A few apps and a little preparation make a trip to Thailand much easier: an arrival card filed online, a working SIM or eSIM, the right card for Bangkok's trains, and the numbers to call if something goes wrong. Several things changed in 2025 and 2026, so some advice online is out of date. The facts below were checked in September 2026; app features and prices change, so confirm them with the provider.
Before You Fly: Entry Rules and Documents on Your Phone
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)
Since 1 May 2025, every non-Thai national entering Thailand by air, land or sea must fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online. It replaced the paper TM6 form. It is not a visa.
- Where: only on the official site, tdac.immigration.go.th. It is free. Immigration has warned about fake sites that charge money.
- When: within the 3 days (72 hours) before you arrive.
- What it asks for: your passport details, your travel plans, your accommodation in Thailand and a health declaration.
- After you submit: keep the QR code or the confirmation on your phone.
Read the official TDAC guide from Thai immigration before you start. Every traveller in a group files their own card.
Check How Long You Can Stay
From 15 September 2026, nationals of 60 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, can enter Thailand visa-free for tourism for up to 30 days. Before that date the limit was 60 days. Check the entry conditions for your own passport before you book flights; the Tourism Authority of Thailand explains the changes in its announcement of the new visa exemption rules.
Save Your Bookings Offline
Save your booking confirmations and your first hotel's name and address on your phone, so that you can open them without a data connection; the TDAC asks for this address. Keep a photo or photocopy of your passport photo page too. Police may ask to see your passport. If you do not have it with you, you may be asked to show it at a police station within 24 hours, and a copy of the photo page is usually accepted.
Staying Connected: SIM Cards and eSIM
AIS, TrueMove H and dtac all sell tourist SIM cards. TrueMove H and dtac have belonged to the same company, True Corporation, since a 2023 merger, and dtac's tourist SIM is priced like True's.
| Option | Approximate price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| AIS tourist SIM | 49 THB (1 day, 1 GB) to 899 THB (30 days, 50 GB) | Many package sizes |
| TrueMove H or dtac tourist SIM | 449 THB (8 days) to 1,199 THB (30 days) | Unlimited data |
| eSIM, for example Airalo or Holafly | Varies | Set up before you travel; usually costs more than a SIM bought at a Thai airport |
Prices were checked in September 2026; confirm the current packages with the provider.
To buy a SIM in Thailand, bring your passport. Registration includes a photo (biometric) check and takes about 10 to 30 minutes at the counter.
Free eSIM with an airport pickup: Smile Taxi Service gives a free 500 MB Thailand eSIM with an airport pickup, on request. Ask for it when you book.
Getting Around Bangkok: Paying for Trains by Card
| Line | Tap a contactless bank card? |
|---|---|
| MRT Blue, Purple, Yellow and Pink lines | Yes |
| Airport Rail Link | Yes (Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay) |
| SRT Red Line | Yes |
| BTS Skytrain | No: use a Rabbit card or a single-journey ticket |
- MRT Blue and Purple lines: since 1 June 2026, the old MRT stored-value cards are no longer accepted, and you pay by tapping a contactless bank card. Single-journey tokens are due to be replaced by QR tickets from 1 January 2027. Refunds for old cards run until 31 December 2027.
- BTS Skytrain: a Rabbit card costs 200 THB (a 100 THB deposit plus 100 THB of credit).
- Airport Rail Link: from Suvarnabhumi to Phaya Thai it costs about 45 THB and takes about 27 minutes. Trains run from 05:30 to 24:00, every 10 to 13 minutes. The Express Line is suspended.
- The 20 THB fare is not for visitors. The flat fare introduced on 1 October 2025 is only for Thai nationals registered through the Tang Rat app. Visitors pay by distance: as of September 2026, about 17 to 65 THB on the BTS and about 17 to 45 THB on the MRT Blue Line.
Ride-Hailing and Private Transfers
A ride-hailing app such as Grab is useful for short trips in town. For the airport, or with luggage and a family, a car booked in advance is simpler: you know the price before you land.
Smile Taxi Service fares are fixed, per vehicle (not per person), one way, with expressway tolls included and no meter. Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok costs 600 THB by sedan (up to 3 passengers, 2 bags), 800 THB by SUV (up to 5 passengers, 4 bags) and 1100 THB by van (up to 7 passengers, 5 bags):
- Book a sedan from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok
- Book an SUV from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok
- Book a van from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok
Other routes are on the full list of routes and fares, and How to Get from Bangkok to Pattaya compares the ways to travel on that route.
Messaging Apps: LINE and WhatsApp
Install LINE as well as WhatsApp before you travel, so that you can reply to a hotel or a driver on either app. LINE also has a payment service: Rabbit LINE Pay was renamed LINE Pay on 18 October 2023.
A messaging app is also how an airport pickup with Smile Taxi Service works:
- Before the trip, the team sends you the driver's name, the car and the plate number.
- A person checks your flight, and 60 minutes of free waiting are counted from the actual landing time.
- At Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, send a message on WhatsApp or LINE once you have your bags. The car arrives in about 5 to 10 minutes. At Suvarnabhumi the driver meets you on Level 4 (Departures), near Gate 4, where the car stops in the pickup lane. At Don Mueang the meeting point is on Level 3 (Departures); the team tells you the exact door with the driver's details, because Don Mueang has two terminals.
- You pay the driver in cash (THB) at the end of the trip. If you can only pay by card, message the team for a PayPal payment link; a 5% fee is added.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup. After that, a cancellation or change costs 25% (less than 24 h), 35% (less than 12 h) or 50% (less than 2 h) of the price, and a no-show 100%, also when you pay the driver in cash (details). You can ask for an English-speaking driver when you book, subject to availability.
Food Delivery Apps
foodpanda stopped operating in Thailand on 23 May 2025. The main delivery apps now are Grab and LINE MAN. Robinhood also still operates: it covers Bangkok and the surrounding provinces and became easier to use in English in 2025.
Booking Hotels, Flights and Tours
- Hotels: Agoda is not a Thai-owned company. It belongs to Booking Holdings, the Booking.com group, and has headquarters in Singapore and Thailand.
- Thai Smile no longer exists. It stopped flying under its own name on 1 January 2024, and its domestic routes went to Thai Airways.
- AirAsia cabin bags: one cabin bag (at most 56 x 36 x 23 cm) plus one personal item (at most 40 x 30 x 10 cm), 7 kg in total. Checked baggage is bought separately, so add it when you book.
- Flying out of Suvarnabhumi: the airport advises arriving at least 2 hours before your flight.
- Day trips: Smile Taxi Service runs full-day private tours with a driver of up to 10 hours. The Bangkok Tour costs 2700 THB by sedan, 3000 THB by SUV, 3700 THB by van and 4000 THB by VIP van, per vehicle.
Power Banks and Plugs
Thailand's civil aviation authority (CAAT) set these rules for flights in Thailand on 4 June 2026:
- Power banks up to 100 Wh (about 20,000 mAh) are allowed. From 100 to 160 Wh you need the airline's approval. Each passenger may carry no more than 2 power banks. Over 160 Wh is banned, and so is any power bank without a readable Wh rating.
- Carry power banks in hand luggage only, never in checked bags, and not in the overhead bin: keep them in the seat pocket, under the seat or with you.
- Do not use or charge a power bank during the flight.
Thailand's official plug types are C (two round pins) and O (three round pins), and most sockets also take A and B (flat-pin) plugs. Mains power is 230 V, 50 Hz. Bring an adapter for UK or Australian plugs.
Safety Apps and Emergency Numbers
The Tourist Police have an official app, "Tourist Police i lert u". Save these numbers before you land:
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Tourist Police hotline | 1155 |
| Police and general emergency | 191 |
| Medical emergency (ambulance) | 1669 |
| Fire | 199 |
| Airports of Thailand call centre | 1722 |
Maps, Translation and a Checklist Before You Land
Before you travel, download the map of the areas you will visit in Google Maps and the Thai language in Google Translate, so that both apps work without a signal.
Before you land, check that you have:
- filed your TDAC on tdac.immigration.go.th and saved the QR code or confirmation
- checked how many days you can stay with your passport
- saved your bookings and your first hotel's address offline
- chosen a SIM or eSIM, and kept your passport at hand if you will buy a SIM
- installed LINE, WhatsApp and a ride-hailing app such as Grab
- a contactless Visa or Mastercard for the MRT and the Airport Rail Link
- saved 1155 and 1669 in your phone
- packed your power bank in your hand luggage
FAQ
Is foodpanda still available in Thailand? No. It left Thailand on 23 May 2025. Use Grab, LINE MAN or Robinhood.
Can I tap my credit card on the BTS Skytrain? No. Tapping a bank card works on the MRT, the Airport Rail Link and the SRT Red Line. The BTS needs a Rabbit card or a single-journey ticket.
Which SIM card should I buy? AIS tourist packages cost about 49 to 899 THB; TrueMove H and dtac unlimited-data tourist SIMs about 449 to 1,199 THB. Bring your passport to register.
Do I have to pay for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card? No. The TDAC is free on tdac.immigration.go.th. Fill it in within the 3 days before you arrive.
To get from the airport to your hotel without searching for transport after a long flight, use the Smile Taxi Service booking page or message the team on WhatsApp or LINE.