Whether it’s to post on Instagram, stay in touch with family or check work emails, most of us cannot imagine travelling without a good data plan. You could buy a roaming plan with your regular telco but the odds are that the best roaming SIM or eSIM plan is a cheaper, more convenient alternative.
Travel SIM and eSIM cards are not new but it can be a nightmare trying to compare all the different plans and packages. So, we did all the homework so you can stay in touch and save money no matter what your destination is.
How we compared the top roaming SIM & eSIM cards
We figured that most readers want to know the best travel SIM or eSIM for the country or region to which they are going. However, with so many different countries and regions, and so much overlap between country coverage of tourist SIM cards, it’s almost impossible to list and compare each one.
So, we picked the best roaming SIM and eSIM providers and listed the travel SIM plans that are the cheapest, the most expensive, and the one(s) that offer the most data for each country or region.
Our focus is on the most popular destinations for Singaporeans. Regionally, they are Malaysia and Thailand. For greater Asia, we used Japan roaming SIM and eSIM packages as representative of prices. Internationally, there are also specific packages for Europe, Australia and North America.
We found that eSIM plans cost less for the same destination, data limit and validity period than physical SIM cards. Keep that in mind when you choose a package.
We hope that this helps you compare the different choices quickly and easily, no matter where you are going to spend your holiday.
Top travel SIM card & eSIM packages
SCT
- 24/7 customer service
Malaysia eSIM Daily 0.6GB: 1 day S$2.59, 15 days S$10.90; Daily 3GB: 1 day S$2.90, 15 days S$21.90
Thailand eSIM Daily 0.5GB: 1 day S$2.59, 15 days S$6.59; Daily 3GB: 1 day S$3.59, 15 days S$16.90
Japan eSIM Daily 0.5GB: 3 days S$3.90, 15 days S$13.90; Daily 2GB: 3 days S$6.90, 15 days S$28.90
Europe eSIM (54 countries, inc. UK, Scandinavia & Eastern Eur): 10GB 30 days S$15.90 (incl. unlimited calls & SMS in the UK)
USA eSIM Daily 0.5GB: 1 day S$3.90, 15 days S$39.90; Daily 2GB: 1 day S$5.90, 15 days S$70.90
Australia eSIM Daily 2GB: 1 day S$8.90, 15 days S$38.90, 30 days S$74.90
Shop their entire range of travel SIM and eSIM cards on Lazada
WeFly
- eSIMs are sent as a QR code within 5 minutes of purchase, physical cards 2-5 days
- Customer support 9am – 11pm (Daily)
- 100% refund if eSIM is not used
Malaysia eSIM Daily 0.5GB: 1 day S$2.10, 3 days S$3.20, 15 days S$11.88; Daily 3GB: 1 day S$3.20, 3 days S$5, 7 days S$11.88
Thailand eSIM Daily 0.5GB: 1 day S$2.50, 15 days S$13.92; 1GB 5 days S$9.90; 3GB 10 days S$12.38
Japan eSIM Daily 0.8GB: 3 days S$3.74, 15 days S$13.34; 5GB 7 days S$11.42; 10GB 15 days S$18.72
Europe eSIM (34 countries, inc. UK, Scandinavia & Eastern Eur): 0.5GB: 3 days S$5.90, 20 days S$23.90; 10GB 30 days S$21.50
Italy eSIM Daily 1GB: 7 days S$7.58, 30 days S$24.86; Daily 2GB: 7 days S$12.38, 20 days S$28.70
USA & Canada eSIM Daily 0.3GB: 3 days S$11.88, 15 days S$20.90; Daily 2GB: 15 days S$57
Australia eSIM Daily 3GB: 3 days S$8.50, 15 days S$35.42
Shop their entire range on Shopee
Circles.Life
- You & 5 travel companions enjoy free lounge if flight delay >60mins
- App top-up
- All plans valid for 30 days
Circles.Life has 5 travel eSIM packages:
- International – 30GB for $52 – 53 countries
- International – 10GB for S$32 – 50 countries
- USA & Canada – 5GB for S$35
- APAC – 5GB for S$25 – 15 countries
- SEA – 5GB for S$12 – 5 countries
Shop their entire range on Circles.Life
Walton Warehouse
- No registration or activation required for SIM cards – just insert and use
Malaysia eSIM 0.5GB 1 day S$1.49, 1.5GB 3 days S$2.90; 1GB 1 day S$2.40, 2GB 2 days S$3.75, 3GB 3 days S$4.40
Japan SIM 1.5GB 3 days S$4.10; 3.5GB 7 days S$9.90; 1GB 1 Day S$4.30; 10GB 10 days S$14.30; 15GB 15 days S$21.10
Thailand eSIM 0.5GB 1 day S$1.99, 1.5GB 3 days S$4.79; 1GB 1 day S$2.80, 3GB 3 days S$7; 7GB 7 days S$9.90
Europe eSIM 2.5GB 5 days S$5.90; 5GB 5 days S$8.90; 10GB 10 days S$16.90; 6GB 15 days S$12.90; 10GB 30 days S$24.90
USA SIM Unlimited data: 7 days S$20.10, 15 days S$35.90, 20 days S$41.75, 30 days S$47
Australia eSIM 1.5GB 3 days S$3.70; 3.5GB 7 days S$9.20; 3GB 3 Days S$5.70; 10GB 10 days S$12.60; 20GB 10 days S$17.70
Shop their entire range of travel SIM and eSIM cards on Lazada
Why use an eSIM?
Is using an eSIM all that different from using a regular SIM? Yes, in 2 very significant ways.
The first and most obvious difference for most people is that an eSIM saves you the hassle of opening up your SIM tray and fiddling with the ridiculously small pieces of plastic. It also lessens the odds that you misplace your original SIM because you can simply leave it in your phone.
Several colleagues and I, though, feel the main advantage is that it lets a single SIM phone become a dual SIM phone (albeit not simultaneously), and a dual SIM phone work as a triple SIM one (ditto). It’s simply a matter of activating and deactivating the SIM(s) you want, again without having to physically switch SIMs.
A third reason is that eSIM plans cost less than physical SIM card plans for the same destination, data limit and validity period.
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