Singapore SIM card from the UAE: Singtel, StarHub, roaming or eSIM

Data in Singapore from the UAE: the options side by side

Four routes get you online: a Singtel or StarHub tourist SIM from SGD 10, a pack on your UAE line from AED 35.00 a day, Virgin’s free One Country pass on plans of 20GB and up, or a data eSIM installed before you fly. Singapore’s own SIMs and eSIMs start with a passport; the other routes do not. Singtel and StarHub both sell 4G/5G plans, and our eSIM roams on the Singtel and M1 local network.

Pack prices as listed by e&, du and Virgin Mobile on 15 Oct 2026; AED per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in AED at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount.

Rows: our synthesis of Singtel and StarHub (16 Oct 2026) and the three UAE operators (15 Oct 2026).

Singtel hi! Tourist and StarHub: passport, 30 days, Changi counters

Singtel’s hi! Tourist SIM costs SGD 10 for 7 days or SGD 15 for 30, and StarHub’s Tourist Plans cost SGD 12 or SGD 15 for 30 days (16 Oct 2026). We do not convert Singapore dollars to AED.

Sources: Singtel hi! Tourist and StarHub tourist SIM guide (16 Oct 2026).

You register before you get online. Singtel sells hi! Tourist to “foreign passport holders only”. Its terms say that “from 15 July 2024 under IMDA’s regulations, SIM registration using a passport will be valid for thirty (30) days from the date of registration”. The plan has data; calls and texts need an extra step at a Singtel retailer. We have no data on day 31, so ask the retailer if you stay longer.

StarHub gives the same rule: prepaid SIMs, “physical or eSIM”, are registered “with a valid passport at the point of purchase or activation. No local address is required.” Its Tourist Plans add a local number, unlimited local calls and SMS, and 100 roaming minutes. The card says SGD 12 “per month” while the FAQ says 30 days, so we write SGD 12 for 30 days. The Traveler eSIM has “no Singapore number, no calls, and no SMS” and “must be activated within 21 days from the date of purchase”.

You collect the SIM at Changi. Singtel’s page shows hi! Tourist collection at the airport counters. StarHub names the arrival halls (Prosegur money changers in Terminals 1, 2 and 4; its Changi Recommends counters in Terminals 1 to 3) and lets you “pre-order online at starhub.com and collect at Changi Airport with your passport and order confirmation”. We have no queue-time data and could not read M1’s tourist page.

e&, du and Virgin Mobile in Singapore: a stopover and a week

Singapore is on the roaming lists of e&, du and Virgin Mobile UAE, and one day costs AED 35.00 on each: 500MB at e& and du, 750MB at Virgin (15 Oct 2026). A week is AED 100.00 for 4GB at e& prepaid, 10GB at du postpaid and 2GB at Virgin.

Sources: e& (15 Oct 2026), du (15 Oct 2026) and Virgin Mobile UAE (15 Oct 2026). Pack rules: e& Roaming Daily Data, du, Virgin One Country.

The e& daily pack carries “Auto-renewal on days of use”: every further day you use data in Singapore costs AED 35.00 again.

On a Virgin Mobile UAE plan of 20GB or more, Singapore is on the One Country list and is free for the month. The operator wins that case outright. It “won’t auto renew. Don’t forget to re-activate every month.”

A stopover of one or two days: what fits

For two days in Singapore, e& and du charge AED 70.00 for 1GB, and a week of daily packs would be AED 245.00 for 3.5GB (our arithmetic, 15 Oct 2026). A Singapore SIM card from a local operator starts at a week, so a stopover pays for days it will not use.

Singtel’s SGD 10 plan on a 2-day stop is SGD 5.00 a day, against SGD 1.43 over its 7 days. StarHub’s SGD 12 Traveler eSIM on the same stop is SGD 6.00 a day, against SGD 0.86 over its 14 (our arithmetic). Both need a passport registration under the IMDA rule StarHub quotes, and the Singtel SIM is collected at a Changi counter. Our eSIM has no ID check and no counter.

Our Singapore plans: 1GB for 7 days is AED 14.99, 10GB for 30 days is AED 37.99, and 3 days of unlimited data is AED 40.99 (about AED 13.66 a day), at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see how to pay. All sizes: Singapore eSIM plans.

Install before you fly; it connects when you land in Singapore, and the days count from that first connection. A plan can be topped up. Our eSIMs for Singapore are data-only: no calls, no SMS, no number. Keep your UAE SIM switched on for SMS; e& and Virgin Mobile don’t charge for SMS you receive abroad, and calls you receive are charged per minute. Setup: keep your UAE number. Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE. If the eSIM has not connected to any network, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.

Going on to Malaysia? Hotlink’s Travel SIM from there also works in Singapore (Malaysia SIM card guide); one Asia regional plan covers several countries.

What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Singapore?

Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.

The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your UAE line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.

The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats Singapore as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find Singtel and M1; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.

Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.ae with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)

For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, AED 14.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, AED 28.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, AED 59.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your UAE number every day, roaming on your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line keeps them, and some packs include minutes (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for Singapore, from AED 14.99 Pay by card in AED. The seller is registered outside the UAE, so some banks may still add a foreign-merchant fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans