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Digi Review: Malaysia’s Ever-Changing Prepaid SIM Card

Malaysia is such a gem in Southeast Asia. The way the country is split into two halves (West Malaysia/Peninsular and East Malaysia on Borneo with Sarawak and Sabah), the AMAZING street food for low prices, and the generally low cost of living (except for Kuala Lumpur), makes it a fun travel destination.

Sure, it may not be super cheap compared to Vietnam, Cambodia, or Thailand, but Malaysia is still more affordable than Singapore.

The number of things you can do in Malaysia is a book's worth of content, but what you do not want to do is roam with your provider in Malaysia. Roaming can be expensive in many cases, which is why many travelers prefer to buy local SIM cards, like a Malaysian one.

Mobile data in Malaysia is cheap for Southeast Asian standards, and especially compared to the world's average, so you should take advantage of that.

On my quest for finding the best Malaysian SIM card, I tested out 5 SIM cards when I was in Malaysia: Hotlink (Maxis), Celcom, U Mobile, Yes 4G, and, of course, Digi. Let's see if Digi is any good.

Adu from Phone Travel Wiz holding a Digi SIM Card

Telecom Providers in Malaysia

Before I talk more about Digi, I need to inform you about your options in Malaysia. If you have read my Buying a SIM Card in Malaysia Guide, then you know that Malaysia has 4 full operators: Digi, Maxis/Hotlink, Celcom, and U Mobile.

Moreover, there are 3 4G/LTE-only operators, which are Altel, Unifi, and Yes. Unlike Altel and Unifi, Yes does not have national roaming agreements with the full operators, meaning that Yes is genuinely a 4G/LTE-only operator.

Finally, there are plenty of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), such as Tune Talk, XOX Mobile, SpeakOut, and redone, which use the mobile networks of the full operators to facilitate their mobile services.

Now that you know all of this, it is time to introduce you to Digi.

Digi used to be the largest Malaysian operator until 2020 when they were overtaken by Maxis/Hotlink. Before that, Digi managed to pass Maxis/Hotlink in 2016 and became the largest for 4 years. Now, the subscriber numbers are so close that it is likely they will keep overtaking each other each quarter.

Even then, becoming the largest operator is not an easy achievement to achieve, especially with the stiff competition in the Malaysian telecom market. That is why I had to see if Digi is any good or not. Let’s see how my experience with Digi was.

Digi Video Review

Are you a visual learner? You can watch this Digi review! It is recommended to read the remainder of the review after watching this video (I refer to this article a few times throughout the video). Otherwise, you will be missing key elements related to Digi. Also, be sure to subscribe to the channel after watching the video!

What Frequencies does Digi Use?

Digi uses primarily Asian/European frequencies, which are:

Digi supports the following frequencies:

  • 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
  • 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
  • 4G/LTE: 800 MHz (B20), 900 MHz (B8), 1800 (B3), 2100 MHz (B1) & 2600 MHz (B7)

To learn whether your device supports these frequencies or not, go to this site to find out.

As always, make sure your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will not be able to use any SIM card except the one from your home operator.

How do I Buy a Digi Prepaid SIM Card?

Digi SIM cards are sold in Digi stores. Digi also has booths at airports such as Kuala Lumpur Airport (in Terminal 2 – KLIA 2 (the budget terminal with AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar, Scoot, or JC Cambodia)), Penang Airport, Senai Airport, Langkawi Airport, Kuching Airport, and Kota Kinabalu Airport. Digi claims to be around in terminal 1 at Kuala Lumpur Airport, but they were nowhere to be found when I was looking for their booth or store.

At the airports, Digi offers tourist SIMs cards called 4G Plus Traveller SIM. Only foreigners can buy these SIM cards, and they come in the following 2 variants:

  • 20 MYR: 2 GB, 7 GB (1 GB/day) social media internet for WhatsApp, Facebook, and WeChat, unlimited WeChat, 5 MYR in credit, (Digi Prepaid BEST), 10 local minutes, and 10 IDD calls (international direct dialing) to China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand for 7 days
  • 40 MYR: 10 GB, 15 GB (1 GB/day) social media internet for WhatsApp, Facebook, and WeChat, unlimited WeChat, 5 MYR in credit, (Digi Prepaid BEST), 30 local minutes, and 30 IDD calls (international direct dialing) to China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand for 15 days

You may have noticed that WeChat is included in the social media allowance, while also being the only app that has unlimited data. Once you have used up your 1 GB of social media data for the day, then you can still use WeChat (at 64 Kbps).

Unlike most tourist SIM cards in the world, you can still keep using your SIM card once your plan expires if you buy an internet plan – super cool!

As I was not able to find a Digi booth at the airport, I decided to get a Celcom SIM card for now and get my Digi SIM card in town. I would not have been interested in a tourist SIM card anyway because I knew Digi sells cheaper data packages. I would get a lot of data in general because I would be reviewing multiple Malaysian operators (Maxis, Celcom, U Mobile, and Yes).

Digi SIM Card

When I got inside the Digi store, I had to wait for a while before I go assisted. Then, I asked for a Digi prepaid SIM card. I was told to select a starter kit from a wall to choose a phone number I liked. I was staying in Malaysia for less than a week, so I chose a random starter kit.

Digi SIM Card

The Digi prepaid SIM card is called Digi Prepaid Live and is sold for 8 MYR. It comes with the following perks:

  • 5 MYR in credit and 300 MB (both valid for 5 days)*
  • 10 GB for music and video streaming a month (2.5 GB per week)
  • 1000 minutes and SMS to 6 Buddyz (user-selected Digi numbers)**
  • 500 MB Basic Internet (capped as 64 Kbps)

* Dial *888*1# to redeem your free 300 MB
** To set up Buddyz, dial *128*1*8#, and enter the selected Digi number(s)

In Malaysia, you have to show your passport and register it with the provider. When you buy your SIM card at a Digi store, the salesperson will handle all of this for you, but you do have to bring your passport with you if you intend to buy a Malaysian SIM card.

I decided to go with the 12 MYR plan that comes with 4 GB of data for 7 days. In total, I spent 20 MYR on a SIM card and 4 GB of data – not bad.

How do I Activate my Digi SIM Card?

The Sales salesperson will activate your SIM card upon purchase and registration. Remember to bring your passport with you.

Digi Activation SMS

How do I Reload my Digi SIM card?

You can reload online, at a Digi Kiosk, or with Softpin Reload Vouchers, which are supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and gas stations.

Digi Reload: Online

First, you have to head to the reload page. Select your reload amount, enter your phone number, and your email address. Then, press Reload.

Digi reload instructions

Enter your payment details (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express), and press Pay.

Digi reload instructions

You have successfully reloaded your Digi SIM card online!

Digi Reload: Digi Kiosk

To reload at a Digi kiosk, head to Digi Kiosk, select your preferred language, choose Prepaid Reload, and follow the instructions given on the screen.

Digi Reload: Softpin Reload Vouchers

To reload with a Softpin Reload Voucher, go to a Digi Store, supermarket, convenience store, pharmacy, or gas station, and buy your Softpin Reload Voucher with the reload amount of choice.

A Softpin Reload Voucher has 16 digits. Dial *123*VoucherCode# to redeem the Softpin Reload Voucher. For example, if the Softpin Reload Voucher is 12345678990123456, then you would dial *123*1234567890123456#

You have successfully redeemed your Softpin Reload Voucher!

What Packages does Digi Offer, and How do I Activate Them?

Digi has different kinds of packages, which are Internet Cili Padi Passes, Time Based Passes, App Based Passes, and Bonus Passes. You can also consider the Auto Renew Internet Passes, which are simply called Internet Passes. Let’s go through each of them.

Digi Internet Cili Padi Passes

The Internet Cili Padi Passes are Digi’s most popular plans. They come with data and unlimited data for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (and YouTube for 2 plans). You can often get more data when there is a promotion going on. However, I will only list the base prices.

The following 4 Internet Cili Padi Passes are available:

PriceDataBonus DataUnlimited Social AppsValidity
12 MYR2 GB2 GB bonus between 1 PM and 7 PMNone7 daysdial *116*2#
15 MYR2 GBNoneFacebook, Twitter, and Instagram30 daysdial *116*3#
28 MYR4 GBNoneFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube30 daysdial *116*3#
35 MYR6 GBNoneFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube30 daysdial *116*3#

Digi Time Based Passes

The Time Based Passes are short term data packs that come with a lot of data, but usage restrictions apply. The following 4 Time Based Passes are available, which can be activated by dialing *116*2#:

PriceDataValidity and restrictions
1 MYR1 GB1 hour
2 MYR10 GBBetween 1 AM and 7 AM
2 MYR10 GBBetween 7 AM and 1 PM
8 MYRUnlimited24 hours

Digi App Bases Passes

Digi has the Video-Lite and Social-Life Passes. The Social-Lite pass costs 1 MYR and comes with unlimited Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for 24 hours. Video-Lite also costs 1 MYR and is valid for 24 hours, and the following apps call under Video-Lite, which are referred to as Video Freedom Partners:

  • 2BLive
  • Astro on the Go
  • Dailymotion
  • dimsum
  • iflix
  • MOX
  • Netflix
  • NJOI Now
  • tonton
  • Twitch TV
  • VOOV
  • YouTube
  • YouTube Gaming
  • YouTube Kids
  • Unifi playTV
  • Viu

Both Video-Lite and Social-Life can be activated by dialing *116*#2#.

Digi Bonus Pass

The Digi Bonus Pass is a simple 24-hour pass that comes with 2 GB and 1 GB bonus between 1 PM and 7 PM. Dial *116*#2# to activate this pass.

Digi biGBonus

Those staying in Malaysia for more than a month can take advantage of Digi biGBonus, which are Digi’s Auto Renew Internet Plans. Besides data, you get unlimited local calls and can roll over up to 100 GB in your data bank. The following 4 monthly biGBonus Internet Plans are available, which can be activated by dialing *116*1#:

PriceDataBonus Data (1 PM – 7 PM)Unlimited calls?
28 MYR4 GB1 GBYes
35 MYR8 GB2 GBYes
50 MYR9 GB3 GBYes
70 MYR14 GB3 GBYes

Prepaid Roaming with Digi

Digi Prepaid customers can roam internationally with the Digi Roaming Passes. This article goes much more in-depth about roaming with Digi.

What Speeds Will I Get with Digi in Malaysia?

I did 3 speed test when in Malaysia: 2 in Kuala Lumpur (a restaurant and Pavillion mall on the 5th floor) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Digi speed test at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur
Speed test at an unknown restaurant
Digi speed test at the Pavillion Mall in Kuala Lumpur
Speed test on the 5th floor in the Pavillion mall in Kuala Lumpur
Digi speed test at Kuala Lumpur Airport
Speed test at Kuala Lumpur Airport

These are decent speeds. Not extremely fast compared to some other operators around the world, but still fast for Malaysian standards. Even then, these speeds are fast enough for browsing the web without much lag. The same can be said for watching YouTube videos. I did not experience much buffering at all with Digi.

I do not know what happened to the upload speed at the airport, but that seemed to have been a one-off thing. Uploading photos on WhatsApp or on Instagram went smoothly with Digi.

Do I Recommend Digi to Travelers Visiting Malaysia?

I would recommend Digi to those traveling to Malaysia. I managed to get decent speeds with them, and the coverage was good. Even outside of Kuala Lumpur city but still close to Kuala Lumpur. Even then, Digi has a reputation for having good coverage throughout the country, so I bet those visiting rural Malaysia will not experience many coverage issues.

Getting a Digi SIM card was easy, and the SIM card price was meeting market standards. The packages Digi offers are straightforward and reasonably priced. You get your money’s worth, I would say.

Unlike some other operators in Malaysia, I could choose the package I want with Digi. Yes (real name of the operator), for example, could only sell me one of their expensive plans, which, compared to packages I have bought since I started this blog, was still cheap (unlimited data and SD video streaming), but I did not need unlimited data – 1 GB – 2 GB would be enough for testing purposes.

The same can be said for U Mobile. The store advertised plans that were nowhere to be found on the website (and were plans I had never heard off – and I had done my research before going to the U Mobile store). At least Digi was not trying to scam me like that.

One thing that surprised me that there was no Digi store or booth at Kuala Lumpur Terminal 1 (KLIA), which is where most tourist and travelers arrive when visiting Malaysia. It would make sense to have a booth or store there instead of KLIA2. Ah well, they probably have their reasons.

Overall, there is nothing I can complain about with Digi. My overall experience was pleasant, which is why they deserve their 5-star rating.