How to use Grab and Bolt in Bangkok — a guest's guide
GrabBolt
📱 Install both apps before you fly💳 Price shown up front, no haggling🌙 Runs all night, after trains and boats stop
Grab and Bolt are the ride-hailing apps everyone uses in Bangkok. You book from your phone, see the fare first, can pay by card, and never have to explain directions in Thai. This page walks you through it, from installing the app to stepping out of the car, for first-time users.
📋 Our address — show your driver or paste it in the app
Hand your phone to the driver — this part is in Thai
In the app, search for House of Happiness or paste the copied address into the destination box. If the driver calls and you can't understand each other, send this Thai address in the app's chat.
Before you arrive · 5 minutes
Install both appsOn iPhone and Android. At any given moment one of them finds a car faster or cheaper.
Sign up with your phone numberYou need to receive the verification SMS in Thailand. Using a Thai SIM or eSIM? Sign up after switching.
Add a credit or debit cardNo hunting for cash when you land. If you choose cash, carry small notes.
Save the hotel in the appSearch for House of Happiness and tap Save / Favourite once. No typing next time.
Booking a ride, step by step
The same in Grab and Bolt
Check the pickup pinMake sure it's where you're really standing. Inside a building or mall, walk out to the street first and re-set it.
Enter the destinationType the place name in English, or paste the copied address, and pick it from the list.
Choose a car typeA 4-seat car is the usual pick. With 3–4 people and big bags choose a larger car (Grab: 6-seater · Bolt: XL). Motorbikes are for one person with no luggage.
Check the fare and confirmThe fare shown is what you pay, except expressway tolls when the app notes them under the price.
Match the plate before you get inThe app shows the make, colour and plate. If the driver calls and you can't reply, use the quick replies in the chat, which translate automatically.
ArrivedWith a card on file, just get out. Paying cash, pay the number in the app. Tips are optional.
From the airport to the hotel
Follow the pickup point in the appApp rides have their own pickup, separate from the metered-taxi rank. The app tells you the level and gate. Walk there first, then confirm, so the driver isn't kept waiting and doesn't cancel.
Airport
Time
Fare (incl. tolls)
Suvarnabhumi BKK
45–60 min
~฿350–450
Don Mueang DMK
40–60 min
~฿250–350
Destination: House of HappinessArriving after 18:00, when staff have left? Tell us your arrival time on LINE/WhatsApp first and follow the self check-in steps we send you.
Or a metered taxiTake a queue ticket on Level 1 and show the driver the address. Similar price, but cash only plus a ฿50 airport surcharge.
Set the pickup to House of HappinessWait outside the building. If the app says the driver has arrived but you see no car, walk towards the mouth of the soi on Tha Din Daeng Road and message “I'm walking to the main road”.
To Chinatown, Wat Pho, Khao SanOver Phra Pok Klao Bridge, ~10 minutes in light traffic, ~฿70–100. For Chinatown alone, the ฿5 ferry at the end of our soi is faster.
To Siam, Sukhumvit, Silom25–40 minutes midday. In the 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:30 rush it can take twice as long; then the Gold Line plus the Silom Line is faster.
RainFares rise and cars get scarce on both apps. Wait 10–15 minutes for the rain to ease and the price comes back down.
To the airport on your last dayAdd 30 minutes in rush hour. Book when your bags are by the door — drivers often arrive sooner than you expect.
Grab vs Bolt — what's the difference
Topic
Grab
Bolt
Finding a car
Easiest, at the airport and late at night
Sometimes a longer wait
Price
Usually a little higher
Usually cheaper
Payment
Card · cash
Card · cash
Translated chat
Yes
Yes
Also
Food delivery (GrabFood) · parcels
Rides only
What we do ourselvesOpen both apps, enter the same destination, compare fare and wait, and book the better one. Nobody accepts within 5 minutes? Cancel and switch apps.
When something goes wrong
The driver is calling, but I don't speak Thai
You don't have to pick up. Open the in-app chat and tap a quick reply such as “I'm at the pickup point”, or send the Thai address from the top of this page. The app translates it for the driver.
The driver isn't moving, or is heading the wrong way
Give it 3 minutes. If they still aren't coming, cancel (free within the window the app shows) and book again or switch apps.
The driver asks for more than the app price
Don't pay it. The app fare is the fare, except expressway tolls when the app says they're not included; then pay only what the toll receipt shows.
The fare is much higher than usual
It's a busy period (rain, rush hour, late night). Check the other app, wait 10 minutes and try again, or on a main road flag a metered taxi and make sure the meter is running.
I left something in the car
Open your ride history, tap that trip and choose contact driver or report a lost item. Do it the moment you notice; the sooner, the better your chances.
No internet
Book from the hotel Wi‑Fi before you step out. During the day a Thai SIM or eSIM is worth having, since both apps need data for the whole ride.
* Fares and times are estimates and depend on traffic and time of day; always check the live fare in the app before confirming. Unsure about anything? Message us on LINE/WhatsApp.
Grab and Bolt are trademarks of their respective owners. House of Happiness is not affiliated with either company.
Written by the House of Happiness team · Last updated
