Disclaimer: The prices and information presented on this page reflect a snapshot at the time of research and may change at any time without prior notice.
Aisha
07 March 2026
You have an M1 postpaid plan, flights to Tokyo booked, and a vague memory that M1 does something called a Data Passport. But which one covers Japan? Does the daily plan work in South Korea? And what happens if you run out of data in Bangkok at midnight with no Wi-Fi in sight? These are exactly the questions that catch travellers off guard at the worst possible moment. M1 APAC roaming has evolved significantly over the past few years, and the current lineup of Daily Passport and Data Passport options is genuinely useful, provided you pick the right one for your trip. This guide walks through every plan, every charge, and every activation step, so you can leave Singapore without any connectivity surprises waiting for you on the other side.
M1 is one of Singapore's three main telcos, operating on its own 5G network locally and partnering with carrier networks across the Asia-Pacific region when you travel. APAC roaming refers to M1's data roaming service across a defined group of countries in the Asia-Pacific zone, which includes popular destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Taiwan, and more.
M1 organises its roaming into distinct product types. The Daily Passport charges a fixed daily rate that kicks in only when you actually use data roaming that day, making it well suited for short or unpredictable trips. The Data Passport works differently: rather than giving you a separate overseas data bucket, it lets you draw on your existing Singapore data bundle while abroad, with a one-time activation fee per country per month. For Maxx SIM-only plan subscribers, certain APAC destinations are already bundled directly into the monthly plan, covering Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
Without any add-on active, pay-as-you-go roaming applies at SGD 0.02 per MB plus a 20% surcharge for postpaid users. That sounds small, but 100 MB of casual browsing, map checks and messaging adds up to roughly SGD 2.40 very quickly. For prepaid M Card users, pay-as-you-go rates are considerably steeper, and the M1 Prepaid App is the right place to load a Roaming Pack before departure.
M1 postpaid Daily Passport tiers are priced at SGD 2.95, 3.95, 5.95 and 8.95 per 24-hour period depending on the destination, with a flat SGD 4.95 subscription fee charged per billing cycle in any month where Daily Passport is used. The charge only applies on days you actually use roaming data, which makes it more flexible than a fixed monthly add-on. Data Passport plans activate for single-country use and are valid for one month; a one-time activation fee applies per destination. For multi-destination trips across Asia, M1 offers broader ASEAN and Asia Data Passport options that cover multiple countries under a single add-on. Check the My M1+ app for current pricing before your trip, as rates can change.
The table below summarises the main M1 roaming options relevant to Asia-Pacific travel as of March 2026. Current rates should always be confirmed in the My M1+ app.
Download the My M1+ app before you fly. All Daily and Data Passport subscriptions are managed through the My M1+ app. Trying to activate a roaming add-on after landing on an unfamiliar network is more complicated than sorting it out from Singapore Wi-Fi the night before.
Pre-register for Daily Passport. M1 offers a free pre-registration feature that auto-subscribes you to Daily Passport across 75 destinations with a single tap. Once pre-registered, roaming activates automatically when you first use data in a covered country, eliminating the risk of accidentally using pay-as-you-go rates on arrival.
Understand the 24-hour billing window. Daily Passport charges apply per 24-hour ET (effective time) window, not per calendar day. A charge triggered at 11 PM runs until 11 PM the following evening. Plan your data usage around this if you are on a tight budget.
Use the Roaming Cap service. M1's free Data Roaming Cap service limits combined Daily Passport and pay-as-you-go charges to SGD 100 per billing cycle. Activating this before travel provides a useful safety net against unexpected usage spikes.
Verify your destination is on a preferred network. M1 maintains a list of preferred partner networks in each country. Connecting to a non-preferred network may result in higher charges or restricted plan access. In Japan, preferred partners include NTT Docomo and SoftBank; in Thailand, AIS and DTAC. Check the M1 website or app before arrival.
Turn off roaming when you return. M1 itself recommends disabling mobile data roaming in your phone settings when back in Singapore. Background apps syncing over a roaming connection can generate unexpected charges if the setting remains active.
M1's roaming options are genuinely competitive for single-destination APAC trips, particularly for postpaid users on large data plans where the Data Passport essentially unlocks overseas use of an already generous data bundle. But there are situations where a travel eSIM is the smarter choice.
If you are visiting more than two or three APAC countries on the same trip, managing separate Data Passports per country becomes administratively messy and potentially expensive. A regional travel eSIM covering the whole itinerary under one purchase is simpler. Multi-destination travellers heading across Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia in a single trip will likely find a regional eSIM plan more cost-efficient than layering multiple M1 add-ons.
If you are on an M1 prepaid M Card plan, your roaming options are more limited than postpaid. Roaming Packs offer 2 GB at a time with 10-day validity, which may not be enough for a two-week holiday. An eSIM installed alongside your M Card lets you keep your Singapore number active for calls and SMS while routing all data through the eSIM's local network allocation.
The 75-country Daily Passport limit is also worth noting. M1 covers a broad set of APAC destinations, but not every country in the region. If your destination is not in the covered list, a travel eSIM is the fallback rather than pay-as-you-go roaming at SGD 0.02/MB plus surcharge.
For M1 subscribers heading to destinations not covered by Daily or Data Passport, the only M1 option is pay-as-you-go roaming, which is expensive enough to make any data usage stressful. A TurkSIM eSIM installed before departure means you land with a local data connection already active, pulling from a dedicated eSIM data pool at a predictable flat cost.
The Dual SIM advantage is particularly relevant for M1 users. Modern iPhones and Android flagships support simultaneous Dual SIM operation, meaning the M1 SIM continues to receive Singapore calls and banking OTPs while all data routes through the TurkSIM eSIM. This eliminates a common frustration of swapping to a local SIM and missing authentication messages from Singapore banks or apps that rely on your registered number.
M1's Data Passport 15 GB cap is generous for most holidays, but it does come with an overage charge of SGD 12.22 per gigabyte once exceeded. For travellers who use significant data, such as remote workers attending video calls or content creators uploading footage from Kyoto or Ubud, that overage can arrive sooner than expected. A TurkSIM eSIM with a fixed data allocation removes the mental overhead of watching a usage meter.
M1 prepaid M Card users face the sharpest constraint: 2 GB every 10 days is simply not enough for a two-week trip with active navigation, content streaming and messaging. A TurkSIM eSIM running alongside the M Card plan keeps the Singapore number reachable while providing a much larger data allocation for the duration of the trip. TurkSIM's network partnerships in Japan (NTT Docomo / SoftBank), Thailand (AIS / DTAC), Indonesia (Telkomsel), and Australia (Telstra / Optus) ensure strong signal coverage across the most popular M1-subscriber destinations in the APAC region.
M1 Daily Passport covers 75 destinations, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and more. Coverage extends beyond APAC to include many European and other global destinations as well. Always verify your specific destination in the My M1+ app before travel, as coverage can be updated.
Data Passport lets you use your existing Singapore mobile data bundle while overseas, with a one-time activation fee per country per month. Daily Passport charges a flat daily rate on days you use data, regardless of how much you use. Data Passport suits heavy data users on large SIM-only plans; Daily Passport suits lighter or less predictable travellers. A SGD 4.95 subscription fee applies per billing cycle in any month Daily Passport is used.
Once your Data Passport usage exceeds 15 GB in a billing cycle, excess data is charged at SGD 12.22 per GB. M1's free Roaming Cap service can limit combined Daily Passport and pay-as-you-go charges to SGD 100 per billing cycle, but this cap does not apply to Data Passport overage charges. Monitor your usage via the Roaming tab in the My M1+ app.
Yes, but options are more limited. M Card prepaid users can purchase Roaming Packs (2 GB data, 10 minutes outgoing calls, 10-day validity) through the M1 Prepaid App or Prepaid Portal. Data roaming on prepaid is activated automatically for SIM cards registered from October 2024 onwards; older cards can activate via the app or by dialling a USSD code.
Open the My M1+ app, navigate to the Roaming section, and subscribe to Daily Passport for your destination. You can also pre-register for the service, which automatically activates Daily Passport when your phone first detects data roaming in a covered country. Pre-registration is free and covers 75 destinations. Confirm your phone's data roaming toggle is enabled in device settings before departure.
Data roaming in Myanmar is temporarily unavailable as of March 2026, according to M1's official destination information. Voice calls and SMS options remain accessible. Check the M1 website for the latest status updates before planning a trip that includes Myanmar as a destination.
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