Which SIM-only plan in Singapore is best for roaming?

SIM-only plans have become increasingly popular in Singapore, offering consumers with the flexibility to easily switch between carriers. This has resulted in more competitive products and offerings, with telcos throwing in more data at lower prices in an attempt to keep their users. In recent years, telcos have also started to offer data roaming as part of the base plan, making it way more attractive for Singaporeans. With so many options in the market, which one offers the best value? Let's explore Singapore’s SIM-only plans with roaming in 2024 to find out which is the best for you.

1. Maxx

M1 has been very aggressively promoting their Maxx SIM-only plans, offering large data plans at very low prices. As of writing of this article, they have 3 different plans, including:

• 199GB local data, 9GB APAC roaming, 1GB international roaming at $9.90 per month
• 300GB local data, 2GB APAC roaming at $14 per month
• 400GB local data, 4GB APAC roaming at $18 per month

Sounds good - but the catch is that the countries included in their APAC roaming probably isn’t quite what you expect when you see ‘APAC’. While M1 might have marketed it as APAC, it actually only includes 4 countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The coverage for ‘international roaming’ includes 20 other destinations, making a total of 24 destinations, including Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, India, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, and the USA.

If roaming is your primary consideration when selecting a plan, M1 Maxx’ roaming coverage might not be the most exciting one. The $9.90 plan could however be useful for those who make frequent trips across the border or for those who tend to do short trips to Indonesia or Thailand.

It is important to note that both incoming and outgoing are not supported when roaming. You might be able to receive incoming SMSes when connected to a preferred network; but outgoing SMSes are not supported.

2. eight

eight is one of the newest players in the market, and they are aggressive with their pricing. They have plans available from as low as $8 per month, making them one of the cheapest providers in the market. The available plans are:

• 188GB local data, 8GB APAC roaming, 1GB international roaming at $8 per month
• 388GB local data, 58GB Malaysia roaming, 8GB APAC roaming, 2GB international roaming at $18 per month

The destinations included in their APAC roaming include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan; while their international roaming includes coverage in up to 58 countries, including most of Singapore’s favourite destinations like Japan and Korea.

If we were to just look at the roaming coverage, eight’s plans could be rather attractive for those who frequently travel in the region. While you don’t get a lot of data for international roaming and is unlikely to be sufficient for a full trip to most of those countries, the coverage for what they call ‘APAC roaming’ could be sufficient if you travel mostly in the region.

It is important to note that calls and messages may not be supported when overseas, depending on the country that you are in.

3. GOMO

GOMO is not the cheapest, and the coverage isn’t the best either. International calls are also not supported when roaming, though you will be able to receive international SMSes.

GOMO has a few different plans, all of them including free local incoming calls and caller ID:

• 300GB local 5G data, 2GB roaming at $18.33 per month
• 600GB local 5G data, 5GB roaming at $23.09 per month
• 1TB local 5G data, 7GB roaming at $27.15 per month
• 250GB local 4G data, 1GB roaming at $15 per month
• 20GB local 4G data at $10.18 per month, with a free 1GB once-off Asia pack (not recurring)

The roaming that is included in GOMO’s plans only includes coverage across 5 countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Australia — which could be useful if you frequently travel in the region.

4. giga!

giga! is a very popular option for many due to its large data volume plans, and the ability for the unused data to be rolled over to the next cycle, ensuring you’ll never run out of data. Their plans also come equipped with free roaming across 5 countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and South Korea.

The available plans are:

• 300GB local 5G data, 6GB roaming at $18.33 per month
• 400GB local 5G data, 8GB roaming at $20.37 per month
• 1TB local 5G data, 10GB roaming at $28 per month
• 20GB local 4G data, 2GB roaming at $10.19 per month
• 300GB local 4G data, 4GB roaming at $15.28 per month

giga!’s price range and plans are more similar to what is offered by GOMO, but they are slightly cheaper with better roaming volumes. Of course, the coverage differs slightly so it could boil down to which locations you are more likely to enjoy the free roaming that is included.

5. SIMBA

If we were simply comparing the roaming coverage that is included in the plans, SIMBA offers one of the most extensive coverage in over 60 countries. Of course, this includes popular destinations like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, United States, and United Kingdom.

Not only does it have an extensive coverage, SIMBA’s plans also offer a rather generous amount of roaming data at affordable prices:

• 200GB local data, 7GB roaming at $12 per 30 days
• 200GB local data, 3GB roaming at $10 per 30 days
• 300GB local data, 6GB roaming at $18 per 30 days
• 200GB local data, 10GB Malaysia roaming, 7GB international roaming at $39 per 90 days
• 300GB local data, 50GB Malaysia roaming, 10GB international roaming at $20 per 30 days
• 500GB local data, 12GB international and in-flight roaming at $25 per 30 days

6. Circles.life

Circles.life is one of the earliest disruptors in the local telco industry, very quickly gaining popularity since its launch. In addition to the traditional fixed-size roaming allowance, Circles.life also offers a ‘Borderless’ plan which allows you to use the same data pack across multiple countries, which gives you more freedom and flexibility on how you want to use your data.

Circles’ plans include:

• 250GB local data, 1GB roaming across 8 countries at $16.20 per month
• 500GB local data, 2GB roaming across 8 countries at $19.80 per month
• 1TB local data, 4GB roaming across 8 countries at $30 per month
• 100GB data that can be used across 9 Asian countries at $30 per month

The 8 countries included in the roaming coverage includes: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Macau, and Sri Lanka.

Complement your roaming plan with a Nomad travel eSIM

While there are many SIM-only options that include roaming in their plans, the coverage of the free roaming is usually limited to the neighbouring countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, with an addition of a few more countries in the region depending on the provider.

When evaluating between the options, consider which countries you will be frequently traveling to and how likely it is that you will be using the free roaming that is part of your plan.

If you will be traveling out of the region and you need data, getting a travel eSIM to help you stay connected is a great option. With a travel eSIM, you do not need to worry about looking for a local SIM card upon arrival at your destination country nor do you need to fumble with your SIM tray to switch out the SIM cards.

Nomad offers data plans across 180+ destinations globally at affordable prices, allowing you to stay connected as you travel without breaking the bank. And if you are a very frequent traveler, Nomad also offers a long duration global plan with validity of up to one year. This means that you will be able to use your data plan across all your trips in that year - as long as they fall within the coverage of the data plan - minimising any data wastage and saving you the hassle of having to install an eSIM for each of your trips.