Paid for a local SIM card in Chiang Mai and it saved my whole work week

I got to my Airbnb in Thailand and the wifi was just awful, like 2 Mbps on a good day. I had a video call with a client in 24 hours and started to panic. Went to a 7-Eleven and grabbed a tourist SIM from AIS for about 400 baht, which is like $11. Set up a hotspot on my phone and instantly had a solid 30 Mbps connection. I did that whole call from a coffee shop patio without a single drop. It was so simple but I almost didn't do it because I thought the Airbnb wifi would be fine. Now I budget for a local data plan in my first two days anywhere. What's the best carrier you've found for data in Southeast Asia?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

sanchez.mary6mo ago

Oh, the things we learn the hard way with bad wifi!

4

olivia_park6mo ago

Honestly, grabbing a DTAC SIM at the airport in Bangkok saved me from the same panic. Their tourist plans are cheap and the coverage was solid all over.

4

lisa_hart265mo ago

DTAC is the only thing I buy at the airport. Their 8-day tourist SIM was like 300 baht and I had full bars even on some remote islands. It's not worth the stress of hunting for wifi or dealing with a dead phone. I made that mistake once and spent half a day lost in Chiang Mai. Now I go straight to their counter after baggage claim.

3