Singtel GOMO vs StarHub giga vs M1 & Other SIM-Only Data Plans in Singapore

Telcos in Singapore are still at war — and it’s not just among the 3 giants. 

In March 2019, Singtel launched a 20GB for $20 SIM-only plan under GOMO, a sub-brand featuring bright hues and a cutesy mascot to target the younger, data-hungry crowd. Two months later, StarHub pulled what almost looks like a copycat move, releasing their own $25 25GB plan under the name giga, also featuring similar brand colours and cartoon illustrations. Then M1 joined the party with a $25-plan for 30GB of data. 

The tussle continues today with updates to their SIM-only plans with even more data. Which of the Big Three should you pick? And what other options do we have? Let’s find out.

Singtel GOMO vs StarHub giga vs M1 — which is the most worthy?

	Singtel’s GOMO	StarHub’s giga	M1
Price	$20 monthly	$18 monthly	$19.95 monthly
Data	48GB (includes free 8GB for the first month)	40GB (unused data can be rolled over)	40GB (includes free 10GB; free unlimited data on weekends for 12 months)
Talktime	400 minutes	200 minutes	100 minutes
SMSes	400	200	100
Incoming calls	Free	Free	Free
Caller ID	Free	Free	Free for 3 months (for new sign-ups)
Registration fee	Free	Free	Free
Delivery fee	Free	$2	Free

48GB is a lot of data. But I guess having more data is good for those who need it to Netflix on the train and upload videos every day.

Singtel’s GOMO is no longer the cheapest one, so say hello to StarHub’s giga! But GOMO still has the most talktime and SMSes. 

GOMO Mobile by Singtel ($20) — costs slightly more, with more data for the 1st month only

The latest Singtel’s GOMO plan is $20 for 48GB for new customers who sign up with the promo code “HUAT48”.  This limited promotion is running till Feb 16. 

After the first month, the amount of data will be reduced to 40GB for the next 11 months. That’s still a lot of data, so it’s pretty worth it. The plan will revert to its original offer of 20GB, 200 mins talktime and 200 SMSes at $20 from the 13th month onwards.

 GOMO SIM-only plan:

• $20 for 48GB data, 400 mins talktime & 400 SMSes
• Free caller ID & incoming calls
• No registration and delivery fees

If you sign up now, you’ll pay $240 for 12 months.

• $20 x 12 months

If you hanker after even more data, there’s one more promo that offers 68GB, 500 mins talktime and 500 SMSes for $30. 

giga by StarHub ($18) — cheapest, but less talktime & SMSes

The tables have turned and giga has become more affordable than GOMO in less than a year. Consider StarHub’s giga, which offers the same 40GB (GOMO’s plan will offer 40GB instead of 48GB after the first month), but only if you’re ok with 50% less talktime and SMSes. That’s $18 monthly though.  

giga SIM-only plan:

• $18 for 40GB data, 200 mins talktime & 200 SMSes
• Free caller ID & incoming calls
• Unused data can be rolled over 
• $2 delivery fee

If you sign up now, you’ll pay $218 for 12 months.

• $18 x 12 months
• $2 delivery fee

Should you want more data, talktime and SMSes, go for the plan that offers 45GB for $25. You’ll get 1,000 SMSes and 1,000 mins talktime.

M1’s SIM-only plan ($19.95) — competitive price, with the least talktime and SMSes

M1 is like the only “uncle” who couldn’t be bothered “acting young”. They switched up their plans and pricing mechanic, but didn’t bother with the kiddy colours and mascots. They used to have quite a few SIM-only plans (called mySIM), the cheapest of which was $20 for 15GB of data. Those have since been scrapped.

The spotlight is now on its latest “best value plan” at $19.95 which is actually $24.95. But because of a $5 discount, you only pay $19.95. The bonus: free 10GB. This means you get 40GB in total. 

One gripe is that M1 only offers free caller ID for 3 months — and for new sign-ups. After that, it’s chargeable at $5.35/month.

M1 SIM-only plan:

• $24.95 for 30GB data, 100 mins talktime & 100 SMSes
• $5 off + free 10GB for 12 months
• Free unlimited weekend data for 12 months
• Free caller ID for 3 months
• Free “$10 Talktime & SMS Pack” for 12 months
• Free registration, SIM card and delivery

If you sign up now, you’ll pay $239.40 for 12 months.

• $19.95 x 12 months

Other SIM-only data plans in Singapore

Now, let’s look at the other smaller telcos and MNVOs to see how they stack up. They are, after all, the competition that led to the birth of GOMO and giga.

TPG — $10/$80 SIM-only plans (50GB/80GB) 

TPG, an Australian telco, is Singapore’s newest mobile network provider. It doesn’t work with all devices though. Voice calls can only be made using VoLTE capable handsets supported by its network which isn’t great. 

• 50GB ($10/30 days) with 300 local call minutes, 30 local SMSes, plus 1GB of roaming data to selected countries.
• 80GB ($18/30 days) with 500 local call minutes, 300 IDD minutes to 21 countries, 50 local SMSes, and 2GB roaming data to selected countries

Note: If you/your parents are 60 years old and above, consider TPG’s Seniors Go Digital Plan at $5/month till 31 July 2021.

Circles Life — $18/$38 SIM-only plans (20GB/100GB) 

If you want a free upgrade to unlimited data, and outgoing and incoming calls for a month with Circles Life, you have 5 more days to enjoy this month-end bonus. Use the promo code “NEWJAN21”. 

The telco was the first to introduce $0 plans, but the Flexi Plan was replaced with a $5 plan that offers 2GB of data, 50 minutes of talktime and 25 SMSes. Fast forward to today, it is offering something much crazier, like 100GB of data. If you don’t need this insane amount of data, don’t be greedy and stick to the cheaper plan with less data. 

• 20GB ($18/month) with 100 mins talktime, 25 SMSes and free caller ID.
• 100GB ($38/month) with 100 mins talktime, 25 SMSes and free caller ID.

Zero1 — $9.90/$24.90 SIM-only plans (6GB/30GB) 

Zero1 offers “unlimited” data, but only the first XGB (depending on your plan) will be at 4G speed. Can you imagine the frustration of dealing with slow internet speed after being spoilt with the instant gratification of 4G?

• 6u Plan: 6GB unlimited data ($9.90/month) with 200 mins talktime and 200 SMSes (outgoing and local for both), and free caller ID.
• 30u Plan: 30GB unlimited data  ($24.90/month) with 450 mins talktime and 450 SMSes (outgoing and local for both), and free caller ID.

Note that the $9.90 sale price is only valid for the first 6 months and there’s a one-time registration fee of $10.70.

MyRepublic — $10/$18/$39 SIM-only plans (6GB/14GB/unlimited data) 

MyRepublic also offers “unlimited” data, but with “managed speed” at some point.

• Lite Plan: 6GB data ($10/month) with unlimited data with managed speed and thereafter, 300 mins talktime and 300 SMSes (free incoming for both)
• Value Plan: 14GB  ($18/month) with 1,000 mins talktime and 1,000 SMSes (free incoming for both)
• Unlimited Data Plan: unlimited data  ($39/month) with 1,000 mins talktime and 1,000 SMSes (free incoming for both)

The cheapest plan isn’t the best, so check out the Value Plan at $18 for 14 GB of data. The latter includes a bonus data of 7GB for 12 months — only for new sign-ups. 

Check out the telco’s flash sale for the Core Plan ($17/month for 50GB) and Pro Plan  ($24/month for 70GB) before it’s gone.

redONE — $18/$28/$38 SIM-only plans (10GB/20GB/50GB) 

redONE is a Malaysian telco that offers SIM-only plans with bundled mobile data can be used in Singapore and Malaysia.

• redONE Amazing18 plan ($18/month) with 10GB, 500 minutes of talktime and 20 SMSes.
• redONE Amazing28 plan ($28/month) with 20GB, 700 minutes of talktime and 30 SMSes.
• redONE Amazing38 plan ($38/month) with 50GB of data, 1,000 minutes of talktime and 50 SMSes.

There is also the Amazing8 plan at $8 per month, but you only get 3GB. That’s a far cry from the rest, especially the 100GB data plans. So, nah.

VIVIFI — $9.90/$14.98/$29.90 SIM-only plans (6GB/10GB/40GB) 

VIVIFI is another virtual telco with a few SIM-only plans, one of which is a shareable type. Literally called Share Plan, it can be shared with up to 8 other users. Each user pays $5.35/month and gets an additional 2GB. Great for couples with kids or elderly.

• VIVIFI Plus ($9.98/month) with 6GB, 350 minutes of talktime and 100 SMSes
• VIVIFI Plus ($14.98/month) with 10GB, 350 minutes of talktime and 100 SMSes
• VIVIFI Share ($29.90/month) with 40GB, 300 minutes of talktime and 100 SMSes

There is another plan at $8.80 per month that offers a miserable 3GB. Kinda insignificant unless you don’t use your phone much. Next please! 

China Mobile — $10/$20/$40 SIM-only plans (5GB/20GB/100GB) 

Wow, another 100GB offer for big data users. China Mobile targets Chinese nationals who are working, studying or living in Singapore. It allows data sharing in Singapore, mainland China and Hong Kong without roaming charges.

• 5GB ($10/month) with 100 minutes of talktime and 100 SMSes
• 20GB ($20/month) with 300 minutes of talktime and 300 SMSes
• 100GB ($40/month) with 300 minutes of talktime and 300 SMSes

GridMobile — $17.90/$24.90 SIM-only plans (20GB/40GB) 

If you like to collect points to redeem goodies, GridMobile lets you earn gridPoints which you can use to offset your bills or spend at merchants like Grab and Shopee. This CNY season, it is offering 688 Gridpoints worth ($6.88) when you purchase either of its SIM-only plans. 

• GridMobile 20GB plan ($17.90/month) with 120 minutes of outgoing calls and 50 SMSes.
• GridMobile 40GB plan ($24.90/month) with 200 minutes of outgoing calls and 200 SMSes.

Bonus: Best credit cards for telco bills

Decided on a plan? After signing up, your next MoneySmart step is to set up a recurring bill payment with a suitable credit card. Here are some credit cards that offer cash back for telco bills.

Maybank Family & Friends Card — up to 8% cash back

OCBC365 Credit Card — 3% cash back

UOB One Card — up to 5% cash back

HSBC Advance Credit Card — up to 3.5% cash back

Share this article with friends who are considering to switch to another SIM-only plan.