Traviva’s pick for Thailand is Saily: 10GB for 30 days at US$10.99, with hotspot sharing allowed and a 15-day unlimited plan at US$38.99 (5GB a day at full speed) if you outgrow it. Nomad is a dollar cheaper at US$10 on AIS, and Airalo and Ubigi both charge US$11. It suits most travellers with an unlocked, eSIM-capable phone; skip Holafly, which charges US$73.90 for a month here and caps hotspot sharing at 1GB a day.
Updated · Prices in US dollars unless marked A$; figures marked “checked October 2026” were read off each provider’s own site on 8 October 2026.
Thailand eSIMs at a glance
The 10GB, 30-day plan from each provider, or its unlimited plan where it sells no fixed data. Hotspot rules come from each provider’s own terms.
| Provider | Plan / data | Validity | Price | Hotspot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nomad | 10GB | 30 days | US$10 | Yes | AIS. Unlimited: US$33 for 30 days (2GB a day at full speed). Price checked October 2026. |
| Saily | 10GB | 30 days | US$10.99 | Yes | Network not disclosed. Unlimited: US$38.99 for 15 days (5GB a day at full speed). Price checked October 2026. |
| Airalo | 10GB | 30 days | US$11 | Yes | True, plus one unnamed partner. Price checked October 2026. |
| Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$11 | Yes | Network not disclosed. Unlimited: US$49 for 30 days (60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps). Price checked October 2026. |
| Holafly | Unlimited | 30 days | US$73.90 | 1GB a day | True/DTAC. No fixed-data plans; 15 days is US$50.50. Price checked October 2026. |
| Maya Mobile | Unlimited | 30 days | US$49.99 | Allowed, with guidance | 3GB a day, then 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps. Price checked October 2026. |
| Simify | 10GB | 30 days | A$49 | Allowed | Billed in Australian dollars. Price checked October 2026. |
Two things you will read about Thai SIMs that we could not stand up
Thailand’s SIM registration rules get described as a tourist hurdle and its 3G network gets described as switched off. Neither survived checking against the regulator.
The registration deadlines everyone quotes are not about tourists. The NBTC identity-verification rules set one deadline for people holding more than a hundred numbers with a single operator — 14 February 2024 — and a later one, 13 July 2024, for those holding between six and a hundred. Both thresholds describe bulk SIM holders. Neither describes someone buying one SIM on arrival.
Thai 3G has not been switched off. As far as we can establish, the regulator has asked operators to submit plans for retiring 2G and 3G — which is a different thing from a shutdown. We could not reach an NBTC page stating a date, so we are not publishing one, and we would treat any article that gives you a firm Thai shutdown date with suspicion until it cites the regulator.
A newer notification took effect in May 2026 tightening registration further, including a cap on how many SIMs one person may hold per operator and in-person passport registration for non-Thai nationals. We have that from a law firm’s summary rather than from the Government Gazette itself, so we are flagging it rather than stating it. If you are buying a Thai SIM at the airport, expect to show a passport in person.
The border provinces are a real coverage story
Thailand’s crackdown on scam operations has meant physically removing mobile infrastructure near some borders. True has reported suspending signals and dismantling telecom equipment across seven provinces and eleven districts, then dismantling ten further base stations in Tak province, and extending inspections to the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla.
It says it plans small-cell replacements and on-site signal assessments. What it does not do is quantify the coverage loss. If you are heading to Mae Sot, Tak, the Chiang Rai border or the Malaysian crossings, do not assume the coverage map still holds — and this affects every provider on this page equally, because they all ride the same Thai networks.
On whether roaming avoids all of this: Thai registration is written as an obligation on Thai licensees at the point of selling a Thai SIM, and no NBTC or operator page we found describes registering inbound roamers. That is a reading of how the rule is structured, not a quoted exemption — unlike Indonesia, where the carve-out is written down.
Sources for this section
What a 10GB month costs in Thailand
Same plan, same duration, four sellers. Prices in US dollars, checked 8 October 2026.
Holafly sells no fixed-data plans anywhere — its 30-day unlimited plan is $73.90, which is a different product and so is not plotted on the same scale.
Saily
Saily at $10.99 for 10GB over 30 days is our pick: unrestricted hotspot use and the most generous unlimited fallback here, at 5GB a day. Nomad is a dollar cheaper at $10 on AIS if price is all that matters, and its 30-day unlimited plan at $33 is the cheapest month of unlimited data on this page. Holafly charges $73.90 here, the same as in Japan — Thailand is the clearest case against flat global pricing.
See Saily Thailand plans →Every verified plan
Prices in US dollars, read off each provider’s own page. Where we could not confirm a price, we say so rather than estimate.
| Provider | Fixed data plans | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Saily | 1GB/7d $2.99 · 3GB/30d $5.99 · 5GB/30d $7.99 · 10GB/30d $10.99 · 20GB/30d $19.99 | 15d $38.99 |
| Airalo | 1GB/3d $4 · 3GB/3d $5.50 · 3GB/7d $6 · 5GB/7d $7 · 10GB/7d $10 · 5GB/15d $7.50 · 10GB/15d $10.50 · 20GB/15d $17.50 · 5GB/30d $8 · 10GB/30d $11 · 20GB/30d $18 · 50GB/30d $27.50 | 3d $9.50 · 5d $15 · 7d $21 · 10d $31 · 15d $39 · 30d $49 |
| Nomad | 3GB/30d $6 · 5GB/30d $8 · 10GB/30d $10 · 50GB/10d $12 | 10d $16 · 30d $33 The 10-day price was a sale price (normally $20). |
| Ubigi | 1GB/7d $3 · 3GB/15d $5 · 10GB/7d $9 · 10GB/30d $11 · 25GB/30d $24.90 Ubigi also sells recurring plans in Thailand: 5GB at $6/month, 20GB at $12/month, and 5GB a month for 12 months at $39. | 7d $22 · 15d $35 · 30d $49 The 30-day plan runs at full speed for the first 60GB, then 2 Mbps. An unlimited monthly subscription is also sold, at $36/month. |
| Holafly | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only | 3d $11.90 · 5d $20.50 · 7d $27.50 · 10d $36.50 · 15d $50.50 · 30d $73.90 |
| Maya Mobile | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only Maya sells no fixed-data plans anywhere; its product is one global unlimited plan. | 3d $9.99 · 7d $19.99 · 14d $27.99 · 30d $49.99 The same four prices apply in every country Maya covers. |
| Simify | 5GB/7d A$29 · 10GB/30d A$49 · 20GB/30d A$75 · 30GB/30d A$99 · 45GB/45d A$135 · 60GB/60d A$159 · 100GB/90d A$219 | Not verified in October 2026 |
Provider names link to their own site. Some of those links earn us a commission — the disclosure page says exactly which, and it plays no part in which plan we call cheapest.
Every price on this page is in US dollars except Simify’s, which are in Australian dollars because it bills in A$. An Australian card adds a foreign transaction fee of around 3% to the rest, which none of them mention at checkout — what that actually costs you →
Before you choose on price
Every unlimited plan sold in Thailand slows down at some point, so none of them is truly unlimited. Saily gives you 5GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Airalo gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Nomad gives you 2GB a day before dropping to 512 kbps; Ubigi sets no daily cap, but its 30-day plan runs at full speed for 60GB, then 2 Mbps; Holafly publishes no figure at all, though third-party analysis puts it near 2–3GB a day; Maya Mobile gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps; Simify, where it sells unlimited, publishes no firm figure at all — only an approximate 1–1.5GB, and only in a troubleshooting article rather than on any plan page.
The cap matters less than what happens after it, and it decides whether a cheaper fixed-data plan would serve you better. Every provider’s daily cap and throttled speed, in one table →
Which network you actually roam onto
An eSIM is a roaming agreement with a local carrier. In Thailand, that means:
| Provider | Local network |
|---|---|
| Holafly | True/DTAC |
| Airalo | True, plus one unnamed partner |
| Nomad | True, AIS and dtac |
| Saily | Not disclosed |
| Ubigi | Not disclosed |
| Maya Mobile | AIS |
| Simify | Not disclosed |
When Australians go to Thailand
Trips were down year-on-year in the most recent month, against growth almost everywhere else in Southeast Asia.
Thailand eSIM questions travellers ask
What is the best eSIM for Thailand?
Traviva’s pick is Saily: 10GB for 30 days at US$10.99 in October 2026, with hotspot sharing allowed. Nomad is cheapest at US$10 for the same allowance on AIS, and Airalo and Ubigi charge US$11.
How much does a Thailand eSIM cost?
A 10GB, 30-day plan cost US$10 to US$11 from the four cheapest providers we checked in October 2026: Nomad US$10, Saily US$10.99, Airalo US$11 and Ubigi US$11. Simify charges A$49 for the same allowance, and Holafly sells only unlimited plans, at US$73.90 for 30 days.
What is the cheapest unlimited eSIM for Thailand?
Nomad: US$33 for 30 days, or US$16 for 10 days on sale (normally US$20). Ubigi and Airalo both charge US$49 for 30 days and Maya Mobile US$49.99. Every one of them slows down after a full-speed allowance.
Do I need to register a SIM in Thailand?
If you buy a Thai SIM, expect to show your passport in person. Thai registration rules are written as an obligation on Thai operators selling Thai SIMs, and no regulator or operator page we found describes registering travellers who roam on a foreign eSIM.
Can I use a Thailand eSIM as a hotspot?
Yes with Saily, Airalo and Ubigi, which allow tethering, and Nomad supports it. Holafly limits hotspot sharing to 1GB a day. Tethering uses the same data allowance as your phone.
Will my eSIM work near Thailand’s borders?
Do not assume it. True has reported dismantling telecom equipment in border provinces as part of Thailand’s crackdown on scam operations, without saying how much coverage was lost. Every provider here roams on the same Thai networks, so this affects them all equally.
Which Thai network will my eSIM use?
Airalo uses True plus one unnamed partner, Nomad uses True, AIS and dtac, Holafly uses True/DTAC and Maya Mobile uses AIS. Saily, Ubigi and Simify do not disclose their Thai network.
Related
- Nomad is a dollar cheaper than Saily in Thailand, but Airalo is the name most people search for — what you get for the premium →
- Airalo and Holafly both sell Thailand plans and are the two most-searched eSIM brands, but they work in completely different ways — we put them side by side →
- None of these gives you a Thailand phone number by default — which travel eSIMs actually include one →