Going on holiday can seem like an endless hunt for free wifi. After all, how else are you going to contact your Airbnb host or check for directions on Google Maps?
Having data roaming on your phone can save you from having to sneakily stand outside Starbucks or McDonald’s to leech off their wifi.
Many phone plans nowadays give you the option of signing up for a data roaming package so you can access the internet overseas without having to change your SIM card. But how much does roaming cost? Let’s find out.
10 Data Roaming Plans in Singapore—Which is Most Worth It?
1. Data roaming plans from Singapore telcos—which is best?
Most telcos offer 3 to 10 different permutations of data roaming plans, so it’s impossible to compare them one for one.
Let’s take a different approach.
Here are 3 common Singaporean holiday scenarios.
- Short getaway to Thailand
- Week-long trip to Japan
- A couple of weeks across Europe
And here are the relevant data roaming plans for each scenario!
If your plans don’t fall under these scenarios, I’ve also prepared full breakdowns for each provider below, so keep scrolling! Do note that these are not the only plans you can use, but probably the ones that make most sense based on the scenarios mentioned above.
| Data roaming plan | Thailand | Japan | Europe |
| Starhub DataTravel | $6 (1GB, 3 days) $16 (2GB, 30 days) $20 (3GB, 30 days) |
$6 (1GB, 3 days) $16 (2GB, 30 days) $20 (3GB, 30 days) |
$40 (2GB, 30 days) $50 (3GB, 30 days) |
| Singtel ReadyRoam | $5 (1GB, 30 days) $12 (4GB, 30 days) |
$18 (4GB, 30 days) | $40 (6GB, 30 days) |
| M1 Data Passport * | $15 (1 month) | $35 (1 month) | $65 (1 month) |
| GigaRoam | $5 (1GB, 5 days) | $5 (1GB, 5 days) | $15 (1GB, 15 days) |
| Gomo Roaming | $6 (1GB, 5 days) $14 (100GB, 7 days) |
$12 (1GB, 7 days) | $30 (4GB, 15 days) |
| Circles Life GoRoam | $8 (1GB, 7 days) | $8 (1 GB, 7 days) | $7.50 (100MB, 7 days) |
| MyRepublic Roam Like Home | $5.90 (1GB, 3 days) | $14.90 (1GB, 7 days) | $39.90 (1GB, 30 days) |
| SIMBA Roaming | $4 (per 1GB, billed every 10MB) | $4 (per 1GB, billed every 10MB) | $4 (per 1GB, billed every 10MB) |
| Zero1 Roaming | $5 (1GB, 7 days) | $18 (1GB, 30 days) | $42 (3GB, 30 days) |
| VIVIFI Go | $5 (1GB, 7 days) | $17 for (2GB, 14 days) | $33 (3GB, 21 days) |
* M1 Data Passport is unique: Instead of giving you a separate overseas data quota, you just pay to use your local data bundle overseas.
| Destination | MoneySmart Pick |
| For a short getaway to Thailand | The best value plan is SIMBA offering $4 for 1GB. However, go over that 1GB limit by even just 10MB and you’ll be billed another $4 for a full extra gigabyte of data. After SIMBA, several plans tie for second place: Singtel ReadyRoam, GigaRoam, Zero1, and VIVIFI all offer $5 for 1GB. So take your pick. |
| For a week in Japan | If you want to make sure that you have enough juice to document the sakura season, go with SIMBA Roaming, GigaRoam, or Starhub DataTravel. These will cost you $4, $5, and $6 respectively for 1GB of data. Do note that the Starhub plan is valid for only 3 days though so you’d have to get it twice. |
| For a European escapade | Finally for a European holiday—SIMBA Roaming, Gomo Roaming and GigaRoam are the cheapest options. These give you 1GB of data for $4, $12, and $15 respectively. |
What if you don’t mind the cost and just want to be unbothered about data usage?
M1 Data Passport is a better choice as it simply lets you use your local data quota overseas with a one-time payment. Assuming you have one of their SIM-only plans, that’s enough data for you to stream Netflix on the Tokyo Metro.
Or go for Starhub’s DataTravel unlimited plan. Yeah, it’s S$30/day, but you literally break free from the shackles of limited data.
2. Starhub DataTravel
| Starhub DataTravel plans | Price | Validity | Countries covered |
| Asia Pacific | $6 for 1GB | 3 days | Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| $16 for 2GB | 30 days | ||
| $20 for 3GB | 30 days | ||
| Global | $40 for 2GB | 30 days | Asia Pacific + Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Jordan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA |
| $50 for 3GB | 30 days | ||
| Everywhere | $80 for 1GB | 30 days | Asia Pacific + Global + Anguilla (Caribbean), Antigua and Barbuda (Caribbean), Aruba (Caribbean), Azerbaijan, Barbados (Caribbean), Bermuda (Caribbean), Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands (Caribbean), Colombia, Congo (Democratic Republic), Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica (Caribbean), Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada (Caribbean), Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti (Caribbean), Honduras, Jamaica (Caribbean), Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mongolia, Montserrat (Caribbean), Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean), St Lucia (Caribbean), St Vincent (Caribbean), Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Tonga, Turks and Caicos (Caribbean), Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands (Caribbean), Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cyprus, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gambia, Georgia, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Iraq, Isle of Man, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Maldives, Mali, Martinique, Mauritius, Republic of Moldova, Morocco, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Island, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Swaziland, Tunisia, Zimbabwe |
Starhub charges a flat fee for everything in the Asia Pacific tier, compared to some other telcos who put more coveted destinations like Japan and Korea in a more expensive group—and that’s a plus in my book!
So if you’re just heading to Batam or JB for the weekend, Starhub Data Travel’s $6 for 1GB option is a pretty good option—assuming that 1GB is sufficient for your usage.
The only downside to these plans is that the Global and Everywhere roaming plans are pretty expensive, hitting the $50 and above mark. So, you might want to consider other options if you’re travelling outside the APAC region.
3. Singtel ReadyRoam
| Singtel ReadyRoam | Price | Validity | Countries covered |
| Neighbours | $5 for 1GB
$12 for 4GB |
30 days | Malaysia, Indonesia, or Thailand |
| Asia | $18 for 4GB | 30 days | Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| Worldwide | $40 for 6GB | 30 days | Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan and Vietnam |
Singtel customers should be pretty familiar with Singtel ReadyRoam, which, like Starhub DataTravel, is a selection of add-ons to your existing plan.
So if you take a look at their plans, there’s a pretty big disparity between just the countries in APAC. If you’re going anywhere beyond Malaysia, Indonesia, or Thailand, you’re going to have to fork out $13 more for a 4GB plan (where’s that 1GB plan for everyone else, Singtel?).
Looking at the plus side though, if you’re going to other places in Asia like Japan, India, or Korea, you’ll can get 4GB for just $18 with Singtel, as opposed to rivals like Starhub, where it’s going to cost you $20 for only 3GB.
If you’re travelling to far-flung places for a longer period of time, you’re probably going to need more than 1 or 2GB of data. Singtel comes in clutch with this because their worldwide plan is now only $40 for a whopping 6GB. P.S: It used to be $35 for 3GB.
So if you’re globe-trotting to faraway destinations like Argentina and Iceland, Singtel’s data roaming offers the most value.
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4. M1 Data Passport
| M1 Data Passport | Price (excludes one-time $5 activation fee) | Validity | Countries covered |
| $15 Data Passport | $15 per country | 1 month | Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Laos, Macau, Malaysia (5G), Saudi Arabia (5G), Sri Lanka, Taiwan (5G), Thailand (5G) |
| $35 Data Passport | $35 per country | 1 month | Australia (5G), Bahrain, Brazil, Canada (5G), China (5G), Germany (5G), India, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mauritius (5G), Mongolia, Netherlands (5G), New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea (5G), Spain, United Arab Emirates (5G), United Kingdom, USA (5G)—includes Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands but excludes Alaska and Guam. |
| $35 ASEAN Data Passport | $30 for 8 ASEAN countries | 1 month | Brunei (5G), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia (5G), Philippines (5G), Thailand (5G), Vietnam (5G) Data roaming service in Myanmar is temporarily unavailable till further notice. |
| $65 Asia Data Passport | $60 for 25 Asian countries | 1 month | Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China (5G), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel (5G), Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia (5G), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar (5G), Saudi Arabia (5G), South Korea (5G), Sri Lanka, Taiwan (5G), Thailand (5G), United Arab Emirates (5G), Vietnam (5G) |
| $65 Europe Data Passport | $60 for 44 European countries | 1 month | Albania, Armenia, Austria (5G), Belgium(5G), Bulgaria (5G), Croatia, Czech Republic (5G), Denmark (5G), Estonia (5G), Finland (5G), France, Germany (5G), Georgia, Greece, Guam, Guernsey, Hungary (5G), Iceland (5G), Ireland, Italy (5G), Jersey (5G), Kazakhstan, Latvia (5G), Lithuania, Luxembourg (5G), Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands (5G), Norway, Poland, Portugal (5G), Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden (5G), Switzerland (5G), Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (5G), United Kingdom |
The M1 Data Passport is a little bit different.
With this one, you can actually use your existing data bundle—yeap, the one you use in Singapore—overseas. So basically, you’re unshackled from the measly 1GB or 2GB data limits you get stuck with from other telcos.
Note that for SIM-only plans, usage is capped at 10GB, which is still very generous. When you do exceed this 15GB, you will be subsequently charged $12.22/GB on top of your data passport plan charges.
A $5 one-time activation fee applies for every Data Passport, and it’s valid for a month. Note that they are for single country use only; if you are going to multiple destinations, you have to opt for one of the more expensive ASEAN / Asia / Europe Data Passports.
There’s also another option called—the Daily Passport. Fun fact, I personally use this one when I go on my quick getaways to Batam or Phuket.
This plan allows you to pay an extremely low rate starting at $2.95 (not including a $4.95 subscription charge) for 3GB of data across over 74 locations—for 24 hours.
| Daily Passport Price (excludes $4.95 subscription charge for purchased month) | Countries covered |
| $2.95 | Bangladesh, Brunei (5G), Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia (5G), Pakistan, Philippines (5G), Sri Lanka, Taiwan (5G), Thailand (5G) |
| $3.95 | Australia (5G), Armenia, Canada (5G), China (5G), Croatia, Denmark (5G), Georgia, Guam, Iceland (5G), Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia (5G), Liechtenstein, Lithuania (5G), Malta, Mongolia, Qatar (5G), Russia, Saudi Arabia (5G), South Korea (5G), Sweden (5G), Switzerland (5G), Ukraine, USA (5G), Vietnam (5G) |
| $7.95 | Albania, Bahrain, Belgium (5G), Bulgaria (5G), Czech Republic (5G), Estonia (5G), Fiji, Finland (5G), France, Germany (5G), Ghana, Greece, Hungary (5G), India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel (5G), Italy (5G), Jersey (5G), Laos, Luxembourg (5G), Mauritius (5G), Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands (5G), New Zealand (5G), Norway, Portugal (5G), Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UAE (5G), United Kingdom |
5. GigaRoam
| Starhub gigaRoam | Price | Validity | Countries covered |
| gigaRoam APAC | $5 for 1GB | 5 days | Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. |
| gigaRoam ROTW (Rest of the World) | $15 for 1GB | 15 days | Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and United States of America |
GigaRoam’s options are pretty straightforward. Just 2 plans. One for APAC. One for the rest of the world. Prices are pretty competitive as well, going on par with Singtel and Starhub—in the 1GB category anyway.
That brings me to my only gripe with this plan. 1GB really isn’t much. That means no video calls with family. No YouTube before bed. No Netflix on the ride to the airport. However, if you’re planning on only using your phone for emergencies and basically living off the grid for your trip, this might be your thing.
6. GOMO Roaming
| M1 Data Passport | Price | Validity | Countries covered |
| Asia Pack | $6 for 1 GB | 5 days | Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Asia Pack (Upsized) | $15 for 4GB | 15 days | |
| Worldwide Pack | $12 for 1GB | 7 days | Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar*, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam *Currently unavailable |
| Worldwide Pack (Upsized) | $30 for 4GB | 15 days |
The real plus point about GOMO Roaming is actually the fact that they allow you to upsize your base package if you’re going on longer trips. Naturally, the price is much higher, but your cap goes from 1GB to 4GB.
The downside though is that they categorise countries like Japan and China under the Worldwide pack and not the Asia Pack which is markedly cheaper. GigaRoam actually does the opposite and has Japan, China, and even Laos under their APAC package.
Ultimately, the price you pay depends on whether your destination qualifies for their cheaper Asia Pack (15 countries), or requires you to purchase the Worldwide Pack (50 countries). They do have a cheaper worldwide rate (albeit for fewer days) compared to their rivals in gigaRoam ($12 vs $15 for 1GB).
7. Circles Life Roam Boost
For Circles Life base plan subscribers, activating data roaming overseas is a simple matter of choosing a “Roam Boost” in your usual app.
Each boost is 1GB and is valid for 7 days. You can add boosts if you run out of data. The price of each boost is either $8, $16 or $40, depending on which set of countries your destination falls under.
| Circles Life GoRoam APAC Plus (7 days) | Price | Countries |
| 1 GB | $8 | Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. |
| 2 GB | $16 | |
| 5 GB | $40 |
| Circles Life GoRoam Europe (7 days) | Price | Countries |
| 100MB | $7.50 | Malta, France, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Albania, UK, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey |
| 200MB | $15 |
The one thing you’ll sort of immediately notice is the list of countries covered. It’s definitely less extensive compared to what’s offered by other telcos, with no coverage available for common destinations like the US and UK. So in this sense, Circles Life does fall a little bit short.
You can also opt for recurring add-ons (called SuperRoam) that cost $12 to $35 extra per month, but the cost isn’t exactly justified unless you literally travel every single month.
This next one won’t be relevant to most of us but I just thought I’d give it a quick mention.
Circles Life also has a borderless, multi-country plan. This one’s more of an all-encompassing plan (includes free call time, sms, caller id etc) which suits people who travel a lot and in quick succession. Possibly for a job, or a commute back and forth from home. It allows 100 GB of either 4G or 5G data to be used across Singapore and 7 countries in Asia. And that’s going to run you about $30 a month for the 4G plan. If you want better speeds, the 5G plan costs about $37 a month.
Here’s a summary:
| Plan | Price | Countries |
| Borderless 4G | $30 | Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka |
| Borderless 5G | $37 | Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand |
Do note that both plans can be purchased for all 7 countries, but only the countries mentioned above under “Borderless 5G” have access to a 5G network.
8. MyRepublic Roam Like Home
MyRepublic’s options confused me a little—in the way they were laid out on the site anyway.
They offer two main options: Travel Boosters (available in both 4G and 5G) for most travelers, and Monthly Plans for those staying a bit longer and needing a more permanent solution.
Here’s a quick summary:
Travel boosters (4G)
| Plan | Period of validity | Data limit | Price | Countries |
| Roam Like Home Asia I | 24 hours | 500MB | $3.90 | Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong |
| 3 days | 1GB | $5.90 | ||
| 7 days | 1GB | $7.90 | ||
| Roam Like Home – Asia II & US | 7 days | 1GB | $8.90 | China, The US |
| Roam Like Home – Asia III & Canada | 7 days | 1GB | $14.90 | Japan, South Korea, The Philippines, Canada |
| Roam Like Home – Pacific | 7 days | 1GB | $16.90 | Australia, New Zealand |
| Roam Like Home – Emerging Asia | 7 days | 1GB | $16.90 | India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Brunei, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Saudi Arabia |
| Roam Worldwide | 30 days | 1GB | $39.90 | Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam |
Travel boosters (5G)
| Plan | Period of validity | Data limit | Price | Countries |
| Roam Like Home Asia I | 3 days | 1GB | $5.90 | Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong |
| Roam Asia I | 24 hours | 500MB | $3.90 | |
| Roam Asia I | 7 days | 1GB | $7.90 | |
| Roam Asia II | 7 days | 1GB | $8.90 | China, Macau |
| Roam Asia III | 7 days | 1GB | $14.90 | Japan, South Korea, Philippines |
| Roam Asia Pacific | 30 days | 2GB | $30 | Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand |
| Roam Global | 30 days | 2GB | $60 | Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegowina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Myanmar, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam |
If you’re looking for something for the longer term, then their monthly plans might be your thing but do note the selection is limited to just a handful of countries in Asia, and it’s just 2GB of data that you might have to pay up to $16.90 for.
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9. SIMBA Roaming (formerly TPG)
SIMBA (formerly TPG) doesn’t have the brand history and reputation that other telcos have, but that’s no reason to dismiss it because they can keep you connected with over 130+ countries. SIMBA Roaming offers attractive pay-as-you-go rates, with 4 different plans on offer.
| SIMBA Roaming | Price (charged per 10MB) | Countries |
| Group A | $4 for 1GB | Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French West Indies, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Romania, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam |
| Group B | $8 for 1GB | Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Egypt, Faroe Island, Israel, Montenegro, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates |
| Group C | $15 for 1GB | Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Guernsey, Honduras, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Panama, Peru, Russia, Tunisia, Uruguay |
| Group D | $30 for 1GB | Armenia, Bahrain, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Costa Rica, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea – Bissau, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia |
On top of that, if you’re already on SIMBA’s mobile plan, you might already get free roaming data that covers some 60 destinations.
The downside to SIMBA’s plans is the fact that they are billed per 10MB. That is to say, if you used 11MB of data on your travel, you will be billed twice as much for the additional 1MB. If you choose them, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your data usage—definitely not ideal for those who prefer a hassle-free, unlimited experience.
10. Zero1 Data Roaming
Zero1 Data Roam offers 3 categories of plans:
- Roaming Data Packs Standard
- Roaming Data Packs Value
- Roaming Data Packs Lite
Roaming Data Packs Standard
| Zero1 Data Roam | Price | Data limit | Validity period | Countries |
| Roam Malaysia | $5 | 1 GB | 7 days | Malaysia |
| Roam Thailand | Thailand | |||
| Roam Indonesia | Indonesia | |||
| Roam AP | $18 | 1GB | 30 days | Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| Roam World | $42 | 3GB | 30 days | Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan and Vietnam |
Roaming Data Packs Value
| Zero1 Data Roam | Price | Data limit | Validity period | Countries |
| Roam MIT | $6 | 8GB | 30 days | Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand |
| Roam AsiaPac | $8 | 8GB | 30 days | India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Roam Malaysia | $50 | 10GB | 30 days | Malaysia |
Roaming Data Packs Lite
| Zero1 Data Roam | Price | Data limit | Validity period | Countries |
| RoamLite Indo Thai | $2 | 1GB | 7 days | Indonesia, Thailand |
| RoamLite MY | $5 | 8GB | 30 days | Malaysia |
| $16 | 30GB | 30 days | ||
| RoamLite Asia | $12 | 5GB | 30 days | Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| RoamLite Euro & USA | $24 | 6GB | 30 days | Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hawaii, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States |
| $35 | 10GB | 30 days |
Yeah, I know. It’s a lot.
Comparing prices across the board, Zero1 Data might not be the most price competitive. Its redeeming quality however is that it offers roaming in an extensive list of countries and a generous limit of up to 30 days for you to use up your data for most of their plans.
You can also opt for $5 plans that give you 1 GB of data to our closest neighbours—Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Perfect for weekend trips!
11. VIVIFI Go
Since we’re on the topic of smaller, lesser-known telcos, Vivifi also has a bunch of roaming plans, categorised according to destination, much like MyRepublic’s.
A point to note is that at the time of writing this article, they were having a promotion so I’ve indicated both price and data limit changes in the breakdown below.
| VIVIFO Go | Price | Validity | Countries |
| MYS | $3 for 1GB (Usual rate $5 for 1GB) |
7 days | Malaysia |
| THA | $3 for 1GB (Usual rate $5 for 1GB) |
7 days | Thailand |
| IDN | $3 for 1GB (Usual rate $5 for 1GB) |
7 days | Indonesia |
| ROAM1 (Asia) | $17 for 4GB (Usual rate $17 for 2GB) |
14 days | Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| ROAM2 (Worldwide) | $33 for 6GB
(Usual rate $33 for 3GB) |
21 days | Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam |
| ROAM3 (Others) | $63 for 1GB | 21 days | Albania, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DRC, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, UAE, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia |
| ROAM4 | $22 for 3GB | 14 days | China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan |
Do note that they also have roaming plans for households with plans shared amongst multiple people—where the rates are understandably a little higher.
If you’re headed to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, VIVIFI Go’s prices are pretty competitive. However, anything outside of those countries, you might be better off looking at some of the other options above. $63 for 1GB is pretty eye-watering.
ALSO READ: Travel Safety: Tips for Women, LGBTQ+, and Persons with Disabilities
12. Or… you could get a eSIM
If it’s not economical for you to add a data roaming plan to your current plan, you may want to consider getting an eSIM card.
These are accessible and economical alternatives to your traditional physical SIM cards—allowing you to maintain your connectivity without switching numbers or devices when you travel.
Destination-specific ones are widely available on sites like Klook, Changi Recommends and even Qoo10. And let me tell you—these can be REALLY cheap, depending on where you’re going.
This’d also be my personal preference (if we exclude roaming plans) because of the convenience of not having to pick up and change SIM cards.
We actually have a full breakdown for the top eSIM options so feel free to get the full scoop there.
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About the author
Having been writing for a little over 10 years, KC has flexed his pen in a variety of industries—think automotive, fitness, entertainment, and finance. He’s ultimately on a mission to prove that any topic, no matter how serious, can be made fun.
Off-duty? It’s all about food, drinks, parties, and gaming marathons.
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