Are you constantly on the lookout for Wi-Fi when you’re overseas?
The first option that comes to our mind is usually getting an overseas SIM card, but we often encounter the problem of not being able to purchase one at international airports.
When this happens, there are two other options that allow you to stay connected – Data Roaming and Portable/Pocket Wi-Fi.
If you’re still wondering which option to go for, this is an article you should bookmark because we’ve compiled some of the best affordable options that will be suitable for your travel needs!
TL;DR: Best Travel Data Providers & How Much They Cost
For your convenience, we’ve split the travelling into short trips (within 7 days), week-long trips (7 days), and multi-country trips in Europe or the United States for more than 7 days.
| Data Roam | Price (SGD) | Day(s) / Data Limit | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starhub WOW Data Plan | $3 | 1GB for 1 day | Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America |
| $5 | 1GB for 3 days | ||
| SIMBA.sg Roaming | Group A: $4 per GB | Pay-as-you-go | Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guyana, French West Indies, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion (La) & Mayotte, Romanian, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam |
| Group B: $6 per GB | Canada, China | ||
| gigaRoam APAC pass | $5 | 1GB for 5 days | Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| Circles Life GoRoam (APAC) | $8 | 1GB for 7 days | Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| gigaROAM ROTW (Rest of the World) | $15 | 1GB for 15 days | Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America |
| Portable Wi-Fi | Price (SGD) | No. of Devices / Data Limit | Countries |
| Changi Recommends | $3.70 - $12 per day | 5 devices / 500MB and Unlimited | Covers worldwide except for exotic areas such as Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Yogofi by Travelwifi | $2.90 - $9.90 per day | 5 devices / Unlimited | 140 countries, but does not include exotic areas such as Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Y5Buddy | $5 - $15 per day | 5 devices / Unlimited | 70 countries worldwide including Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Traveler-Wifi | From $9 per day | 5 devices / Unlimited | List of countries |
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Disclaimer: All prices reflected are accurate as of 25 July 2022. The information provided by Seedly does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any telecommunications provider’s product(s). It does not take into account the specific objectives or particular needs of any person. We strongly advise you to seek advice from a licensed insurance professional before purchasing any insurance products and/or services.
Data Roaming & Best Providers
Data roaming is most likely the most convenient option for most travellers!
It is also the more expensive of the two due to the convenience provided by telcos.
| Travel Data Plans | Price | Available Data | Countries supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starhub WOW Data Plan 1-Day | $3 | 1GB for 1 day | Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America |
| Starhub WOW Data Plan 3-Day | $5 | 1GB for 3 days | |
| gigaRoam APAC pass | $5 | 1GB for 5 days | Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| GOMO by Singtel (Asia) | $6 | 1GB for 5 days | List of countries |
| Circles Life GoRoam (APAC) | $8 | 1GB for 7 days | Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| GOMO by Singtel (Worldwide) | $12 | 1GB for 7 days | List of countries |
| Circles Life GoRoam (EU/USA) | $10 | 1GB for 7 days | Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, USA and UK |
| gigaROAM ROTW (Rest of the World) | $15 | 1GB for 15 days | Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America |
| M1 Data Passport | $12 + $5 activation fee | 1-month using your local data bundle | Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan & Thailand |
| Zero 1 Roaming (Asia Pacific) | $18 | 1GB for 30 days | Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam |
| My Republic Roam Like Home - Canada & USA / Europe | $35 | 1GB for 30 days | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, Canada & the United States of America |
| M1 Data Passport | $30 + $5 activation fee | 1-month using your local data bundle | Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mauritius, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom USA (including Hawaii, Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands; Alaska and Guam not covered) |
| Zero Roaming (Roam World) | $42 | 3GB for 30 days | Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan and Vietnam |
| SIMBA Roaming | Group A: $4 per GB Group B: $6 per GB Group C: $15 per GB Group D: $30 per GB | Pay-as-you-go Note: You will be billed per 10MB | List of countries |
SIMBA.sg (formerly known as TPG)’s the only provider that offers a pay-as-you-go roaming service.
The caveat is that you’ll be billed every 10MB used, hence if you’ve exceeded your usage even by 1MB, you will be charged additionally for the 1MB used.
M1’s data passport is also another unique plan as you’ll be using your local data instead of a separate overseas data plan when you’re overseas.
However, this might not be a good option if you’re constantly busting your local data. Note that there is also a $5 activation fee for M1 data passports.
Pro tip: Try to activate your data roam at least one day before your trip in case you experience issues with activation.
Travel Data Using Pocket Wi-Fi
Most of us travel to take a break from work or school, and with Whatsapp being an active platform for business conversations, a portable or pocket Wi-Fi is an option for those who don’t see the need for calling or SMS-es.
Before choosing one, there’re a couple of factors to consider before renting:
- Size: A heavy-duty router that has stronger battery life would tend to be bulkier. You’ll need to choose between convenience and durability
- Download speed: Download speed will affect your connectivity and time spend on retrieving information
- Devices limit: There is usually a limit of up to 5 paired devices hence not everyone can use it at the same time if you’re travelling in a large group.
These are some affordable wifi rental service providers in Singapore:
| Portable Wifi Providers | Price (SGD) | Specifications | Daily Data Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changi Recommends | $3.70 - $12 per day | Devices: Up to 5 Download Speed: 4G/3G data Battery Life: Up to 6 hours | 500MB (3G/4G): Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Europe, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Laos, Macau, Middle East, Myanmar, Morocco, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom Unlimited 4G: Canada, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, U.S.A, Vietnam | Does not include exotic areas such as Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Yogofi by Travelwifi | $2.90 - $9.90 per day | Devices: Up to 5 Download Speed: Up to 4G LTE Speeds Battery Life: Up to 12 hours | Unlimited | Does not include exotic areas such as Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Y5Buddy | $5 - $15 per day Note: $50 deposit upon checkout | Devices: Up to 5 Download Speed: Up to 4G LTE Speeds Battery Life: Up to 13 hours | Unlimited List of countries | Nepal, Turkey, Israel or countries in South America |
| Traveler-Wifi | From $9 per day Note: $200 refundable deposit upon collection | Devices: Up to 5 Download Speed: Up to 300Mbps Battery Life: Up to 13 hours | Unlimited | List of countries |
Changi’s Wi-Fi router is often a go-to option for travellers as you can collect it at the airport before you depart. It can be paired with up to 5 devices and have unlimited data in selected countries.
Pro tip: A Wi-Fi router with a download speed of 150 Mbps should suffice if you’re only accessing social media and Google. However, you may need a device that has a download speed of 600 Mbps or more for widespread access such as streaming services.
Which Should You Choose?
Personally, I would choose portable wifi when travelling in places like Europe as I can split the cost with two to three other travel buddies.
And this is especially so for multi-country hopping!
You don’t want to end up signing up for so many data plans when all you need is the internet.
As for short trips within Southeast Asia, it makes more sense to opt for data roaming as the plans for Asian countries are usually cheaper.
If you’re undecided, this is a table of the pros and cons of both options:
| Data Roam | Portable Wi-Fi |
|---|---|
| More costly in general | Cost saving as you can share with more people |
| Might be limited to a number of countries only | Once daily data usage exceeds the limit, router speed will slow down but can still connect and use |
| A constant need to turn on-and-off | Requires charging |
| Need to adjust phone settings such as Access Point Name | Need to place a deposit and can be chargeable for any damage or loss of router |
| Better for individuals who generally use more data while travelling | Better for group travelling and multi-country hopping |
So, which option would you choose and do you have any latest experiences to share?
Hop over to the Seedly Community to share with us!
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