# eSIM for Singapore

Viasimo's Singapore eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 7 days, running on M1 and SingTel with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/

## Singapore eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $2.29 | $1.15 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $5.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $9.00 | - |
| 100 MB, 7 days | 100 MB | 7 | $1.29 | $13.21 |
| 500 MB, 7 days | 500 MB | 7 | $1.29 | $2.64 |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $1.59 | $1.59 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $11.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $16.00 | - |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $3.00 | $1.00 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $22.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $3.29 | $1.10 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $4.59 | $0.92 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $9.00 | $0.90 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $14.99 | $0.75 |
| 50 GB, 30 days | 50 GB | 30 | $29.99 | $0.60 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $42.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $81.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $124.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $244.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Singapore eSIM use?

- **M1**: 5G
- **SingTel**: 5G

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 100 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Automatic on arrival
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: Hong Kong
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Singapore: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

Almost every visitor to Singapore must file a free SG Arrival Card, through the MyICA Mobile app or ICA's website, within three days before landing. Once you arrive, your eSIM uses Singtel, the largest operator with about 45% of the market, and M1, on 4G. Singapore's operators retired 3G by 31 July 2024, and MRT and bus fares can be paid with a contactless Mastercard or Visa.

### Singapore: quick facts

| Fact | Singapore |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | Police 999, ambulance and fire 995 |
| Main airports | Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) |
| Plug types | Type G (230V) |
| Currency | Singapore dollar (SGD) |
| Apps worth having | MyICA Mobile, Grab, SimplyGo, WhatsApp, Google Maps |

### The SG Arrival Card in the MyICA Mobile app

(Singapore · https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/#guide-the-sg-arrival-card-in-the-myica-mobile-app)

Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) requires nearly all travellers to submit the **SG Arrival Card** before they arrive, whether by air, sea or land. It includes a **health declaration**, and false declarations can be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act.

The rules worth knowing:

- **Timing**: submit within **three days before arrival, counting the day you arrive**. For a Friday arrival, you can submit from Wednesday.
- **Where**: the official SGAC e-service on ICA's website or the **MyICA Mobile** app. The app can save your profile and fill in details for future trips.
- **Cost**: it is **free**. ICA warns about commercial sites that charge to submit the card and about fake or misleading websites. Only use ICA's own channels.
- **Exemptions**: transit passengers who do not clear immigration do not need one, and nor do residents entering at Woodlands or Tuas.

Fill it in at home or at your departure airport, where you have reliable wifi, rather than in the immigration queue at Changi. If you are crossing from Malaysia by road at Woodlands or Tuas, do it before you leave Johor Bahru: the causeway is not the place to be filling in forms.

### 3G retired in July 2024, and M1's sale to Simba

(Singapore · https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/#guide-3g-retired-in-july-2024-and-m1-s-sale-to-simba)

Singapore's three established operators, **Singtel, StarHub and M1**, retired their 3G networks by **31 July 2024**. Any guide that describes 3G as a fallback in Singapore is now out of date. Your eSIM connects to **Singtel** and **M1** on 4G/LTE, and where 4G is weak, such as under thick forest canopy in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, expect slow or no data rather than a 3G signal.

The market is also consolidating:

- **Singtel** is the largest operator, with about 4.5 million mobile subscribers and a 44.6% market share as of March 2025.
- In **August 2025** Keppel announced the sale of its 83.9% stake in **M1**'s telco business to **Simba Telecom** for about S$1.43 billion, subject to regulatory approval. StarHub separately agreed to buy MyRepublic.
- Singapore had nearly 10 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2024, about 1.65 per resident, according to IMDA figures.

For a visitor, the practical effect of all this is limited. Coverage across the city, including underground MRT stations, is dense, and congestion in crowded places such as Marina Bay on event nights is more likely than a coverage gap to slow you down.

### Paying MRT and bus fares with a bank card through SimplyGo

(Singapore · https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/#guide-paying-mrt-and-bus-fares-with-a-bank-card-through-simplygo)

You do not need to buy a transport card to ride Singapore's MRT and buses. Since **SimplyGo** launched, you can tap a contactless bank card at the gates and on buses: **Mastercard** from March 2019, **Visa** from June 2019 and **NETS** from November 2019.

Other options:

- **EZ-Link cards**, Singapore's long-running stored-value transport card, sold at stations and convenience stores.
- The **Singapore Tourist Pass**, launched in 2007 by the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Tourism Board, which gives unlimited rides for a set number of days.
- The **EZ-Link Wallet** app, which includes a virtual Mastercard for tap-to-pay through Google Wallet on NFC-enabled Android phones.

Tips for using a foreign card:

- Ask your bank whether it charges overseas transaction fees on small, frequent payments; dozens of short rides can add up.
- Tap in and out with the **same card or phone**, every time.
- Keep your phone charged if you use a phone wallet. A flat battery at the gate means no fare payment.

Live bus arrival times and MRT exit numbers come from journey-planning apps, so keep your data on as you move around. Many large interchanges have a dozen or more exits.

### Sources for the Singapore guide

- [SG Arrival Card – Immigration and Checkpoints Authority](https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore/sg-arrival-card)
- [M1 Limited – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Limited)
- [Singtel – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singtel)
- [Telecommunications in Singapore – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Singapore)
- [SimplyGo – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimplyGo)

## Seven days in Singapore: Marina Bay, the heritage districts, Sentosa and Pulau Ubin

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/singapore/#itinerary

A full week in the city-state for food lovers, families and walkers, using the MRT throughout: Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam, the UNESCO-listed Botanic Gardens, the rainforest reserves, Sentosa and the old-style island of Pulau Ubin.

**When to go:** February to April tends to be driest and least humid; the north-east monsoon from about November to January brings heavy afternoon rain, and it is hot and humid all year, so start outdoor walks early.

### Day 1 in Singapore: Jewel Changi and Marina Bay

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Getting there:** The MRT East West Line links Changi Airport with the city in about 30 to 40 minutes; file your SG Arrival Card within three days before you arrive.
- **Plan:** After landing at Changi, walk over to Jewel to see the HSBC Rain Vortex, an indoor waterfall falling through the glass dome. Take the MRT into town and spend the evening around Marina Bay: walk the waterfront promenade past the Merlion, cross the Helix Bridge, and watch the free light and water show by Marina Bay Sands.
- **Mobile signal:** Singtel and M1 4G/LTE is fast and reliable across the airport and city, including inside MRT tunnels. Expect LTE rather than 5G with this eSIM.

### Day 2 in Singapore: Gardens by the Bay and the Civic District

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Plan:** Visit the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest conservatories at Gardens by the Bay in the morning, when it is cooler. Walk through the Supertree Grove, then cross to the Civic District to see the National Gallery Singapore in the former Supreme Court and City Hall. Visit Raffles Hotel's colonial facade on Beach Road, then return for the Garden Rhapsody light show among the Supertrees.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 4G throughout. The conservatories are glass-roofed and keep good signal.

### Day 3 in Singapore: Chinatown, Tiong Bahru and the Southern Ridges

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Getting there:** The full Southern Ridges walk is about 10 km; you can shorten it by starting at HarbourFront MRT.
- **Plan:** Start at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown, then eat at Maxwell Food Centre. Take a short MRT ride to Tiong Bahru to see its 1930s Art Deco housing estate. In the late afternoon, walk the Southern Ridges from Mount Faber across Henderson Waves, a wave-shaped footbridge high above the road, to Kent Ridge Park.
- **Mobile signal:** Excellent 4G in Chinatown. Coverage is mostly good on the Southern Ridges, with occasional dips under thick tree cover.

### Day 4 in Singapore: Little India, Kampong Glam and the Botanic Gardens

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Plan:** Walk through Little India past the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and the Tekka Centre market. Continue to Kampong Glam to see the gold-domed Sultan Mosque and the shophouses of Arab Street and Haji Lane. In the afternoon, take the MRT to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO site, and visit the National Orchid Garden before an evening stroll by Swan Lake.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 4G across all three areas; the Botanic Gardens keep good coverage throughout.

### Day 5 in Singapore: MacRitchie and the Mandai wildlife parks

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Getting there:** MacRitchie is reached by bus; the Mandai parks are about 30 minutes by shuttle bus from Khatib MRT.
- **Plan:** Start early at MacRitchie Reservoir and walk to the TreeTop Walk, a suspension bridge between two hilltops in the forest canopy; the full loop is about 10 km, so bring water. Long-tailed macaques live here, so keep food out of sight. In the afternoon, visit Singapore Zoo or Bird Paradise in the Mandai wildlife area, or stay on for the Night Safari after dark.
- **Mobile signal:** Patchy deep inside the MacRitchie forest trails, including around the TreeTop Walk. Coverage is good at Mandai.

### Day 6 in Singapore: Sentosa

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Getting there:** Sentosa is about 10 minutes from HarbourFront MRT by monorail.
- **Plan:** Cross to Sentosa on the Sentosa Express monorail from VivoCity, or walk the Sentosa Boardwalk. Visit Fort Siloso to see its wartime tunnels and gun emplacements, then relax on Siloso or Palawan Beach and cross the suspension bridge to a small islet billed as the southernmost point of continental Asia. Spend the afternoon at Universal Studios Singapore or the S.E.A. Aquarium if you have children.
- **Mobile signal:** Good 4G across Sentosa, though signal weakens inside Fort Siloso's tunnels.

### Day 7 in Singapore: Pulau Ubin and departure

- **Base:** Singapore
- **Getting there:** Bumboats leave when they have enough passengers and take about 10 to 15 minutes; Changi Point is about 15 minutes by taxi from the airport.
- **Plan:** Take a bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pulau Ubin, an island where village houses, quarries and forest recall Singapore in the 1960s. Hire a bicycle in the village and ride to Chek Jawa Wetlands, where a boardwalk crosses mangroves and the shoreline. Return by boat in time to head to Changi Airport, which is a short taxi ride away.
- **Mobile signal:** Usable 4G on most of Pulau Ubin, but expect weak spots in the forest and near Chek Jawa. Your phone may connect to a Malaysian network on the island's north side, so keep your plan selected manually.

### Staying connected on this Singapore route

- File your SG Arrival Card in the MyICA Mobile app or on ICA's website within three days before arriving.
- Tap a contactless Mastercard or Visa on MRT gates and buses through SimplyGo; no separate transport card is needed.
- Download offline maps for MacRitchie and Pulau Ubin, where tree cover and the Malaysian border can affect signal.

### Sources for the Singapore itinerary

- [UNESCO: Singapore Botanic Gardens](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1483)
- [ICA: SG Arrival Card](https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore/sg-arrival-card)
- [Pulau Ubin – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulau_Ubin)

## About this eSIM

Singapore is compact enough to cross in an afternoon and dense enough that you will want your phone live for every minute of it. An eSIM gives you a working local data line from the moment you step off the aircraft at Changi, which matters here because so much of the city runs through a screen: transport apps, queue numbers at hawker centres, QR menus, timed entry tickets. Install the profile before you fly and the only thing left to do on arrival is switch it on.

### Getting online when you land

Download and install the eSIM profile while you are still on a wifi connection at home. The install itself needs internet; the plan does not start burning through data just because the profile is sitting on your phone. When you land at Changi, turn the line on, give it thirty seconds to register, then set it as your mobile data line. Keep your usual home number active on the other slot if your phone supports two lines, so bank verification codes and calls from family still reach you.

Changi has strong indoor coverage across all four terminals plus Jewel, so you can order a ride, check which MRT line reaches your hotel, or message your host before you have cleared the arrivals hall. If nothing attaches in the first minute, toggle flight mode on and off once. That forces a fresh network scan and clears the vast majority of first connection hiccups. If you land late and want a backup, Changi also runs free airport wifi you can lean on while the profile settles.

### The networks you'll be on

Your data rides on M1 or SingTel, both on 4G LTE and 5G here. In day to day use you will sit on 4G or 5G nearly all the time. You do not choose the network manually and you should not need to: leave automatic selection on and the phone will pick whatever is strongest where you stand.

There is no clever trick to squeeze more speed out of it; if something feels slow in a crowded place, it is usually congestion in that spot rather than a problem with your line, and moving a few metres or waiting out the crowd fixes it.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Across the built up island, coverage is about as reliable as anywhere you will travel. The MRT is served underground, so you can keep reading or navigating between stations rather than losing signal the moment the train enters a tunnel. Downtown, Marina Bay, Orchard, Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, the East Coast and the residential heartlands in the north and west all behave predictably.

It thins in the places you would expect it to. Deep inside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and on the longer forest stretches of the MacRitchie trails, signal drops in and out under heavy canopy. Pulau Ubin, the rustic island off Changi Point, is patchy once you cycle away from the jetty area. Some large basement levels, older multi storey car parks and back of house corridors in the bigger malls swallow signal too, though usually only for a minute at a time. Out on a ferry or a boat tour in the southern waters, expect the connection to fade as you get further from shore.

None of this is a reason to plan around it, but if you are heading into the reserves or over to Ubin for the day, cache your map first.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Ride hailing is the big one. Grab dominates and the whole flow, from booking to paying to messaging the driver about which mall entrance you are standing at, needs a live connection. Public transport is the other constant: real time bus arrivals, MRT route planning and station exit numbers are the difference between a five minute walk and a twenty minute one in a city where a single interchange can have a dozen exits.

Then there is food. Hawker centres are the point of eating here, and you will be looking up which stall in which centre is worth the queue, checking whether it is closed on a Monday, and scanning QR codes to pay. Attractions increasingly want timed tickets bought in advance on your phone: Gardens by the Bay, the observation decks, Sentosa attractions, the zoo and night safari. Add photo uploads, video calls home across a time zone that suits nobody, and tethering a laptop in a cafe when you need to get an hour of work done, and the data adds up faster than you would guess for such a small place.

### Before you fly

Install the profile at home, not at the gate. Confirm your phone is carrier unlocked, since an eSIM cannot get around a locked device. Turn data roaming on for the travel line once you land, which sounds counterintuitive but is how the line is meant to work. Turn it off for your home line so it does not quietly do the same thing at full roaming rates.

Save an offline map of the island, download anything you want to read on the flight, and set up Grab with a payment method before you go rather than in the taxi queue. Check your data allowance against how you actually travel: if you tether a laptop or stream, budget noticeably more than if you are only using maps and messaging.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Singapore?

Yes. Your Singapore eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are M1, SingTel. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

### Do I get 5G in Singapore?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on M1, SingTel in Singapore, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

### When do I need to submit the SG Arrival Card?

Within three days before you arrive, counting the arrival day, so for a Friday arrival you can submit from Wednesday. Use ICA's official e-service or the MyICA Mobile app; it is free, and ICA warns against paid third-party sites. Transit passengers who do not clear immigration are exempt.

### Does Singapore still have 3G?

No. Singtel, StarHub and M1 retired their 3G networks by 31 July 2024, so mobile data in Singapore runs on 4G and 5G. A travel eSIM that uses Singtel and M1 on 4G/LTE will show LTE. Where 4G is weak, such as under forest canopy, expect slow or no data rather than 3G.

### Can I pay for the MRT with my contactless bank card in Singapore?

Yes. Through SimplyGo you can tap a contactless Mastercard, Visa or NETS card at MRT gates and on buses, and Mastercard and Visa have been accepted since 2019. Tap in and out with the same card. Alternatives include an EZ-Link card or the Singapore Tourist Pass for unlimited rides. Check your bank's overseas fees.

### Which is the biggest mobile network in Singapore?

Singtel, with about 4.5 million mobile subscribers and a 44.6% share as of March 2025. StarHub and M1 are the other established networks; Keppel agreed in August 2025 to sell M1's telco business to Simba Telecom, subject to regulatory approval. A travel eSIM on Singtel and M1 uses two of the largest networks.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Singapore?

For 7 days in Singapore, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 500 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $1.59, and unlimited data for $11.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.