Best Mobile Plans in Singapore for Travellers (Free Data Roaming)

As a frequent traveller, it gets expensive and time-consuming to purchase and activate data roaming eSIMs every time I make short trips to regional destinations in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, or even the occasional trip to Johor Bahru. If you’re like me, having a decent data roaming inclusion in my home mobile plan (in Singapore) that works seamlessly is hugely beneficial.

In this article, I’ll be comparing the best mobile plans in Singapore that include free data roaming.

What you need to know

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) tend to offer the best prices, as compared to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) due to cost-cutting in areas such as physical stores and customer service hotline or live chat.

So, if you face problems with your mobile plan or network, it may take days for it to get resolved. However, most of them do not require a long-term contract to enjoy the great savings and benefits. Don’t like your current MVNO? Simply port-in to another one.

Network quality

There are four MNOs in Singapore, and they don’t provide the same level of network quality.

Of course, it’s difficult to have an accurate score for this, but based on the consensus that I’ve read in online forums (and my personal experiences), here’s how I would rate them:

1) Eight

There’s been a lot of chatter about Eight online and in Suitesmile Chat in recent weeks, and for good reasons. This new telco offers lower prices while providing more benefits than what other telcos offer.

What’s awesome is that you can pre-purchase credits (for future months) on Shopee, to receive even more savings. There are also occasional offers like this one, which brings your total monthly cost to just under S$6 per month.

I’ve been using Eight for a couple of months now, and it simply blows the competition out of the water, especially when it comes to data roaming. HOWEVER, I should remind you that I have no idea how good their customer service is, if something goes wrong.

❓ Confused about IDDs, VoLTE and overseas calling? Me too. I did some testing while overseas, and here’s what I found.

✍️ Sign up for Eight
^{(not sponsored, no referral, in case you’re wondering 🙂)}

^{*APAC: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Taiwan
**International: Covers many popular tourist destinations worldwide (full list)}

2) Maxx

Maxx offers competitive prices, with similar plan inclusions as Eight. However, it does not include overseas talktime. Besides, why would you settle for inferior network quality?

Maxx users can also pre-purchase credits (for future months) on Shopee, to receive even more savings.

✍️ Sign up for Maxx

3) SIMBA

I’ve never used SIMBA, but based on what I’ve read online, it seems to have the poorest network coverage in Singapore. However, if you travel in Malaysia frequently, the 200GB data roaming included in the cheapest plan is quite something.

✍️ Sign up for SIMBA

Honourable Mention: ZYM Mobile

I contemplated including ZYM Mobile in this article. But I guess it’s fair to include an MVNO that uses the Singtel network, since the others are covered above.

Additional Note: Frequent travellers to Mainland China and Hong Kong who wants the Singtel network in Singapore can consider CMLink’s hidden plan (thanks Kai Jin).

✍️ Sign up for ZYM Mobile

^{***APAC: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Vietnam}

Best cards for phone bills

Earn 4 miles per dollar when paying for the above plans, even when buying credits on Shopee.

Note: Remember to turn off recurring payments if paying using Citi Rewards or DBS Woman’s World cards.

Read more: Best cards for telco bills

💡 Click on the + Card Summary buttons below to view the key details of each card.

Citi Rewards

Earn 4 mpd on online spending

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Citi Rewards Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on online spending, up to $1,000 per statement month. This covers a wide range of spending categories like online shopping, ride-hailing, food delivery and even phone/internet bills.

Cardholders can also earn 4 mpd on in-person shopping at stores that sell shoes and bags and clothes as their main business activity.

Take note that cardholders will only earn 0.4 mpd on travel-related categories (e.g. flights and hotels) and spending above $1,000 per statement month.

Having many transfer partners and up to 5-year expiry term gives you fantastic flexibility. However, take note that your points’ expiry term starts from the date the card is opened (i.e. not from the transaction date).

Pro tip: Link this card to the Amaze card to also earn 4 mpd on in-person spending like dining, groceries and shopping. This pairing turns all your offline transactions “online” (to earn 4 mpd) and lowers your foreign currency charges. But take note that SGD transactions through Amaze will incur a 1% fee (min. 50 cents).

View our complete review of the Citi Rewards Card.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%
(Lower this fee by linking this card to Amaze)

⏰ Points expiry
Every 5 years from card opening date (+3 months grace period)

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Infinity MileageLands, Executive Club and more!

💯 Transfer ratio
2.5 points = 1 mile

🧮 Transfer block
25,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲 Transfer fee
$27.25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card cannot be combined with those from other Citi cards and can only be transferred out separately.

❓ How/When points are credited
Earn 1 base point per dollar spent, plus 9 bonus points for online spending (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base and bonus points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Terms & conditions

DBS Woman’s World

Earn 4 mpd on online spending

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

DBS Woman’s World Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card, which is also available to men, gives you a strong earn rate of 4 miles per dollar on online spending (in foreign currency too!) on key spending categories like online shopping, flights, hotels, food delivery and ride-hailing, up to $1,500 per calendar month.

The biggest drawback is that DBS points earned on this card have an expiry term of just 1 year. With a minimum transfer block of 5,000 points (10,000 miles), cardholders often find themselves with expiring “orphan” points of under 5,000, that can only be redeemed for low-value items like mall/dining vouchers.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First year waived)

💼 Income requirement
$80,000/year
(Not strict. Many readers with lower income have reported that you can get an approval by applying without SingPass, then entering an annual income above $80k, before uploading your actual proof of income that is under $80k.)

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

⏰ Points expiry
1 year from transaction

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer

💯 Transfer ratio
1 point = 2 miles

🧮 Transfer block
5,000 points (10,000 miles)

💲Transfer fee
$27.25 per transfer

🤗 Points pooling
Points from this card can be combined with those from other DBS cards and transferred out together at once.

❓How/When points are credited
Earn 1 base point per $5 dollar spent, plus 9 bonus points for eligible online transactions (equivalent to 4 mpd in total). Base points are credited immediately when the transaction is posted, while bonus points are credited around the middle of the following calendar month.

📜 Terms & conditions

Maybank Family & Friends

Get 8% cashback on chosen categories

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonus

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Maybank Family & Friends Mastercard

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
This card gives you a strong 8% cashback on chosen spending categories, if you spend at least $800 (in SGD or foreign currency) on the card in a calendar month. Cashback is capped at $25 per category ($312.50 worth of spending) and $150 in total ($1,875 worth of spending).

Cardholders can choose 5 bonus categories (via Maybank’s TREATS SG app) from a list of 10:

1. Groceries (default)
2. Transport (default)
3. Dining & Food Delivery (default)
4. Retail & Pets (default)
5. Data Communication & Online TV Streaming (default)
6. Online Shopping
7. Entertainment
8. Pharmacy
9. Sports & Sports Apparels
10. Beauty & Wellness

Additional Bonus Category
Cardholders can also earn an additional 8% cashback on eligible purchases made in Malaysian Ringgit or Indonesian Rupiah, but not if they fall under the cardholder’s default/selected spending categories. If a transaction overlaps with these categories and exceeds the limit of S$312.50 per month, only the amount spent beyond that limit will qualify for the bonus. Cashback earned in this category is also capped at $25 per calendar month.

Pro tip: Can’t meet the $800 monthly spending requirement? You can purchase supermarket vouchers in store to make up the difference. These voucher purchases will be eligible for 8% cashback and can be used for grocery shopping in future.

Get just 0.3% cashback for other spending categories.

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💸 Annual fee
$196.20
(First 3 years waived)

💼 Income requirement
$30,000/year

🤑 Foreign currency fee
3.25%

❓When cashback is credited
Cashback amount is credited into the card at the end of the statement month.

📜 Terms & conditions

Chocolate Card

Earn 2 mpd on almost everything, no FX fees

Apply

🎁 Sign-up bonusNo sign-up bonus for the Chocolate Card at the moment, but get up to 250 miles when you sign up for a HeyMax account using the link below.

+ Card Summary

More information on the

Chocolate Finance Visa Card

Suitesmile rating:

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✍️ Short summary
In collaboration with HeyMax, this card gives you an earn rate of 2 miles per dollar on almost everything, up to $1,000 per calendar month. Cardholders also enjoy great foreign exchange rates and no foreign currency fees. Transactions beyond $1,000 per month earn 0.4 mpd.

As a Debit card, it has no income requirement, making it perfect for students (above 18 yrs) and retirees who are looking to accumulate miles. This card also does not have an annual fee.

This is a great card for all foreign currency spending, as well as transactions that are commonly-excluded from earning miles/cashback on other cards. This includes:

• AXS bill payments (except credit card bills)
• Insurance
• Hospitals
• Utilities
• Public Transport
• School Fees

Link to HeyMax: To earn miles on the Chocolate Card, you need to sign up for a free HeyMax account and link your card to your HeyMax account (in the HeyMax app or website).

Limitations of the Chocolate Card: As this is a Debit card, all spending on the card will be deducted directly from your Chocolate Account balance. Yes, you need to have sufficient money in your account before spending on the card. There are transaction limits of S$5k per transaction, S$20k per day. The Chocolate Card is protected by Visa’s Zero Liability Policy, which guarantees that you won’t be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or card details. For better peace of mind, you may freeze the Chocolate Card in the app when not using.

Having no annual fee, no income requirement, no foreign currency fee, no transfer fee and miles that never expire makes this a great card for miles chasers in Singapore; but only those who are aware of the benefits of Frequent Flyer Programs other than KrisFlyer.

Due to the low earn rate, this is not a good card for SGD spending on common categories like dining, groceries, online shopping, food delivery etc.

Read our detailed article on the Chocolate Card.

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💸 Annual fee
No annual fee, ever

💼 Income requirement
No income requirement

🤑 Foreign currency fee
No foreign currency fee

⏰ Miles expiry
Max miles don’t expire

🫱‍🫲 Transfer partners
Executive Club, Aeroplan, Accor, Hyatt and more!
^{(Note: Max miles cannot be transferred to KrisFlyer)}

💯 Transfer ratio
1 Max mile = 1 mile/point

🧮 Transfer block
1,000 miles or 10,000 miles

💲Transfer fee
Free

❓How/When miles are credited
Miles are credited immediately when the transaction is posted.

📜 Chocolate Card FAQs