Best roaming mobile plans for voice and SMS

Singapore mobile providers like StarHub and Singtel are big on data roaming add-ons. But when it comes to making calls or sending SMSes while travelling, things get more complicated. Singtel and Simba (formerly TPG Telecom) offer call add-ons. But most mobile providers in Singapore use roaming rates based on the country you’re calling from.

Sending SMSes is a similar story. Basically, you’ll need a call and/or SMS add-on to talk and text overseas. Before we detail the best roaming plans for calls and SMS, here’s a list of popular mobile plans from providers that offer text and talk roaming add-ons.

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Mobile providers with calls and SMS in Singapore

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We track a dozen mobile providers in Singapore. But not every mobile provider offers both call and SMS roaming. Singtel has call and SMS add-ons while Simba (TPG) has call add-ons only. Giga and Simba only support incoming SMS, but Gomo doesn’t offer roaming for calls or SMS. Giga doesn’t support call roaming either.

The table below has a full breakdown of call and SMS roaming for the mobile providers we track in our comparison engine.

Best voice and SMS roaming overall

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Singtel has the best call and SMS roaming overall in Singapore, offering the choice of talk and text add-ons or roaming rates. We recommend pairing the SMSVoiceRoam 7 Days add-on with the Singtel SIM Only Plus 55 5G mobile plan. The add-on starts at $20 for seven days and comes with 30 minutes of talk-time plus 60 SMSes. This add-on has four zones to choose from: Malaysia and Brunei, Asia, Europe and the US, or the rest of the world.

The base Singtel SIM Only Plus 55 5G mobile plan typically costs $55 a month with a $10.70 upfront fee. It normally comes with 90GB of data, 1,500 minutes of local calls and 1,500 local SMSes.

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Also consider the following:

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Best cheap voice and SMS roaming

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MyRepublic Editor's Pick

MyRepublic Editor's Pick Saver Plan 188GB data 200 Minutes 100 Messages Deal: Limited Time: 188GB for the first 6 mths at $7.99 ($8.71 with GST) for the first 15,000 customers valid for new number sign-ups or port-ins $7.99/mth Min. cost $7.99 Go

$7.99/mth Min. cost $7.99

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Consider MyRepublic if you want a mobile provider with cheap call and SMS roaming rates. We compared mobile provider rates across popular destinations: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India. MyRepublic consistently has the cheapest roaming rates for SMS as well as incoming and outgoing calls.

Alternatively, consider cheap SIM-only plans from Vivifi, Zero1 and CMLink for competitively priced alternatives. To keep costs down, we’re recommending the MyRepublic 8GB Lite Plan. It typically costs $10 a month and comes with 8GB of data in Singapore with speed throttling if you go over the data cap.

This MyRepublic SIM-only mobile plan also comes with 300 minutes of outgoing local calls and 300 outbound SMSes, plus included caller ID.

Also consider the following:

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Best voice roaming

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Simba (TPG) isn’t a great choice if you’re after a mobile provider that offers roaming SMS. But if you only want roaming voice calls, Simba is worth considering for its Simba Super IDD Pack. This mobile plan add-on costs $5 for 500 minutes of calls that cover 21 selected countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India and others. It also comes with 3GB of local data for the 21 destinations.

We recommend pairing this mobile plan add-on with the Simba 80GB SIM Only plan. It typically costs $18 every 30 days for 80GB of base data, 500 minutes of local outgoing calls and 50 local outbound SMSes. This Simba SIM-only mobile plan also includes 300 international direct dial (IDD) IDD minutes and 2GB of data roaming for selected countries.

Also consider the following:

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Best SMS roaming

StarHub is a good mobile provider to consider for all forms of roaming, including SMS roaming. The mobile provider has competitive SMS (and call) rates for Singapore’s neighbouring countries. Consider MyRepublic, M1, RedOne, Vivify and Zero1 as competitive roaming SMS providers, too.

We recommend going with the StarHub zero-contract 4G $25 SIM Only plan, which typically costs $25 every 30 days. This StarHub SIM-only mobile plan comes with 60GB of base data, 1,000 minutes of local outgoing calls and 1,000 local outbound SMS.

Also consider the following:

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Best prepaid roaming

Singtel prepaid plans are also worth considering for those looking to use calls and SMS overseas. Either use the SMSVoiceRoam 7 Days add-ons outlined above or opt for admittedly higher pay-as-you-go roaming call and SMS rates.

The Singtel 100GB Ultimate Data Plan is what we recommend you start comparisons with. It typically costs $35 per 28-day renewal cycle and comes with 100GB of data, 5,000 minutes of local outgoing calls and 500 local SMSes. This Singtel prepaid plan also comes with local data rollover and up to 2,000 IDD minutes to selected countries.

Also consider the following:

Our best plan picks are selected by our team of experts. We may earn a commission if you click on one of the products listed, but a service provider isn’t required to have a commercial relationship with us to be eligible for consideration. See here for more information about how we work.

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Call and SMS roaming FAQs

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The table below shows a basic breakdown of data roaming providers in Singapore.

Can I roam with Simba (TPG)?
Simba (TPG) has mobile plans that support call roaming via add-on or pay-as-you-go roaming rates. Only incoming SMSes are supported while roaming with a Simba mobile plan.

Can Simba (TPG) roam in Malaysia?
Yes, a Simba (TPG) mobile plan can be used for call roaming (but not SMS) while in Malaysia. Choose from either the Simba Super IDD Pack or pay-as-you-go roaming call rates in Malaysia and other selected countries.

Can Gomo be used for roaming?
No, Gomo mobile plans do not support calls or SMS while roaming.

What is the cheapest roaming plan for Malaysia?
The cheapest mobile plan add-on for roaming in Malaysia is from MyRepublic for texts ($0.15 per SMS) or a three-way tie between Vivifi, Zero1 and CMLink for call costs ($0.35 per minute for incoming and outgoing calls).

Does Circles.Life offer roaming in Thailand?
Yes, Circles.Life offers pay-as-you-go roaming rates for calls, SMS and data in Thailand. Outgoing calls cost $1.20 per minute, incoming calls cost $2.76 per minute and outbound SMSes cost $0.72 each.

Does M1 offer roaming in Australia?
Yes, M1 customers can either use a Data Passport add-on or pay-per-use roaming while visiting Australia. It costs $2.58 per minute for incoming and outgoing M1 calls in Australia, plus $0.67 per outbound SMS.