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As I donโt know how long I may be in Thailand so canโt commit to a minimum term like a 12-month contract (1-month rolling is ok).
Iโm hoping to find the best SIM to stick in my phone and get as much data as possible - ideally enough for laptop tethering when Wi-Fi isnโt immediately available also.
Is it possible to either sign-up in advance and get it delivered; or to get it from a shop and activate it that day? Or is there a waiting time of days for it to be sent and activated?
Worthwhile update: AIS appears to be rolling out its 4G network now, since thereโs a free 4GB 4G trial you can opt into if youโve got an AIS SIM. Covers Chiang Mai and a few other major cities.
Another vote for TrueMoveH! Got the 599 a month package and has always been reliable in nearly all major cities in Thailand.
Iโm on Truemove H Prepaid plan while in Chiang Mai.
Big lesson I learned is to get the a 7 day data top up instead of the 30 days.
At first, I got the 30 Day - 6GB plan. But when I burned through the 6GB I was stuck with the lower speed data. Apparently they do not allow you to top up again if your package has not expired. I was only on day 9 out of 30 when my 6GB was used up.
So I ended having to switch to another SIM card so I can get the faster internet again.
So if you are going with the prepaid plan and your planning on using more than 6GB in a short period. I recommend only topping up with 7 Day data packages. This way once your package expires in 7 days, you can top up with another 7 Day data package. This will insure you always have fast speeds.
Hope this helps another person not make the same mistake.
I went with AIS and burned through all my data, now I donโt use mobile data at all. My building has sinet which is cable internet, and otherwise I try to use wifi (AIS wifi at camp for example). Alternatively you can use cafes or co-working spaces.
@inthaiguy - That is a phenomenal summary thank you.
I wish Iโd been able to read it before I came out here and tugged all my hair out trying to figure out how to get AIS packages to work.
AIS now has 802.11ac hotspots dubbed AIS SUPER WIFI, and if youโve got a 3G data package over 500 Baht a month you can use them for free. 3x faster than 802.11n and better on your battery life. More
True is ok, unless you are socially conscious. True is in bed with CAT and they are behind preventing the 4G auctions from taking place, and more interested in controlling the market thru cronyism than competition. I.e. True makes Thailand a worse place and they take an anti-foreigners stance. But if you donโt card about that, then go forth. More on this.
@IAmFledge There is no issue with tethering in Thailand.
@BabaStraja Both pre and post paid cards use the same data packages. All monthly plans use the FUP (fair use policy) model giving you XGb of fast data, then drop you to 384kbps, 256kbps or sometimes 128kbps when you run out of your high speed allotment. Really no reason to get post-paid.
DTAC and AIS both have a promo going for their monthly package for the first 2 or 3 months, you get double or tripple the FUP.
For example: With AIS 12Call, for 748 Baht/ month you get first 3 months with 9GB of 3G and free AIS wifi. (After 3 months it drops to 3GB per month, but hey, just cancel)
Hereโs the easy way to get set up:
*121# to check your balance. You need at least 748 Baht. ( You can get credit here )*777*993*316358# (Youโll get an sms if it worked and your balance will be deducted.)*338# to get your Wifi passwordYou can then throw that sim into a pocket wifi router or device.
I used AIS then True and had no problems. It may be easier to find a True wifi around Bangkok but depends where you hang out.
I just got back from Thailand, I used a True 3G pocket wifi device. Itโs this one:
It was $50 for the unit + $30 a month for 5gb data, which kept me going for about 20 days. It worked pretty much everywhere I tried it in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. It supported 4 or 5 connections at once.
Also I had True and AIS logins for when their wifi networks were present.
Iโve been in Thailand for quite some time. First mobile-data plan Iโve used is with AIS, it works fine but itโs quite expensive. Iโve paid around I think 430 Baht to purchase the prepaid sim card and activate my 4G, used it only for less than a month. After that, Iโve purchased credits again for 400 Baht (they said this is the monthly fee to reactivate it again), but I still canโt use it. I went to the shop and asked what went wrong, they said I need to purchase 430 Baht (FYI, I was not informed about this 30 Baht when I signed up) and not 400 Baht in order to activate 4G again. So in short, Iโve wasted 400 Baht and did not get anything from it. They did not refund it too, sadly.
Last two weeks, there were staff from True who were going around our neighbourhood. They have offered us a TV+Wi-fi+4G package. Since itโs quite cheap (700 Baht monthly for everything), weโve decided to try it. Download speed for the wi-fi is 30MB/s (fiber optic) and 4G is unlimited. So far, everything works perfectly fine.
Iโm using AIS to open portable hotspots all the time and it works fine, have never tried any longer than 2 hours thought.
Both AIS & True have pretty much same network quality, depends on location, I think True is slightly cheaper.
Many islands in the south are best covered by DTAC, although you might want to call some local there and just ask them which is best (e.g. guesthouse, AirBnB host, etc).
No waiting time, just walk into a store, tell the staff what you want and theyโll set you up right then and there. Siam Paragon has stores for AIS, True and DTAC and they have very helpful English-speaking staff.
When I signed up for AIS postpaid, they required to see my passport with a Non-O visa and work permit, but these requirements change sometimes.
Do True or AIS permit tethering?
Iโm with GiffGaff here in the UK, and they block you for 30 minutes every time they detect you tethering - Iโd want to make sure thatโs not the case whilst Iโm out and about in Thailand!
I use AIS - in Bangkok and Ao Nang / Krabi and everything works fine.
Iโve been in Bangkok for a week and a half now, and True has been good enough, especially with their cafes though their prepaid packages are sucky and their website is horrible info-wise.
(Pre-paid cards donโt have a flat rate sadly, and the biggest package Iโve seen is around 6gb for 700 baht)
Iโd like to hear from someone whoโs been her a bit longer though, as I have no idea whether post-paid requires a contract/location etc
If you are going for the islands - Koh Phangan, Samui, Tao - AIS SUCKS barely no signal, sometimes not even that.
Iโm now down on Ko Samui. I ended up buying a 12GB package on AIS for 800 THB when I was in Chiang Mai.
So far Iโve found the signal and speed of 3G to be none-short of excellent. Better than a lot of the Wi-Fi here, as the Mobile Jazz guys found.
With 3G here, Iโve hit download speeds of 2MB/s (capital B). I even had full 3G signal the entire way on the boat travelling between Surat Thani and Ko Samui.
Itโs a liberating and surreal feeling sitting on a beach with a laptop not plugged into anything, browsing at such smooth speeds.
Iโm copying from the slack because they just spoke about this:
Apparently most people recommend getting True for reals and then buying AIS just for the wifi package.
Iโm not in Thailand so I canโt verify but these people are trusted individuals. 
After being told it's unworkable in Puerto Escondido, looking for alternatives :)
I'm in need of a tax advisor who understands "our" typical situation. I'm all good on being legal on taxes at this point, but as I'm doing more investing and there's more compliance and KYC and such, it's getting more complicated to deal with this topic. Not living in my country of citizenship, company in another country, resident in yet another country, banking in a different country ... you know how it is, a pile of red flags.
Would be great to find a good tax advisor to sort things in a way that makes my situation as "explainable" and easily dealt with as possible. Any leads?
Hey, hope everyone is well!
We're leaving in a month to go travelling. Our first destination is still to be confirmed, but will likely be Poland or Slovakia. We will be moving around every month or two to different destinations.
The question we have is: what do people do with phones/ phone numbers when hopping from country to country? Ideally we'd just like one number for the whole trip (even better, the number we already have) wherever we go, rather than getting new SIMs with different numbers.
This is just so it's easier to keep in contact with family/ clients/ etc.
Hi! I want to relocate to Spain and I was wondering if someone can recommend a SIM card with a good data package.
Thanks
I know from experience that if you have residential status in countries where IG (a broker) serves, you can buy stocks and other assets through this broker. But I wonder what doors to the stock market, asset market or broker can be unlocked with e-residency? Some banks open a terminal for customers to buy assets overseas too, is one of the e-residency friendly bank offering a good portfolio of assets to invest in?
Currently in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and heading to Santa Teressa, Costa Rica next week.
Then Aruba in the Caribbean Sea for Christmas and New Year.
However I feel I want to head back to Central America to bring living costs down, rather than staying in the Caribbean Sea among the expensive Islands.
This means I have around 2 - 2,5 month of unplanned travelling.
Any digital nomads who have ideas about where to head in that timeframe?
Thereโs been a lot of discussion on this recently.
Nomads usually stay in hostels, hotels and short-term apartments. But itโs all not very optimal.
Iโve heard people suggest getting funding and building a network of houses you can stay at for a subscription price (e.g. Bruno Haid is working on that).
I donโt want do physical stuff, so Iโm thinking of building a platform around making housing better for nomads.
What are the housing problems nomads face? And how can we solve them with products/services?
Hi everyone and nice to e-meet you!
finally, after so long I found a job that allows me to work remotely.
But now? Do you have any practical advice that I can use to approach this new world?
In particular, I have to put my tax situation in order, do you know a good tax advisor from whom I can ask for advice? (Iโm Italian but I live in FranceโฆI donโt know how long it will beโฆ) )
Beyond that, any advice is welcome.
Thank you!
Maria
Hi all, I was looking for a cool spot in Southern Europe for winter and Iโm considering Sicilyโฆ Have you ever been there? If yes, how was your experience? If not, why?
thanks!
Greetings!
Does anyone have experience in Bari, Italy please? We are thinking of going from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Bari by boat in mid-March. Has anyone taken a boat across? Is it nice or can it be choppy? (We are trying to avoid planes, to reduce our carbon footprint, so adding more surface travel.) Also, any info you might be able to offer about Bari and the surrounds? Next step will likely be trains up Italy as the Spring progresses.
Hello all,
Iโm planning on spending a couple of month in Mauritius Island and even when Iโve been there for a week, never rented or worked there.
Does anyone here has tips or experience to share about Mauritius?
Cheers!
Not sure if this has been addressed anywhere, but if we could specify which languages we speak, the nomad score for various non-English speaking destinations will change, making it more personalized per user.
For example, every city in China has a low โEnglish-speakingโ score, which brings it down to a lower overall score than it (may) deserve because of this, despite possibly being an overall great destination for remote/nomadic work etc.
You may be thinking: that would defeat the purpose of the โnomad communityโ and having English as a global language, but I donโt think it would detract from the community as a whole, but rather extend it and make it more inclusive.
Looking forward to any thoughts on this!
Normally, when I go abroad for a longer period of time, I try to take as much medication with me from my home country as I can for that period. Which so far has worked well for me.
But if Iโm going to be a full-time nomad that wonโt work anymore. Mainly because Iโll then unregister from my country. Which has some downsides like not being able to have my current health insurance anymore. Other health insurance companies wonโt cover existing conditions, so Iโll have to buy my medication โover the counterโ.
But since I need some medication which in The Netherlands (and I assume other countries) is only available on a doctors prescription. I was curious how people here arrange that (if there are any in the same boat as me).
The main medication I think would be hardest for me (and most expensive) to get is Epoetin-Alpha (Aranesp) injections.
Since thereโs not really a โworld wide standarizedโ doctor prescription form, how do you get the medication abroad? Do you have a checkup there again at a local clinic before you can get the medication? (That would probably add to the cost too).
Planning ahead for the winter. Iโll be in Spain in the Fall and want to go someplace warm for the winter in or near Europe, but not Schengen. Was first thinking Cape Town, but the internet is slow and it is very far. Was also thinking:
Israel - but airbnb listings are very pricey.
Morocco?
Turkey - maybe a little chilly.
Any other suggestions?
We launch in 2 weeks. In the US, we use Apple TV and Netflix regularly. Do these work abroad?
Dear all
As a wanna be nomad figuring out a way to get free of the rat race, I was wondering what is the best bank account to have while travelling the globe? I need an account where is easy for me to receive payments from all over the world and it also need to be a bank that I can find almost anywhere in the world. I want to avoid carry cash on me if itโs possible.
Iโm currently doing some work through Upwork, but itโs sporadic and Iโm keen to get more active on other platforms like Freelancer, Toptal, CodeMentor, Fiverr etc
Currently Iโm managing leads in a Google sheet. Basically itโs just a list of projects I pitched for, how much I bid, what I did differently from the last pitch/bid, how much time went by before I got a offered a job etc.
Iโm not actively following up anybody, and Iโve in fact โlostโ a few jobs where the client was keen, but then disappeared without a trace. I guess I need to keep in touch with those people to ensure that they remain focussed on our agreementโฆ
Iโm also keen to take on more small projects concurrently, without dropping the ball on any of them.
Iโve done a quick Google and turned up a few names including Salesforce, Zoho, Nutshell, HighRise, Base, Nimble, etc etc. But testing out all these products isnโt all that appealing, so I thought Iโd ask here first 
Ideally Iโd like something that integrates with remote job boards in some way.
Iโve done some research and currently have this feature list:
Cheers,
Dan
I have an commerce website. We get around 1000 orders per month and this is going to get quite a bit bigger in next few years.
I am British. I live in Thailand.
Im not allowed to majority own a Thai business and small foreign entrepreneurs are not really welcome. So i need an offshore company.
I need PayPal and an ecommerce internet merchant account. Also looking at alternatives like worldpay. 2checkout etc
Does PayPal need me to be a resident to the country i register my account to? Are there complications being a non resident to get other payment solutions?
Apparently in Hong Kong you need 2 years trading history to get an Internet Mechant Account and they generally turn their noses up at those with less than $1m(us) a year turn over. Singapore seems a bit easier.
I really want to avoid paperwork and book keeping. I hate it.
So i was looking at Seychelles, Panama, BVI, Belize.
Does anyone have experience with payment providers in these countries?
Most nomads i see donโt really have a high volume of small monthly transactions which i do. Im going around in circles and donโt know where to start.
Ill also need a bank account for business and a personal bank account to pay my salary into
You can look up the Iglu company in Thailand. It is a legal way of working in Thailand with a work permit for digital nomads. Are there other companies in Thailand offering work permits for digital nomads? They charge you 30% of your salary, which is a lot. Are there other companies charging less than Iglu or have a different pricing scheme?
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