Looking to buy a Malaysian eSim for an upcoming trip? This detailed guide will show you all the best eSim data plans for Malaysia!
At A Glance: Our Top eSim for Malaysia
Esims are the best way to avoid the stress of getting a local SIM or paying bucketloads of data roaming charges! I have been using them all over the world for the last 2 years.
Whether you need data for a few days or a few months – there’s at least one Malaysia eSim provider for you. Scroll down to find your perfect eSim data plan for your travels.
Airalo is one of the most popular providers of eSim cards for international travel. They’re usually one of the cheapest providers, and Malaysia is no exception. Airalo eSims for Malaysia start at $4.5, which can help you stay connected for an entire week. Here are all their Malaysia eSim plans:
You don’t get a phone number with an Airalo eSim, but that is the case with most international providers. What you do get is a generous mobile data allowance for a fair price, as well as Internet access through Digi, the provider with the widest network coverage in the country. You’ll have a stable Internet connection with their mobile plan, as well as high-speed downloads.
The Malaysian eSims from Maya Mobile are some of the best options on the market. It may seem like you can’t beat the leaders like Airalo or Nomad, but Maya are certainly trying.
They offer 30-day plans as follows:
You only get 4G with their eSim cards which is what most Malaysia tourist eSim providers offer, but they use two of the best mobile network operators: Maxis & Celcom (who have the best coverage 4G in Malaysia).
They also allow tethering/hotspots so their unlimited plans are amazing for working in Malaysia or for digital nomads. But there is no phone number – so no calls or SMS.
So with Maya, you choose between smaller data packages or unlimited in Malaysia or Asia (12 popular countries (Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam).
Nomad is a popular provider for Malaysia eSim roaming with a good variety of plans. Their plans start at just $4 for 1 GB of data and go up to $170 for 100 GB of data, so there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are all of Nomad’s Malaysia eSim data plans:
Nomad’s eSims allow you to connect to the Maxis network, which is the second-best provider in the country. They’re not quite as popular as Digi, but they still promise a stable connection and coverage throughout Malaysia. Nomad is the best option for eSim plans with a data allowance of up to 20 GB, but their plans with a larger allowance are quite expensive.
At this point, you’re better off paying for an unlimited data plan, as long as you’re fine with the fact that you can’t create a hotspot to share it.
Holafly is another one of the leading eSim providers. They’re usually the best option because they offer eSims with unlimited data plans in Malaysia:
Although unlimited data is included with all of their eSim plans, the major downside of Holafly is that they do not allow data sharing. You can’t set up a hotspot with their virtual SIM, so you can have Internet access only on the device on which you install the Holafly eSim.
This provider allows you to connect to the Maxis network, which is the second-best provider in the country, right after Giga.
Ubigi is an international provider popular for its regional data-only plans. They don’t have any plans that offer coverage just in Malaysia, but the Asian country is included in several of their regional and global plans.
Their cheapest prepaid eSim for Malaysia is an Asia plan that includes 500 MB, valid for a day for the price of $3. The plan that I think offers the best value for money is a renewable monthly plan that includes 5 GB of data for just $24.
Ubigi’s plans are more expensive than those from Airalo and Nomad, but that’s because they offer network coverage in multiple countries in Asia. If you’re planning to visit other countries in the region in addition to Malaysia, Ubigi’s plans are worth considering.
AIS eSim2Fly is an eSim provider based in Thailand and they have one of the best eSim data plans for travelers in Asia. They offer two main plans – a global plan and a regional Asia plan. The regional plan is the best option for travelers in Malaysia because it gets you
So, this is a great option for just a small package of data with phone and texts. AND this AIS eSim includes coverage in 34 countries in Asia, and it’s without a doubt one of the best options for tourists who want to explore the region.
The key benefit of having an eSim in Malaysia is that you will have Internet access at your fingertips. While you might have access to free WiFi in shops and restaurants in the bigger cities, you’ll struggle to find a free connection in the more remote areas, and an eSim with mobile data is the only way to ensure you will always have Internet.
This beats paying for data roaming because it’s much cheaper to purchase an eSim (or a prepaid physical sim card) than to pay roaming charges.
The advantage of getting an eSim as opposed to a physical sim is convenience. You don’t have to remember to pack a sim tray ejector tool, if you have a dual sim feature in your phone you can keep the other slot free, and you don’t have to walk around a foreign city looking for a place to purchase a sim card.
Digi and Maxis are the two best and most popular network operators in Malaysia. They both offer eSims, but it’s worth noting that Maxis only has eSims for postpaid customers. Digi, on the other hand, includes eSims in their prepaid plan, so they’re an option you should consider.
You can purchase any prepaid Digi sim plan, and then submit a request to change it to an eSim. You can try to do it online or just walk into a physical Digi store and ask them if you can immediately apply for an eSim. Digi eSim data plans are very affordable and a great option for tourists in Malaysia. You can get 12 GB of data (including unlimited YouTube streaming), plus a phone number for just some $8!
Maxis has an entire brand dedicated to prepaid sims and it’s known as Hotlink. Hotlink offers eSims only to their postpaid subscribers, so you can purchase a prepaid plan only with a physical sim card. They do have some excellent physical sim cards for tourists, including an unlimited data plan with unrestricted sharing for some $13.
All devices (phones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) that are compatible with eSims will work with eSims in Malaysia. This includes iPhone devices from the iPhone XS onward, Samsung Galaxy S devices from the S20 onward, and Google Pixel 2 devices and newer. Some other Androids also have eSim capability, and the best way to check whether your phone supports a virtual sim is to dial *#06#.
This will bring up a list of unique identifying numbers for your smartphone. Look for an EID number because that indicates that your phone is compatible with embedded sim cards. If there is no EID number, your device most likely doesn’t support the technology and you should look into physical sim cards instead.
How much data you need for your trip to Malaysia depends on how you plan to use the data and the length of your trip. If you want a data plan just to be on the safe side when it comes to Internet access, you’ll be fine with one of the plans that have a lower data allowance.
Some 3-5 GB of data should be more than enough for trips of up to two weeks, especially if you’re going to use mobile data just to check map directions, social media, news, and email.
However, if you plan to work on your device, or you want to be able to watch as many TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube videos as you want, you should look into data plans with a larger allowance simply because videos use up data more quickly.
Yes, you can get an eSim in Malaysia. You can buy it from one of the many International providers or from Digi, a local provider with the best network coverage in the country.
To buy an eSim in Malaysia, you can purchase one online from an international provider. You can also purchase a physical sim card from Digi, and request to have it changed to an eSim, either in a physical store or online.
The average cost for an eSim in Malaysia is $15-20. They start at just $3 and go up to $200+, depending on the data allowance. Physical sim cards from local providers are in a similar price range, but they usually offer a larger data allowance than eSims from international providers.
To activate an eSim in Malaysia, you can just turn on cellular or mobile data, provided that you’ve already added the eSim profile to your device. Adding an eSim plan can be done by scanning a QR code, or manually by going into network/sim card manager settings and selecting Add a Cellular Plan (iPhone) or Add an eSim (Android). Contact the support team of the eSim provider if you have any issues setting up and activating the purchased eSim data plan.