The first I visited Thailand was in 2017 when I took my dad with me to explore Bangkok for a week.
Surprisingly, it was our first proper holiday together, and we loved it.
A year earlier, Samsung introduced the first device with eSIM compatibility: the Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G Smartwatch.
I did not even know what an eSIM was back then (mostly because I did not start Phone Travel Wiz until 2019).
Back then, I was roaming with my 3 Denmark SIM card because I could do so for free, while my dad used a mobile hotspot provided by our Airbnb (back when the fees were not criminal 😩).
Already then, I always looked for the best way to stay connected abroad, so I would typically not roam internationally, as it can be expensive.
But since roaming was free… I could not complain 🗿.
Within those six years, a lot has changed: 5G NR is available, smartphones are bigger than ever & eSIMs are quickly replacing SIM cards.
During my stay in Thailand, I tested out five travel eSIMs, including Airalo's Asialink eSIM, and three Thai SIM cards.
This resulted in me spending more than 100 USD for my Thailand SIM card and travel eSIM review series (1948 THB (≈ 47 USD) on Thai SIM cards and 58 USD on travel eSIMs to be used in Thailand) – yeah… I went all out for you 😎.
I am excluding the cost of Airalo's Asialink 100 GB eSIM (185 USD) and its Discover Global 20 GB eSIM (89 USD) because I use both in multiple countries, not just Thailand.
In many countries, getting a local SIM card will be the most cost-effective way to stay connected.
The same can be said about Thailand, which has reasonably priced regular and tourist SIM cards.
But in the same countries, getting a travel eSIM will be much more convenient because you do not have to deal with SIM card registration requirements (which can be stringent).
Registration is mandatory in Thailand, and you cannot buy SIM cards from a convenience store, like 7-Eleven, without a passport to self-register it later anymore – registration has to be done at the point of sale.
For some (who value their privacy), this sounds like a nightmare, so travel eSIMs like the Airalo Asialink can be a convenient way to stay connected without dealing with Thailand's SIM card registration laws.
So, is the Airalo Asialink eSIM a good option? Is it cheap compared to the local options and its travel eSIM competitors? How is its reception? And is it fast?
I will answer all those questions in this review. Let's do this.
Original publication: 5th of April 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Which Phones are Compatible with Airalo eSIMs?
Before discussing the Airalo Asialink eSIM to be used in Thailand specifically, you must know whether your phone can even support Airalo's eSIMs.
Sure, your phone may support eSIM, but the local mobile operator and travel eSIM provider, like Airalo, first needs to certify a phone before the users can use their products.
As of August 2023, the phones shown in the infographic below are compatible with Airalo eSIMs:
With that out of the way, let's talk more about the Airalo Asialink eSIM!
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
How Much Does the Airalo Asialink eSIM Cost?
You can get the Airalo Asialink eSIM for as little as 5 USD for 1 GB of data (7 days) and up to 185 USD for 100 GB (180 days). The eSIM can be used in 14 Asian countries with six options: 1 GB/7 days, 3 GB/30 days, 5 GB/30 days, 10 GB/30 days, 50 GB/90 days & 100 GB/180 days.
Below is an overview of how much each Airalo Asialink eSIM costs:
- Asia/Asialink 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 5 USD
- Asia/Asialink 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 13 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Asia/Asialink 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 20 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Asia/Asialink 10 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 37 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Asia/Asialink 50 GB eSIM for 90 days, costing 100 USD
- Asia/Asialink 100 GB eSIM for 180 days, costing 185 USD (this is the one I used during this trip in Thailand and various other East- and Southeast Asian countries)
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in August based on data up to the 6th of August (2023 data only).
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Regardless of the currency used in your country, Airalo will always charge you in USD (US Dollar).
If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.
Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).
I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.
Moreover, regardless of which Airalo Asialink eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same amount of data and prices as listed above.
For example, suppose you buy the 5 GB Airalo Asialink eSIM (30 days, costing 20 USD) but realize you need more data.
You can top it up with the 3 GB top-up (30 days, costing 13 USD) or the 100 GB top-up (180 days, costing 185 USD).
Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Airalo allows you to do so.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
In Which Countries Can the Airalo Asialink eSIM Be Used?
The Airalo Asialink eSIM can be used in 14 countries in Asia, mostly in East- and Southeast Asia, which are Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam.
With the Airalo Asialink eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit.
So if you plan on visiting multiple East- and Southeast Asian countries, getting the Airalo Asialink eSIM will be convenient AND will save you a lot of money too.
Unlike the European counterpart, Eurolink (which I used in 11 countries, by the way), you cannot use 5G NR with the Airalo Asialink eSIM… yet 😏.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
My Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand Experience (in Bangkok, Koh Pha Ngan & Koh Samui)
I used my Airalo Asialink eSIM in Bangkok, Koh Pha Ngan (island) & Koh Samui (island).
Before we continue, I do want to let you know how travel eSIM providers like Airalo work.
It is impossible for Airalo, or any other mobile operator, to operate in every country (and do not trust any company saying otherwise), so they set up roaming agreements.
And do not get worried by the word roaming yet – roaming can be expensive, but roaming with Airalo or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.
What Airalo does, and basically all (actual) mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.
In the case of Thailand, the Airalo Asialink eSIM uses the AIS Thailand network with the help of Singtel from Singapore (so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a Singtel eSIM instead of an Airalo one – that is correct).
Note: in some countries, Airalo uses multiple local networks.
Just like how I tested the Airalo Asialink eSIM on my Thailand trip, I also tried all the local Thai SIM cards excluding the MVNOs (AIS Thailand, TrueMove H & Dtac Thailand) and various other eSIMs (Airalo Discover Global (in Thailand and worldwide), Holafly, Nomad (in Thailand and various countries in SEA-Oceania – Southeast Asia (SEA)).
Yeah, I went all out 😏.
Because of this, I could also assess how AIS Thailand performed compared to its competitors.
When looking at 4G/LTE availability in Thailand, the three mobile operators cover practically all of the country, with an availability of 99.1%.
Do not be fooled by these numbers because my experience with Dtac Thailand has been significantly worse than with AIS Thailand and TrueMove H on the islands I visited and rural areas, but I go much more in-depth about that in my Dtac Thailand review instead (although the former two performed equally as excellently as possible and the numbers present above seems accurate for them).
Thailand's 4G/LTE (and 5G NR, surprisingly) reception is so good that I thought 3G did not exist anymore (but I had 3G reception with some eSIMs after landing at a new airport and at one test location (of 76) with the Airalo Discover Global eSIM when it would not use 4G/LTE… but I will not count that one for now 😜).
If you want to learn more about AIS Thailand's 5G NR availability and reach, you can read that in my AIS Thailand review because the Airalo Asialink eSIM (and Discover Global eSIM, for that matter) could not use its 5G NR network, so I do not want to waste your time with it now (but that may change in the near future… 😏).
But I will drop some images for you below anyway.
In terms of speed, AIS Thailand has the fastest download speed, with a median download speed of 43.52 Mbps, ahead of TrueMove H (32.78 Mbps) and Dtac Thailand (16.38 Mbps).
AIS Thailand also has the fastest median 5G NR download speed (261.19 Mbps), but you can learn more about 5G NR in my AIS Thailand review.
But I want to mention something before we go through the speed results.
For some reason, the Airalo Aisalink eSIM would sometimes randomly disconnect from the network.
And I am talking about disconnecting while in the middle of Bangkok – not just the islands (but it happened there too).
Before Thailand, I used the same eSIM (100 GB variant) in Singapore, where I experienced the same issue (I was in Singapore for a few days before Thailand).
But I also used it in Hong Kong a few months earlier, where the connection was stable for the two weeks I was there (so stable in fact that it was my primary eSIM I used during that trip).
At the time of writing (April but still no update in June, smh), Airalo is investigating what is going on.
It certainly was not an AIS Thailand issue because I had a consistently close-to-perfect reception with my AIS Thailand SIM card.
It may have something to do with the fact that Singtel's submarine cables were damaged, as per this news article by AsiaOne.
But it mentions that speeds to US-based content would be slower than usual, which has nothing to do with up to 30 disconnects per day… so I may have visited Thailand (and Singapore) at a bad time ☹️.
I would be in the middle of a test that would fail because reception would cut off out of nowhere (and waste data while doing so). Or I searched for a place to go to on Google Maps, only to be met with “no signal – try again later” when searching for directions. It was very frustrating, to be honest.
Okay, that is enough background information – let's compare the Airalo Asialink eSIM to AIS Thailand in Bangkok, Koh Pha Ngan & Koh Samui.
Airalo Asialink eSIM Speed Test Results in Bangkok
Bangkok is Thailand's capital and largest city.
The city is known for its organized traffic chaos, where traffic rules are always broken.
Still, road users are not injured all the time… somehow.
The main gateways to Thailand are through one of Bangkok's airports: Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK – main international airport) and Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport (DMK – budget regional airport serving mostly East- and Southeast Asian destinations).
Whole dedicated and extensive Bangkok blogs give you tips, tricks & secrets about this lovely city, so I will save attraction recommendations for them (as my expertise is in SIM cards and eSIMs… I am a rather boring traveler 🗿).
As Thailand's largest city, I expected each SIM card and travel eSIM, including the Airalo Asialink eSIM, to perform at its best in Bangkok.
So, let's see how the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed in Bangkok:
Because almost all travel eSIMs I tested in Thailand also use the AIS Thailand network, I also show the other eSIMs' Bangkok results in the image above.
The only issue is that AIS Thailand has very extensive 5G NR coverage throughout Bangkok, which prepaid customers can use too.
In fact, all my AIS Thailand results were on 5G NR, so it is a bit difficult to compare its results with the Airalo Asialink eSIM because the latter could not use 5G NR (yet… 😏 – but I show the results anyway to see what you can expect with AIS Thailand directly).
You can see that the Airalo Discover Global eSIM performed significantly better than the Airalo Asialink eSIM.
In fact, the average download speed with the eSIM was more than twice as fast as the Airalo Asialink eSIM (38.38 Mbps vs. 16.36 Mbps).
Earlier, I mentioned the reception issue, where the eSIM would disconnect too frequently and at random intervals.
But there was another issue – the download speed with the Airalo Asialink eSIM was often sluggish.
In contrast, its upload speed was (crazy) fast.
When I headed to Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan after Bangkok, I learned that the download speeds would be faster if I redid the test.
So you will notice that the speeds on those islands are faster than in Bangkok… which is odd in normal times.
Moreover, I prefer not to re-test at the same location because it wastes time and data… but I did it anyway on the islands after I found out it was needed for the Airalo Asialink eSIM… but I will not be doing this in other Asialink supported countries 🤷🏿♂️.
But at least you can see the raw results for now.
One thing to remember is that Airalo's Asialink eSIMs are powered by Singtel from Singapore, while its Discover Global eSIMs are powered by FL1 from Liechtenstein (formerly Mobilkom Liechtenstein).
Before Thailand, I was in Singapore for a bit, using the same the Airalo Asialink and Discover Global eSIMs.
There, the Discover Global eSIM was acting up and being significantly slower than the Asialink eSIM.
“Funny” how things change when crossing two countries… 😅.
Okay, back to Bangkok – there is not much I can say because the eSIM was not performing how it should be (based on prior experiences in Hong Kong and Singapore – countries I used the same eSIM (100 GB variant) before going to Thailand).
Remember, I intend on trying the Airalo Asialink eSIM in all supported countries in 2023 and 2024 – you can read about my experience with the eSIM in other East- and Southeast Asian countries in my overall Airalo Asialink eSIM review (not as in-depth as the country-specific reviews, like this Thai one, but still in-depth enough, as you can expect from 😏).
At 22 of the 31 test locations in Bangkok, the upload speed was (significantly) faster than the download speed.
Should that be impossible? No – it happens at times, but rarely.
But for the upload speed to be faster this often is an anomaly.
For reference, this only happened twice in Singapore.
In Hong Kong, a bit more than it should have been because I apparently used the wrong testing servers (I should have left it at Singapore instead of some local Hong Kong server, which I found out a week into my two-week trip, so I do not really count them).
Back to Thailand: with the Airalo Discover Global eSIM, the upload speed was faster than the download speed only a handful of times… so 22 times is borderline outrageous.
But let's talk about some successes.
At the Royal Residence (in the Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang sub-district), I managed to get a download speed of 84.06 Mbps with the Airalo Asialink eSIM.
This is the fastest download speed I got with any travel eSIM at this test location – even the Holafly Thailand eSIM that had 5G NR access on the TrueMove H network (22.04 Mbps – although TrueMove H itself had a download speed of 219.13 Mbps on 5G NR).
But this is the only location where the Airalo Asialink eSIM had the fastest download speed in Bangkok, unfortunately 😔.
But do not let this info discourage you from getting the Asialink eSIM in general. In Singapore, the eSIM was the fastest at nine of the 20 test locations. The eSIM often performs well. I was just unlucky this time 😔.
In terms of upload speed, the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed well (because upload speeds were not affected by whatever was going on with Singtel).
In fact, it had the fastest upload speed at 11 of the 31 test locations in Bangkok – the most of all travel eSIMs I tested (Holafly Thailand being a close second with ten).
A special mention for Bangkok Train Station (in Rong Muang district – it is literally called that on Google Maps), where I managed to get an upload speed of 61.73 Mbps.
Only AIS Thailand itself was slightly faster than the Airalo Asialink eSIM (66.08 Mbps on 5G NR).
Or at the departures hall of the domestic terminal at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), where I got an upload speed of 42.30 Mbps – outdoing any other travel eSIM by a large margin (the Airalo Discover Global eSIM was the second-fastest with an upload speed of 23.42 Mbps).
The final honorable mention is at Silom Complex (shopping mall), where the Airalo Asialink eSIM swept the floor with the other travel eSIMs (42.72 Mbps vs. the second-fastest (18.54 Mbps – Airalo Discover Global eSIM)).
So yes, upload speeds were not affected by what was going on with Singtel when I was in Bangkok, but the download speeds were sad – let alone the frequent disconnects.
I truly believe I was simply unlucky, as I have gotten great to excellent experiences with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Hong Kong and Singapore before Thailand and country-specific Airalo eSIMs also powered by Singtel (Hkmobile (Hong Kong) and Connect Lah! (Singapore)).
But if you want to know what the best-performing travel eSIM was in Bangkok, that would be the Airalo Discover Global eSIM and the Holafly Thailand eSIM (the latter can use 5G NR in Thailand, which Holafly does not even know, but the results were not impressive).
The links above will get you to the related reviews.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Airalo Asialink eSIM Speed Test Results in Koh Pha Ngan
Koh Pha Ngan is a small adjacent island of Koh Samui.
It is mostly known for being the quieter Koh Samui (the latter with a population of more than 67 000).
It is apparently internationally known for its Halfmoon Festival (which has nothing to do with Lunar New Year).
This festival, which is more of a beach party, takes place one week before and after the Full Moon.
It is quite an extraordinary experience. So if you are nearby, you know where to party.
And you can get pretty glitter like this, which your hotel will LOVE to clean up 😂.
There is also a Full Moon Party, taking place when there is a Full Moon – I did not join that one.
Koh Pha Ngan has a population of more than 11 000, so I did not expect reception, let alone speed, to be incredibly fast.
But both reception and speeds on Poh Pha Ngan, even knowing how many tourists and partygoers visit this island.
Let's see how the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed in Koh Pha Ngan:
Fair speeds with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Koh Pha Ngan.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Because almost all travel eSIMs I tested in Thailand also use the AIS Thailand network, I also show the other eSIMs' Koh Pha Ngan results in the image above.
The only issue is that AIS Thailand has very extensive 5G NR coverage throughout Koh Pha Ngan, which prepaid customers can use too.
In fact, all my AIS Thailand results were on 5G NR (surprisingly), so it is a bit difficult to compare its results with the Airalo Asialink eSIM because the latter could not use 5G NR (yet… 😏 – but I show the results anyway to see what you can expect with AIS Thailand directly).
Compared to Bangkok, the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed significantly better in Koh Pha Ngan.
That is mostly because I learned I had to rerun my tests to get a more accurate result (else, the download speed would be embarrassingly slow, while the upload speed would be decent or blazing fast).
If you do not know what I am on about and skipped the Bangkok section because you are not visiting the city, I encourage you to read it anyway because it has crucial information on why the Airalo Asialink did not do as well as expected.
But this workaround did not always work because my results at Chaloklum Bay Resort and Haad Khom Beach were still not as they should be (extremely slow download speeds while the upload speeds were fast).
1.09 Mbps download vs. 28.91 Mbps upload at Chaloklum Bay Resort, and 9.34 Mbps download vs. 26.11 Mbps upload at Haad Khom Beach.
Besides these issues, I still had an average download speed of 31.84 Mbps and a median download speed of 21.52 Mbps with the Airalo Asialink eSIM: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Koh Pha Ngan (minimum of 25 Mbps).
At Ao Hin Ngam Agro-Tourism, the eSIM had the fastest download speed of every travel eSIM I tested (69.22 Mbps – with the Holafly Thailand eSIM being a close second (56.40 Mbps on 4G/LTE)).
The same applies to my result in Moo 2 District (yes, “หมู่” translates into “Moo” in Roman letters), where I got a download speed of 60.30 Mbps.
In terms of upload speeds, the Airalo Asialink eSIM had the fastest results at four of the 17 test locations in Koh Pha Ngan.
And when I say the fastest, I mean even faster than the local Thai mobile operators (AIS Thailand (mostly on 5G NR), TrueMove H & Dtac Thailand).
But before that, I would like you to know that the Airalo Asialink eSIM had an average upload speed of 16.92 Mbps and a median upload speed of 16.60 Mbps, making it pass the HD live streaming test in Koh Pha Ngan (minimum of 10 Mbps).
So yes, the eSIM did not have any issues with uploading content… somehow.
For example, at Chaloklum Bay Resort, I got an upload speed of 28.91 Mbps – significantly faster than AIS Thailand (8.22 Mbps on 5G NR).
And remember, the Airalo Asialink eSIM uses the AIS Thailand network (but up to 4G/LTE instead).
The other top results were at Maehaad Bay Resort Restaurant, Moo 2 District & Moo 7 District, where I got upload speeds of 29.14 Mbps, 28.14 Mbps & 32.23 Mbps, respectively.
So yes, the Airalo Asialink eSIM did better in Koh Pha Ngan than in Bangkok.
However, it was still not up to standards (based on my experience in Hong Kong and Singapore, I know the eSIM can be better when it is not experiencing issues).
But if you want to know what the best-performing travel eSIM was in Koh Pha Ngan, that would be the Airalo Discover Global eSIM and the Holafly Thailand eSIM (the latter can use 5G NR in Thailand, but barely on this island).
The links above will get you to the related reviews.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Airalo Asialink eSIM Speed Test Results in Koh Samui
Koh Samui is the third-largest island in Thailand.
But it is considered the largest Thai archipelago, with more than 80 islands.
Some say that Koh Samui is what Phuket used to be many years ago before it became overcrowded.
Although they are the same people that claim Koh Samui is getting overcrowded too.
It is a lovely island with many things to do, including visiting the ethical Samui Elephant Sanctuary (highly recommend!).
Or the island hopping tour, allowing you to visit multiple adjacent islands to enjoy spectacular views, including Ang Thong National Marine Park.
Let's see how the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed in Koh Samui:
Poor speeds with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Koh Samui.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
But… how is an average download speed of around 28 Mbps and a median speed of 23 Mbps poor?
I compare the median download speed of a local SIM card or travel eSIM with the global median download speed of the month.
I consider the speeds poor if it is slower by more than 10 Mbps than the global median.
Yes, I have strict requirements over here 😤.
The global median was 39.77 Mbps in February 2023, as per the Speedtest Global Index, and the Airalo Asialink eSIM was slower by more than 10 Mbps.
But as I mentioned in the Bangkok and Koh Pha Ngan sections, the Asialink eSIM was experiencing issues where the download speeds were significantly slower than usual (and it was disconnecting from the network frequently too).
So this is why I test the Airalo Asialink eSIM, or any other country-specific Airalo eSIM (or any other eSIM provider), in every supported Asian country I visit. If this was my only experience with the eSIM, I would have written a bad review, even though it normally works well, just like how I had a bad experience with Ubigi in Hong Kong (because it uses the worst roaming partner available – 3 Hong Kong) but an excellent one in Singapore (which I mention in the Hong Kong one too). It would have been unfair towards Ubigi to just dismiss it like that!
And as I used the same eSIM (100 GB variant) in Hong Kong and Singapore before Thailand, I knew (and still know) it could do better.
Especially on the AIS Thailand network – the best in the country (and other eSIMs on the AIS Thailand network, Airalo Discover Global, Nomad Thailand & Nomad SEA-Oceania had consistently good results).
Okay, that is enough simping for this eSIM 😂 – let's discuss the results.
In Koh Samui, I learned that I had to rerun the test to get a more accurate download speed because of whatever nonsense was going on with Singtel.
But this workaround did not always work because my results at Moo 3 District (yes, “หมู่” translates into “Moo” in Roman letters) and on the tarmac of Samui Airport (USM) were still not as they should be (extremely slow download speeds while the upload speeds were fast enough).
If you wonder why I skipped over some results, like the arrivals hall of Samui Airport (1.72 Mbps download vs. 29.81 Mbps upload), that test was taken before I knew about the test rerun workaround (the day before I found out about it… so it is not really representative).
Despite these issues, I still had an average download speed of 28.03 Mbps and a median download speed of precisely 23 Mbps with the Airalo Asialink eSIM: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Koh Samui (minimum of 25 Mbps).
I managed to get the fastest download speed of every travel eSIM I tested at Maenam Morning Market (93.70 Mbps on 4G/LTE).
The second- and third-fastest were the Nomad Thailand and Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIMs, with download speeds of 41.55 Mbps and 40.66 Mbps, respectively.
Note that Nomad eSIMs powered by JoyTelecom, including the two I used in Thailand, are throttled @ 42 Mbps, but I talk more about that in the respective reviews (the links above will bring you to them).
AIS Thailand, the network the Airalo Asialink eSIM uses, got a download speed of 295.19 Mbps here.
But that SIM card was on 5G NR all the time (except for at one location), so it is not a good comparison.
Other honorable mentions are at Sala Thai Restaurant and Grand Sea Discovery Terminal, where the Airalo Asialink eSIM was the fastest (among the travel eSIMs I tested), with download speeds of 71.52 Mbps and 59.12 Mbps, respectively.
In terms of upload speeds, the Airalo Asialink eSIM had the fastest results at four of the 23 test locations in Koh Samui.
And when I say the fastest, I mean even faster than the local Thai mobile operators (AIS Thailand (mostly on 5G NR), TrueMove H & Dtac Thailand).
But before that, I would like you to know that the Airalo Asialink eSIM had an average upload speed of 22.45 Mbps and a median upload speed of 19.29 Mbps, making it pass the HD live streaming test in Koh Samui (minimum of 10 Mbps).
I am still surprised that only download speeds were affected by Singtel's issues and not upload speeds.
But it is what it is 🤷🏿♂️.
For example, at Moo District 4, I got an upload speed of 55.26 Mbps – significantly faster than AIS Thailand (13.37 Mbps on 5G NR).
I guess the Airalo Asialink eSIM would be much slower if it also used 5G NR here 🤪.
The other top results were at Grand Sea Discovery Terminal, Maenam Morning Market & Samaya Bura Hotel, where I got download speeds of 27.51 Mbps, 42.26 Mbps & 47.66 Mbps, respectively.
So if you need to live stream for a few hours or upload a 50 GB file, you know where to be when in Koh Samui 😜.
In terms of upload speed, no other travel eSIM had a better average or median than the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Koh Samui (although they were not far behind, within a margin of 3 Mbps).
So while I did not have the best experience with it in Bangkok and Koh Pha Ngan, the eSIM redeemed itself in Koh Samui.
That is why, when applicable, I test SIM cards and eSIMs in multiple cities/towns/villages to get a better picture of their performance (unless the country has no cities… like Hong Kong and Singapore 🗿).
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
My Overall Experience with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand – Is It Any Good?
I would recommend the Airalo Asialink eSIM for Thailand, and it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy an Asia travel eSIM (and also if you only visit Thailand).
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Wait, I recommend the Airalo Asialink eSIM even after all these constant disconnects and slow speeds?
Did Airalo buy you, Adu 😒?
First of all… rude – I ain't that cheap 🙄.
No, kidding aside, I mentioned in the introduction that I aim to use the Airalo Asialink eSIM in all supported countries.
Before Thailand, I used the eSIM in Hong Kong and Singapore.
After Thailand, in Japan and South Korea (at the time of writing).
In those countries, the Airalo Asialink eSIM performed as I expected it to perform – (very) well.
Because of these experiences, I suspect I was just unlucky on this trip because there were reports that Singtel from Singapore, which powers the Airalo Asialink eSIM, was experiencing issues.
I was in Singapore when Singtel had these issues, but the eSIM performed well over there – no issues at all (unlike the Airalo Discover Global eSIM – powered by FL1 Liechtenstein on the StarHub network).
However, there are reports of other users who used the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand who also had a bad experience.
Unfortunately, they did not state where they were using the eSIM.
There might be a trend if they were also in Bangkok or any other urban areas.
But if they were on some adjacent islands, like Koh Pha Ngan (an island north of Koh Samui), and had no reception while on the road – that is normal because even the three Thai mobile operators do not cover some sections of roads with their antennas.
But if you want to share your experiences, please hit me up – I would like to hear about them.
Okay, why do I also recommend getting the Airalo Asialink eSIM if you are only visiting Thailand?
Do I usually not say to get the country-specific Airalo eSIM to save some money?
First… glad to see you have read more of my content! And you are right, that is what I usually recommend.
In the case of Thailand, Airalo partnered with Dtac Thailand to resell its Happy Tourist eSIMs.
They were very well-priced, and they are probably the cheapest eSIMs sold on the whole Airalo platform (in terms of price:data ratio).
Not only that, but you also get a Thai phone number and 15 THB credit – most Airalo eSIMs are data-only eSIMs.
The issue I have with these eSIMs is that Dtac Thailand has the worst coverage in the country, and its speeds are meh too.
Will this be an issue when you visit cities like Bangkok or Chiang Mai? Not at all – the big three (AIS Thailand, TrueMove H & Dtac Thailand) will have similar coverage.
Although Dtac Thailand will always be slower.
But if you go to more remote areas, like Koh Pha Ngan, Dtac Thailand will struggle to work, or simply not work at all, in areas where AIS Thailand and TrueMove H have no problems at all.
It can get so bad in some locations that SimCorner, a SIM card reseller that used to sell Dtac Happy Tourist SIM cards, stopped offering them because too many of its customers had complaints.
Sure, Dtac Thailand is cheap… for a reason. Hence the Airalo Thailand offering is not my favorite offering – and the Asialink eSIM is a reasonable alternative (using the AIS Thailand network – the best in the country).
When I was in Singapore, I met the people at Airalo and informed them about my concerns – and they said they would take the feedback into account.
Yeah, I do not just recommend random eSIMs… I try them out AND give feedback when they are bad!
Okay, back to my results with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand.
Taking all 76 speed tests into account, I had an average overall download speed of 31.84 Mbps and a median download speed of 21.52 Mbps with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand.
When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 16.92 Mbps and a median upload speed of 16.60 Mbps with the Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand.
My AIS Thailand SIM card speeds were significantly higher (210.49 Mbps download and 44.73 Mbps upload – mostly because I had 5G NR access with it, while the Airalo Asialink eSIM cannot… yet 😏).
Normally, I would not recommend an eSIM that disconnects more than 30 times a day or has slow speeds unless I do some tricks to make it perform as it should be, especially when using Thailand's best mobile network.
This time, the mobile operator that powers the eSIM was experiencing issues during my trip, making it act like this.
But as I have used the eSIM in other countries where it performed well or excellently, I know it can do better.
So, I recommend the Airalo Asialink eSIM for Thailand, on the condition that it works normally when I revisit Thailand and/or other Phone Travel Wiz readers inform me about their experiences after this review is life (to determine if it was a short-term issue or an ongoing one).
If that changes, I will adjust my recommendation.
>>> Get your Airalo Asialink eSIM now! <<<
Interested in using the Airalo Asialink eSIM in another country or countries? Read my Airalo Asialink eSIM review (tested in numerous countries and counting).
Other Thailand eSIM Reviews (Airalo, Holafly & Nomad)
As mentioned earlier, I also tried out (other) eSIMs from Airalo (Discover Global), Holafly, Nomad (Thailand and SEA-Oceania).
You should read those reviews too.
>>> Airalo Asialink eSIM in Thailand Review | Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Thailand Review | Holafly Thailand eSIM Review | Nomad Thailand eSIM Review | Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM in Thailand Review <<<
- Check out my eSIM reviews page if you want to read all the other eSIM reviews I have written, including other eSIM providers in Asia.
I also tried out various local Thai cards: AIS Thailand, TrueMove H & Dtac Thailand.
If your phone does not support eSIM (but felt like reading this Airalo review in full anyway – awesome) or want to have the best network experience possible, you want to go directly with the local mobile operators instead of roaming on their networks (as you do with travel eSIMs).
So I encourage you to read the Thai SIM card reviews too.
>>> AIS Thailand Review | TrueMove H Review | Dtac Thailand Review <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Asian SIM cards.