Essential Apps for Traveling in Cambodia: Grab, PassApp and More

A handful of apps do most of the work on a Cambodia trip: Grab (and, where you can register, PassApp) for tuk-tuks and taxis, a map app with offline areas, Telegram and WhatsApp for guesthouses and drivers, a plan for US dollars, riel and QR payments, and a booking app for buses and boats. Install them and sign in at home, while your home SIM can still receive verification texts; once you land they all run on your eSIM data.

Getting around: Grab and PassApp

Ride-hailing apps changed how visitors get around Cambodia. You set the pickup and destination, see the fare before you book, and the driver finds you on the map — no haggling, and no need to explain an address in Khmer.

• Grab covers Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, plus many provincial towns including Kampot and Battambang. You can book a car, a tuk-tuk or a motorbike, and pay in cash or with a card saved in the app. Grab works with international phone numbers, so most visitors can sign up with their home number.
• PassApp is the Cambodian ride app, especially popular for tuk-tuks and small auto-rickshaws in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It has typically asked for a Cambodian (+855) number at sign-up, which a data-only eSIM does not give you. Try registering with your home number before you travel; if it is refused, use Grab or ask your guesthouse to book a ride for you.

A few habits help:

• Check the pickup pin before you confirm. Phnom Penh’s streets are numbered (Street 51, Street 240 and so on), but drivers work from the map, and a pin in the wrong lane of a big boulevard means a long wait.
• Carry small notes. Drivers often have no change for a large US dollar bill.
• In smaller towns there are fewer app drivers, especially late at night; guesthouses usually know a tuk-tuk driver they can call.
• For a full day at the temples, most visitors hire one tuk-tuk driver rather than booking app rides — see our Angkor Wat and Siem Reap guide.

Maps and offline navigation

• Google Maps works well in Cambodian towns, with hotels, restaurants, sights and opening hours. Download offline areas for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the Angkor park, and for any route to Kampot, Kep or the coast.
• Organic Maps, a free offline app based on OpenStreetMap, is a useful second map for walking trails, temple paths and the islands.
• Live location sharing in WhatsApp, Telegram or Google Maps helps a driver find you at a busy market or a temple gate, and lets travel companions follow your route.

Offline maps also matter on the islands and in the countryside, where signal can disappear — our data guide has more ways to save data.

Messaging and calls: Telegram, WhatsApp and Messenger

Telegram is an everyday tool in Cambodia: businesses, tour operators and many drivers use it to take bookings and send updates. Guesthouses and drivers who deal with foreign visitors often use WhatsApp as well, and many restaurants and shops answer questions through Facebook Messenger and post their opening hours on Facebook.

• Save your guesthouse’s and driver’s contacts as soon as you book, and send a location pin when you arrange a pickup.
• Your Cambodia eSIM is data-only, so there is no local number. Make calls through Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger or FaceTime, and keep your home SIM active for verification texts from your bank and apps.

Money: US dollars, riel and QR payments

US dollars and Cambodian riel are used side by side. In tourist areas prices are often quoted in dollars, and small change usually comes back in riel. A few practical points:

• Carry small, undamaged US notes; torn or very worn bills are often refused.
• Cash is still normal for tuk-tuks, markets and street food. Cards are accepted in many hotels, supermarkets and larger restaurants.
• KHQR, Cambodia’s national QR payment standard, is printed on counters from cafés to market stalls. Local banking apps pay it directly.
• Bakong Tourists, the National Bank of Cambodia’s app for visitors, lets you load money from an international card and pay KHQR codes. Check that it accepts your card before you rely on it, and keep some cash as a backup.

Payment apps need a connection at the till, which is one more reason to have data rather than depend on shop Wi-Fi.

Buses, boats and tickets

• BookMeBus, a Cambodian booking app, sells bus and minivan tickets between the main towns, such as Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Kampot, as well as many ferry tickets. Larger bus companies also sell e-tickets on their own websites.
• The Angkor Pass can be bought on the official Angkor Enterprise website as an e-ticket with a QR code; buy it only there or at the official ticket office in Siem Reap.
• The e-Arrival card for flying in is free on the official government site and app — our airport arrival guide explains it.
• Screenshot every ticket and QR code. Ferry piers and bus stations do not always have good signal, and a screenshot opens instantly.

Language, weather and emergencies

• Google Translate supports Khmer. English is widely spoken in hotels, restaurants and by many drivers in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and on the coast, much less in rural areas.
• A weather app with radar is worth having in the rainy season, roughly May to October, when heavy afternoon storms are common. The hot season, from about March to May, is the time to plan temple visits for early morning.
• Emergency numbers: police 117, fire 118, ambulance 119. Phones can usually reach emergency numbers over any available network. Save your hotel’s contact and your travel insurer’s emergency line in your phone too.

All of these apps run on your Cambodia eSIM data at 4G speeds on Metfone or Cellcard. Pick a plan from our Cambodia eSIM plans and install it before you fly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Grab in Cambodia without a Cambodian phone number?

Yes. Grab lets you sign up with your home number, so create the account before your trip while that SIM can receive the text, then use the eSIM for data.

Should I pay in US dollars or riel?

Both are accepted almost everywhere visitors go. Prices are often given in dollars with small change in riel, so carry small, clean dollar notes and some riel for tuk-tuks and markets.

Which messaging app do guesthouses and drivers in Cambodia use?

Telegram is very common, and many guesthouses and drivers who look after foreign visitors also use WhatsApp. Both work over your eSIM data, including voice and video calls.