Airport Currency Exchange Guide · Last checked 18 October 2026

eSIM vs Roaming vs Local SIM: How to Choose Before You Land

After finances, the next priority for most travellers is data for maps, a ride, a translation tool and a message home to say you have landed. There are three realistic options and the right one depends on your phone, your trip's length and how easily you are prepared to fiddle with your setup. This guide sets out what the official and independent sources we found actually say, states the numbers we were able to verify and is upfront about the claims we could not.

It said airport SIM kiosks are often marked up against the city, that carriers cap speeds aggressively on "unlimited" roaming plans, that eSIM pricing tends to be as good as or better than a physical SIM, and that eSIM is "the most popular option". On checking, we found no source for any of these, so they are omitted in favour of what we could verify. Where a statement relies on a single source, we say so. Everything was last checked on 18 October 2026.

The short version

• Apple's support page lists eSIM on the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later models. That replaces our old "the last several years" wording with a specific cut-off for iPhones.
• Roaming packs from an Indian operator that we could read were priced per pack, not per day, and dated 2024. Check the current price before you rely on any figure here.
• The entry-tier SIM and eSIM plans listed on Changi Airport's own page cost the same S$12, whether bought as a card or as an eSIM. We found no evidence of an airport markup in that example.
• Thailand and Singapore both require identity registration, and Thailand's rules for a physical SIM involve showing a passport in person.
• With an eSIM and your home SIM in the same phone, Apple states that only one line will use mobile data at a time.
• The eSIM block at the end of this page uses affiliate links. We could not verify the prices of those providers, so we do not quote them.

The three options in plain terms

• Roaming: Keep your home SIM and number and let your home operator charge you for using a foreign network, typically as a pack you buy before or after landing.
• A physical local SIM: Buy a card with a local number and data plan, slot it in your phone replacing your home SIM or in a second slot, and use it for the length of the plan.
• An eSIM: A digital SIM profile you download to a compatible phone, with no card to switch out. The GSMA, the industry body representing mobile operators, defines it as a SIM that can be downloaded remotely into the device, and notes that multiple operator profiles can be stored on one device, though only one is active at a time.

Will your phone work with an eSIM?

For iPhones we have an official statement. Apple's support page for Using Dual SIM with an eSIM, dated 17 September 2026, says eSIM and Dual SIM are supported on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later. Models from the iPhone 13 onward can hold two eSIMs, as well as a physical SIM plus an eSIM. The page notes that mainland China and Hong Kong and Macao have their own model exceptions, so if you are going there, check your exact model on that page.

We could not load Google's equivalent page for Pixel phones, and have not checked Samsung or other Android makers, so cannot give a list for them. If you are not an iPhone user, look up your exact model on the maker's own support page.

Two more checks, from the operators' pages and not from a general ruling:

• Your phone must not be carrier-locked. StarHub, a Singapore operator, states its eSIM needs an eSIM-compatible device that is not carrier-locked.
• You may have to activate the eSIM within a time limit. StarHub says its eSIM must be activated within 18 days of purchase. Other providers will have their own rules.

Keeping your home number

Apple's page describes a home line plus a travel line as a normal use of Dual SIM. Both numbers can make and receive calls and messages, but only one can use mobile data at a time. It also says that turning on data roaming for the data line disables visual voicemail and MMS on the other, and that the setting to allow both lines to use data does not work while roaming is on.

The page says nothing about your home plan carrying on while you travel, or about what your home operator charges for a call or text received on it abroad. It advises readers to consult their carrier. That is a real cost to check, and we could not find a source that covers it for Indian operators.

What roaming packs looked like in the figures we could read

We could not load the official roaming pages for Jio or Airtel. The best figures we found are in a TelecomTalk article published 22 September 2024 listing Jio's international roaming packs. That is a news site, it is two years old, and operators change prices, so treat these as examples of the form of the pricing, not present-day figures.

• UAE: 898 rupees for 1 GB, 100 minutes each way and 100 SMS, valid 7 days.
• UAE: 1,598 rupees for 3 GB over 14 days.
• Thailand: 1,551 rupees for 6 GB, 100 minutes each way and 50 SMS, valid 14 days.
• Data-only pack for 90 countries: 999 rupees for 1 GB over 7 days.
• One-day voice and data pack in 35 countries: 499 rupees for 250 MB.

It is simple to divide these: the Thailand pack comes to about 111 rupees a day over its 14 days, and about 259 rupees per gigabyte. The 7-day UAE pack comes to about 128 rupees a day, and 898 rupees for its single gigabyte.

What the article does tell us is that roaming is offered as packs with limited data and a fixed validity, and that the cost per gigabyte falls as the data allowance grows. It does not tell us how these prices compare with those for eSIM or local SIM, so we draw no conclusion from it about which is cheaper.

What local SIMs looked like at Changi

Changi Airport's own page lists SIM cards and eSIMs on sale at the airport, with prices in Singapore dollars. These are examples from one airport on one day, not a general statement.

• Singtel: S$12 for 100 GB of local 4G data and 3 GB of roaming data, valid for 14 days. S$30 and S$50 plans listed too.
• StarHub: S$12 for 100 GB local and 1 GB roaming, valid 10 days.
• M1: S$12 for 100 GB local, valid 15 days.

The page says SIM registration is mandatory in Singapore, that you must show a passport or other identification and that cash is accepted only in Singapore dollars, with cards also accepted. It lists an eSIM at S$12 for StarHub and M1 and says Singtel plans can be bought as eSIMs. Activation involves downloading the profile to a compatible device.

Two things stand out. The entry-level eSIM and physical SIM are listed at the same S$12. And StarHub's own tourist SIM page shows different plan details for what looks like the same S$12 price: 300 GB of local data and 30 days of validity, against 100 GB and 10 days on the Changi page. We do not know which page is current, or whether the plans have different names, but it is a good reminder that plan details change, and that you should read the terms on the day you buy.

The Changi page does not compare its prices with prices elsewhere in the city, and neither did any other source we found. So we cannot say that airport SIMs cost more than city SIMs. That old claim is gone.

Registration rules differ by country

Many countries require your identity to buy a SIM. The two we checked:

• Singapore. Both the Changi page and StarHub say a passport is required to verify at purchase.
• Thailand. Tilleke and Gibbins, a law firm, summarised a rule from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission in an article dated 19 May 2026. The rule took effect 16 May 2026. For non-Thai nationals, a passport is the main identity document, registration must be done in person at a branch or authorised dealer, each person can hold at most three SIMs per provider, and a registered SIM must be activated within 60 days or the identity check has to be repeated in person.

That article does not say how this rule applies to tourist SIMs as a separate category, or to eSIMs, so we cannot tell you whether a Thai eSIM bought online requires the same in-person step. Check with the provider before you fly, and carry your passport either way.

A worked example, with made-up numbers

The figures below are invented to show how to compare. They are not any operator's prices.

You will spend 10 days abroad and expect to use about 5 GB.

• Option A, a roaming pack: 1,500 rupees for 5 GB, valid 14 days. Cost per gigabyte is 300 rupees. Cost per day of your trip is 150 rupees.
• Option B, a local SIM at the airport: 1,000 rupees for 20 GB, valid 30 days. Cost per gigabyte on what you actually use is 200 rupees. Cost per day of your trip is 100 rupees. You must queue, register and swap cards, and your home number may be unreachable.
• Option C, an eSIM bought before you leave: 900 rupees for 10 GB, valid 30 days. Cost per gigabyte on what you use is 180 rupees. Cost per day of your trip is 90 rupees. You set it up at home on Wi-Fi.

The lesson is a method, not winners: divide each price by the gigabytes you will use and by the days of your trip. A larger plan can cost less per gigabyte but more in total.

How to choose, in practice

This section is our advice, based on the sources above. It is not a sourced fact.

• Very short trip, or you do not want to touch your settings: roaming is fine once you have checked the pack price with your operator.
• Longer trip, and your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: price an eSIM against a physical SIM for your destination and compare on cost per gigabyte and per day.
• Phone without eSIM, or you want a local number for calls: a physical SIM, bought with your passport in hand.
• You need your home number for one-time passwords from a bank: keep your home SIM active, use Dual SIM, and check what your home operator charges for receiving texts abroad.

About the eSIM providers on this page

At the end of this page we link to two eSIM providers, Roamable and Strong eSIM. These are affiliate links, which means JesTiny Guide may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We have not been able to verify either provider's prices, coverage or terms against a source independent of the providers, so this guide does not quote them or call them the best. Compare them with the operator plans described above, on cost per gigabyte and per day, before you buy.

What we could not confirm

• That airport SIM kiosks charge more than shops in the city. We found no source, and in the one example we could read, the Changi page, the entry price was the same for card and eSIM.
• That carriers cap speeds on "unlimited" roaming plans. We found no source.
• That eSIM costs the same or less than a physical SIM in general. We found one airport example where it was equal, and nothing more.
• The current price of Jio or Airtel roaming packs. We could not load the official pages, and the article we used is from 2024.
• Which Android phones support eSIM. We could not load Google's page and did not check other makers.
• How Thailand's SIM registration rule applies to eSIMs and tourist SIMs.
• What your home operator charges for incoming calls and texts on your home SIM while abroad.
• Which of the Changi page or the StarHub page shows the current StarHub tourist plan.

A simple plan

1. Check your phone's model against the maker's eSIM list, and confirm it is not carrier-locked.
2. Ask your home operator for its current roaming pack prices and for the cost of receiving calls and texts abroad.
3. Look up one eSIM and one physical SIM for your destination, and write down price, data and validity for each.
4. Divide each price by the gigabytes you expect to use and by the days of your trip.
5. Carry your passport and, if you buy a physical SIM, some card or local cash for payment.

FAQ

Does my phone support eSIM?
If it is an iPhone, Apple says the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later models do. For other phones, check the maker's support page for your exact model.

Can I keep my home number with an eSIM?
Apple describes using a home line and a travel line together. Both can make and receive calls and messages, but only one can use mobile data at a time. What your home operator charges while you are abroad is something to ask them.

Is a local SIM cheaper than roaming?
We could not confirm a general answer. The two sets of figures we could read were a 2024 roaming article and one airport page, and they use different units. Compare cost per gigabyte and per day for your trip.

Do I need my passport to buy a SIM?
In Singapore and Thailand, the sources we found say yes. Carry it, and expect to register in person for a physical SIM.

Sources and how we checked them

Checked on 18 October 2026. Where we call something confirmed, at least two of these sources agree. Several are commercial companies promoting their own services.

• Apple, official support page, Using Dual SIM with an eSIM, 17 September 2026.
• GSMA, industry body, eSIM overview page, undated.
• Tilleke and Gibbins, law firm, article on Thailand's telecom registration rules, 19 May 2026.
• TelecomTalk, news site, Jio international roaming packs, 22 September 2024.
• Changi Airport, official site, SIM card purchase page, read 18 October 2026.
• StarHub, commercial operator, tourist SIM and eSIM page, read 18 October 2026.

Affiliate disclosure: The eSIM links on this page are affiliate links, and JesTiny Guide may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. The SIM, roaming and airport information in this guide is editorial and is not paid for. Rates and fees change, so confirm the final rate at the counter before exchanging.