[2021 Edition] Complete Guide To Prepaid SIM Plans In Singapore

This article was first published on 31 January 2019 and updated with the latest information.

All three major telcos – Singtel, StarHub and M1 –  offer prepaid SIM cards, giving you plenty of options depending on your intended usage. Different bundles vary in terms of validity period, amount of local/roaming data, talk time and SMS. Some also provide features such as unlimited usage on certain social messaging apps.

For your convenience, you can use this handy guide we compiled to help you find the right prepaid SIM card that suits your needs. All prices in this article are inclusive of GST.

Long Validity Prepaid SIM Cards

A longer validity prepaid SIM card is suitable for those who live in Singapore and prefer prepaid SIM card over a post-paid plan. All these SIM cards have bundled local data. For local outgoing calls and SMS, some cards come with bundle while others charge based on pay per use.

 
Validity
Price
Value
Local Data
Local Outgoing Calls
Local SMS
Messaging Apps Usage
Singtel $8 hi! Prepaid SIM Card
90 Days (top up extend to 180 days)
$8
$10
1.5GB for 30 days
22¢ /min
5¢ each
Nil

Singtel $15 hi! Prepaid SIM Card
120 Days (top up extend to 180 days)
$15
$15
3GB for 120 days + 5GB for 30 days
22¢ /min
5¢ each
Unlimited Messaging App and Spotify

StarHub $8 Prepaid SIM Card
90 Days
$8
$10
1GB (30 days)
22¢ /min
5¢ each
Nil

StarHub $15 Prepaid SIM Card
180 Days
$15
$15
8GB (180 days)
22¢ /min
5¢ each
Unlimited WeChat, WhatsApp Messenger and LINE is valid for 180

StarHub $50 Prepaid SIM Card
180 Days
$50
$50
100GB (10 Days)
+ 5GB roaming data (30 Days)
22¢ /min
5¢ each
Nil

M1 $8 Prepaid SIM Card
90 Days
$8
–
1.5GB (30 days)
20¢ for first minute; 18¢ per subsequent minute

5¢ (miễn phí 10 local SMS with 5 local SMS sent)

Pay for Add on here.

M1 $14 Prepaid SIM Card
180 Days
$14
–
4GB (120 Days) + 4GB (30 days)
20¢ for first minute; 18¢ per subsequent minute
5¢ (miễn phí 10 local SMS with 5 local SMS sent)
Pay for Add on here.

M1 $25 Prepaid SIM Card
4 weeks
$25
–
56GB (2GB/day for 4 weeks)
5,000 mins outgoing/month, free incoming
1,000/month
Pay for Add on here.

M1 $60 Prepaid SIM Card
12 weeks
$60
–
168GB (2GB/day for 12 weeks)
5,000 mins outgoing/month, free incoming
1,000/month
Pay for Add on here.

Observations:

For regular usage, the M1 $25 Prepaid SIM Card is the most value for money at $25. It a reasonable amount of local outgoing calls and SMS. If you require more allowance for outgoing calls, adding on the 7days unlimited local outgoing call for $7 is a good option to consider.

For a little more, power users would appreciate M1’s $25 Prepaid SIM option, with 56GB (rationed at 2GB/day) and a whooping 5,000 outgoing minutes, 1,000 SMS and free incoming calls.

In terms of lowest possible cost (just to be contactable), M1 currently offers a $8 plan, with $8 in value and 1.5GB of data (for 30 days), valid for 90 days.

For those who want the longest validity of 180 days, Singtel $15 hi! Prepaid SIM gives the best value, at $15, for $15 of value, 8GB of data with unlimited data usage for messaging and Spotify.

Data-Only Prepaid SIM Cards

If local data is all you need, you can look at data-only prepaid SIM cards. These type of prepaid SIM cards are ideal for tablet devices or if you plan to communicate only via messaging such as WhatsApp or WeChat.

 
Singtel hi!Data SIM Card
StarHub Prepaid Internet SIM Card
StarHub Prepaid Internet SIM Card
Validity
7 days
7 days
4 weeks

Price
$30
$8
$25

Local data
15GB
1GB
20GB + 40GB worry-free data on Sundays

Observations:

The Singtel hi!Data SIM card provides a decent 1-week usage for local data. For individuals who have high data usage, but over the longer-term (1 month), StarHub’s  prepaid internet SIM card provides better value.

Short-Term Tourist Prepaid SIM Cards (7 Days)

The 7-day tourist SIM cards are suitable for travellers who are staying in Singapore and neighbouring countries for a week or less. All the three telcos offer 100GB local data, 500 mins local outgoing calls and 100 local SMS. Both Singtel and StarHub offer 1GB roaming data, but StarHub Happy Roam has roaming coverage for more destinations. Roaming data is not available for M1 7-day Prepaid Tourist SIM card.

 
Singtel hi!Tourist SIM Card
Singtel hi!Tourist SIM Card (Twin Pack)
StarHub Travel Prepaid SIM Card
M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card
Price
$12
$15
$12
$12

Local Data
100GB
100GB
100GB
100GB

Roaming Data
1GB (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand)
1GB
(Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand)
1GB (Happy Roam destinations)
Nil

Local Outgoing Calls
500 mins
500 mins
500 mins
500 mins

International Calls
30 mins
30 mins
30 mins
20 mins

Local SMS
100
100
100
100

Social Messaging Apps Usage
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Nil

Other Features
Nil
$3 EZ-Link stored value
Unlimited local incoming calls
eSIM available.

Observations:

At a price of $12, StarHub Travel Prepaid SIM Card is the most value for money as it has the widest data roaming coverage.

For travellers who need a EZ-Link card for public transport, the Singtel hi!Tourist EZ-Link SIM (Twin Pack) is a better choice since there is no additional card cost (an EZ-Link card cost $5 normally). It also comes with a $3 EZ-Link stored value.

For those who prefer the convenience of eSIMs, M1’s offering provides that option for supported phones.

Longer-Term Tourist Prepaid SIM Cards (12-15 Days)

For travellers who are staying in Singapore and neighbouring countries for more than a week, getting a longer duration SIM card may make sense. All the three telcos offer 100GB local data, 3,000 mins local outgoing calls and 5,000 local SMS (except for StarHub with 500 local SMS). All telcos provide data roaming with roaming coverage for different countries, with StarHub having the widest coverage.

 
Singtel hi!Tourist SIM Card
Singtel hi!Tourist SIM Card
StarHub Travel Prepaid SIM Card
M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card
M1 Prepaid Tourist SIM Card
Validity
12 days
15 days
12 days
12 days
14 days

Price
$30
$50
$32
$30
$50

Local Data
100GB
100GB
100GB
100GB
100GB

Roaming Data
3GB (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand)
5GB
(Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand)
3GB (Happy Roam destinations, 30 days validity)
3GB
(Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan)
5GB
(Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan)

Local Outgoing Calls
3,000 mins
3,000 mins
3,000 mins
3,000 mins
3,000 mins

International Calls
90 mins
90 mins
90 mins
50 mins
50 mins

Local SMS
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000

Social Messaging Apps Usage
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Nil
Nil

Other Features
miễn phí Singtel WIFI
miễn phí Singtel WIFI
Unlimited local incoming calls
Nil
Nil

Observations:

The best prepaid SIM card to get in this case depends if you are travelling to other countries within the validity period. The StarHub Travel prepaid SIM card provides the best roaming coverage across 17 destinations, including countries out of Asia.

If you are only staying in Singapore, then the Singtel hi!Tourist SIM has the best value. At just $30, you get 100GB (same as the other offerings) that is valid for 12 days, and a modest amount of calls and SMS.