Choosing one out of the many data only SIM plans appears simple on the surface. They all offer a given amount of data traffic included per month for a given price. It sounds simple but there are a few things that need to be accounted for that make one plan better than the other. There are 5 key points you need to look at when choosing a data only plan from one of the many carriers in Singapore.
1. Carrier
The carrier seems like the first choice but it is not. You should not choose a plan based on the carrier but based on what you get included with a plan. Simply put, you should look at plans from several carriers and compare what they offer.
2. Amount Of Data Traffic Included
The only person that knows how much traffic you need is you. You should look at your usage habits, estimate how much data traffic you use per month. Knowing how much traffic you need can help you narrow down your search for data-only SIM plans that offer around what you use plus a margin of 5 to 10 GB. For example, if you use around 40 GB of data per month, you should look at plans that offer around 50 GB of data so that you can have a buffer of extra data traffic available.
3. Price Per GB
The price per GB of traffic is a simple division of the plan price by the number of GB included in the plan. You will notice that in Singapore, the price per GB can vary a lot depending on what carrier you look at. Data only SIM plans are priced based on how much traffic you get. The general rule of thumb is that the more traffic is included with the plan, the cheaper each GB of traffic becomes.
4. Read The Fine Print
All carriers have certain terms and conditions for the services they offer. Make sure you read the fine print as, for example, some carriers may offer a rollover traffic feature which can be useful. Most do not offer this but it is something worth looking into. Also, look at the fine print to understand what happens when you exceed the traffic allowance. You need to be aware of the options that you have to get more traffic or what kind of surcharges may be imposed by the carrier. Even when looking at a single carrier, their data only SIM plans may come with different terms and conditions.
5. Coverage
Coverage is very important, especially if you need high transfer speeds. In general, Singapore has good coverage for 3G and 4G traffic. If you want 5G traffic, you need to check if your plan includes such traffic and if you have good coverage in your interest areas. Keep in mind that even if you have coverage, data transfer speeds can fluctuate a lot. For example, in very crowded areas, 5G speeds can be very close to 4G speeds. You need to look at different data only SIM plans and check customer feedback regarding their coverage in Singapore.
