What Are the Best Practices for Using Dual SIM Phones in Thailand for Expats?

I recently arrived from Australia. My Telstra phone has data roaming off and I get calls , messages and WhatsApp on wifi. I purchased a new phone and AIS contract with a Thai sim. Working so well

As many have mentioned, I still keep my UK SIM in my mobile phone because occasionally it is necessary to receive messages from institutions like banks, for instance when they need to verify if a purchase attempt is legitimate and require a prompt response. Most modern mobile phones now offer the option of using an eSIM, and my device has two physical SIM slots. However, if I choose to use an eSIM, it disables the ability to use both physical SIM slots simultaneously.

I use my US phone with dual sim - one US and one Thai, configured like so many have said here. There is one downside to this however. Some may refute this, but it's from my own experience. Some apps will not run on a US phone, even with VPN disabled. One example is Shoppee, and another is Krungthai Bank. I had to close my Krungthai account because the app wouldn't work. Call center tech support confirmed this was because my phone was from the US. Regardless of the fact there was a Thai sim card.

You can get an e-sim installed from the net.

Yes...akways used a separate phone for thai sim! Start off with an AIS 5G sim but using their tourist 4G option... costs 999thb which gives totally unlimited download and superior countrywide travelling coverage than khrappy 5G.

After numbers of years always habitually getting a new sim each trip - there is a better way to maximuse the life of your sim and make it stay usable iver multipke trips to thailand!

- The advertising says it has a Max 45days expìry life, but that is not necessarily true. If you have plenty of unused call credits the sim stays alive so long as there is enough to cover the 20thb per month maintenance consumption of credit! We ourselves are more fortunate in that thai Mrs's local bank acct auto pays 30thb monthly, but for Joe tourist all he does is to preload the sim with sufficient call credit for the sim to stay alive till he comes back to Thailand.

Another good thing about this thai 4Gon5Gsim option us that it is domestic thai network only therefore the credits do not get hit with international data costs if one forgets to put it into flightmode upon leaving Thailand!

I’m from Australia but i think same applies. I brought a asi virtual sim and id verified beforehand arrived in Thailand turned phone on

Going into airport and it was working before I got my luggage

For banking verification in america I ported my original cell number to Google voice before I departed america. To sim and only one time fee.

i use my old iphonex for uk , just otp etc. and i use my iphone 15 for thai ais sim. mostly my uk phone is switched off

1 phone, 2 Sim cards - Ozzie and Thai.

international roaming turned off.

still get Ozzy text messages in Thailand on a $25/year access plan. every 6 months when I visit Australia I buy a $25 30 day call and internet plan.

I have kept an old phone and use that primarily for my music library and if I go to Cambodia etc

I maintain the one I have and just swap over when in Thailand. Use whatsup or messenger for international calls.

Ive dual sim, turn off data on uk sim i can still receive otps. Thai sim i use Ais and ive a true e-sim as back up. I need to he online. If i go back UK, turn data back on uk sim, off on thai sim still recieve otps for thai

you have a phone with 2 sim slots, so what's the issue? Seems like a no brainier to me.

I’m running an Australian physical sim and a couple of eSims I use as needed .. just select the one you are using .. easy

Yes you can use your English handset. And you can still use WhatsApp and messenger. I do it all the time.

I have dual sim, in Thailand I use just the Thai sim, my NZ one turned off. My chats to back home are using messenger or email. If there is an important reason I need to use the NZ sim I turn it on for the day. Roaming on my NZ plan costs $10 per day, we go for 60-90 days hence it is turned off 🤔

Buy a local phone

Ok call me Dumb, So if you get an E Sim from the vast amount of companies out there like for me im Australian so a phone with an Australian company Sim card on a contract 2 years, So i just select when arrival into Thailand E SIM ? Or do i block the Aussie one somehow before i leave Australia ? Arriving into Thailand on 8th September, Thanks in advance,

Two sims. Turn of roaming for home country sim. Can use apps when connected to WiFi.

Look at expatfone, keeps your uk number, calls to it have uk ringtone , about £8 per month

I've been using my Thai SIM and my Scottish SIM on dual phones for years, remember to switch which card is for data on the plane in your settings

A.I.S. is great network, get it cheaper if you buy the sim in a shopping centre, they will even put the sim in for you.

I have two active SIMs in my iPhone, a US one and a Thai one. Before I had a dual SIM phone, I used two different phones.

If you already have a dual-SIM phone, then you don't need to buy another phone unless you want one. Just get a Thai e-SIM from one of the local mobile networks (AIS or True/DTAC) and use both SIMs together simultaneously. You'll probably want to set the Thai SIM as the default for making calls and using data. The UK line will still remain active so you can still receive calls and texts on that number.

It actually does. Upper right there is a search function

I use a single device with both sim cards (both e-sim since the US version of iphone has no slot for physical sim). When I'm in Thailand, I set the data to use the Thai sim card as primary. When I'm in the US, I set the US sim card as primary and turn off roaming for my Thai sim card. This lets me receive the one time passcodes that I need for both my Thai banking needs and my US banking/accounts.