Best Singapore Prepaid SIM Card for Travellers

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Who can live and travel without data SIM card? I CAN’T.

SIM card is my second priority when I arrive in a new country, after local currency. Having a local SIM card with data gives me confidence and assurance that I can survive in a new country even if I don’t speak the language.

When my family and friends visit me in Singapore, they’re always asking me to help them buy SIM cards, so I had to analyze what’s the best SIM card for them. And I figured, why not post my analysis on this blog, maybe it will help somebody out there.

To be honest, choosing the best SIM card in Singapore is both easy and hard! Easy because there are only 3 major mobile operators in Singapore, namely Singtel, M1 and StarHub.

It’s hard because every operator offers so many different SIM cards with different features and validity, it’s so hard to choose what’s the most suitable card for you.

Let me spare you from the headache of choosing a SIM card. In the first section of this article, I’ll do detailed breakdown of each SIM card from each operator.

Then, in the second section, I’ll do comparisons of SIM cards for different scenarios based on length of stay and provide my analysis and recommendations.

Finally, I’ll have some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to answer common queries that I often receive. Let’s dive in!

No time to read the entire comparison? Here are my best picks:
• For up to 14 days of stay: Singtel $12 hi!Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 14 days)
• For up to 30 days of stay: M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM (100GB for 30 days)
• Best eSIM: M1 $12 Prepaid Tourist SIM (100GB for 15 days)
• For people who also need EZ-Link card: Singtel hi!Tourist 2-in-1 EZ-Link SIM Card (100GB 4G for 28 day, EZ-Link is valid for 5 years)
• For data roaming outside Singapore: M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days in 5 countries) or StarHub $32 Travel Prepaid SIM (100GB for 30 days in 17 countries)
• For budget traveller who doesn’t need a lot of data: Singtel’s $8 hi!Prepaid SIM (can’t pick up from airport)

Overview of all Prepaid SIM Cards in Singapore

1. SINGTEL

Singtel’s normal prepaid SIM card is called hi! SIM card, while Singtel’s tourist SIM card is called hi!Tourist SIM card. Here’s the overview of all Singtel’s prepaid SIM card and Singtel’s tourist SIM Card.

Useful links for Singtel Prepaid hi! SIM Card:
1. List of Data Plans.
2. hi!SIM rates (including local call, overseas call, SMS, roaming charges) as of January 2021.
3. List of data roaming packages.
4. List of ways to top up hi! SIM card.

All hi! Tourist SIM cards offer unlimited usage of Facebook, Whatsapp, LINE and WeChat, however, if you read the fine prints, it says the usage of this is limited to 1GB a day. I’d say just ignore this gimmick because when you have 100GB free local data, why should you care about free 1GB data for social media.

Where to buy Singtel SIM Cards?

Normal Prepaid SIM (hi! SIM Cards):

• Singtel’s website
• Singapore Changi Airport (Terminal 1, 2 and 3): Travelex Currency Exchange Counters, Changi Recommends Counters.
• Singtel shops
• Singtel Exclusive Retailers
• Selected Authorised Singtel Prepaid Retailers
• Selected Cheers

Tourist SIM card (hi!Tourist SIM Cards):

• Singtel’s website
• Singapore Changi Airport (Terminal 1, 2 and 3): Travelex Currency Exchange Counters, Changi Recommends Counters.
• Singtel shops
• Singtel Exclusive Retailers
• Selected Authorised Singtel Prepaid Retailers including Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, HarbourFront Ferry Terminal, Causeway Points, Sentosa FUN Shops
• Selected 7-Eleven and Cheers

Looking for ideas on what to do in Singapore? Here’s my guide on the best things to do in Singapore.

2. STARHUB

StarHub’s normal prepaid SIM card is called StarHub Prepaid, while StarHub’s tourist SIM card is called StarHub Travel Prepaid. Below is the comparison of StarHub’s prepaid SIM cards.

Notes about StarHub Prepaid SIM cards:
1. For $15 Prepaid, free 2GB data comprises 1.2GB first month; then 200MB/month for the next 5 months. FREE WeChat App, Whatsapp Messenger and LINE App is valid for 180 days from activation date.
2. List of data plans.
3. StarHub Prepaid SIM card rates.
4. Here’s the info about Happy Roam.
5. For $50 StarHub Prepaid SIM, the free 5GB data roam can be used locally as well as overseas in countries listed in the Happy Roam destinations.
6. List of ways to top up StarHub Prepaid SIM card.
7. Free 120GB local data, $100 IDD 018 credit, 5000 mins local calls and 200 local SMS will be awarded within 3 days of SIM card activation. Promotion valid until further notice.
8. 80GB data consists of 4GB local/roaming data & 76GB local data. 20GB will be awarded immediately upon successful purchase. Additional 60GB local data, 5000 mins local calls, 200 local SMS and $100 IDD credit will be credited within the same day.

Notes: 
9. Free overseas calls can be used to make a call to the countries listed in the IDD 018 destinations.
10. Free data roam can only be used in countries listed in the Happy Roam destinations
11. Top-up for all prepaid cards can be done online, through StarHub Prepaid App or offline. See the complete Top up options.

Based on my past experience, I think StarHub is the most competitive operator, they often provide better value compared to other operators with their promotions. But, I feel that they have too many promotions, add-ons, bonuses and different top-up prices. Some promotions last for a long time, others disappear after a while.

It’s hard to make the right decision when trying to choose the best StarHub card or the best StarHub plans at any given time if the variables keep changing. To make it simple, I recommend that you ignore all the bonuses when trying to decide which card/plan is the best.

Where to buy StarHub Cards?

• Pre-order Starhub $12 Happy Travel Prepaid, and collect at Singapore Changi Airport.
• StarHub Shops
• StarHub’s Exclusive Partner outlets
• StarHub Authorised Retailers
• 7-Eleven stores
• Cheers convenience stores
• SingPost
• Changi Airport
  • StarHub Counters (Terminal 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  • UOB Currency Exchange Counters (Terminal 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  • Travellers Counters (Terminal 2 and 3, Arrival Halls)

3. M1

M1’s normal prepaid SIM card is called M1 Prepaid SIM Card, while its tourist SIM is simply called M1 Tourist SIM Card. Below is the comparison of all M1’s prepaid cards.

* International call rates
** $20 M1 Prepaid SIM comes with up to 1,000 IDD 033 mins (Bangladesh 400 mins / India 1,000 mins / China 1,000 mins / Indonesia 200 mins / Philippines 80 mins / Malaysia 500 mins)
## For use in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and Taiwan, you can use your existing data from your local data packs without extra charges (but you need to activate data roaming first). For other countries, you need to purchase a roaming pack.
^ Top up options for M Card

Where to buy M1 Cards?

M1 Tourist SIM Card:

• Pre-order $12 M1 Tourist SIM and collect from Changi Airport or city areas.
• M1 Shops ($12/$30 Tourist SIM)
• Changi Meet & Greet ($30/$50 Tourist SIM) at Changi Airport Terminal 1, 2, 3 & 4 Arrival Halls (Public Area)
• Changi Recommends ($30/$50 Tourist SIM) at Changi Airport Terminal 4 Arrival Hall (Public Area)
• Selected 7-Eleven and Cheers ($12 Tourist SIM)

M Card:

• M1 Shops
• M1 Exclusive Distributors
• Appointed Authorised Retailers
• 7-Eleven and Cheers stores
• FairPrice Xpress
• Selected SingPost Branches

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What’s the best SIM card for short-term travellers (less than 1 month stay)?

Now that I have covered every prepaid SIM cards from each operator, it is time to compare these SIM cards across different operators, based on several scenarios.

Different people have different length of stay, data usage and other preferences. To simplify, I’m going to assume that short-term travellers are leisure travellers who use a good amount of internet (1GB to 3GB) on a daily basis for the purpose of navigation, on-the-go research and social media.

For short-term travellers, I’ll be comparing SIM cards that give at least 80GB which is more than enough for 1-month stay in Singapore.

If you think you don’t belong in this category because you can survive without internet when exploring Singapore, then you can skip this section and jump to the next section where I discuss about normal prepaid SIM card for long-term travellers.

Best SIM Card for shorter stays (2 weeks or less)

For shorter stays of (2 weeks or less), there are 5 competing Tourist SIM cards, namely:

• Singtel $12 hi! Tourist SIM Card (100GB 4G for 14 days)
• Singtel $18 hi!Tourist EZ-Link SIM Card (100GB 4G for 28 days)
• StarHub $12 Travel Prepaid SIM Card (100GB for 10 days)
• M1 $12 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 15 days)
• M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days)

M1 has 2 very similar SIM cards, $12 and $14. The main difference between these 2 cards are roaming data allowance. M1 $14 comes with 100GB which is shared between local data & roaming data, while M1 $12 comes with 100GB local data only. Another difference would be the validity, M1 $12 is valid for 15 days while M1 $14 is valid for 120 days, but all the free stuffs (data, calls, SMS) are valid for 30 days only.

Case 1: If you’re visiting Singapore for up to 10 days, you can get any of the $12 Tourist SIM card from Singtel/StarHub/M1 Tourist SIM. My readers’ favorite is StarHub $12 Travel Prepaid SIM (100GB for 10 days).

If you just want to get the cheapest one, you can choose either StarHub $12 Travel Prepaid SIM (100GB for 10 days) or M1 $12 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 15 days); both of which are retailing at SGD8.60 at the time of writing.

If you have a specific preference for eSIM, you can choose either Singtel $12 hi! Tourist SIM Card (100GB 4G for 14 days) or M1 $12 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 15 days).

Case 2: If you’re visiting Singapore for 11 to 14 days, you can get either

Singtel $12 hi! Tourist SIM Card (100GB 4G for 14 days) or M1 $12 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 15 days).

If you’re planning to visit other countries after Singapore, scroll down to the section about “Best SIM Card for travellers who need data roaming”

If you don’t need a lot of data because you can use your hotel or hostel’s wifi, or if you’re a budget traveler and you think paying $12 for data is a waste of money, but you need a SIM card to make calls, scroll down and read the section about budget long-term travellers.

If this is your first time visiting Singapore and you want to explore the country using public transportation, you need to have a transport card. To understand all the different transport cards in Singapore, read: Singapore Tourist Pass, EZ Link or Contactless Bank Card? Which One is Better?

If you have read my guide about travel cards and decide that you want an EZ-Link card, I recommend that you get Singtel’s $18 hi!Tourist EZ-Link SIM Card. Here are some details about this card:

• It is a 2-in-1 Tourist SIM and EZ-Link travel card
• Basically, you peel off the SIM card from the EZ-Link card, so you have 2 physical items: 1 small SIM Card and 1 EZ-Link.
• The SIM card validity is 7 days while the EZ-Link validity is 5 years from the manufacture date.
• The EZ-Link card has $3 free credit. However, please note that minimum balance you need to maintain in EZ-Link card is $3 (below $3, you can’t take any MRT or bus with it), so you still have to perform a top up of minimum $10 to the EZ-Link in order to use it for public transport.

PS: If you’re a first-timer visitor to Singapore, I recommend you check my comprehensive library of Singapore Travel Guide to help you plan your trip.

Best SIM Card for longer stays (2 weeks to 1 month)

Even though there are Tourist SIM cards that gives 100GB with validity of 28 days & 30 days, I do not recommend those SIM cards anymore because you can get cheaper SIM card with greater data, as seen in the above table.

The total data you can get from Singtel $15 card is 100GB, StarHub $15 card is 128GB, and M1 $14 is 100GB. Based on the data allowance alone, it’s clear that the winner is StarHub $15 Prepaid SIM card for 28 days. Meanwhile, for up to 30 days of stay, you should get M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days).

However, among do note Singtel $15 and StarHub $15 can’t be picked up from the airport, they must be picked up from retail stores in the city. I personally think 100GB is more than enough for 30 days, so I highly recommend M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days).

If you are planning to travel to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and Taiwan after Singapore, you should consider M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days) because the 100GB can be used in Singapore as well as those 5 roaming countries.

Best SIM Card for travellers who need data roaming

For people who are planning to visit other countries after Singapore, you can consider getting Singapore’s SIM card that provides data roaming.

In the above table, I’ve compiled a list of SIM cards that provide data roaming, the countries where the data roaming can be used, the amount of data roaming, and the data roaming duration.

The amount of data roaming is the total data roaming for all countries. For example: For StarHub $12, you get 1GB data roaming IN TOTAL, not in each country.

It’s clear that if we compare the amount of data roaming, the winner is M1 $14 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (100GB for 30 days). You get 100GB for 30 days for 5 overseas countries. However, do note that this 100GB is shared between Singapore data and overseas data.

If your next destination is not covered by M1, but it’s covered by StarHub, you can consider getting StarHub $12 Travel Prepaid SIM (100GB for 10 days) or StarHub $32 Travel Prepaid SIM (100GB for 30 days), which gives 1GB or 3GB data roaming respectively. However, 1GB and 3GB are quite little and may only be enough for 3 days. If you need more days in other countries, do consider getting that country’s local SIM card instead.

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What’s the best card for budget travellers, long-term travellers or residents?

For clarity, I define budget travellers as people who want to spend as little as possible, and don’t need a lot of data because they’ll be using the wifi from their accommodation.

I define long-term travellers as people who stays in the country for more than 1 month. And I define residents as people who live and work in the country.

Best SIM card for budget repeat visitors or budget long-term travellers who don’t need a lot of data

If you’re a budget type of person who keeps coming back to Singapore at least once a year, or you’re a budget long-term travellers staying in the country for more than 1 month, and you DON’T need a lot of data, it’s likely that you want to get a cheap SIM card that’s valid for months rather than the Tourist SIM card which is only valid for several days. But you have to remember to top up the card before it expires!

For this case, it looks like the best SIM card for you is the Singtel’s $8 hi!Prepaid SIM, which gives you free 1.5GB for 30 days, plus bonus 2GB if you register the SIM card yourself.

Best SIM card for long-term travelers or residents who need A LOT of data

If you’re a long-term traveller staying in the country for more than 1 month; or you want to keep a Singapore number because you visit Singapore about once every 6 months, and you NEED to use a lot of data because you don’t want to rely on wifi, I think the $15 category is suitable for you.

At first glance, both Singtel’s $15 and StarHub’s $15 give you more than 100GB for the first 30 days. So, if you intend to use A LOT of data in your first 30 days, you can forget about M1.

After 30 days, if you use Singtel, you’ll be left with 3GB free local data. With StarHub, you’ll be left with 200MB free data each month (which is too little, imo!).

In this case it’s clear that the winner is Singtel’s $15 hi!Prepaid SIM.

Now, let’s move to the next analysis!

If you’re a resident working/living in Singapore, I presume you’ll be using data most of the time, so the criteria to choose the best SIM card for you would be the price of data plans, especially the monthly plan.

Based on the above comparison table, $25 can get you 20GB data on Singtel, or 80GB data on StarHub. Meanwhile, $28 can get you 60GB on M1. To me, StarHub $15 Prepaid SIM has the most value for money in terms of data plan.

If course, if you’re a resident, you’re not constrained to only prepaid SIM cards. You are qualified to sign up for postpaid SIM cards from more than 3 operators.

Coverage

Regarding coverage, personally I have used the service of all three mobile operators, and what I can say is, each operator performs well at certain locations and bad at other locations. No operator is truly better than other operators. This is just my opinion 🙂

Purchase on the spot or in advance?

First of all, not all SIM cards can be purchased in advance. For those cards that can be booked online, I highly recommend that you do, because you’ll never know how long the queue can be.

In busy city/tourist areas like Bugis or Orchard, queues at telecommunication shops can be insane (at least 30 mins of waiting).

At the airport, not every SIM card is available for sale (#truestory: they only sell the more expensive ones, but they keep changing strategy so you’ll never know).

If the SIM card that you want can’t be purchased online, I think your best bet is to go to not-so-busy 7-Eleven or Cheers convenient stores, or go to telecommunication shops in the morning (between 10 to 11am) or late at night (9pm onwards).

FAQ

These are some of the most common questions that readers have asked me over the years.

1. What’s required to purchase SIM card in Singapore?

You need to bring passports during registration of the SIM card.

2. How many sim cards can I buy?

Each person is only allowed to have 3 prepaid SIM cards under their name, regardless of the service provider, in any 6 months period.

3. What are local data and roaming data?

Local data is the data that you can use in Singapore. Roaming data is the data that you can use when you’re outside Singapore.

4. Are incoming calls free?

Unfortunately, no. You will be charged when you receive local calls. If you have a lot of free local calls minutes, then these will be deducted when you receive incoming calls.

5. I want to maintain the validity of my SIM card so I can use it when I come back to Singapore in the future. How can I do so?

Get any prepaid SIM card, not the tourist SIM card. Then, download the apps (either Singtel hi! App, StarHub Prepaid App, or M1 Prepaid App) to check your card validity.

Finally, monitor your card validity consistently so that you can top up before its expiry date. These apps allow you to top up with credit card so it’s ok if you’re outside Singapore.

6. What is the cheapest SIM card in Singapore?

Singtel’s $8, StarHub’s $8 or M1’s $8.

So… that’s it!

I hope I have provided you with enough information to make your decisions 🙂 If you have any questions, let me know in the comment or ask me in All About Singapore Travel Group on Facebook where we discuss about traveling in Singapore.

Planning for a trip to Singapore? Here are some essential information to read next:

1. Read my best articles about Singapore
2. Awesome Places in Singapore You Can Visit for Free
3. A Weekend Itinerary for Budget Travellers in Singapore

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