Don't bother selecting eSIM providers when traveling in Asia Pacific
For most people, a 7-day eSIM is the price of a Starbucks coffee ($US$4-7, depending on what you drink). Stop spending hours searching and reading reviews for the best eSIM deal to save a few dollars per week. Buy an eSIM on Trip.com to save yourself the hassle lining up at an airport counter. Redeem the eSIM via QR code instead of downloading yet another app. Recall what your time is worth.
There are too many eSIM providers out there. 5G easily gets you 50Mbps or higher. If you're debating whether one eSIM provider gets you 50Mbps vs 100Mbps, this is not the article for you. You're wasting your time.
Less than US$1/day for 1GB data over 5G in Asia. Many countries frequented by tourists are available for under US$0.50/day. Hotspot/tethering is also supported for that price. Each country may have certain app restrictions, but the eSIM companies document that well along with how to workaround access to certain restricted apps by switching the APN. An example of how to configure the APN for ChatGPT access is here.
Greater China Region (GCR)
The GCR consists of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Although Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) and Google are blocked in China, that's only for locals. Foreigners can buy an eSIM which is routed out of Hong Kong IPs which can access Meta and Google.
| Country/Region | 1GB/day | 2GB/day |
|---|---|---|
| GCR (Greater China Region) | $4.64 | $7.69 |
| Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau | $4.59 | $7.62 |
| Mainland China | $3.80 | $6.23 |
| Taiwan | $2.91 | $5.21 |
Other popular destinations in Asia
| Country/Region | 1GB/day | 2GB/day |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | $4.10 | $5.97 |
| Singapore | $2.20 | $3.37 |
| South Korea | $3.44 | $5.83 |
| Taiwan | $2.91 | $5.21 |
| Thailand | $2.25 | $2.70 |
Regional SIMs in Asia
Regional eSIMs are typically used for longer trips as you're visiting multiple countries. I won't list all the country combinations, durations and data packages, but I will list the 30-day package prices to give you an idea of inexpensive it is.
My suggestions:
- buy a longer duration than you need by a few days in case travel plans change.
- include the country where you may be transiting through in case of delays.
| Country/Region | 1GB/day | 2GB/day | 100GB/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia (4 countries) | $12.33 | $20.50 | Not available |
| Southeast Asia (7 countries) | $13.40 | $20.44 | Not available |
| Asia (14 countries) | $15.67 | $28.53 | $76.13 |
| Asia (12 countries) | $41.09 | $66.53 | Not available |
List of countries/region:
| Country/Region | 4 | 7 | 14 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Malaysia | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Thailand | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Indonesia | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Japan | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Vietnam | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| South Korea | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Mainland China | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Hong Kong | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Macau | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Taiwan | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Bangladesh | ✅ | Australia | ✅ | New Zealand | ✅ |
Rest of Asia
| Country/Region | 1GB/day | 2GB/day |
|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan/Pakistan/Uzbekistan | $6.11 | $9.82 |
| Rest of Asia and Middle East | $12.87 | $21.68 |
Australia
| Country/Region | 1GB/day | 2GB/day |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | $8.76 | $12.62 |
| New Zealand | $6.12 | $9.98 |
| ANZ (Australia + New Zealand) | $6.74 | $12.55 |
Note: for Australia, closest pricing is 5GB total over 7 days, or 10GB total over 14 days.
Global
And of course, there are global eSIM options. I won't list them all there, but head over to Trip.com and search for eSIM.
