spreadyourwingsandflyy

How to / What SIM card to get for travels [in various countries]

Okay so I’m just making this compilation kinda for my own future reference as well… but these are some of the local choices or tourist SIM cards that I’ve used over the years for the countries I’ve been to, and they definitely worked well (connectivity, etc).

(I’ll update this post as I keep travelling and learning 😆)

Philippines

Telco: Globe / SMART

What I’ve tried: Globe
(I always use Globe as that’s what my family and I used when we were still living in the Philippines, so we’re more used to it 😆)

You can get the SIM cards at the telco’s shop or at some of their smaller stands. If I remember correctly, you do not need to register to purchase a SIM card 🙂

For a short trip, I would say that a prepaid card is good enough. You can get the top-up (they usually call it “load”) cards from convenience stores or at their actual stores/stands if you need more load 😀

For SMART, as of 2019, you can also do your prepaid card top-ups via the Grab app (and there’s tiny a bit of a discount as well).

And the load cards are something like this:

^ They come in different denominations, not just 100 pesos. I remember there being one as high as 500 pesos and as low as 50!

* Packaging/Images accurate as of mid-2019. The above info is accurate since… at least 2005 😛

Japan

Telco: NTT Docomo, Airalo

What I’ve tried: Yosoko SIM card (pegged to NTT Docomo), Airalo (eSIM)

NEW in 2025: Read about my experience with the Airalo eSIM for Japan here! (continue reading on for the review on Yokoso)

I usually get a wifi egg when I’m travelling to Japan with my family. However I got a SIM card instead for my solo trip, since I wouldn’t be able to return it back in Singapore after my trip (I hopped to Korea right after).

So for the SIM card, I bought the Yosoko SIM card from JTB Singapore. It’s a data SIM (7.5gb for 15 days!) that is easy to set up and use, has great coverage (Japan-wide, apparently) and comes free with a microSIM adapter 🙂 Kind of forgot how much it cost… But I got it at a discounted price since JTB Singapore was offering a JR Pass + Yokoso SIM package in-store 😀

Alternatively, tourist SIM cards are also sold in major electronics store in Japan (like the super famous Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera). They have a whole shelf of them for you to choose from. I haven’t tried any of these before but this is one option you can consider/research into if you’re interested/if the JTB in your country doesn’t offer Yokoso or any other Japanese tourist SIM cards 🙂

* Info/Images accurate as of May-June 2018

South Korea

Telco: KT, LG U+, SKT, etc

What I’ve tried: PlayWifi (pegged to other major telcos such as KT or LG U+)

Because I was spending 5 weeks in Korea, I actually got a wifi egg for a week, and then a SIM card for 30 days. Wifi eggs and SIM cards can be collected from stands in the airport. I made a reservation to secure these, which can be done from their website (they’re in English) 😀 My collection was from Incheon Airport Terminal 1, but there are other terminals you can collect from too.

In terms of the SIM card, I was happy with the PlayWifi one. It worked perfectly in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Boryeong, and I still got a clear signal at the top of Mt. Achasan & Mt. Yongmasan (not that they’re very high).

As of mid-2018, PlayWifi was pegged to KT. I got a “KT-30day(data)” 4G SIM (aka without voice) since I could make calls to my friends who were also in Korea via Whatsapp. I had 4G LTE, 30 days of unlimited data, and bought it for 57,000 KRW (about 72 SGD during the time I paid for it).

As of end-Aug 2020, their website indicates that they’re now pegged to LG U+ 🙂 The equivalent is now 62,000 KRW but comes with T-money (which… wasn’t indicated on the site back in 2018 for KT, though it was on the card where my KT SIM card was on (see pic below); but anyway I had purchased a separate and cuter LINE friends-themed T-money card before that so I didn’t take much notice of this).

^ Btw, T-money is the transportation card used in Korea. Like EZ-Link in Singapore or PASMO/Suica/ICOCA in Japan.

* Info/Images accurate as of June-July 2018

Malaysia

Telco: Celcom, Digi, UMobile, HotLink, etc

What I’ve tried: UMobile, Celcom, HotLink (Maxis)

I usually make short trips to Malaysia (JB, actually – nearest to Singapore so just gotta get through the causeway 😆), so I make my SIM card purchases from the telco shop in malls.

You will need to register to purchase a SIM card, so remember to bring along your passport/identification! Top-ups can be purchased on the spot as well, or done via the Grab app in Malaysia 🙂

Can’t remember what exactly I bought the last few times (it’s been quite awhile) but you can check out their websites/ask in-store about the prepaid cards/plans available and the staff would be glad to help 😀

(Also I’ll update this the next time I get to travel to Malaysia and need a SIM card there)

2022 update: Tried out 2 SIM cards this time!

1) Changi Recommends: 7-days eSIM Malaysia Unlimited Data (High Speed 1GB Daily)

I happened to find this while searching for eSIM options. The 7-day eSIM costs S$15, and there will be a QR code emailed to you within 24hours (go with the higher end of 24hrs – mine took 15 hours but that was with the help of my bf calling Changi for me to ask them to send it to me asap coz I was crossing border that very day 😂)

2) HotLink (under Maxis) prepaid SIM card:

The prepaid SIM card itself (without load) costs RM10, and I was charged a first top up of RM40 as the basic plan costs RM35 (top ups are in fixed denominations). So that’s RM50 in total.

For the plans, the default plan that was set up (by the staff in-store) was the Unlimited Plan, which would last me approx 40days but gives me unlimited calls and data.

However since my purpose of buying the HotLink SIM was to use it for future trips to Malaysia (hehehe yay to borders reopening and JB trips being possible again!), I changed my plan to the Pantas Plan on the HotLink app – costing me RM2 to switch plans, but also giving the option of buying passes, including one that can keep my SIM card active for 1 year 😀 It costs RM30 for that 365 days validity!

Melbourne, Australia

Telco I’ve tried: Yes Optus

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