Singapore was the first Asian destination I visited solo (in 2016).
I went to the Philippines a year earlier, but that was a work trip (way before Phone Travel Wiz was a thing… but I was already into researching the best local SIM cards best then!).
And… I was in awe – I truly loved Singapore!
I felt the positive feelings I had when I entered the United States again.
While Singapore is not representative of what Southeast Asia stands/is known for, it ignited my love for East- and Southeast Asia (which is still strong to this day).
Since then, I have been to Singapore four times – I still love it, but it is not special anymore.
Mostly because it is a small city-state, and I have seen and done the must-see/do attractions already 🤣.
In January and March 2023, I revisited Singapore.
I mostly spent time testing 17 (new) SIM cards and eSIMs.
This resulted in me spending about 237 SGD (≈ 175.80 USD) for my Singapore SIM card and travel eSIM review series – yeah… I went all out for you 😎.
I am excluding the cost of Airalo's Asialink 100 GB eSIM (185 USD) and its Discover Global 20 GB eSIM (89 USD) because I use both in multiple countries, not just Singapore.
In the past, I used to say that Singapore has the best tourist/airport SIM cards in the world.
Mostly because you could get 100 GB of data for as little as 12 SGD (8.90 USD).
Then I went to Taiwan, where the mobile operators offer truly unlimited data… which outdoes 100 GB 🤣.
Unlike most mobile operators, Taiwan's definition of unlimited is genuine. I used 100 GB – 200 GB of data on some SIM cards, and my speeds were never throttled. Amazing!
But when you can get so much data for such little money, is it even worth using a travel eSIM like Alosim?
It can be because you do not have to deal with SIM card registration requirements (which are stringent).
One limitation to be aware of is that you can only have three active prepaid SIM cards in your name in Singapore.
For most… this is not an issue. But for some crazy people who wish to test four SIM cards… it could be 😏.
So, is the Alosim Singapore eSIM a good option? Is it cheap compared to the local options and its travel eSIM competitors? How is its reception? And is it fast?
I will answer all those questions in this review. Let's do this.
Original publication: 11th of June 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
How Much Does the Alosim Singapore eSIM Cost?
You can get the Alosim eSIM to be used in Singapore for as little as 6.50 USD for 1 GB (7 days) and up to 45 USD for 20 GB (30 days).
Below is an overview of how much each Alosim Singapore eSIM costs:
- Singapore 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 6.50 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Singapore 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 14.50 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Singapore 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 22.50 USD
- Singapore 10 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 33 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Singapore 20 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 45 USD
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).
>>> Get your Alosim Singapore eSIM now! <<<
Regardless of the currency used in your country, Alosim will always charge you in USD (US Dollar).
If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.
Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).
I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.
Moreover, regardless of which Alosim Singapore eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same amount of data and prices as listed above.
For example, suppose you buy the 5 GB Alosim Singapore eSIM (30 days, costing 22.50 USD) but realize you need more data.
You can top it up with the 3 GB top-up (30 days, costing 14.50 USD) or the 20 GB top-up (30 days, costing 45 USD).
Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Alosim allows you to do so.
>>> Get your Alosim Singapore eSIM now! <<<
My Alosim eSIM in Singapore Experience
I used my Alosim Singapore eSIM throughout Singapore.
As Singapore does not really have cities (in the sense of the Government of Singapore not using them for administrative purposes and only as geographical limits), I could not visit multiple ones as I tend to do.
Before we continue, I do want to let you know how travel eSIM providers like Alosim work.
It is impossible for Alosim, or any other mobile operator, to operate in every country (and do not trust any company saying otherwise), so they set up roaming agreements.
And do not get worried by the word roaming yet – roaming can be expensive, but roaming with Alosim or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.
What Alosim does, and basically all (actual) mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.
In the case of Singapore, the Alosim Singapore eSIM used the StarHub network (back in January 2023) with the help of Edge Mobile (so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a Edge Mobile eSIM instead of an Alosim one – that is correct).
However, you are now on the Singtel network instead.
So… why did Alosim change networks?
Mostly because I complained… because its performance on the StarHub network was trash.
Do not get me wrong – StarHub itself is very good.
Other travel eSIMs using the StarHub network, Airalo Discover Global and Mogo (in January 2023 – now on the M1 Singapore network), did well.
But I suspect the routing with Edge Mobile, a company I had never heard of before, from Singapore to the United States back to Singapore, was the culprit.
Officially, you could use StarHub's 5G NR network with the Alosim eSIM.
But most of the time, I was stuck on 3G if I did not reset the connection by turning airplane mode on and off.
Oh, and it would constantly disconnect from the network too.
Yeah… it was not a pleasant experience.
Initially, Alosim did not take my complaints seriously, thinking I was too focused on the lack of 5G NR.
Although the locations I did tests at had 5G NR reception, as per StarHub, the random disconnects and 3G reception were the main issue.
I asked a close contact who works for another eSIM provider (aka an Alosim competitor) to test Alosim for me two months after I left Singapore (May 2023) to see whether I was unlucky back then or if the eSIM was just bad.
He also had random disconnects and was on 3G most of the time.
Fortunately, in June 2023, Alosim emailed me saying they switched from StarHub to Singtel 🥳.
Anyway, just like how I tested the Alosim eSIM on my Singapore trip, I also tried all the local Singaporean SIM cards excluding the MVNOs (Singtel, StarHub, M1 Singapore & SIMBA Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom)) and various other eSIMs (Airalo (Airalo Connect Lah!, Asialink (in Singapore and various other Asian countries) & Discover Global (in Singapore and various other Asian countries)), eSIM2FLY sold by SimOptions, Holafly, Mogo, Nomad, Nomad APAC (in Singapore and various other Asian countries), Nomad SEA-Oceania (in Singapore and various other Asian countries), Simify & Ubigi + the 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card by Holidaysimcard in Singapore Review (also used in Australia and Hong Kong)).
Yeah, I went all out 😏.
Because of this, I could also assess how StarHub performed compared to its competitors.
When looking at 4G/LTE availability in Singapore, the four mobile operators cover practically all of the country (mostly because it is a small city-state), with an availability of more than 99.2%.
4G/LTE reception is so good in Singapore that I thought 3G did not exist anymore (until the Airalo Discover Global and Alosim eSIMs were stuck at 3G a few times 😩).
Surprisingly, Singtel is lacking in terms of 5G NR availability with an availability percentage of 29.1%, behind M1 Singapore (29.4%) and StarHub (32.2%).
In terms of speed, Singtel has the fastest download speed, with a median download speed of 119.66 Mbps, ahead of StarHub (85.88 Mbps), M1 Singapore (51.69 Mbps) & SIMBA Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom – 23.37 Mbps).
The same can be said about upload speeds, where Singtel is leading the pack (20.91 Mbps), followed by StarHub (16.34 Mbps), M1 Singapore (15.41 Mbps) & Simba Singapore (3.57 Mbps).
I did speed tests with the Speedtest app throughout Singapore.
For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.
Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.
But why these averages?
A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.
Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.
So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.
But Australia spoiled… everything slower than 300 Mbps is slow now 🤣.
Anyway, you will also see that some of the results are in two shades of red, green, underlined, or in italics.
Underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G.
The green shows that the result was the fastest on the network at said location.
For example, the Alosim Singapore eSIM being the fastest among its competition at a mall.
While red shows that the result was the slowest on the network among its peers at the location.
Okay, that is enough background information – let's compare the Alosim Singapore eSIM to StarHub and other travel eSIMs in Singapore.
Alosim eSIM in Singapore Speed Test Results
Singapore is one most densely populated countries, behind Macau and Monaco.
But I never found Singapore as crowded as Hong Kong for some reason (you struggle to walk on the pavement because there are so many people around – you will be pushed a few times (unintentionally) 😵💫).
Besides having the world's best airport, in my opinion, Singapore has a lot to offer.
Fantastic food, unique attractions (Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay & Supertree Grove) & even Universal Studios for those who are into that.
And there are many other things to do in the country.
But this is not a travel blog… I review SIM cards and eSIMs instead – you will have to find another blog for travel recommendations 😜.
Let's see how the Alosim eSIM performed throughout the country:
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My Overall Experience with the Alosim eSIM in Singapore – Is It Any Good?
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Other Singaporean eSIM Reviews (Airalo, eSIM2FLY (SimOptions), Mogo, Nomad, Simify & Ubigi)
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