Imagine needing to continuously search for wifi hotspots to remain connected overseas, and sometimes these wifi hotspots have problems connecting or are just slow. Having data roaming would save all these hassle and nowadays, there are various cheaper options available compared to last time where it would cost a bomb to use data roaming.
Some phone plans might already include some sort of data roaming for free. One example of such is the SIMBA SIM-Only 100GB (S$10/mth) which gives 1GB Roaming. If you need more data, mobile carriers offer data roaming plans which can be bought in-app or you could buy from external sources to get a better data cost value.
Plans with free roaming
| Mobile Plan | Data Roaming |
| All SIMBA Plans | Depends on your plan |
| All ZYM Mobile Plans except Lite 4G and Basic 4G plans | 1GB shared Msia, Thai, Indo |
| VIVIFI Binge | 4G 150GB – 1GB Msia, Thai, Indo 4G 170GB – 3GB Msia, Thai, Indo 5G plan – 1GB Msia, Thai, Indo |
| Zero1 | 50u ONE/80u – 1GB Msia, Thai, Indo (12m) 60u 5G/90u 5G – 1GB Msia, Thai, Indo (12m) |
| redOne | Ranging from 1GB – 4GB in Malaysia, depending on your plan |
| CM Link | For use in mainland China and Hong Kong, data amount depends on your plan |
| heya | 1GB shared Msia, Thai, Indo |
| MyRepublic 5G plans | Free 1GB Data Roaming/mth for 6 mths Msia, Thai, Indo |
| FlexiRoam (Selected MasterCard holders) | Free 3GB/15 days annually. Applicable cards include the Instarem Amaze. 200MB free if you use my referral link |
Roaming plans from Telcos
Every telco has various data roaming plans you can purchase depending on needs so it is impossible to do price comparisons. Typically, it is only worth buying from telcos if you are going on a short getaway to neighbouring countries and prioritise reliability. Plans from various telcos would cost from S$5 to S$10 for 1GB data from 3 – 7 days. These plans can be bought from the telco app itself.
For long getaways especially to far away countries, it is recommended to get another travel SIM Card to get the best data value.
Getting a travel SIM Card
If you are looking for the most economical option for your roaming needs, you might want to get a travel SIM card instead.
There are various destination specific SIM cards sold on platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and Klook and most of them are really affordable. Recently, I purchased one which provides 15GB of data for 15 days in Japan for just S$20. If I were to purchase one from my telco, ZYM Mobile, I would have only have 2GB of usage for the same price I paid.
These travel SIM cards are data-only SIM cards and there are both physical and esim type of SIM cards available.
On top of destination specific SIM Cards, those platforms also sell multi-destination sim cards too.
Pocket Wifi Router
If you are travelling as a group, getting a pocket wifi router would be more economical than getting multiple sim cards. Most pocket wifi router providers would give unlimited data (subject to fair usage policy). However, a downside of this is that if one gets separated from group, they would not be able to remain connected.
Nonetheless, here are some affordable options available
1. Changi Recommends
Changi Recommends have outlets conveniently in all terminals in Changi Airport to pick up and return the wifi pocket router. Here are prices to rent the router:
| Countries | Price per day | Promo code |
| South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Macau | S$3.16 (Min 5 days) | S$4.20 | 1DAYSK (More than 5 days) | HOP420 |
| Malaysia and Indonesia | S$2.67 daily (Min 3 days) | 1DAYMY |
| Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Philippines | S$6.29 (Min 7 days) | 1DAYAU |
| Europe, UK and USA | S$7.15 (Min 7 days) | 1DAYEU |
| New Zealand, Fiji, Israel, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Maldives | S$9.54 (Min 7 days) | 1DAYNZ |
The standard ChangiWiFi plan offers 500MB of high-speed 4G data per day. Once the limit is reached, the Internet speed will be reduced to 3G speed. Data consumption will be reflected on the device’s screen in standby mode.
2. Klook
There are a few wifi pocket router companies on Klook. There are wifi rental companies that allow you to collect and return in Singapore or overseas, which is beneficial based on your itinerary. For example, if you have overnight flights in and out of Singapore, it would be better to collect and return the wifi router overseas as companies charges the rental by a daily basis.
As I am going to Japan, I had research on some of the providers offering the best rate and here is the list:
| Provider | Cost per day | Collection and return |
| Yoowifi | S$2.90 | Collection: The device will be delivered to your address in Singapore within 3 working days of your travel dates Return: The device will be required to be returned within 7 days of the last date of service. A prepaid mailer bag is included to return the device to be dropped at any SingPost box |
| Japan Wireless | S$4.65 | Collection: Present the tracking number that you received in the confirmation email 1 day prior to the pick up date at the post office of the airport (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Osaka, Itami, Fukuoka, Chubu, or New Chitose) Return: Kindly return the device by using your return envelope (enclosed) to drop off to any post boxes in Japan |
