eSIM guide · Overseas data costs
Cheap Travel eSIM for Trips from Singapore
A cheap travel eSIM is a prepaid overseas data plan sized to your trip, not a daily roaming charge. Buy it before you leave Singapore, choose only the data and days you need, and take one regional plan across borders. It never renews, so nothing bills you later. HelloRoam covers 185+ destinations, and you install yours at home over Wi-Fi.
Plans start from S$1.32 · 1GB for 7 days
Cheap travel eSIM key facts From our plans and 4 Singapore telco roaming options; markers link to sources
- Our travel eSIM plans bill
- Once, at checkout. No plan renews, and any top-up is a separate purchase you choose
- Singtel DataRoam Unlimited Daily bills
- Each day, one flat rate for a day of data(1)
- Price per GB on our plans, from
- S$0.79, on 50GB for 30 days. In our table, no other 30-day plan costs less per GB
- StarHub Unlimited+ data roaming
- Pauses, when the plan's roaming data runs out(2)
- A regional travel eSIM plan uses
- 1 eSIM, across each country on the plan
- HelloRoam plans cover
- 185+ destinations, 212+ networks
What you pay for overseas data comes down to three choices
The bill for data overseas depends on how much you buy, how many countries you cross and how the plan charges you.
First stop Plan connects
Border crossing No new plan
Next country Same eSIM works
Lines saved on your phone
Your device Every line on one screen
Size the plan to your trip
A plan sized for maps, chat and bookings costs less than a large one you never finish. Estimate your trip's data first, then buy that amount. If you run low, a plan that takes more data lets you top up in the app, so there is no need to overbuy at the start.
Let one regional plan cover the whole route
A regional plan covers every country on its list with one eSIM. On a route through several of them, you buy once and stay connected at each border. Read the list first, because a country outside it needs its own plan.
Pay once and let the plan end
Every plan is prepaid. You pay once, at checkout, and the plan stops when its days or its data run out. Nothing renews, so no bill waits for you when you land back in Singapore.
Prices per GB for travel eSIMs, by country and region
Choose the smallest plan that lasts your trip, then weigh price per GB only between plans you would finish. That shows when a bigger plan costs little more. Each trip length in the table shows the plan that costs least for light use. A light week needs 3.9 GB, which is our calculator's estimate plus 20% for busy days, rounded up.
Three plan types
- Country plan
- Best for: one country, start to finish. Coverage: The chosen country's own networks. Features: Choose a data size, and each one shows its days. Your Singapore SIM keeps your number.
- Regional plan
- Best for: several countries in one region. Coverage: Each country named on the plan, through one eSIM. Features: Nothing new to buy at each border.
- Global plan
- Best for: a route across regions. Coverage: 127 destinations in several regions, all listed on the plan. Features: A single purchase for a long route. It usually costs more per GB than a country plan, so choose it when you cross regions.
| Malaysia plans | S$4.48 1GB for 7 days | S$13.48 5GB for 30 days | S$23.11 10GB for 30 days | S$36.60 20GB for 30 days | S$1.21 50GB for 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand plans | S$4.48 1GB for 7 days | S$8.98 5GB for 30 days | S$12.81 10GB for 30 days | S$20.54 20GB for 30 days | S$1.03 20GB for 30 days |
| Indonesia plans | S$4.48 Unlimited data for 1 day | S$16.05 5GB for 30 days | S$25.04 10GB for 30 days | S$40.45 20GB for 30 days | S$1.08 50GB for 30 days |
| Vietnam plans | S$4.48 1GB for 7 days | S$14.25 5GB for 30 days | S$24.81 10GB for 30 days | S$35.32 20GB for 30 days | S$1.77 20GB for 30 days |
| Japan plans | S$4.11 Unlimited data for 1 day | S$12.19 5GB for 30 days | S$20.54 10GB for 30 days | S$28.89 20GB for 30 days | S$0.79 50GB for 30 days |
| South Korea plans | S$4.48 Unlimited data for 1 day | S$12.83 5GB for 30 days | S$23.11 10GB for 30 days | S$36.60 20GB for 30 days | S$1.43 50GB for 30 days |
| Southeast Asia regional plan | S$4.62 Unlimited data for 1 day | S$16.69 5GB for 30 days | S$26.97 10GB for 30 days | S$42.38 20GB for 30 days | S$2.12 20GB for 30 days |
| Asia regional plan | S$8.32 1GB for 7 days | S$31.45 5GB for 30 days | S$53.19 10GB for 30 days | S$92.50 20GB for 30 days | S$4.62 20GB for 30 days |
| Global plan covering 127 destinations | S$17.57 1GB for 7 days | S$68.45 5GB for 30 days | S$123.02 10GB for 30 days | S$12.30 10GB for 30 days |
Tap any destination for its plan sizes, how long each lasts and the price.
Choose a destinationOr browse plan prices for every destination.
8 terms that come up when you compare overseas data prices
- Data-only plan (data without a number)
- Mobile data with no phone number. Your Singapore SIM keeps your number for calls and SMS.
- Prepaid plan (paid up front)
- You pay before you use it, and it stops when its days or its data run out.
- Regional plan (several countries, one plan)
- A single plan that covers a named group of countries, so a border needs no new purchase.
- Price per GB (price of each GB)
- The plan price divided by its GB. Use it only to compare plans you would finish.
- Validity (how long it runs)
- How many days the plan stays active. The days start when your phone first connects to a network at your destination, not at checkout. When they run out, the plan ends, even with data left.
- Top-up (data added in the app)
- Extra data bought in our app for the eSIM you already have, before it expires. If a plan cannot take more, you buy a new plan.
- Daily roaming plan (telco roaming by the day)
- Roaming data sold by the day on your home plan. Singtel's DataRoam Unlimited Daily charges one flat rate for each day.(1)
- Unlimited plan (sold by the day)
- A plan you buy by the number of days, not by the GB. Fair-use terms apply.
Telco roaming bills by the day, the pack or the monthly plan, and a travel eSIM bills once
Singtel sells roaming by the day and in packs, and StarHub sells DataTravel Unlimited.(1)(4) StarHub Unlimited+ and SIMBA plans build roaming data in instead.(2)(5) A prepaid travel eSIM charges once, for a set amount of data and days.
Daily roaming plan A flat rate for each day
Before you fly, no charge Day 1, a daily rate Day 2, a daily rate Day 3, a daily rate Day 4, a daily rate Day 5, a daily rate
Prepaid travel eSIM One price, paid before the trip
Before you fly, paid once Day 1, no charge Day 2, no charge Day 3, no charge Day 4, no charge Day 5, no chargeA daily plan such as Singtel's DataRoam Unlimited Daily covers one destination for one day at a flat rate, under a daily fair usage policy.(1) With auto-subscribe on, Singtel activates a daily plan when it detects data use on a preferred network.(1) Singtel adds that this can happen during take-off or landing, so it advises flight mode then.(1)
Some Singapore plans already include roaming data. StarHub builds it into its Unlimited+ Plans with calls and SMS, and every SIMBA mobile plan has a roaming data allowance.(2)(5) Check what your plan includes before you buy anything extra. For a longer trip, a prepaid eSIM fixes the cost before you leave.
To keep data off your Singapore line on iPhone, choose the travel eSIM under Mobile Data and leave Allow Mobile Data Switching off.(6) Some iPhones label these Cellular Data. Singtel says a phone may still connect to data roaming with its own settings off, so it tells customers to turn off data roaming in the My Singtel app too.(1)
For billing, telco terms and setup side by side, see overseas roaming against a travel eSIM.
Mobile Data
| Telco | Roaming product | How it bills | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singtel | DataRoam Unlimited Daily | One flat rate for each day of data in a single destination, under Singtel's daily fair usage policy.(1) | |
| Singtel | ReadyRoam | A data pack for a group of destinations, valid for a set number of days. Calls and SMS bill at pay-per-use rates on top.(1) | |
| StarHub | DataTravel Unlimited | Data roaming charges in supported destinations are capped each day, and a new daily cap starts on Singapore time.(4) | |
| SIMBA | SIMBA Roaming | Roaming data comes with every SIMBA mobile plan. Past the allowance, or outside the included destinations, you top up your SIMBA Wallet.(5) |
We name each option only. Rates change, so read the telco's page for today's price.
Four other ways to get online overseas, and what each one asks of you
A tourist SIM, an airport counter, pocket Wi-Fi or free Wi-Fi may suit your trip better. Compare what each costs for your days and data, and what each asks of you. New to the term? Read what a travel eSIM is first.
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Plan from a local telco
A local plan comes from a telco in the country you visit, as a SIM card or, with many telcos, an eSIM.(7) A SIM card is one you collect, carry and swap in yourself, or wait for by post.(7) Apple notes the telco may ask for ID, such as your passport.(7) For a long stay in one country, set its cost for your data and days against a travel eSIM's. Then see eSIM compared with a SIM card.
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Airport SIM counter
Apple lists a network provider's kiosk at the airport as one place to buy a plan after you arrive.(7) It is a local telco's plan for that country. Weigh its price for your data and days against a plan you buy and set up in Singapore before you fly.
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Pocket Wi-Fi rental
A pocket Wi-Fi is a small router you rent, and each phone in your group joins its Wi-Fi. One rental serves several people who stay together. You collect it, keep it charged, carry it all day and hand it back after the trip.
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Free Wi-Fi only
Free Wi-Fi in a hotel lobby or a cafe costs you nothing. It ends at the door, though, so maps, ride apps and messages on the street still need mobile data.
A travel eSIM and a rented pocket Wi-Fi, compared on five points
| What changes | Travel eSIM | Pocket Wi-Fi rental |
|---|---|---|
| Where you get it | Online before you leave, with no pick-up | From a rental company, with a return after the trip |
| Countries it covers | Just one country, or a regional plan's list | The countries on the rental plan you choose |
| What you carry | No extra device: the plan lives in your phone | A device to charge and carry all day |
| Sharing with a travel partner | Turn on your phone's hotspot to share the plan with a travel partner or a laptop. Our plans support hotspot on phones that allow it. | One rental plan shared over Wi-Fi with several phones |
| Who it suits | Solo travellers, a pair sharing one plan by hotspot, and routes across borders | Groups that stay together all day |
The price at checkout is the whole price, and no plan renews
You see each plan's price, data and days before you pay. A plan ends when its days or data run out and never renews, so no bill waits for you back in Singapore. We do not offer a free eSIM, a free trial or free data, so the price you see is the whole cost.
If another provider offers a free eSIM or free data, check how much data it gives and what you pay once that data is gone, before you sign up.
Begin with a smaller plan, then add data in the app if the trip needs it. Not every plan takes a top-up, so read the plan card before you count on one.
Sign in before you check out, and each order earns credit back on what you pay, to spend on a later plan. You start at 5% and rise to 10% as your total spend grows. The credit is ready 14 days after the order. Unused credit expires after 12 months without account activity.
If your trip changes, an eSIM you have not used yet qualifies for a full refund within 180 days of purchase, even if it is installed. Ask our support team to claim it.
Offline maps and Low Data Mode make a small plan go further
To save money on mobile data while travelling, buy a modest plan and let these four habits keep background use down.
Save offline maps at home, before you leave for Changi
Google Maps lets you download an area for offline use, then gives driving directions offline inside that area.(8) Walking and public transport routes still need data, and some countries or regions get no offline maps.(8)
Turn on Low Data Mode on iPhone, or Data Saver on a Pixel
On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Mobile Data, tap the line you use overseas and turn on Low Data Mode, which restricts background network use.(9) On a Pixel, Data Saver lets most apps get background data only on Wi-Fi.(10)
Save video, photo backups and uploads for Wi-Fi
Our data usage calculator puts an hour of HD video at about 1.4 GB and an hour of maps at about 10 MB. Leave video, photo backups and big uploads for hotel Wi-Fi.
Keep app updates off mobile data
To keep app updates off mobile data on Android, open Google Play, tap your profile picture, then Settings > Network preferences > Auto-update apps, and pick Update over Wi-Fi only.(11) On iPhone, Low Data Mode turns off the App Store's automatic updates and downloads.(9)
Before you buy
- Check your phone takes an eSIM and is not telco-locked
- Estimate the data your trip needs
- Pick a regional plan if you cross borders
- Install over Wi-Fi before you fly
First, check that your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: our eSIM phone guide covers both for iPhone and Android. On iPhone, Settings > General > About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Network Provider Lock when it is unlocked.(7) Then install the eSIM at home, so the plan is ready when you land.
Cheap eSIM and overseas data plan questions, answered for Singapore
Is there a way to get a free eSIM card for overseas trips?
HelloRoam does not offer a free eSIM, a free trial or free data. Each plan is prepaid, with its full price on screen before you pay. Any free deal you see for a trip from Singapore comes from another provider. Check how many days it lasts, how much data it gives and what you pay after that.
Which travel eSIM costs the least?
In our price table, the cheapest plan is S$4.11 for unlimited data in Japan, lasting 1 day. For your trip, the cheapest eSIM is the smallest plan covering all your days and data. Compare price per GB only between plans you would finish, and check if one regional plan costs less than several country plans. Fair-use terms apply to unlimited plans.
How much does a travel eSIM cost for a trip from Singapore?
A light week in Malaysia costs S$13.48 on our plans, for 5GB over 30 days. The price depends on the destination, the data and the number of days. Our price table shows a light trip of each length in each place. Unlimited plans are priced by the day. Fair-use terms apply.
Is a tourist SIM cheaper than a travel eSIM?
Not on every trip, so compare what each costs for the same days and data. A tourist SIM comes from a telco in the country you visit, and Apple notes it may ask for ID such as your passport.(7) A travel eSIM is bought online before you fly, and your Singapore SIM keeps your number for calls and SMS.
Related guides for long stays, cruises and student trips
Singtel, StarHub, SIMBA, Apple and Google pages we read for this guide
We cite Singapore telco pages and Apple's and Google's own help pages, never other travel eSIM sellers.
All 11 sources were read on .
- 1
Singtel: Roaming Frequently Asked Questions
- 2
- 3
Apple Support (Singapore): Set up eSIM on iPhone
- 4
- 5
SIMBA: SIMBA Roaming
- 6
Apple Support (Singapore): Using Dual SIM with an eSIM
- 7
Apple Support (Singapore): Use eSIM while travelling internationally with your iPhone
- 8
Google Maps Help: Download areas and navigate offline in Google Maps
- 9
Apple Support (Singapore): Use Low Data Mode on your iPhone and iPad
- 10
Google Pixel Help: Use less mobile data with Data Saver
- 11
Google Play Help: How to update apps on Android
