Whether you're looking for unlimited data or just need a basic phone plan, we cover all the different types of prepaid SIM card plans available and what to consider when choosing one.
A prepaid SIM card plan is budget-friendly yet comes with essential features, a great option regardless of whether you’re visiting or residing in Singapore.
There are four major providers: Singtel, Starhub, M1 and TPG.
This guide will help you choose the best prepaid SIM card plan for your needs:
- Prepaid SIM cards vs. Postpaid SIM cards
- Frequencies used in Singapore
- Where to buy SIM cards
- Cheapest prepaid SIM cards
- Best data plan for short-term visitors
- Best data plan for long-term visitors
Prepaid SIM cards vs postpaid SIM cards
With a prepaid SIM card plan, you're not locked in with a provider for an extended period. You can switch providers without incurring hefty termination fees, which is something most postpaid mobile users don’t have access to.
Your rates will also be much cheaper when compared to postpaid options. And if you run out of data, it’s straightforward to purchase another package to access more.
Looking for more options for your mobile phone usage? Compare and apply for the best SIM-only plans for value and flexibility.
What frequencies are used in Singapore?
It is important to remember that Singapore uses the 3500 band for 5G; 900, 1800, 2600, TDD 2300, TDD 2600 for 4G, and 900 and 2100 bands for 3G, which are more common in Asian/European countries.
If you’re coming from other countries, it’s best to check if your phone is compatible with these bands, or if you’ll need to purchase a phone in Singapore.
SIM card prices in Singapore, and where to buy them
You can get a local SIM card for S$5 up to S$60. There are different types of prepaid SIM cards available with prices that range widely, but all are pretty affordable.
You can find prepaid SIM cards for tourists at the Changi Recommends booths at Changi Airport, or at convenience stores such as Cheers and 7-Eleven.
Cheapest prepaid SIM cards in Singapore
Let's take a look at some of the prepaid SIM card plans available.
Singtel
Let’s talk about the first telecommunication company in Singapore, Singtel, since it is one of the most important providers here and offers many options to choose from!
Looking for more options for your mobile phone usage? Compare and apply for the best SIM-only plans for value and flexibility.
Let's take a look at the cheapest Singtel prepaid SIM cards offered by this telco operator:
1. Singtel S$8 hi! Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 90 Days (top-up to extend to 180 days)
Price: S$8
Local Data: 1.5 GB for 30 days
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
Free 30-day Viu Premium & Banglaflix
Activate on hi!App and get free 2GB
2. Singtel S$15 hi! Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 120 Days (top-up to extend to 180 days)
Price: S$15
Local Data: 3 GB for 120 days + 5 GB for 30 days
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
Unlimited for messaging apps and Spotify
Free 30-day Viu Premium & Banglaflix
Activate on hi!App and get free 2GB
3. Singtel $38 hi! Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 30 Days (top-up to extend to 180 days)
Price: S$38
Local Data: 8 GB for 30 days + 3 GB for use in both Malaysia and Singapore
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
Free 30-day Viu Premium & Banglaflix
StarHub
StarHub is one of the most popular telecommunication companies in Singapore. It offers mobile services, digital TV, and cable television as well! StarHub also provides prepaid SIM cards for customers who want to save on their bills with great features at a discounted price.
1. StarHub S$8 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 90 Days
Price: S$8
Local Data: 1 GB for 30 days
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
S$10 credit for 90 days
30 minutes of IDD 018 calls for 30 days
2. StarHub S$15 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 180 Days
Price: S$15
Local Data: 8 GB for 180 days
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
Unlimited for messaging apps for 180 days
Promotion (Valid for 28 days)
- Free 72GB local data
- Free S$100 IDD 018 credit
- Free 5000 minutes of local call time
3. StarHub S$50 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 180 Days
Price: S$50
Local Data: 100 GB (10 Days) + 5 GB roaming data (30 Days)
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.22/minute
SMS (local): S$0.05/message
M1
M1 operates one of the four major telcos in Singapore alongside MyRepublic, StarHub and Singtel. It offers some of the most competitive prices around, and its coverage is excellent for all its packages.
1. M1 S$8 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 90 Days
Price: S$8
Local Data: 1.5 GB for 30 days
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.20 for the first minute; S$0.18 per subsequent minute
SMS (local): S$0.05 (Free 10 local SMS with 5 local SMS sent)
2. M1 S$12 Prepaid SIM Card (U.P. S$25)
Validity: 4 weeks
Price: S$25 S$12
Local Data: 56 GB (2 GB/day for 4 weeks)
Calls outgoing (local): 5,000 mins outgoing/month, free unlimited incoming
SMS (local): 1,000 messages/month
Promotion: Top up S$24 to reactivate the same benefits after the original 4-week plan expires
3. M1 S$14 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 180 Days
Price: S$14
Local Data: 4 GB (120 Days) + 4 GB (30 days)
Calls outgoing (local): S$0.20 for the first minute; S$0.18 per subsequent minute
SMS (local): S$0.05 (Free 10 local SMS with 5 local SMS sent)
4. M1 S$60 Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 12 Weeks
Price: S$60
Local Data: 168 GB (2 GB/day for 12 weeks)
Calls outgoing (local): 5,000 mins outgoing/month, free unlimited incoming
SMS (local): 1,000 messages/month
TPG
TPG is a relatively new network that began its operations in Singapore in 2020. So far, it only has one prepaid plan with a S$10/month price tag for 100 GB data and 300 local minutes – but it's worth checking out since there are some amazing perks!
One such benefit is 1 GB roaming data per month in selected countries.
Validity: 30 days
Price: S$10
Local Data: 100 GB (+1 GB Roaming Data in selected countries)
Calls outgoing (local): Unlimited (mobile calls), 300 minutes (fixed lines)
SMS (local): 30 messages (other MNOs), unlimited (TPG lines)
Prepaid data plans for travellers
International roaming charges are high, so it's important to buy a prepaid SIM card while you're in Singapore. If this is your first time buying one from abroad, just know that there can be different types of plans and prices depending on what they offer.
Best data plans for short-term tourists
Short-term tourist SIM cards work best for those who only visit Singapore for 7 days. The three largest telcos offer 100 GB of data, 500 minutes of local outgoing calls, and 100 SMSes per month with 1 GB of roaming (for Singtel and StarHub only; no roaming data is offered for M1's 7 Day Prepaid Tourist SIM Card).
The benefit of this type of card is that it allows you more freedom when travelling without any additional commitments after your stay in Singapore ends.
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1. Singtel hi!Tourist SIM Card
Validity: 7 Days
Price: S$12
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 1 GB (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand)
Local Calls: 500 minutes
IDD Calls: 30 minutes
International Calls: 30 minutes
Local SMS: 100 messages
Social and messaging apps: Unlimited
2. StarHub Travel Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 7 Days
Price: S$12
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 1 GB
Local Calls: 500 minutes
International Calls: 30 minutes
Local SMS: 100 messages
Social and messaging apps: Unlimited
3. M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card
Validity: 7 Days
Price: S$12
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: Nil
Local Calls: 500 minutes
International Calls: 20 minutes
Local SMS: 100 messages
Social and Messaging Apps: Nil
Best data plans for long-term tourists
For people who plan to stay in Singapore longer than a week, getting an extra SIM card with more data and outgoing calls may be worth it.
Singtel, TPG and M1 offer 100 GB of data for your personal use and 3,000 minutes per day on their respective networks along with 5,000 text messages.
1. Singtel hi! Tourist SIM Card (12-Day)
Validity: 12 Days
Price: S$30
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 3 GB
Local Calls: 3,000 minutes
International Calls: 90 minutes
Local SMS: 5,000 messages
Social and messaging apps: Unlimited
2. Singtel hi! Tourist SIM Card (15-Day)
Validity: 15 Days
Price: S$50
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 5 GB
Local Calls: 3,000 minutes
International Calls: 90 minutes
Local SMS: 5,000 messages
Social and messaging apps: Unlimited
This 15-day Tourist SIM Card provides users with 5GB of roaming data. However, it's not as cost-effective as compared to the 12-day Tourist SIM card because you'll be paying S$20 more for extra 2GB of roaming data only.
3. StarHubTravel Prepaid SIM Card
Validity: 12 Days
Price: S$32
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 3 GB
Local Calls (Outgoing): 3,000 minutes
Local Calls (Incoming): Unlimited
International Calls: 90 minutes
Local SMS: 5,000 messages
Social and messaging apps: Unlimited
4. M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (12-Day)
Validity: 12 Days
Price: S$30
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 3 GB
Local Calls: 3,000 minutes
International Calls: 50 minutes
Local SMS: 5,000 messages
Social and messaging apps: Nil
5. M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card (14-Day)
Validity: 14 Days
Price: S$30
Local Data: 100 GB
Roaming Data: 5 GB
Local Calls: 3,000 minutes
International Calls: 50 minutes
Local SMS: 5,000 messages
Social and messaging apps: Nil
Looking for more options for your mobile phone usage? Compare and apply for the best SIM-only plans for value and flexibility.
Read these next:
Mobile Wallets In Singapore: Complete 2022 Guide
Singtel vs StarHub: Best Fibre TV Packages In Singapore
Best SIM-Only Mobile Plans For Light, Moderate, And Heavy Data Users
SIM Only vs Fixed Contract: Which Is The Best Mobile Plan For Me?
5 Best SIM-Only Mobile Plans In Singapore
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