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 Mogo?
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 Mogo 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 Mogo Singapore eSIM Cost?
You can get the Mogo eSIM to be used in Singapore for as little as 3 USD for 1 GB (15 days) and up to 59.90 USD for 30 GB (60 days – but 90 days is the longest).
Officially, its prices for Singapore range between 12 USD (1 GB) and 80 USD (10 GB/30 GB). However, they seem to be in a “permanent sale”, with discounts up to 75.25%. But I have not tracked Mogo's prices long enough to know whether these are genuine promotions.
Below is an overview of how much each Mogo Singapore eSIM costs:
- Singapore 1 GB for 15 days, costing 3 USD
- Singapore 3 GB for 10 days, costing 8 USD
- Singapore 5 GB for 5 days, costing 9.50 USD
- Singapore 5 GB for 30 days, costing 12 USD
- Singapore 10 GB for 90 days, costing 20 USD
- Singapore 30 GB for 60 days, costing 59.90 USD
>>> Get your Mogo Singapore eSIM now! <<<
Regardless of the currency used in your country, Mogo 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 Mogo 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 3 GB Mogo Singapore eSIM (10 days, costing 8 USD) but realize you need more data.
You can top it up with the 1 GB top-up (15 days, costing 3 USD) or the 10 GB top-up (90 days, costing 20 USD).
The total validity of any Mogo eSIM is 180 days.
Within this period, you can buy as many top-ups as you want.
But after 180 days, the eSIM will expire, even if you still have data left, so be careful!
Moreover, each eSIM is grouped into a type.
For example, the Singapore plans are part of eSIM E.
Other countries part of eSIM E's coverage are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka & Thailand.
So if you used your eSIM first in Singapore and want to visit Malaysia afterward, you can load a Malaysia plan without installing a new eSIM.
Quite convenient, I have to say!
>>> Get your Mogo Singapore eSIM now! <<<
My Mogo eSIM in Singapore Experience
I used my Mogo 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 Mogo work.
It is impossible for Mogo, 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 Mogo or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.
What Mogo 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 Mogo Singapore eSIM used the StarHub network (back in January 2023) with the help of China Unicom Hong Kong (so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a China Unicom eSIM instead of a Mogo one – that is correct).
However, you are now on the M1 Singapore network instead.
Anyway, just like how I tested the Mogo 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)), Alosim, eSIM2FLY sold by SimOptions, Holafly, 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 Mogo 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 Mogo Singapore eSIM to StarHub and other travel eSIMs in Singapore.
Mogo 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 Mogo eSIM performed throughout the country:
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My Overall Experience with the Mogo eSIM in Singapore – Is It Any Good?
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Other Singaporean eSIM Reviews (Airalo, aloSIM, eSIM2FLY (SimOptions), Nomad, Simify & Ubigi)
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