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
Anyone who crosses the Causeway regularly knows the routine: the moment you hit Malaysian soil, your phone connects to a local network and the question kicks in — did I remember to activate a roaming plan? For M1 postpaid users, Malaysia is one of the most straightforward roaming destinations available, covered by the Daily Passport from SGD $2.95 per day and by several Data Passport options for frequent travellers. But straightforward does not always mean cheap, and prepaid users face a very different picture. Whether you are heading to Johor Bahru for a weekend or doing a longer trip through Kuala Lumpur, Penang, or Langkawi, this guide explains exactly how M1 data roaming in Malaysia works, what it costs, and when it makes sense to consider a travel eSIM instead.
M1 covers Malaysia through agreements with local network partners including Celcom Axiata and Maxis. Once your phone registers on one of these preferred networks, data roaming begins automatically, provided you have the right add-on activated and data roaming is enabled in your phone settings. For postpaid users on Bespoke Flexi, Bespoke Contract, or Bespoke SIM-Only plans, some plan tiers already include a small roaming data allowance for Malaysia, typically around 2GB per billing cycle, which means you can cross the border without buying any add-on for light usage. For anything beyond that built-in allowance, the Daily Passport or Data Passport add-ons apply.
Prepaid users on M1's M Card have access to data packs that cover Malaysia alongside a handful of other countries including Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and newer M Card registrations from October 2024 onwards have data roaming pre-activated. Prepaid Roaming Packs are also available for Malaysia, offering 2GB of data plus 10 minutes of outgoing calls for a 10-day validity period. If you use data without any pack, M1 prepaid charges SGD $0.03 per KB plus a 20% surcharge, which can drain your balance very quickly for even basic app usage.
One thing to be aware of with postpaid Data Passport plans: once your local data bundle from your monthly plan is fully consumed, any excess usage beyond 15GB total is charged at SGD $12.22 per GB. This cap applies across all Data Passport add-ons, so heavy data users should track their consumption via the My M1+ App or consider the Daily Passport as an alternative, since it provides additional roaming data on top of your regular bundle.
Here is a breakdown of the main options available to M1 users travelling to Malaysia, as of March 2026. Prices are in SGD. Always verify current rates in the My M1+ App before your trip, as M1 updates its roaming offerings regularly.
The Daily Passport also carries a SGD $4.95 subscription charge per billing cycle in any month you use it, regardless of how many destinations or how many days you activate it. This charge applies once per billing month, so if you make multiple short trips to Malaysia in the same month, that $4.95 is only charged once.
Activate before departure. You can subscribe to Daily Passport or Data Passport from within Singapore via the My M1+ App. M1 recommends this to avoid any activation delays once you are across the border. For prepaid users, use the M1 Prepaid App or Prepaid Portal, or dial #100*8*1# to activate data roaming.
Enable the Network Lock feature. This ensures your phone connects automatically to M1's preferred roaming partners in Malaysia rather than a non-preferred network that could result in much higher pay-per-use charges. Find it in the M1 Prepaid App settings.
Turn on Data Roaming in your phone settings. This is a separate step from activating your M1 roaming plan. On iOS: Settings > Mobile Data > Data Roaming. On Android: Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Data Roaming.
Track your usage in real time. The My M1+ App shows your Daily Passport countdown, Data Passport consumption, and sends alerts when you hit 75% and 90% of your data entitlement. This matters especially for Data Passport users approaching the 15GB billing cap.
Watch the billing cycle boundary. If your trip spans two billing months, you will be charged the $4.95 Daily Passport subscription fee for both cycles. Plan accordingly for trips at the end or start of a month.
Maxx SIM-Only plans for frequent cross-border travellers. If you regularly travel between Singapore and Malaysia for work, M1's Maxx SIM-Only plan bundles significant roaming data for Malaysia alongside your local data, with no contract and monthly renewals. This can be more cost-effective than buying individual add-ons every trip.
The Daily Passport at SGD $2.95 is genuinely competitive for one-day trips, and the Data Passport is excellent value for people who are in Malaysia regularly each month. But there are situations where M1 roaming is not the best fit. Prepaid M1 users who forget to activate a data pack face pay-per-use rates that can be shockingly high for basic smartphone use. Data Passport users who are already running high on their monthly local data usage may hit the 15GB billing cap faster than expected, at which point the SGD $12.22/GB excess rate kicks in.
A travel eSIM sidesteps these complexities entirely. You buy a fixed data package at a flat rate before you fly, install it on a dual-SIM-capable phone alongside your M1 SIM, and your Malaysian data comes from the eSIM while your Singapore number stays active for calls and banking OTPs. This is particularly useful for longer stays of a week or more where the daily costs of a Daily Passport would add up, or for travellers who are not on a current Bespoke plan and therefore cannot access Daily Passport at all.
The Causeway commute is one thing, but for M1 subscribers planning a proper trip through Malaysia, the eSIM Malaysia option offers a level of simplicity that carrier roaming cannot always match. TurkSIM eSIMs for Malaysia connect via Celcom, Maxis, and Digi, giving you strong 4G LTE coverage whether you are navigating KLCC in central Kuala Lumpur, road-tripping through the Cameron Highlands, or island-hopping off Langkawi's coast.
The dual-SIM advantage is particularly relevant here. Keep your M1 SIM active for your Singapore number, and use the TurkSIM eSIM for all your Malaysian data. Your bank's OTP texts still arrive on your Singapore number, your WhatsApp calls still work seamlessly, and your Malaysian data costs are fixed upfront. For M1 prepaid users especially, this combination removes the risk of unexpected PAYG charges entirely. And for postpaid users who travel Malaysia frequently but are not on a Bespoke plan that qualifies for Daily Passport, it is a clean, contract-free alternative that works from the moment you scan the QR code.
M1 roams on Celcom and Maxis in Malaysia, which together cover most urban and suburban areas across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. Rural coverage, particularly in East Malaysia's interior regions like the Iban longhouse areas of Sarawak or the Maliau Basin, can be patchy on any network. For remote travel, downloading offline maps and content over Wi-Fi before you leave is always a good idea.
Yes. Each Daily Passport activation covers 24 hours from the moment of first data use. If you stay multiple days, a new Daily Passport activates automatically each 24-hour period if data roaming is still turned on and you continue to use data. Each activation is billed separately at the SGD $2.95 rate, but the $4.95 subscription fee is only charged once per billing month regardless of how many days you roam.
Yes, they are fundamentally different products. Data Passport is a monthly recurring subscription that lets you use your existing local M1 data bundle while roaming in Malaysia, with a maximum of 15GB across all Data Passport destinations before excess charges apply. Daily Passport is a per-day add-on that gives you 3GB of additional roaming data specifically for that 24-hour period, on top of any Data Passport you already have.
For Daily Passport users, M1 automatically activates a new Daily Passport when your 3GB runs out, as long as data roaming remains enabled on your device. You will be billed for each activation. For Data Passport users who hit the 15GB total cap, excess data is charged at SGD $12.22/GB. You can avoid this by activating a Daily Passport alongside your Data Passport, which M1 recommends as a more cost-effective option once the cap is reached.
M1 prepaid users have reasonable options, but they are more limited than postpaid. The Prepaid Roaming Pack gives 2GB of data plus 10 minutes of outgoing calls for 10 days, activated via the M1 Prepaid App. Prepaid Data Packs covering Malaysia alongside Singapore and four other countries are also available. Without any pack, you are on pay-per-use at SGD $0.03 per KB plus a 20% surcharge, which is not suitable for smartphone data use.
Yes, if your phone supports dual SIM. You install the travel eSIM on your device alongside your physical M1 SIM. The M1 SIM handles all Singapore calls, SMS, and banking OTPs as normal, while the eSIM takes care of your Malaysian mobile data. Most modern iPhones and Android flagships support this configuration. Just set the eSIM as the preferred data SIM in your phone settings and leave the M1 SIM active for calls and messages.
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