My phone plan died in the middle of a video call with a client in Chiang Mai

I was in a cafe in Pai, Thailand, trying to finish a project review. My local SIM card had a data limit I forgot about, and it cut out right as I was showing the final designs. The client's face froze, then the call dropped. I had about five minutes before the next meeting. I ran out, found a 7-Eleven, bought a 300 baht top-up card, and spent ten frantic minutes trying to get the scratch-off code to work with my bad Thai. Got back online just in time, sweating and apologizing. Now I set a calendar alert to check my data every two weeks. Anyone have a better system for managing local SIMs across different countries?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlesowens2mo ago

That scratch-off code panic is the worst, I just buy eSIMs now.

nina_sullivan612mo ago

Wait, don't you still get a code with an eSIM? It's just emailed instead of scratched off. The panic is the same if you lose the email.