Roaming in Thailand is a crucial consideration that may significantly impact your connectivity and communication during your trip. Understanding the definition of roaming, its benefits and potential drawbacks is essential to make a good decision about whether or not to turn on roaming services on your phone. This guide will help you have a clear understanding of phone roaming and data roaming in Thailand so that you can avoid unexpected charges or connectivity problems throughout your adventure in the Land of Smiles.
In this article
Here are some facts about phone roaming and data roaming in Thailand that travelers should know:
What is roaming service in Thailand?
Roaming refers to using your mobile device to make calls, send texts, or access mobile data outside of your home network coverage area.
Using data while roaming internationally on your regular phone plan can result in very high bills if you are not paying attention. It’s easy to use a lot of data without realizing how much it costs.
How does roaming in Thailand work?
In Thailand, you have 2 options to roam:
Which mobile carriers in Thailand offer roaming services?
Three major networks in Thailand provide roaming services: DTAC, AIS, and TrueMove H. These all have extensive nationwide of 4G/LTE coverage.
Generally, Yes. Roaming rates charged by your home provider for using networks in Thailand are typically higher than local rates.
DTAC roaming rates:
TrueMove H roaming rates:
AIS roaming rates:
► Recommendation: As a tourist to Thailand, you can consider other connectivity options like prepaid SIM cards, prepaid eSIMs, portable WiFi as alternatives to roaming. Pocket WiFi for Thailand travel is useful if you want to share Internet for multiple devices. but it is quite pricey and requires effort to bring along. On the other hand, prepaid SIM cards/eSIMs are more affordable and flexible. Therefore, if your phone is carrier-unlocked and compatible, consider using these options as alternatives to roaming.
To activate roaming services, you just need to take 4 steps:
Step 1: Choose your preferred service provider
You need to determine the service provider first.
You can either keep your home mobile plan or go for a local cellular carrier.
If you keep your home cellular plan and assume that your home network carrier is one of the following brands, here is what to expect:
| Mobile network carrier | Roaming fees |
| Three | 5 USD / day (approx.170 THB) |
| Vodafone | 6 USD / day (approx. 200 THB) |
| Rogers | 15 USD / 10 MB (approx. 500 THB) |
| Verizon | 2.05 USD / MB (approx. 7 THB) |
| AT&T | 2.05 USD / MB (approx. 7 THB) |
| T-Mobile | 70 USD for 5 days (approx. 2,400 THB) |
If you choose a local mobile carrier, and activate its roaming service, the recommended local providers for roaming services are Operator 1, Operator 2, Operator 3.
| Thailand mobile network carrier | Roaming fees |
| DTAC | 1990 THB for 10 days |
| TrueMove | 399 THB for 8 days |
| AIS | 1,400 THB for 5 days |
Step 2: Activate the roaming function for your service provider
Each mobile network carrier has a different way to activate roaming service. You had better refer to the official website of the chosen operator for more detail.
For example, for Vodafone: download My Vodafone (Vodafone’s app) > get the option named “International roaming” > choose your destination country > Done, you get it.
Step 3: Buy a mobile package with roaming
Why is the roaming package important?
Regular roaming rates are usually expensive. Buying roaming packages will warrant that you will not break the bank with roaming charges.
Pro Tips:
Step 4: Turn on your phone’s roaming
Important note: Do not forget to turn off the roaming feature when not in use to prevent any unnecessary expenses once you come back to Thailand.
▶ Our conclusion + recommendation: Roaming in Thailand is high. To save money on roaming charges, it is recommended to go for an alternative, be it free Wifi, pocket wifi, prepaid local SIM card or prepaid eSIM.
As aforementioned, there are 04 main ways to avoid roaming charges while traveling in Thailand for tourists: free WiFi, a prepaid Thailand SIM card, prepaid eSIM for Thailand, and pocket wifi.
Below we give a quick table that compare alternatives to roaming in Thailand:
| Alternatives to data roaming in Thailand | Prepaid Physical SIM | Prepaid eSIM | Free WiFi | Pocket WiFi |
| Description | A physical SIM card bought in Thailand and topped up as needed. | Digital SIM activated online before travel. | Free WiFi at places like cafes, restaurants, malls. | Rental mobile WiFi device. |
| Activation | Purchase at store, insert SIM, top up balance. | Receive QR code online, scan on phone. | Find network name, no password. | Rent device, turn on power. |
| Suitable for | For old device users, this is the best alternative for them to use when traveling abroad. | For unlocked and eSIM-equipped devices. | For those with occasional habits of using Internet | For people with multiple devices |
| Coverage | Works anywhere in Thailand. | Works anywhere in Thailand. | Only at locations with WiFi. | Works anywhere in range. |
| Cost | Low but need new SIM each trip. | One cost, no roaming fees. About $19 | Free but limited locations. | Rental fee for duration. About +$120 |
| Speed | Fast 4G depending on location. | Fast 4G depending on location. | Usually slower than cellular. | Fast 4G depending on users. |
| Convenience | Need to find SIM stores. | Activate from home before travel. | No costs but limited areas. | Reliable coverage anywhere. |
▶ From the table above, we can see that eSIM and pocket WiFi provide flexible internet access anywhere while physical SIM and free WiFi are cheaper options depending on travel plans and locations.
Roaming in Thailand though is convenient, it costs you a fortune if not being managed carefully.
It is better to find another alternative for roaming in Thailand.
Now you have known that there are alternatives for roaming in Thailand that tourists can choose from. But, which one is the best?
If your phone works with eSIM, using an eSIM with data in Thailand can be the best alternative to roaming.
Why?
Why Gigago?
Gigago offers multiple data plan options for Thailand, starting from an 8-day plan with 15GB of data for $8.90 as their most minimal plan. They also have 8-day unlimited data, 10-day 50GB, 15-day unlimited data, and 30-day unlimited data plans ranging from 15GB to unlimited data, with prices from $8.90 up to $34.90.
Some benefits of Gigago eSIM Thailand that cannot be found anywhere else:
To see more details about eSIM Thailand, visit Thailand eSIM page.
Here are the steps to turn off data roaming when travelling in Thailand for Android and iOS:
Android:
iOS:
This will prevent any unexpected charges from using your phone’s regular carrier data connection while abroad. Make sure to turn data roaming back on if needed once you have a local SIM card/eSIM plan to avoid issues with connectivity.
Yes, but keep it in airplane mode to avoid roaming fees. Get a Thai SIM instead for calls/data at local rates.
It’s best to let your carrier know travel dates to avoid accidental blocking of service due to foreign usage.
To conclude, roaming in Thailand is rather expensive. Other options to get Internet access can be saved. The best option for travelers visiting Thailand is to get a local prepaid SIM card. This avoids high roaming charges from your home network. Thai SIMs are very affordable and provide generous data and call allowances. So getting a prepaid SIM ensures you can use data and calls without worrying about unexpected bills while enjoying your trip.
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