Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) was in the top 20 airports with the most traffic in 2019 (#18).
Well, the years 2020-2022 were weird, so we do not talk about them 🗿
So let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Singapore Changi Airport is even worth it.
While I believe the airport will climb in the ranks again, it will face an uphill battle because other airports in Asia are trying to be Asia's transfer (like Hong Kong International Airport).
But one thing that makes people choose Singapore Changi Airport over its competitors is that it is an experience on its own.
It is because Singapore Changi Airport has been named the best international airport worldwide many times across multiple awards.
From efficient transfer times, customs and immigration & to the world-famous Jewel, being at Singapore Changi Airport is an experience on its own.
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Singapore, or the airport itself, would require another blog post (or a dedicated Singapore blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
You can get Singtel, StarHub & M1 Singapore for 12 SGD to 70 SGD.
Regular and tourist SIM cards are available at the airport.
But do not get turned off by tourist SIM cards yet because all of them will give you at least 100 GB of data for as little as 12 SGD (valid for ten days).
Yeah… not bad, right? 😏
So let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Singapore Changi Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 23rd of February 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in Singapore
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at Singapore Changi Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in Singapore.
Singapore has four mobile network operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- Singtel
- StarHub
- M1 Singapore
- SIMBA (formerly TPG Mobile Singapore)
Sure, there are some online-based MVNOs, but it can take days before they get posted, so I would only recommend getting SIM cards that you can get in stores.
Plus… I do not think you can get them as a tourist anyway.
Moving on, for more information about Singaporean SIM cards, check out my Singapore SIM card buying guide.
Alright, back to what Singapore Changi Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Singapore Changi Airport?
Multiple booths and stores at all four terminals at Singapore Changi Airport sell the tourist SIM cards of Singtel, StarHub & M1 Singapore in the secure/transit area and the arrivals hall.
Booths from Changi Recommends sell mostly StarHub SIM cards, but some sell Singtel SIM cards too (but you should not buy Singtel SIM cards from here – more about that later).
Travelex, the money exchange counter, sells Singtel SIM cards only.
While UOB, a local bank, sells StarHub SIM cards only.
M1 Singapore SIM cards are often available from Changi Meet & Greet counters or 7-Eleven and Cheers convenience stores.
SIMBA Singapore, formerly TPG Singapore, does not sell any SIM cards at Singapore Changi Airport.
But the Big 3 have attractive options anyway.
Unlike most of my guides, I will not explicitly tell you about the booth locations at the terminals.
Mainly because every terminal has plenty of booths and stores selling the SIM cards mentioned in this guide.
And when I say plenty of booths and stores, it is probably around 15 per terminal (although slightly fewer at terminal 4).
And that excludes the options in the transit area.
So as long as you remember which store or booth sells which SIM card, you will be fine!
Let's go through each mobile operator to see what they have to offer us at the airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans does Singtel Sell at Singapore Changi Airport (+Prices)?
Singtel mostly sells its tourist SIM cards or higher-priced starter packs through resellers at Singapore Changi Airport for 12 SGD to 50 SGD (or 70 SGD if you want to be scammed – more about that later).
I will list all the prices in SGD (Singapore Dollar).
To convert SGD to your currency (let's say MYR – Malaysian Ringgit) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
Singtel is the largest mobile operator in Singapore.
The company is also active in other countries, including the wholly-owned Optus in Australia.
At Singapore Changi Airport, regular and tourist SIM cards from Singtel are available from resellers.
Singtel does not have its own store or booth at the airport.
One thing I always loved about Singaporean mobile operators is that all their tourist SIM cards, including the cheapest ones, give you 100 GB of data.
That is right – 100 GB. They were my favorite tourist SIM cards (until I went to Taiwan and got truly unlimited SIM cards, lol).
Moreover, Singtel was the first, and still is the only, mobile operator offering 5G NR access with its tourist SIM cards.
And they are still pretty new – only introduced in late 2022.
Anyway, if you want a Singtel SIM card, you have to go to a Travelex foreign currency counter and get one there.
All Travelex counters sell Singtel SIM cards, and only theirs, unless they are out of stock.
While 7-Eleven officially sells Singtel SIM cards too, they often only have StarHub SIM cards in stock. And M1 Singapore, but rarely Singtel's.
There, you can get Singtel SIM cards for short-term use for 28 days or long-term use for 180 days.
However, most short-stay SIM cards can be extended if needed, which is not always the same as tourist SIM cards, so another plus for Singtel.
So, which Singtel SIM cards are available from Travelex?
| Price | Data | Roaming Data 1 | Social Data 2 | Local Minutes | International Minutes | Local SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 SGD 3 | 100 GB | 3 GB | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (28 GB) | 500 minutes | 30 minutes | 100 SMS | 28 days |
| 30 SGD | 100 GB 4 | 5 GB | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (28 GB) | “Unlimited”, 3000 minutes | 90 minutes | “Unlimited”, 5000 SMS | 28 days |
| 38 SGD | 100 GB 5 | 3 GB 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 180 days |
| 50 SGD | 120 GB 4 | 10 GB | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (28 GB) | “Unlimited”, 3000 minutes | 90 minutes | “Unlimited”, 5000 SMS | 28 days |
1 in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand for 30 days (regardless of the validity of the SIM card)
2 for Facebook, Line, WeChat & WhatsApp
3 +3 SGD EZ link credit (for public transport)
4 with 5G access
5 for the first 28 days only
6 in Malaysia for the first 30 days only
These prices are not too bad for tourist SIM cards, right?
Especially with the rather generous allowances given to you.
When the 5G NR-enabled tourist SIM cards were first introduced, they were for 12 and 15 days for the 30 SGD and 50 SGD SIM cards, respectively.
Now, they are all valid for 28 days instead, which is way better.
Unless you stay in Singapore for a few days only… then it does not matter 🤪.
Getting Singtel SIM cards from select Changi Recommends booths is also possible.
I say select because most of them sell StarHub SIM cards instead.
But be careful: for some reason, the Changi Recommend booths sell Singtel SIM cards at a 20 SGD or 35 SGD markup.
Yeah… what is up with that!?
You may have read from other bloggers that SIM cards sold at the airport are (significantly) more expensive than in Singapore proper.
But that is not really the case – the prices I listed in the table above are the same as Singtel would charge you in its stores.
How and why Changi Recommends sells them for so much, I cannot tell.
Enough about the markups; let's see what its offering actually is:
| Price | Data | Roaming Data 1 | Social Data 2 | Local Minutes | International Minutes | Local SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 SGD 3 | 100 GB | 3 GB | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (28 GB) | 500 minutes | 30 minutes | 100 SMS | 7 days |
| 50 SGD | 100 GB 4 | 3 GB | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 180 days |
| 70 SGD | 120 GB 3 | 10 GB | “Unlimited”, 1 GB/day (28 GB) | “Unlimited”, 3000 minutes | 90 minutes | “Unlimited”, 5000 SMS | 28 days |
1 in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand for 30 days (regardless of the validity of the SIM card)
2 for Facebook, Line, WeChat & WhatsApp
3 with 5G access
4 for the first 28 days only
Not only is this 50 SGD 100 GB is 35 SGD more expensive than Travelex, but the validity is also reduced from 28 days to 7 days.
The only difference between the SIM cards sold by Changi Recommends and Travelex is that the ones from the former include a 1 hour xPlore tour.
Cool… I guess – but why would this tour cost 35 SGD for the originally priced 15 SGD SIM card but only 20 SGD for the 50 SGD SIM card?
So that is probably not it 🤔.
When I asked the lady at the booth why their SIM cards were so expensive compared to Travelex, she was trying to tell me that theirs included roaming data.
She did not explicitly say that the one from Travelex do not (but they do as shown earlier), but that is what was implied.
Of course, I do not blame her because she is just a staff member – greedy management sets these prices.
But there is no need to pay that much for a Singtel SIM card – not even because you buy them at the airport.
There is always a Travelex counter open 24/7, especially in the transit halls of terminals 2 and 3 (terminal 1 apparently has none).
There is one open 24/7 in the arrivals halls of terminal 3 too, and the other two in the same terminal are open until 21:00 instead.
So yeah… do not get scammed like this 🗿.
What SIM Cards & Plans does StarHub Sell at Singapore Changi Airport (+Prices)?
StarHub sells its tourist SIM cards and regular starter packs through StarHub-branded booths and resellers at Singapore Changi Airport for 15 SGD to 50 SGD.
At Singapore Changi Airport, regular and tourist SIM cards from StarHub are available from StarHub-branded booths and resellers.
StarHub SIM cards are the easiest to get at the airport because so many resellers have them in stock.
You can get them from StarHub-branded booths in terminals 1, 3 & 4, most 7-Eleven stores, some Cheers convenience stores, Changi Recommends booths & UOB foreign currency exchange counters.
Basically, no matter which terminal you arrive at or the time, StarHub SIM cards will be widely available upon your arrival.
But be careful… there is one reseller that inflates the price (50 SGD) for a SIM card that is officially sold for only 12 SGD.
And if you read the section about Singtel SIM cards, then you know who it is…
StarHub has the following tourist SIM cards, called Tourist Travel SIM, available from most resellers at Singapore Changi Airport:
| Price | Data | Roaming Data 1 | Local Minutes | International Minutes | Local SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 SGD | 100 GB | 1 GB | 500 minutes | 30 minutes | 100 SMS | 10 days |
| 32 SGD | 100 GB | 3 GB | 3000 minutes | 90 minutes | 5000 SMS | 30 days |
1 in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom & the United States
In the past, the 12 SGD SIM card was valid for 7 days instead of 10 days now, and the 32 SGD one was valid for 12 days only instead of 30 days, so progress has been made!
However, I can tell you that the 12 SGD SIM card is challenging to find and get.
The easiest places to get them are from 7-Eleven and Cheers, but they are often sold out because they are so popular (as many visitors stay for a short period in Singapore).
The other resellers, including the StarHub-branded booths, Changi Recommends & UOB, either do not sell this SIM card or simply pretend they do not exist.
Back in 2020 (a month before COVID hit the world, lol), I had to keep pressuring the lady at Changi Recommends to give me the 15 SGD SIM card instead of trying to upsell me on the 32 SGD one (and tickets for tourist attractions).
I was still being polite of course – do not think I was screaming at her or insulting her… only low-lives do that. Do not be a low-life.
After a while, she relented… so success!
In 2023, I tried it another time (because of course the 12 SGD SIM card is not advertised anywhere).
Instead, a very similar SIM card is available from Changi Recommends (although the validity is still seven days instead of the new ten days), but it costs 50 SGD instead of 12 SGD.
Well… f that! 🤬
Honestly, I am surprised that StarHub (and Singtel for that matter) are okay with Changi Recommends scamming its indirect customers like that.
I would be pissed and be in a bad mood when I find out I have been charged 300+% (316.67% to be exact) more than I should have been.
And yes, I understand that many SIM cards sold at the airport are overpriced (the convenience/tourist tax, as they say).
But in the case of Singapore, it is just one reseller, Changi Recommends, that jacks the prices of its products which can be purchased for much cheaper if you walk for a few meters.
Crazy…. but now that you are aware, you will not overpay for your Singaporean SIM card, right? You can buy me a coffee instead 😎.
Anyway, most resellers will be able to sell the 32 SGD StarHub Tourist Travel SIM.
But they also sell another SIM card which is not really a tourist SIM card (limited validity) but can still be useful for long-term travelers.
For 50 SGD, you will get 50 SGD credit (180 days), 120 GB of data (first 30 days) & 5 GB roaming data in 17 APAC countries 1 (first 30 days), with the SIM card validity being 180 days.
1 in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom & the United States
If you buy this SIM card from Changi Recommends instead, you will still pay 50 SGD but will get 15 SGD credit, 120 SGD credit for international calls (first 28 days), 8 GB of data, 120 GB for the first 30 days, unlimited data for LINE, WeChat & WhatsApp, 5000 local minutes (first 28 days) & 200 local SMS (first 28 days), with the SIM card validity being 180 days.
For once, Changi Recommends does not have a bad offer – and you still get a one-hour Xplore tour if you buy a StarHub SIM card from them.
I would still prefer the StarHub Tourist Travel SIM cards because they are cheaper and have all I want and need, but at least you have options.
Okay, what about the opening hours of all these resellers?
The StarHub-branded booths are open from 7:00 to 22:00 every day in the arrival halls of terminals 1, 3 & 4.
UOB Money Changer counters are open 24/7 in every terminal (in the transit part).
If you somehow missed UOB in the transit area, you can still get your StarHub SIM card in the arrivals halls of terminals 1 and 3.
Both 7-Eleven and Cheers stores are open 24/7, but 7-Eleven stores are only available in the transit area of each terminal.
At the same time, Cheers has stores in the arrival halls only.
What SIM Cards & Plans does M1 Singapore Sell at Singapore Changi Airport (+Prices)?
M1 Singapore sells its tourist SIM cards through resellers at Singapore Changi Airport for 15 SGD to 61 SGD.
I will list all the prices in SGD (Singapore Dollar).
To convert SGD to your currency (let's say MYR – Malaysian Ringgit) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
M1 Singapore is the second- or third-largest mobile operator in Singapore.
I say or because it switches ranks with StarHub often depending on the quarter.
At Singapore Changi Airport, tourist SIM cards from M1 Singapore are available from Changi Recommends booths (terminal 1 only), Changi Meet & Greet, 7-Eleven stores & Cheers convenience stores in all terminals.
M1 Singapore has the following tourist SIM cards:
| Price | Data | Roaming Data 3 | Local Minutes | International Minutes | Local SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 SGD 1 | 100 GB | N/A | 500 minutes | 20 minutes | 100 SMS | 15 days |
| 14 SGD 2 | 100 GB | Shared with data allowance | N/A | N/A | N/A | 180 days |
| 30 SGD | 150 GB | 3 GB | 3000 minutes | 50 minutes | 1000 SMS | 30 days |
| 35 SGD | 2 GB/day (56 GB) | N/A | 5000 minutes | N/A | 1000 SMS | 28 days |
| 60 SGD | 2 GB/day (168 GB) | Shared with data allowance | 3000 minutes | 50 minutes | 5000 SMS | 84 days |
| 61 SGD 4 | 2 GB/day (56 GB) | N/A | 5000 minutes | N/A | 5000 SMS | 28 days |
1 available as an eSIM too
2 +14 SGD credit
3 in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia & Taiwan
4 +36 SGD credit
Previously, the 12 SGD SIM card was valid for 7 days only – it is for 15 days now.
Or the 14 SGD M1 Singapore Tourist SIM card gave you 100 GB for the first 30 days only – now for the full 180 days.
The 30 SGD SIM card gave you 100 GB of data for 12 days – now 150 GB for 30 days.
And the 60 SGD SIM card was only valid for 14 days instead of 84 days (12 weeks).
Be aware that not all starter packs are available from each reseller.
For example, 7-Eleven and Cheers have the 12 SGD, 14 SGD & 30 SGD starter packs only.
Although, for some reason, Cheers pretends the 12 SGD officially costs 25 SGD and that they sell it for 12 SGD instead.
The Changi Recommends Currency Exchange counters, not to be confused with Changi Recommends Booths or Changi Meet & Greet, sell the 35 SGD, 60 SGD & 61 SGD SIM cards only.
Currently, M1 Singapore is the only Singaporean mobile operator allowing you to get an eSIM.
Unfortunately, it only applies to the 12 SGD plan (the one with 100 GB of data for 15 days).
That will be more than enough for many, but you cannot get any M1 Singapore plan as an eSIM.
Note that SIM card registration is mandatory in Singapore.
And you can have up to three active prepaid registered in your name in the country too.
If you do not want to deal with Singapore's SIM card registration requirements but still want to be connected here, consider a travel eSIM that can be used in the country.
I write about the best travel eSIMs for Singapore in my Best Singapore eSIM buying guide.
Should You Get a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Singapore Changi Airport?
I recommend getting a SIM card at Singapore Changi Airport because tourist SIM cards with generous allowances at reasonable prices are available here. However, you should not get SIM cards from any Changi Recommends booth because they will overcharge you by up to 35 SGD.
One thing that makes buying a SIM card easy at the airport is that all four terminals have booths and stores selling the SIM cards of the Big Three.
SIMBA Singapore, formerly TPG Mobile, does not sell any SIM cards at the airport.
Even then, the Big Three have plenty of options to choose from.
Singtel SIM cards can be obtained from Travelex currency exchange counters.
While 7-Eleven sells its SIM cards too, they are often out of stock (but you can get StarHub and M1 Singapore SIM cards there instead.
Singtel has two SIM cards, costing 30 SGD and 50 SGD, giving you 100 GB or 150 GB of data, respectively, while also allowing you to use Singtel's 5G NR network (the best in the country).
It is currently the only Singaporean mobile operator allowing prepaid customers to use 5G NR.
And later you will see that these prices are not bad at all, compared to Singtel's competition, because they charge similar – but without 5G NR access.
In the case of StarHub, it has two tourist SIM cards, priced at 12 SGD and 32 SGD, giving you 100 GB of data and some other perks for 10 or 30 days, respectively.
They are available from StarHub-branded booths, UOB currency exchange counters, 7-Eleven & Cheers convenience stores.
Another SIM card priced at 50 SGD is valid for 180 days, but you have to use your 120 GB data allowance within the first 30 days.
Lastly, we have M1 Singapore SIM cards, whose SIM cards can be purchased from the Changi Recommends Currency Exchange counters (Terminal 1 only), Changi Meet & Greet, 7-Eleven & Cheers convenience stores.
You can say it has the cheapest SIM cards available, as you will only pay 30 SGD for 150 GB of data and other perks valid for 30 days.
Unlike Singtel's 30 SGD SIM card, you will not have 5G NR access with M1 Singapore SIM cards at all.
What is exclusive to M1 Singapore SIM cards, however, is that you can get the 14 SGD plan as an eSIM – the only Singaporean plan available as an eSIM for prepaid customers.
If you need a SIM card with up to 168 GB of data (2 GB/day) to be valid for up to 84 days (12 weeks), you will have to pay 60 SGD for it, which is not too bad of a price.
If you need the cheap M1 Singapore SIM cards, go to 7-Eleven or Cheers, as the other resellers sell the 30 SGD, 60 SGD & 61 SGD starter packs only.
Unless you feel like the airport deserves more of your money besides the overpriced goods sold here, do no get your SIM card from Changi Recommends.
It charges 35 SGD more (50 SGD – officially 15 SGD) than it should for a specific starter pack.
The same SIM card can be purchased for its original price at Travelex or some convenience stores if you are lucky.
For StarHub, it wants to charge you 50 SGD for a plan that costs 12 SGD.
Do you see that plan on the left in the image above? Its official price is 12 SGD instead.
Honestly, I do not understand why Changi Recommends started doing this.
Back in 2020, I managed to buy the 12 SGD StarHub and M1 Singapore SIM cards for their original prices… from Changi Recommends.
So besides the nonsense that is going on with Changi Recommends, Singtel, StarHub & M1 Singapore have attractive starter packs with very generous allowances at Singapore Changi Airport.
Therefore, I recommend buying a SIM card at the airport… if you avoid Changi Recommends.