Data roaming Singapore: compare telco plans before a trip

Data roaming from Singapore costs very different amounts depending on your telco and how you buy it. On 1 November 2026, M1's daily pass was S$0.99 for 3GB per 24 hours on eligible plans, StarHub's Asia-Pacific pack gave 8GB for S$16 under a promotion that ends on 31 December 2026, and Singtel's Asia pack was 6GB for S$18. Before a trip in the primary and secondary school holidays, which run from 21 November to 31 December 2026, check what your plan already includes, what switches on by itself if you forget, and whether your line has IMDA's S$100 data roaming bill cap. ## At a glance

• 1 February 2012: IMDA's data roaming page says consumers have since been able to use a Data Roaming Bill Cap service that suspends data roaming when charges reach a maximum of S$100 in a billing month.
• 22 April 2026: M1's S$0.99 daily roaming applies to Bespoke Flexi sign-ups and recontracts from this date, and to all Bespoke SIM-only plans, its Worldwide Daily Passport page says.
• 3 June 2026: M1 launched the Worldwide Daily Passport, saying it gave 3GB for S$0.99 per 24 hours across 78 destinations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.
• 21 November to 31 December 2026: Term 4 school holidays for MOE Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, on MOE's academic calendar.
• 31 December 2026: StarHub's four-times-data promotion on its 2GB and 3GB DataTravel packs ends, its DataTravel page says.

What do Singtel, StarHub and M1 charge for data roaming?

List prices for postpaid lines on 1 November 2026, before plan discounts or bundled roaming data.

Singtel, from its roaming plans page:

• ReadyRoam for Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand: 1GB for S$5 or 6GB for S$12, valid 30 days.
• ReadyRoam for 19 destinations including Australia, Japan and South Korea: 6GB for S$18, valid 30 days. The Worldwide version, for 135 destinations, is 6GB for S$40.
• For each ReadyRoam group, the page says a second pack bought within 30 days gives unlimited data after 12GB.
• UnlimitedRoam 14 Days: S$20 (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand), S$35 (the 19 destinations) or S$45 (135 destinations), with 15GB at high speed, then slower speeds.

StarHub DataTravel, with the promotional data in brackets:

• Asia-Pacific (20 destinations including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Australia): 1GB for S$6, valid 3 days; 2GB plus 6GB bonus (8GB) for S$16, or 3GB plus 9GB (12GB) for S$20, each valid 30 days.
• Global: 8GB for S$40 or 12GB for S$50, valid 30 days.

M1 Worldwide Daily Passport: S$0.99 for 3GB in a 24-hour window that starts the first time you use data abroad, not at midnight. If you use the 3GB inside that window, another 3GB starts automatically for another S$0.99. It covers data only; standard international call and SMS rates apply.

We did not check Simba, Circles or other brands.

Worked example: a week in Tokyo and a weekend in Johor Bahru

The traveller is invented; the prices are the telcos' own and the arithmetic is ours. Aisyah, a teacher, spends seven days in Tokyo in December with one phone. Singtel's page estimates average use at 200MB a day, so a light week is about 1.4GB; streaming and maps all day might be 1GB a day, or 7GB.

Light use, about 1.4GB:

1. Singtel: ReadyRoam Asia 6GB, S$18.
2. StarHub: DataTravel Asia-Pacific 8GB, S$16 (until 31 December 2026).
3. M1: about seven 24-hour windows at S$0.99, S$6.93, if she is on an eligible plan. Japan was among the destinations M1's June release named.

Heavy use, about 7GB:

1. Singtel: when the 6GB runs out, its page says the same pack is added automatically, so two packs cost S$36; UnlimitedRoam 14 Days for the 19 destinations would be S$35.
2. StarHub: still within 8GB, S$16.
3. M1: still S$6.93, because 1GB a day stays under each 3GB window.

For a two-day weekend in Johor Bahru using about 1GB, Singtel's 1GB Neighbours pack is S$5, StarHub's 1GB Asia-Pacific pack is S$6 (valid three days) and M1's pass is two windows, S$1.98.

What it shows:

• The pricing model matters more than the usage guess. A pack charges for data you may not use; a daily pass charges for each day you use any.
• Your plan decides your options. M1's S$0.99 rate applies only to the plans its page names.
• Compare price per GB. In our unit price calculator, choose "Count" and name the item GB: S$16 for 8GB is S$2 per GB, against S$3 per GB for 6GB at S$18.

Recontracting partly for roaming? Our guide to comparing SIM-only plans costs a plan over its whole term.

What happens if you forget to buy a roaming plan?

• Singtel: AutoReadyRoam is included free with every mobile plan and activates the most affordable ReadyRoam plan when you use roaming on a preferred partner network, its roaming page says. Once on, it cannot be removed; to stop it, turn off data roaming in the My Singtel app. If it is turned off, pay-per-use charges may apply; the page says you can check the setting in the app.
• StarHub: its DataTravel page describes what happens after a pack's data is used up: extra use is charged per MB up to the daily rate of DataTravel Unlimited, S$30 a day, after which data is unlimited until 11.59pm Singapore time, in nearly 150 destinations. SMS alerts come at 500MB left, when the data runs out and before the pack expires. The page does not say what a line with no pack pays, so ask StarHub.
• M1: no pre-activation is needed; the S$0.99 charge starts when data is first used abroad, and turning data roaming off and on does not restart the 24-hour window.

Under IMDA's rules, telcos must get your explicit consent before providing roaming services and point you to the prices and terms, and you can deactivate data roaming before leaving Singapore and reinstate it on your return, the IMDA page says. The telco pages we read did not say whether the S$100 bill cap is on by default, so ask yours.

How do you avoid roaming charges near Singapore's coast?

Near the coast a phone can pick up Malaysian or Indonesian networks. Singtel's advice on unintended roaming is to disable data roaming in your phone's settings: under Connections, then Mobile Networks, on some phones, or Mobile Data, then Mobile Data Options, on others.

Our reading, not a telco statement: with automatic roaming plans, a stray connection on a partner network could start a pack or a daily window. Near the coast, leave data roaming off and switch it on only once abroad. M1's page says its charge begins only when data is first used abroad, so there is no risk of being charged while still in Singapore; it does not mention coastal signals.

Is a travel eSIM cheaper than roaming?

It may be, but we opened no travel eSIM provider's pages, so we quote no eSIM prices. Check that your phone supports eSIM and can use another network, whether the eSIM is data only, and how long it lasts. If you keep your Singapore number on for calls and SMS, check your telco's rates for those (M1's pass, for example, covers data only), and note that Singtel's unintended roaming page says its postpaid lines need AutoRoam or Pay-As-U-Roam before they can be used overseas.

A checklist before you fly

1. Check what you already have. Some Singtel plans include roaming data, its page says; check your app first.
2. Pick the model that suits the trip: a pack for a fixed amount of data, a daily pass for short or multi-country trips.
3. Check the destination list. Japan is in Singtel's Asia group and StarHub's Asia-Pacific list; a trip that adds Europe or the USA may need a global tier.
4. Know what happens after the allowance: an automatic new pack, a per-MB charge with a daily ceiling, or a new S$0.99 window.
5. Confirm the S$100 bill cap and spending alerts with your telco.
6. Turn data roaming off near the coast, and on only when you land.
7. Then the rest of the trip: power banks on flights and GST relief on goods you bring home.

If a roaming bill looks wrong, raise it with your telco first. IMDA's Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, run by the Singapore Mediation Centre, takes telecoms disputes of up to S$10,000 that occurred within the past year, after you give the telco 14 days' Notice of Intention. It excludes commercial decisions such as how services are priced. More comparisons are in our comparing topic.

Common questions