24 countries

Staying connected in 24 countries

The 24 countries plan leans towards Asia-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, India, Australia and New Zealand, plus the United States, Turkey and a few others. Vietnam is also on the plan's country list.

It suits people who rotate between regional offices such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, trips linking Seoul and Tokyo, or journeys to the US with a stopover of a few days in Taipei or Hong Kong.

Coverage and networks

This plan covers the destinations listed below, as published in the plan information (25 in total). Check every stop on your route against the table before buying.

Please note: the plan name mentions 24 countries, while the published list has 25. If a destination you need is missing, ask Simtel before paying.

For mainland China with Hong Kong and Macau only, the China, Hong Kong & Macao plan is simpler; for a mostly South-East Asian trip, also look at the Asia-Pacific 15 countries plan.

Signal and speed depend on where you are, your device and network conditions, and can differ between plans.

Choosing a data allowance

eSIM plans for 24 countries currently last 3 to 30 days and come in these types:

• Daily data (300MB, 500MB and 1GB per day): suits a steady routine. Check when the daily allowance resets and what happens once it is used.
• Total data (1GB to 15GB): one allowance for the whole trip, handy when some days are heavier than others.

Suggestions for this trip

• A 5 or 7-day business trip across two or three cities, mainly email, maps and messaging: 500MB or 1GB a day is sensible; choose 300MB a day only if you are almost always on Wi-Fi.
• 8GB or 15GB of total data suits trips of 10 to 15 days with uneven use; 15GB is the largest allowance on this plan, so if you make long video calls, keep an eye on the remaining data on your phone.

Count your arrival and departure days. Before paying, check the exact plan for when validity starts, how days are counted, and whether hotspot, calls or SMS are included; these differ between plans.

Before you go

• Ride-hailing by country: Grab in South-East Asia, Kakao T in South Korea, GO or Uber in Japan, and Uber in the US and Australia; download the apps for every stop before you go.
• Mainland China: If it is on your route, set up Alipay or WeChat with an international card beforehand, as many shops barely take cash or swiped cards.
• Border crossings: Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China are separate rows in the table; check all three if you travel between them by bridge, ferry or high-speed train.
• eSIM setup: Before buying, make sure your phone supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked. Install the eSIM before you fly, on a stable Wi-Fi connection, following the instructions sent with your plan.
• On arrival: Set the travel eSIM as your mobile data line and follow its roaming instructions. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM to avoid unexpected charges.