Your first day in Pattaya: SIM, cash and apps

At a glance

Tourist SIM limit

60 days at most; a top-up does not extend it, and you re-identify with your passport to keep the number

SIMs per person

Up to three with each brand, True says

ATM access fee, Krungsri

250 baht a withdrawal on Visa, UnionPay and JCB; 350 baht on Mastercard

Home-currency offer at the ATM

Your choice to accept or decline; declining does not remove the ATM's own fee

Grab fares

JustGrab shows an upfront fare once you enter the pick-up, drop-off and service

Tourist Police

1155, 24 hours, with help in eight languages

Data: a tourist SIM or eSIM

The three Thai networks' own tourist pages list these packages, checked 2 November 2026. True's page gives its prices with VAT included. Each network calls its data unlimited at headline speed: read the package terms before you pay.

• Your passport: True and dtac register a tourist SIM with a valid passport, allow up to three per person with each brand, and run it for 60 days at most. A top-up does not extend it; to keep the number, you identify yourself again.
• After 60 days on AIS: to keep the line, you reconfirm your identity through AIS's SMS or shop process.
• Free calls: True and dtac cap each free local call at 15 minutes.
• eSIM: your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked, and the network activates the line. Apple's guidance covers iPhones; check your own model.

Prices are the networks' website offers, not a promise of every counter's price or stock. For setting up an eSIM and keeping your home number, read staying connected in Pattaya.

Cash: what an ATM withdrawal costs

Thai banks charge a foreign card a fixed fee for each withdrawal. Your own bank may add its charge and a conversion cost on top. The fee schedules we could read on 2 November 2026:

• Choose baht. When the ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, you can decline. Visa's guidance says the rate and mark-up must be shown before you choose. Declining does not remove the ATM's own fee.
• Withdraw less often. The fee is per withdrawal, so one larger withdrawal costs less in fees than several small ones.
• Guard the card. Use an ATM at a bank where you can, cover your PIN and keep the card in view: UK and Canadian travel advice both warn about card fraud and ATM skimming.

Changing cash, how much to carry and a backup card are in ATM fees and changing money.

Apps for getting around

With data working, a ride-hailing app is the simplest way from your hotel to anywhere off the baht-bus routes. JustGrab shows an upfront fare once you enter the pick-up, the drop-off and the service; GrabTaxi is a separate, metered service. We found no verified price range for Grab or Bolt in Pattaya, so compare the quotes in each app for your own trip.

The shared baht bus (songthaew) is the cheapest ride. Pattaya Mail reported in April 2026 that the drivers' cooperative set 15 baht for 1–10 km and up to 20 baht for longer shared rides from 10 April. No official or on-board tariff was confirmed, and the 10-baht fare in older guides predates that report. A ride you ask to take somewhere off its route can become a private hire: agree the price first. Routes, taxis and walking are in getting around Pattaya.

Install the Thailand Tourist Police app too: UK travel advice says visitors can use it without a Thai SIM.

From the airport to your hotel

Each airport has its own guide, with the coaches, taxis and last departures:

• Suvarnabhumi airport (BKK) to Pattaya
• Don Mueang airport (DMK) to Pattaya
• U-Tapao airport to Pattaya
• From Bangkok by bus

Buy your SIM or set up your eSIM while you still have the terminal's Wi-Fi, so maps and a ride app work from the kerb.

Emergency numbers and your passport

Save these before you need them. If you send money to a scammer, contact your bank and 1441 at once.

On identification, the travel advice differs. Canada advises carrying copies of your passport's photo page and your Thai entry stamp, but says police may demand the original. UK advice says a copy of the photo page is usually enough, though the police may ask you to bring the original to a station within 24 hours. Keep the original safe and within reach, and never leave it as a deposit for a motorbike or a jet ski.

Plugs, water and mosquitoes

• Power: Thailand runs at 220 V and 50 Hz, and published plug types include A, B, C and the Thai O. A plug adapter does not change the voltage: check the input label on your charger.
• Water: the US CDC advises visitors not to drink tap water and to avoid ice. Sealed bottled water is easy to find.
• Mosquitoes: dengue occurs across Thailand all year, with peaks in the rainy season. It advises repellent, loose long clothing and screened or air-conditioned rooms, and seeing a doctor for a fever.

For everything else on the first trip, read first time in Pattaya: mistakes to avoid.

Questions