Stay connected with affordable eSIM data plans. Instant activation, no roaming fees, perfect for your undefined adventure.
No data plans available for the selected duration
Try selecting a different travel duration above
Essential information to help you get connected seamlessly
This virtual SIM only includes data. It does not allow you to make cell phone calls or send SMS messages. You can still use WhatsApp or Skype to call your contacts.
Make sure your phone is both unlocked and compatible with eSIM technology.
Scan the QR code from your smartphone settings and add the data plan. You can either print it and scan it, or open it on another device to scan it. But don't activate it until you land at your destination.
An arrival card you file before you land, a vape ban with real fines, and tapping a bank card onto the train
Singapore runs on rules, and two of them shape a trip before it starts. You must file an electronic arrival card in the three days before you land, or you can be turned away. And you must leave your vape at home, because e-cigarettes are illegal to bring in or use, with fines to match. The good news is that getting around is almost frictionless: you tap the same contactless bank card or phone you already carry straight onto the train. This guide covers the arrival card, the vape ban, the transport, the money, and why data still matters here.
The hawker centres are the real Singapore meal
Singapore's hawker centres, its open-air food courts, are where the country actually eats, from chicken rice to laksa at a few dollars a plate. The national tourism board treats hawker culture as a headline experience, and Singapore's hawker culture is recognised on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, so a hawker lunch is both the cheapest and the most local thing you can do.5
Our take: go to a hawker centre hungry and at off-peak hours, and follow the longest queue of locals rather than the English signage. Maxwell and Old Airport Road are famous for a reason, but almost any neighbourhood centre delivers.
Tap your own bank card onto the MRT and buses
Through the SimplyGo system you can tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, or a phone with one loaded, directly on the reader at an MRT gate or when boarding a bus, with the fare charged to your card. There is no need to buy or top up a separate transit card, and no registration, so the card in your pocket works from your first ride.3
Our take: use a phone or card you are happy to tap and skip the ticket machine entirely. The MRT reaches almost everywhere a visitor goes, and at Singapore's pace it is faster and cooler than a taxi in the heat.
GST is 9% and already in the price
Singapore's Goods and Services Tax rose to 9% on 1 January 2024, and it is generally included in displayed prices, though some restaurants and hotels add GST plus a service charge on top, shown as '++' on the bill. Check the fine print at sit-down places so the total is not a surprise.4
The currency is the Singapore dollar
Prices are in Singapore dollars (SGD). Cards and mobile payments are accepted almost everywhere, including at many hawker stalls, so you can travel with very little cash, though a few dollars is handy at the most traditional stalls and markets.
The SG Arrival Card is mandatory before you land
All foreign visitors must submit the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with health declaration online within three days of arrival, counting the arrival day, through the official ICA e-Service or MyICA app. It is free, and travellers who fail to submit it can be denied entry, so it is a task to do before you fly, not at the airport.1
Only true transit passengers are exempt
The exemptions are narrow: passengers transiting without clearing immigration, and some residents entering by land. As a visiting tourist arriving by air, you are expected to have filed the card, and only the official ICA channel is free, so avoid third-party sites that charge to submit it for you.1
Vapes are illegal, and enforcement is active
E-vaporisers are banned in Singapore: it is an offence to import, possess or use them, so leave any vape at home rather than risk it at the border. The Health Sciences Authority regulates this and enforcement is real, with fines for possession or use, so this is not a rule to test.2
999 and 995 are the emergency numbers
In an emergency, 999 reaches the police and 995 reaches the ambulance and fire service, both free from any phone. Singapore is a low-crime, well-run city, but these are the numbers to know, and English is understood by the operators.
Singapore is a small, dense island with excellent mobile coverage almost everywhere, on the street, underground on the MRT and across the airport, but that convenience is not free to reach on a home plan: Singapore sits outside every regional roaming zone, so roaming here is billed whatever your country, and a local eSIM is what keeps data at a predictable price. You will use it constantly even on a short trip: the arrival card is online, maps and ride-hailing run the day, and translation and reservation apps fill the gaps. Because so much runs on your phone, from the contactless taps to the queue-number apps at popular eateries, a working connection is what makes the city's smoothness actually smooth. Get set up before or at Changi rather than after, since the first things you may want are a map, a ride and proof you filed your arrival card, all of which need to be online.
Yes. Every foreign visitor must submit the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with health declaration online within three days of arrival, including the arrival day, through the official ICA e-Service or MyICA app. It is free, and you can be denied entry without it, so do it before you fly. Only genuine transit passengers who do not clear immigration are exempt.1
No. E-vaporisers are illegal in Singapore, and it is an offence to import, possess or use them, with fines and active enforcement. Do not pack a vape, even in checked luggage, because bringing one in is itself the offence, so leave it at home rather than risk it at the border.2
Just tap a contactless card or phone. Through SimplyGo you can tap a Visa, Mastercard or American Express contactless card, or a phone with one loaded, at the MRT gate or bus reader, and the fare is charged to that card. No separate transit card and no registration are needed, so the card you already carry works from your first ride.3
Usually not. Singapore is outside every regional free-roaming arrangement, so home-plan roaming here is billed, often expensively, whatever country you come from. A local eSIM keeps data at a predictable Singapore price, which matters because the arrival card, maps, taps and ride-hailing all lean on a connection.
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on September 5, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.