Must Have Apps For Visiting Thailand

Transportation Apps: Bolt and Grab

Bangkok traffic can get pretty busy, and you’re going to need a couple of apps to help you navigate this mess. You’ll probably find yourself needing to take taxis or maybe a motorbike, and you’re going to want to use the apps to do it.

You have Bolt and Grab. These apps function like Uber. You simply put in your destination and your pickup location, and the algorithm will give you a driver.

The taxi apps are incredibly useful in this city, as there is a common reputation for taxi drivers to try to hustle tourists. The apps will give you a predetermined price to get to your location, and your driver will know exactly where to go, so you won’t get stuck giving a taxi driver directions who may or may not speak English.

But it’s important to remember that these are competitors. When you’re ordering a motorbike taxi on Grab or Bolt, you don’t want to set your pickup location right in front of a motorbike taxi stand, as you do have altercations. I personally have witnessed a few of them.

Food Ordering Apps: Grab and FoodPanda

Let’s talk about our second key group of apps you’re going to want to download, and these are your food ordering apps. You probably downloaded one of them already.

We are talking about Grab and FoodPanda. Now you have a huge variety of food, both Thai and Western, that you can get on these apps. It is very convenient, it is very easy, and I use these apps very frequently—maybe a little bit too much.

They definitely are more expensive than if you go outside. Normally prices are marked up by 20% to 30% on the app itself, plus you pay delivery fees, and some of them even include extra taxes. It can be up to 50% more expensive.

Communication App: Line

The next application that you’re going to want to download—it’s one of the main communication apps—and that is Line.

People in Thailand use Line. It’s probably the number one communication app, messenger app. They definitely use Facebook Messenger and Instagram a lot also, but you probably already have those ones. You probably don’t have Line.

So you’re going to want to download Line before you come to Thailand. If you want to talk to Thai people and if Thai people want to talk to you, they’ll probably ask: “Do you have Line?”

Restaurant Dining Apps: Eatigo and Hungry Hub

The next group of apps that you may want to download are for in-restaurant dining. If you like to go out to buffets or eat some Western food here, then you’re going to want to download Eatigo and Hungry Hub.

These two apps will give you discounts on selected restaurants that have signed up with the application. They offer up to a 50% discount if you eat at the restaurant during non-peak hours.

Shopping App: Lazada

Lazada is the Amazon of Southeast Asia, and especially Thailand. Whether you’re living or traveling in Bangkok, you can order online packages to your residence or hotel. They will arrive at your door or even your hotel room within a day or two.

Make sure that it’s being delivered from within Thailand—you should get it within a day or two. If you get it delivered from China or something, you’re going to be waiting a couple of weeks.

And you can actually pay with cash on delivery, so you don’t need to have a Thai payment system.