and out of a parked car.
Can I keep using it if I go on to Siem Reap?
No. The pack only works in Thailand, so add the Cambodia eSIM for that leg. You can install both at home and each starts when it first connects in its own country.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Thailand