Asia SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming or a regional eSIM
One Asia eSIM works from Thailand and Vietnam to Japan and South Korea, so a trip with several stops needs one purchase and one install. It is a travel SIM for Asia with data only: 1 GB over 7 days costs ≈ ₹483 (9 Oct rate), charged US$4.99 by card. It leaves out Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. How card payments work.
One country or the Asia plan: how to decide
Pick the Asia plan when your route crosses two or more countries on its list, and a country page when you stay in one. The regional plan gives one install, one data allowance and one set of days for the whole route. Check every stop against the country list on the Asia eSIM page before you pay.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jio, Airtel or Vi roaming pack | Depends on the operator’s pack | Roaming switched on and a pack bought before you fly | Data is fixed per pack; check that the pack covers Asia |
| Pocket Wi-Fi router | Not verified | Collect it, keep it charged and return it | One connection for the group, only while you stay together |
| Local SIM bought on arrival | Not verified | A free SIM slot and a shop after landing | On a one-slot phone it replaces your Indian SIM and its OTPs |
| Travel eSIM from this site | from ≈ ₹289 US$2.99 by card; from ≈ ₹86 per GB | An eSIM phone that is not locked to one operator | Data only: no calls or SMS on your Indian number |
Pack prices as listed by Jio, Airtel and Vi on 12 Oct 2026; ₹ per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are an estimate at the day’s rate; your card is charged in US$.
Plan days start at the first network connection, not at installation, so install the eSIM at home and keep its line switched off until you land abroad. Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn’t work and it isn’t your phone’s fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, an iPhone sets the APN for this plan automatically, while Android needs it typed by hand. The APN guide has the steps.
eSIM for Asia: most chosen plans
Charged US$2.99 by card. Your bank converts the US$ charge at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee — how card payment works.
Multi-stop trips: Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore on one eSIM
For a route through two or three countries, one regional plan replaces two or three country plans. Take Bangkok for 5 days, Kuala Lumpur for 4 and Singapore for 3: 3 countries and 12 days, with one purchase and one install instead of three of each.
Size the data by the day. Our planning estimate is 0.3 GB a day for maps and messaging, so 12 days need about 3.6 GB, and 5 GB for 30 days at ≈ ₹870 (9 Oct rate) leaves a margin. With social media and photos, about 0.8 GB a day means 9.6 GB, which points to 10 GB for 30 days at ≈ ₹1,353 (9 Oct rate).
Check the price before you choose: compare the regional total with the country plans on the Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore pages.
Not in the Asia plan: Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives
A leg in Nepal, Bhutan or the Maldives gets no data from the Asia plan and needs its own plan, because a regional plan works only in the countries on its list. All three have a page: Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.
A Bangkok and Kathmandu route therefore needs two plans, the Asia plan or the Thailand plan for the first stop and the Nepal plan for the second.
Where Jio has no data pack in Asia
Jio sells no data pack for the Maldives or Bhutan: both sit outside every Jio data-pack zone (operator country lists, 12 Oct 2026). Jio lists them only for its Global Pack, a ₹1,101 or ₹1,102 balance for 28 days at standard roaming rates, with no GB allowance. Airtel’s one set of packs and Vi’s prepaid zones list both countries.
On Airtel or Vi, a roaming pack can be the better choice there, because most packs include minutes on your Indian number. Nepal is different: Jio sells two pack families with data there. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The dated operator rows are in the Bhutan guide and the Maldives guide.
Asia country guides
Each country guide compares the operator packs, a local SIM and our eSIM for that country. Use a country guide when your trip stays in a single country. Nine guides cover the Asia plan’s main stops, and three more cover the countries it leaves out.
Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. East Asia: Japan and China. South Asia: Sri Lanka. Outside the Asia plan: Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. For stops across several regions, the global eSIM fits better.
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Asia?
Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.
The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your Indian 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 Asia as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add wbdata on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.
The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find a partner network; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.
Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.in 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, ≈ ₹483 (US$4.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, ≈ ₹870 (US$8.99).
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your Indian number every day, a Jio, Airtel or Vi roaming pack carries them (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.
FAQ
Is there a travel SIM for Asia that works in several countries?
Yes. Our Asia plan is one eSIM for Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries. It carries data only, with no calls and no SMS. Check each stop against the country list on the Asia eSIM page before you pay.
Does the Asia plan work in Nepal, Bhutan or the Maldives?
No. Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives are not on the Asia plan’s list, so it gives no data there. Each has its own plan and page. A route that includes one of them needs the Asia plan plus that country’s plan.
Do I need to enter APN settings for the Asia plan?
On Android, yes: in our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026 the APN is typed by hand. An iPhone sets it automatically. The APN guide shows the steps.
Will bank OTPs reach me with an Asia eSIM?
Bank OTPs arrive as SMS on your Indian number, and the Asia plan is data-only, so it cannot receive them. Keep your Indian SIM in the phone with its mobile data off. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you.
Sources checked: Jio IR plans (Global Pack prices), with the country lists for the 100-country, 75-country, 132-country packs and the data packs, and the Global Pack list · Airtel IR packs (country list) · Vi prepaid IR terms (country zones). Last checked 12 Oct 2026.
Get an eSIM for Asia, from ≈ ₹289 Pay by card in US$. Your bank converts the US$ charge at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans