Top 6 Best eSIM For Asia

Choosing the Right eSIM for Your Trip

With so many options available, from Airalo to Holafly, here is what you should look for when selecting an eSIM for your Asian adventure.

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China’s Great Firewall Blocks Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube

When you land in mainland China, Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X (Twitter) are all blocked at the network level by the Great Firewall. The UK Government’s China travel advisory explicitly lists these services as permanently blocked, and notes that access to the internet can be further restricted around key political events.

That same advisory also states that VPNs used without government licensing are technically illegal under China’s cybersecurity laws, which means your standard VPN app may not work reliably either. An eSIM plan that routes your traffic through a non-China server before connecting is the most consistent workaround travellers report.

Uber Exited Southeast Asia in 2018 — Grab Is Now the Default

In March 2018, Uber merged its entire Southeast Asia business into Grab Holdings, effectively exiting the region. Grab now operates across eight countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — and is the go-to app for ride-hailing, food delivery, and payments across all of them.

For Indonesia, Gojek runs alongside Grab and is often cheaper for motorbike taxis (ojek). In China, DiDi is the dominant platform; Grab does not operate there.

Payment Apps Differ by Country and Foreigners Often Get Locked Out

Asia has no unified payment app — each country has its own system and foreigners are frequently locked out of the default ones. China uses Alipay and WeChat Pay, but both traditionally required a Chinese bank account; Alipay launched an international Tourpass feature in November 2019 allowing foreign visitors to pre-load foreign currency for use in China.

Thailand’s bank-to-bank transfer system is called PromptPay; Singapore uses PayNow and PayLah; Malaysia uses Touch ‘n Go eWallet; the Philippines uses GCash; and Indonesia uses GoPay and OVO. For most tourists, bringing a Wise or Revolut debit card plus local cash remains the most frictionless option.

Japan’s Suica Card Works on Every Train, Subway, and Bus Nationwide

Japan’s IC card ecosystem is fully interoperable nationwide. The Suica card, issued by JR East, has full interoperability with Kitaca, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, and Hayakaken cards since 2013 — meaning you can tap onto virtually any train, bus, or tram in Japan with a single card.

A Suica costs 2,000 yen (500 yen refundable deposit) and can also be used for purchases at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, and thousands of vending machines. International tourists can pick up a Welcome Suica at Narita or Haneda airports, which expires after 28 days but requires no deposit.

Japan Is Still Heavily Cash-Based Outside Major Cities

Despite its reputation for technology, Japan remains one of the most cash-dependent countries in Asia — many smaller restaurants, temples, ryokan, and rural businesses do not accept cards at all. The safest way to access cash as a foreign visitor is via 7-Bank ATMs at 7-Eleven stores, which accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, and American Express issued outside Japan and are open 24 hours.

Japan Post ATMs (at 20,000+ post offices) also accept foreign cards but have limited hours. Always carry at least 10,000 yen in cash when leaving major cities.

South Korea: T-money for the Subway, KakaoTalk for Everything Else

South Korea’s T-money card is the essential transit card for Seoul and every other major Korean city — it works on all six metropolitan subway networks, Korail trains, and public buses nationwide, as confirmed by the Korea Tourism Organization and T-money Co. Cards cost 3,000 to 5,000 won and can be topped up at subway stations and convenience stores. Off the subway, KakaoTalk — which holds around 90% of South Korea’s messaging market — is the standard way South Koreans communicate, and you will need it to receive delivery codes and stay in touch with locals. Kakao T (within the KakaoTalk ecosystem) is also the dominant taxi-hailing app in Korea.

Thailand Has Four Different Transport Systems in Bangkok and None of Them Link Properly

Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain, MRT subway, Airport Rail Link, and river ferries are all separate networks with separate ticketing — there is no single card that covers all of them. The BTS uses its own stored-value Rabbit card or single-journey tokens; the MRT accepts its own card or cash; and neither system links to the other at the fare level.

Grab handles road-based travel efficiently across Bangkok and most Thai cities, though tuk-tuks are useful for short hops in Old Town areas. In beach destinations like Koh Samui and Phuket, Grab and scooter taxis are the primary options as there is no rail network.

Hong Kong’s Octopus Card Is Used by 99 Percent of Residents

The Hong Kong Octopus card is one of the world’s most successful transit cards — used by 99% of residents and handling over 14 million transactions per day as of 2018. It covers every MTR line, all major bus operators, trams, Star Ferry, taxis (via app), and retail purchases at McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, and supermarkets. Adult On-Loan cards cost HK$200 (including HK$150 usable balance and HK$50 refundable deposit) and are available at any MTR station. The card can also be added to Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Pay, or Huawei Pay.

VPNs in China Are Legally Grey and Many Simply Do Not Work

China’s cybersecurity laws require that VPN services be licensed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and most consumer VPN apps are not licensed — meaning they are technically illegal to use. In practice, enforcement against individual tourists is rare, but VPN reliability is the bigger problem: China actively blocks VPN protocols, and many apps that worked previously stop functioning without warning, particularly around national events. The UK Government’s China safety advisory states that ‘online products and services (for example, VPNs) need to be licensed by the Chinese government.’ A data SIM or eSIM that routes traffic outside the firewall by design — rather than tunnelling through it — is the most consistent solution travellers report for maintaining access to Google, WhatsApp, and email in China.

Tipping Customs Vary Wildly Across Asia and Getting It Wrong Is Awkward

There is no universal tipping norm across Asia, and in some countries leaving a tip is culturally inappropriate. In Japan, tipping is considered rude — servers may run after you to return the money.

In China, tipping is not expected at restaurants or taxis, though hotel porters at international hotels have adopted it. In Thailand, rounding up the bill or leaving 20 to 50 baht is appreciated at mid-range restaurants.

In Indonesia, a 10% service charge is often added automatically to restaurant bills; in the Philippines, a 10% service charge is standard at most restaurants. In Singapore, most bills already include a 10% service charge.

Research local norms before your first meal rather than applying a blanket rule across the whole trip.

How To Travel Around Asia

Asia has no single transport system, and the apps and cards that work in one country rarely transfer to the next. Japan’s Suica card is useless in Thailand; Bangkok’s Rabbit card does not work in Kuala Lumpur; and Korea’s T-money card covers every Korean city but nothing beyond the peninsula. The practical approach for a multi-country Asia trip is to budget 10 to 20 minutes at each first airport or train station to pick up a local transit card, and to download Grab before touching down in any Southeast Asian country.

In Southeast Asia, Grab is the dominant ride-hailing app across Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — Uber merged its entire regional business into Grab in March 2018. In Indonesia, Gojek runs alongside Grab and is popular for GoRide motorbike taxis, which are cheaper for short urban hops. For China, DiDi is the local ride-hailing leader; you will need a Chinese phone number or Alipay account to register. In India, Uber and Ola both operate, with Rapido popular for motorbike rides in southern cities.

Northeast Asia has world-class rail. Japan’s IC card ecosystem — led by Suica — achieved full nationwide interoperability in 2013, meaning one card works on every JR line, Tokyo Metro, private railways, and most regional buses.

Seoul’s subway is extensive and cheap; the T-money card works on all six Seoul metropolitan subway lines, Korail trains, and intercity buses. Hong Kong’s Octopus card covers every MTR line, bus, tram, and the Star Ferry.

In all three cities, tapping in and out with a stored-value card is faster and cheaper than buying single-journey tickets.

For cross-border and regional transport within Asia, the options vary widely by geography. Budget airlines — AirAsia (Malaysia-based), Scoot (Singapore), Cebu Pacific (Philippines), and IndiGo (India) — connect most major Asian cities for less than the price of a train seat if booked in advance.

In mainland Southeast Asia, overnight trains run between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and a train-ferry combination links Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Indonesia and the Philippines are archipelago nations where inter-island ferries are essential, with ASDP and 2GO Travel operating major routes respectively.

Always confirm whether your eSIM data plan covers the specific countries on your route, as coverage drops sharply at some land borders.

Money: How Payments Actually Work

China is now almost entirely cashless in cities, with Alipay and WeChat Pay accepted at street stalls, wet markets, and major retailers alike. For foreign visitors, Alipay’s Tourpass feature (launched November 2019) allows pre-loading of foreign currency to use Alipay in China without a Chinese bank account.

WeChat Pay has a similar international version. ATM access in China is possible via UnionPay and at major bank branches in cities, but Visa and Mastercard acceptance is inconsistent outside international hotels.

The UK Government advisory notes that ‘cashless payments through smartphone apps such as WeChat or Alipay are almost universal’ and that ‘outside major cities, credit cards are not always accepted and ATMs are limited.’

In Southeast Asia, cash remains widely accepted and in many cases preferred. Thai baht, Vietnamese dong, Indonesian rupiah, and Philippine peso are all widely available via ATMs in cities and tourist areas, though foreign card fees of 150 to 220 baht (Thailand) or equivalent are common.

Card machines are standard at shopping malls, larger restaurants, and hotels in Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, and Manila, but rural markets and street food stalls are cash only. Carry a mix of local cash and a low-fee card such as Wise or Revolut to minimise ATM charges.

Singapore is the most card-friendly destination in the region, with PayWave contactless accepted almost everywhere.

Japan is cash-dependent to a degree that surprises most visitors. Many mid-range restaurants, convenience stores, and ryokan only accept yen in hand, particularly outside Tokyo and Osaka.

The best way to access cash is at 7-Bank ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores, which are open 24 hours, accept foreign Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, and UnionPay cards, and are found at 20,000+ locations across the country. Japan Post ATMs at post offices also accept foreign cards but close overnight.

Note that Suica and most IC cards can only be topped up with cash at station machines — you cannot load them directly from a foreign card at a vending machine kiosk.

Apps to Install Before You Leave

How Much Data You Actually Need

The biggest mistake travellers make is underestimating the amount of data they need, then burning through a 1GB plan before lunch on day one. Here is what real activities consume per hour:

Activating Your eSIM on Arrival

Install Before You Fly: 3 Simple Steps

If You Have Not Set It Up Yet: Airport Guide

Phone Numbers and SMS

A data-only eSIM gives you internet access but no local phone number, which creates a specific problem across Asia: many apps and services — from Grab ride confirmations to hotel check-in links — send verification codes via SMS to a local number. The most reliable solution for multi-country travellers is to keep your home SIM active in a dual-SIM phone alongside your eSIM data plan.

Your home SIM handles SMS verification (Grab, hotel booking confirmations, bank 2FA) while the eSIM provides the cheap data connection. Most modern smartphones support this combination without needing to physically swap cards.

For voice calls and messaging, the blocked-app situation in China aside, WhatsApp calling covers most of Asia reliably. In South Korea, KakaoTalk supports free voice and video calls.

LINE voice calls are standard for communication in Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan. If you genuinely need a local number — for example, to register Alipay or set up a Thai bank transfer — virtual number services such as SMS-Man or receive-smsonline.com provide disposable numbers for one-time verification codes, though reliability varies by country and app.

Where You Will Actually Use Your eSIM

• BangkokYou will burn data fast here — Grab for every ride (fixed prices, no haggling), Google Maps to navigate between BTS and MRT stations that don’t link at the fare level, and food delivery apps to order from the street-food-style restaurants that only accept orders via app after 10pm.
• TokyoChecking bullet-train timetables on the JR East app, looking up Suica balances, translating restaurant menus with Google Translate camera mode, and navigating between train lines using the Japan Official Travel App or Google Maps offline.
• SeoulNaver Maps for transit routing (Google Maps gives incorrect times), KakaoTalk for communicating with guesthouses and tour guides, and streaming on the subway, which has full 5G coverage on every Seoul Metro line underground.
• SingaporeSingapore’s MRT is easy to navigate with Google Maps, but data is most useful for Grab rides between hawker centres and tourist sites, accessing the National Parks app for Gardens by the Bay, and contactless payments where PayNow QR codes at food stalls require a local bank app.
• BaliEssential for navigation on scooters between Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta, and Uluwatu — road signs are inconsistent and Google Maps offline packs are useful in areas with patchy signal. Grab operates in Denpasar and Kuta; outside those areas, negotiate directly with drivers using WhatsApp.
• Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh CityGrab dominates ride-hailing here, and you will use data constantly for navigation in the dense alley networks of the Old Quarter (Hanoi) and District 1 (HCMC). Google Translate’s camera mode is essential for reading Vietnamese menus. Grab Bike (motorbike taxi) is the fastest option for short trips during rush hour.
• ManilaGrab is the standard for safe, metered rides across Metro Manila, where unmetered taxis and jeepney routes can be confusing for first-time visitors. Data is useful for the Angkas and Move It motorbike taxi apps, and for navigating the Pasig River Ferry route, which skips traffic entirely.
• Kuala LumpurGrab dominates; the KL Sentral transport hub connects the KLIA Express airport link, LRT, MRT, and monorail, all payable with Touch ‘n Go. Data is useful for the MyRapid app for bus route planning and for Grab food delivery, which is competitive with street food in price during lunch hours.
• Hong KongThe Octopus card covers everything transport-related, but you will use data for Google Maps walking routes through Kowloon and Central, the MTR Mobile app for fare calculation, and WhatsApp or Signal for communicating with locals, as WhatsApp has strong penetration in Hong Kong unlike mainland China.