eSIM or a SIM card for Singapore: which fits your trip
Both get you online in Singapore. They differ in where you buy them, what you show, and when they start working.
- No shop visit
- Passport needed for a SIM
- Data only
The short answer
An eSIM from this site installs at home and gets you online after landing, with no shop visit. A SIM card bought in Singapore is registered at the point of sale, with your original passport, and it gives you a Singapore number; the eSIM plans here are data only.
Checked October 2, 2026
eSIM against a SIM card bought in Singapore
Where you buy it
- eSIM from this site
- Online, before you fly
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- At an airport counter or a shop in Singapore
What you show
- eSIM from this site
- Nothing
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- Your original passport, presented as the line is registered at purchase
Network
- eSIM from this site
- The Singapore network named on your plan
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- The network behind the counter or shop where it is bought
Phone number
- eSIM from this site
- Data only
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- A Singapore number
Your own number
- eSIM from this site
- Stays on in the phone
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- Stays on only where the phone has room for two SIMs
Refund
- eSIM from this site
- A dead eSIM that no fix can save earns a full refund
- A SIM card bought in Singapore
- The shop's rules
When a SIM card makes sense
A SIM card bought in Singapore runs on one of Singapore’s networks: Singtel, StarHub, M1 or SIMBA. It gives you a Singapore number, and packages are sold on the spot. The shop registers the line at the moment of purchase and asks to see the original passport.
When the eSIM makes sense
Boarding happens with the eSIM already in the phone, so the airport holds neither a shop visit nor a queue. On landing, the eSIM line comes on and takes mobile data, while calls and bank codes stay with the usual SIM in the phone. Data roaming on the eSIM line is the store’s named fix for a line that will not start; switch it on only if connection fails.
The plan for this trip
30 days · 10 GB · US$11.88
Data only, tax included. Each plan names its Singapore network before you pay.
Buy on VietSIMQuestions
Do I need a Singapore phone number?
Only if you need to receive Singapore calls or texts. The eSIM plans here are data only, so WhatsApp keeps your own number and your usual SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank codes.
Do I need my passport to get online in Singapore?
For a SIM card, yes: the point of sale registers it, with your original passport. The eSIM is bought online before the flight and installed from the QR code shown once payment is done; hold onto that page's link, since the code stays there.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
Get your Singapore eSIM before you fly.
Plans from US$4.88, tax included, on Simba, StarHub or Singtel, or the four-country regional network. Pick one here and pay on the store in US dollars.
See the plansCheckout on VietSIM · full refund if it does not work