Singapore SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM

Singapore eSIM or tourist SIM: what you need

For a Singapore trip you need mobile data more than a local number: maps and ride apps run on data, and so do hotel bookings. Our Singapore eSIM gives you data only, with no calls and no SMS, so keep your Indian SIM in the phone for bank OTPs. Buy a Singapore SIM card only for a local 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$.

This eSIM for Singapore runs on the Singtel and M1 mobile networks and works in Singapore only. A Kuala Lumpur leg needs its own plan; the Malaysia guide covers it.

About 1.54 million Indian departures went to Singapore in 2025 (our derivation: 4.7% share in the Ministry of Tourism’s Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 × 32,829,079 departures). Singapore’s tourism board counted a different thing: 1.2 million arrivals from India in 2025. The two methods differ, so we do not mix them.

Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in Singapore vs this eSIM

All three Indian operators sell roaming packs that cover Singapore. The five packs below cost ₹951 to ₹1,899 as listed on 12 Oct 2026, and each bundles calls on your Indian number. ≈ ₹ per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB).

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice.

Source: operator documents (Jio IR plans · Airtel T&C · Vi prepaid T&C), checked on 12 Oct 2026; Airtel’s T&C are dated 24 Sep 2026. Singapore is in the country lists of both Jio packs, Airtel’s list and the Vi South Asia pack. BSNL’s roaming site lists a special tariff for Singapore but publishes no data allowance, so we quote none.

For comparison, 5 GB for 30 days on our Singapore eSIM costs ≈ ₹670 (12 Oct rate), about ₹134 (US$1.40) per GB, charged US$6.99, to which your bank may add a forex markup fee. A pack wins when you need calls on your Indian number: Airtel’s ₹998 pack includes 150 minutes. A pack can also suit a two-country trip: Vi’s South Asia pack covers Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka as well as Singapore.

Data plan validity starts at different moments. Airtel prepaid validity starts when your phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage, and a pack expires unreimbursed if you do not travel within 30 days of booking. Our Singapore plan counts its days from the first connection to a Singapore network, so installing it at home uses up no days. Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network.

Changi tourist SIM vs an eSIM bought in India

A Singapore SIM card is a local prepaid line from a Singapore operator such as Singtel, StarHub or M1. It gives you a Singapore number, which our data-only eSIM does not. Singapore checks identity before a local line is issued, so a Singapore tourist SIM means a counter visit with your documents after you land. For the next country on your route, our international SIM guides have one page each.

Our eSIM is on your phone before the flight, so there is no Changi airport tourist SIM counter to find. This page quotes no Singapore SIM card price in Singapore dollars because we have not verified current ones. A physical SIM also needs a slot: on a phone with one slot, you would remove your Indian SIM and lose OTPs on that number.

A local SIM makes sense when you need a Singapore number for calls. If you only need a lot of data, our 7-day unlimited data plan costs ≈ ₹1,532 (12 Oct rate), charged US$15.99, and its speed drops to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day.

Install in India, go online when you land at Changi

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad. Do the QR code install on home Wi-Fi before you leave for the airport, because the install needs internet. The plan’s days start at its first connection to a Singapore network, so installing at home uses none of a 7-day plan’s days.

When the plane lands at Changi, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only and keep mobile data off on your Indian SIM. The eSIM works in Singapore only, so a trip that continues into Malaysia needs a separate plan for that leg. The install guide has the iPhone and Android steps, and the phone list shows which models support eSIM.

Bank OTPs on your Indian SIM during a Singapore trip

Bank OTPs reach your Indian number by SMS, and our Singapore eSIM has no number, so it cannot receive them. Keep the Indian SIM in the phone as the line for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off. The eSIM, on Singtel or M1, then carries maps, ride apps and WhatsApp in Singapore.

For incoming SMS alone, Airtel and Vi prepaid each list a ₹118 option that keeps incoming SMS free for 28 days, as listed on 12 Oct 2026. On Jio, check the MyJio app before you fly. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you. The guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs has the dual-SIM settings and each operator’s rule.

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.

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 > 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 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.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, ≈ ₹289 (US$2.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, ≈ ₹676 (US$6.99). If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, ≈ ₹1,547 (US$15.99), 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 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

Get an eSIM for Singapore, 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