Apps to install before you arrive
Six apps you'll actually use in Phuket, three more that are worth having for specific situations, and what's not worth bothering with despite what the airport ads claim.
You’ll get more out of Phuket if you arrive with a working SIM and the right apps already on your phone. Install these before you fly — the airport WiFi is slow and you don’t want to be downloading apps while a taxi is waiting.
The essentials
Bolt
Ride-share app, generally the cheapest option for taxis in Phuket. Works in most of Asia and Europe so if you use it elsewhere you’re already set up. Accepts foreign cards.
Grab
The other ride-share app — slightly more expensive than Bolt, more reliable in less-busy areas (like Cape Panwa). Also does food delivery from a wider selection than Food Panda on this side of the island. The closest thing to “the Asian Uber” — install both Bolt and Grab and use whichever responds first.
Google Maps
Obviously. Phuket has reasonable Google Maps coverage including street view in most of the populated areas. Worth downloading the offline map of Phuket before you fly so you have it if data is patchy.
Google Translate
For menus, signs, and conversations with drivers or shopkeepers who don’t speak English. The camera translation feature is particularly useful — point at a Thai menu, see English. The conversation mode works for simple back-and-forth. Download Thai offline before you arrive (Settings → Offline translation → Thai).
Worth installing
Food Panda
Food delivery. Out at Cape Panwa the selection is thinner than in Wichit or Patong — most guests order from the resort’s own restaurants instead. But for the occasional pizza or burger delivered to the suite, Food Panda has its uses.
Klook
For booking tours, attraction tickets, and shared transfers. Pre-buy your Phuket Aquarium tickets, day-trip to Phi Phi Islands, James Bond Island excursion, or the shared mini-bus airport transfer. Cheaper than buying at the gate.
LINE
Thai messaging app. Not strictly necessary for tourists, but if you’re going to be on the island for a while and dealing with anyone local (a private tour guide, a tailor, a long-term scooter rental), you’ll be asked to LINE them. Like WhatsApp but Thai.
Worth having for specific situations
AIS or TrueMove app
For your SIM card if you grab one at the airport. Lets you check your data balance, top up, and turn international roaming on/off. AIS is the slightly more reliable of the two networks at Cape Panwa.
Wise (formerly TransferWise)
If you’re staying for more than a couple of weeks, a Wise card with a small Thai-baht balance is cheaper than ATM withdrawals. Visa or Mastercard, works at every Thai ATM, no foreign-transaction fees. Apply for the card before you fly — physical card takes 5–10 days to arrive.
Revolut
Same idea as Wise — multi-currency card that gives you mid-market exchange rates. Slightly easier to set up than Wise, slightly less generous on free transfers.
What’s not worth bothering with
- Uber. Doesn’t operate in Thailand. Use Bolt or Grab.
- Hotel booking apps for last-minute Phuket stays. Always check the property’s direct site first — most places (including us) offer better rates direct than through any aggregator.
- The official tourism board app. Out of date, hard to navigate. Just use Google.
- Most VPN apps. Thailand doesn’t block much that matters to tourists. If you specifically need US Netflix or your home banking app, install your usual VPN. Otherwise skip it.
A note on SIM cards
You don’t strictly need a Thai SIM — most of Phuket has decent WiFi in the places tourists go, and the suite has fast resort WiFi. But for getting around with Bolt/Grab and Google Maps when you’re between WiFi zones, a Thai SIM is a meaningful quality-of-life upgrade.
Easiest path: pick one up at the airport on arrival. AIS, TrueMove, and dtac all have stalls in the arrivals hall. A 7-day or 15-day tourist SIM with 15–30GB of data costs ฿299–599 — far cheaper than international roaming. They’ll set it up while you wait, including swapping the SIM into your phone and naming the APN.
If you’d rather not queue at the airport, the concierge can arrange one delivered to the suite. WhatsApp us before you fly and we’ll have it ready on arrival.
Related: Transport · Supermarkets · Veranda Area
More guides
- Local guide Veranda Area Cape Panwa is the quiet, southeastern corner of Phuket — sheltered bays, year-round swimming, low-density coastline, and almost none of the Patong noise. A practical guide from the hosts.
- Local guide Patong Patong is everything Cape Panwa isn't — loud, bright, late, and the engine of Phuket's tourist economy. Worth one evening at least. Here's how to do it without it costing you a small fortune.
- Local guide Supermarkets Three apps, one 7-Eleven, and an honest assessment of which ones will actually deliver to your door at Cape Panwa.
- Local guide Transport Bolt is cheaper, Grab is more reliable on this side of the island, the airport is the only place you should never wing it. The honest playbook.
- Local guide Events The handful of Phuket events that are actually worth scheduling a trip around — craft beer, vegetarian processions, regattas, Songkran — and the ones you can safely skip.
