Photo courtesy of LINE Today

 

In recent years, Thailand has evolved beyond its tourism roots into a bustling hub for expats, remote workers, and retirees. This demographic shift has not gone unnoticed by Grab Thailand, the leading ride-hailing and delivery platform in the country. With the expat population soaring to over 5.3 million, reflecting an 8% increase since 2019, Grab has seen a 50% spike in orders from non-Thai residents over the past year.

 

"Thailand is no longer just a tourist hotspot," remarked Chirakit Kwangsukstith, Grab Thailand's Senior Director of Deliveries. "It’s a thriving home for people from various walks of life."

 

To better serve this diverse and growing customer base, Grab has rolled out two innovative updates. The first is the One Click Translation tool. Harnessing AI technology, this feature allows expats to translate dish descriptions and merchant details into nine languages—including English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean—with just a tap. This move aims to bridge language barriers, making interactions more seamless and convenient for non-native speakers.

 

The second update is the introduction of the Grab Expat Pass. This special subscription provides up to 2,000 baht in discounts on Grab's services, encompassing food, groceries, ride-hailing, and parcel delivery. These incentives are designed to enhance the everyday experiences of expats living in Thailand.

 

The company’s data underscores the importance of these updates. The top user groups among expats include American, British, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese nationals, predominantly based in urban areas like Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Hua Hin. These groups reportedly spend between 300 to 500 baht per order, highlighting their substantial purchasing power.

 

Popular choices for expat consumers remain quintessentially Thai, with fried rice topping the list and over 627,000 orders placed annually, closely followed by chicken rice. Thai tea also enjoys immense popularity, with over 127,000 cups sold each year, according to statistics from Grab Thailand and Brickinfo.

 

When it comes to transportation preferences, car-based services such as JustGrab and GrabCar remain favourites among expats. However, GrabBike is quickly gaining ground, experiencing a 30% increase in usage year-on-year. The service is especially popular for navigating Bangkok's notorious traffic or for quick, short-distance commutes.

 

Chirakit Kwangsukstith elaborated, "Bangkok’s appeal—fast internet, affordable living costs, and vibrant culture—makes it one of the top destinations for remote workers globally. We aim to enhance that experience with tools that make life easier."

 

By integrating these smart features and enticing perks, Grab underscores its commitment to Thailand's diverse expat community. As the country continues to attract more long-term international residents, the services aimed at this audience are expected to expand further.

 

Overall, Grab Thailand's strategy not only fosters deeper connections with the expat community but also positions the company as a leader in adapting to evolving demographic trends in the region. Through these innovations and customer-focused services, Grab is well on its way to cementing its status as an essential part of daily life for Thailand's vibrant expat population.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-05

 

Never used it...

Doesn't really grab my attention ....

Saving delivery fees that can be made into a 20 baht tip for the drivers. I like their service.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Grab has seen a 50% spike in orders from non-Thai residents over the past year.

 

Yeah, because FoodPanda had a much better English interface, but it is now out of business.

5 minutes ago, Wuvu2 said:

 

Yeah, because FoodPanda had a much better English interface, but it is now out of business.

 

Hungry Now was the best.....Panda was 2nd best

 

Now we only have Grab, Line, and Shopee

But they can't hire a single human translator to work on making the app expat friendlier. Oh, well, they don't have to if they think it doesn't make business sense. 

19 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Never used it...

me neither , seems that not only are many too lazy to cook  they are now to lazy to even walk to collect their own fast food.   

Grab what, blondie?

 

Well, the Motorbike Taxi mafia outside my hotel gave me the death stare when I used a Grab bike once last month - if I hadn't been a longtime visitor and instead been a new tourist, it probably would have been quite scary.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Popular choices for expat consumers remain quintessentially Thai, with fried rice topping the list and over 627,000 orders placed annually, closely followed by chicken rice.

Really? I wonder if it's the price - these are pretty cheap, western food would cost at least 2-3x times more. Then again with the amount of expats on a very strict budget it's not really a surprise.

IMO they could expand their payment options.

 

Has anyone been using GrabPay Wallet?

 

Was it easy to register?

 

I realize that only four (4) banks are supported.

 

 

 

Seamless Top-up and Transfer with GrabPay Wallet

You can top up GrabPay Wallet via 4 bank app easily, K PLUS, SCB Easy, Krungthai NEXT and Krungsri App, and many more to come! Also Transfer instantly to your bank account or friends, without any fees.

 

https://www.grab.com/th/en/consumer/finance/pay/

 

 

1999 & no WIFI. Just internet cafes here & there. It was redicilous.! I got Grabbed many times.

Women mind you. I got grabbed by a katoey once & broke his arm.

I'm married folks. Leave me be.

2 minutes ago, jaywalker-2 said:

1999 & no WIFI. Just internet cafes here & there. It was redicilous

It was great , those were the days

I am boycotting Grab. Used a foreign card on Grab Mart, card was debited the funds, Grab stated the order was unsuccessful and refused refunding the payment. I even submitted the bank advice.  Customer service was useless. The amount wasn't worth my sanity in going after them legally. I just refuse to use their services. Competition is good.

9 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

IMO they could expand their payment options.

 

Has anyone been using GrabPay Wallet?

 

Was it easy to register?

 

I realize that only four (4) banks are supported.

 

 

 

Seamless Top-up and Transfer with GrabPay Wallet

You can top up GrabPay Wallet via 4 bank app easily, K PLUS, SCB Easy, Krungthai NEXT and Krungsri App, and many more to come! Also Transfer instantly to your bank account or friends, without any fees.

 

https://www.grab.com/th/en/consumer/finance/pay/

 

 

I tried to register to Grab Pay Wallet a long time ago, but found that it was not available to foreigners, since a Thai ID-card was required to register. The same issue seems to exist, in their Pay Later option.

Never mind the ridiculous novelty perks, just cut the outrageous delivery fees!!

Grab’s food delivery drivers are the most reckless I have seen- speeding and weaving in and out of traffic.

3 minutes ago, Xonax said:

I tried to register a long time ago, but found that it was not available to foreigners, since a Thai ID-card was required to register.

 

Yes, I noticed that today when I tried to register.

 

We can pay for Grab from our (linked) TrueMoney wallet. I have done that occasionally but ran into issues when trying to resolve undelivered services/product.

 

The UI for Grab is still 100% in Thai so this announcement is a bit silly. 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Popular choices for expat consumers remain quintessentially Thai, with fried rice topping the list and over 627,000 orders placed annually, closely followed by chicken rice.

Wow - the adventurous expats order fried rice or chicken rice! Verges on the embarrassing!

1 minute ago, DualSportBiker said:

Wow - the adventurous expats order fried rice or chicken rice! Verges on the embarrassing!

popular choices for expats in reality  probably consist of  Big Macs  , Pizzas , and KFC    even worse

47 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Never used it...

 

Does not allow me to add my home address for delivery.

To be honest I'd rather my food was handled by as few people as possible,   (especially if in the UK where many of these delivery guys are illegal muslim immigrants  who hate us)  probably less chance of that over here though

31 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

me neither , seems that not only are many too lazy to cook  they are now to lazy to even walk to collect their own fast food.   

Such a mean old man.

I guess haters gonna hate.

29 minutes ago, ricklev said:

But they can't hire a single human translator to work on making the app expat friendlier. Oh, well, they don't have to if they think it doesn't make business sense. 

 

Human translator? AI does that.

 

For those encumbered with a lack of Thai language skills, try Google Lens.

2 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

Such a mean old man.

I guess haters gonna hate.

mean?   hate?  please explain  ,      and how old am I ?     Apologies if you feel offended ,  I thought it was a perfectly valid observation

19 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

The UI for Grab is still 100% in Thai so this announcement is a bit silly. 

 

No it isn't.

 

34 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

IMO they could expand their payment options.

 

Has anyone been using GrabPay Wallet?

 

Was it easy to register?

 

I realize that only four (4) banks are supported.

 

 

 

Seamless Top-up and Transfer with GrabPay Wallet

You can top up GrabPay Wallet via 4 bank app easily, K PLUS, SCB Easy, Krungthai NEXT and Krungsri App, and many more to come! Also Transfer instantly to your bank account or friends, without any fees.

 

https://www.grab.com/th/en/consumer/finance/pay/

 

 

Is there an advantage to using GrabPay Wallet as opposed to a linked credit card?

I have linked credit card and it seems to work fine.

1 minute ago, cdemundo said:

Is there an advantage to using GrabPay Wallet as opposed to a linked credit card?

 

Dunno. I guess for those without credit cards it might be an advantage. And there is less exposure with a GrabPay Wallet.

 

2 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

I have linked credit card and it seems to work fine.

 

Is your linked credit card is issued by a Thai bank? Or foreign bank? If the latter, do you pay the 3% uplift charged by Grab for a foreign CC linked?

 

 

16 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

 

Dunno. I guess for those without credit cards it might be an advantage. And there is less exposure with a GrabPay Wallet.

 

 

Is your linked credit card is issued by a Thai bank? Or foreign bank? If the latter, do you pay the 3% uplift charged by Grab for a foreign CC linked?

 

 

Tried to activate GrabPay Wallet and says for Thai citizens only, need Thai ID.

I have a Thai bank account but I guess that won't do it.

 

OOPs, I see this had already been stated earlier in the thread.

I thought they were talking about True Money, I haven't been able to make that work either, the facial recognition was a problem IIRC.

 

Just tried True Money setup again, can't complete facial recognition phase.