Thailand goes digital to cut waiting times

Don’t get caught out.

As of this week, Thailand’s new Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) system is now live.

The Immigration Bureau of Thailand says it will significantly streamline the immigration process at airports and border crossings by doing away with the old-fashioned paper arrival card.

As of May 1, all foreign visitors must submit their arrival information electronically before entering Thailand, whether they travel by air, land, or sea.

The TDAC is the latest phase of Thailand's digital transformation of immigration procedures.

It is designed to minimise paperwork and cut processing time at immigration checkpoints, news hub Travel Mole reports.

The online form should be completed before arrival and is mandatory for all foreign passport holders. No excuses.

It requires filling out personal data and travel details for each traveller, and is open three days before the date of arrival.

Travellers can submit the TDAC individually or as part of a group via the portal. Information can be updated at any time before travel.

Travellers transiting Thailand onto connecting flights that do not have to pass through immigration are the only travellers exempt.

Great SIM deals - but logic goes out the window

Discounting is a great form of marketing - but sometimes the special offers just don't make sense. 

Everyone knows that buying in bulk is a key to saving: unless you are doing business with dtac, or Total Access Communication PCL, the leader of tourist SIM cards sales in Thailand.

To welcome tourists back to Thailand, dtac has unveiled two offers: a 15GB Internet package at 299 baht ($12) for 16 days and a 30GB Internet package at 599 baht ($24) for 30 days.

Both deals offer double the validity on what was on offer before, but it actually works out cheaper to buy two 16-day packages than one 30-day package. Which is weird.

Anyway, both deals offer free unlimited chat services on Messenger, LINE, WhatsApp, WeChat and KakaoTalk and unlimited free calls to dtac numbers in Thailand.

Anyone who has been hit by extortionate overseas roaming charges by Australian telecoms will relish these deals. They simply have to make sure their mobile phones are unlocked before they travel.

The deals are dubbed "Welcome back to Thailand" packages.

The dtac Happy Tourist SIM also offers discounts at stores and restaurants with 24-hour service support in five languages.

See www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/touristsim.html