Do you need an eSIM for a stopover? Singapore, Dubai, Doha and Hong Kong
Almost every long haul trip from New Zealand or Australia stops somewhere: Singapore, Dubai, Doha or Hong Kong, sometimes for two hours and sometimes for two nights. Whether you need data there depends on how long you stay and where your main eSIM works.
The short answer by stopover length
How long you stop decides it. A few hours in the terminal and a few nights in the city are different trips.
| Stopover | What to do |
|---|---|
| A few hours, staying airside | Airport wifi is usually enough. Most big hubs have free wifi |
| A long layover, going into the city | A small plan for the hub, or one day of Endless |
| One night | A small plan for the hub, or one or two days of Endless |
| Two or three nights | A small plan for the hub, sized for your use, or Endless for the nights you stay |
A small plan here means 1GB valid for 7 days, which covers maps, ride apps and messaging for a night or two. It only starts counting when it first connects in the hub, and the table below has each hub's price.
Your Europe or UK eSIM will not work in the hub
None of our Europe plans covers Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Hong Kong, and our United Kingdom plans cover the United Kingdom alone. So a Europe or UK eSIM gives you nothing during a stopover on the way there.
The plans that do cover the hubs are:
- A plan for the hub itself: Singapore, the UAE, Qatar or Hong Kong.
- Our Gulf plans: both cover the UAE and Qatar together, with other Gulf countries.
- Some of our Asia plans: the 12, 20 and 20+ area lists each cover Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.
- Our Global plans: both cover all four hubs and most of Europe.
If you are flying on to Asia rather than Europe, an Asia plan that lists both the hub and your destination may cover the whole trip on one eSIM. Check the list on the Asia page.
The hubs side by side
Here is the smallest plan and a day or two of unlimited for each hub, with the network our plan uses and where your data comes out to the internet.
| Hub | Our network | 1GB, 7 days | Endless, 1 day at 1GB | Endless, 2 days at 1GB | Data comes out in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | M1 and SingTel, 4G | US$3.20 | US$3.10 | US$4.20 | Hong Kong or Singapore |
| Dubai (UAE) | Du, with 5G | US$5.80 | US$5.70 | US$9.40 | Europe |
| Doha (Qatar) | ooredoo, with 5G | US$5.30 | US$5.90 | US$9.80 | Singapore |
| Hong Kong | csl and SmarTone, with 5G | US$3.60 | US$3.80 | US$5.60 | Singapore |
| Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) | Maxis and CelcomDigi, with 5G | US$3.60 | US$3.80 | US$5.60 | Singapore |
| Bangkok (Thailand) | TrueMove H and DTAC, with 5G | US$3.60 | US$3.80 | US$5.60 | Hong Kong or Singapore |
On Endless, after the day's 1GB the speed drops to 1 Mbps in every one of these hubs until it refills 24 hours later, enough for maps and messaging. Each hub's page has every plan: Singapore, the UAE, Qatar and Hong Kong.
Two eSIMs on one phone: install both at home
Most phones that take an eSIM can store several, so you can carry the stopover plan and your main plan together. Most keep only two lines on at once, so with your home SIM on, switch on one eSIM at a time.
- At home, on wifi, install both eSIMs a few days before you fly.
- Label them so you can tell them apart, such as RoamMore Singapore and RoamMore Europe.
- When you land in the hub, turn on the stopover eSIM, set it as your mobile data line and turn on Data Roaming for it.
- When you land at your destination, turn the stopover eSIM off, then turn the main eSIM on, set it as your mobile data line and turn on its Data Roaming.
On an iPhone the data line is in Settings > Mobile Service (Cellular on some iPhones). Keep your home SIM on for texts such as bank codes, with its own Data Roaming off. Our landing day checklist walks through the settings in more detail.
When the days start: the stopover plan in the hub, the main plan at your destination
Each plan starts when it first connects in a country it covers, so neither one wastes days on the other's part of the trip. The stopover plan starts in the hub, and your main plan starts when you land at your destination.
That is true of all our fixed plans for these hubs except a 100MB trial, which starts when you install it; the destination pages mark it. It is also true of Endless, whose full speed refills every 24 hours from first connection.
So a 7 day plan for Singapore bought for a one night stopover on the way out is still valid on the way home if you stop there again within the 7 days. On a longer trip, buy a second small plan for the return stopover.
One Global eSIM instead: when it is worth the price
Only our Global plans cover a hub and the main European countries on one eSIM. No other plan of ours covers Singapore, Dubai, Doha or Hong Kong together with France, Italy, Spain, Germany or the United Kingdom.
It costs more. Our Global 10GB plan for 30 days is US$78, while a Europe 10GB plan for 30 days is US$14.10 and a UK 10GB plan for 30 days is US$11.20. Add a 1GB plan for any of the four hubs and the two plans together still cost less than the Global plan.
A Global plan earns its price on a trip with many stops across several continents, where buying a plan for each would mean a long list. For one stopover and one destination, two eSIMs are cheaper. Our guide to one eSIM for several European countries helps choose the main plan.
Dubai: WhatsApp calls and the Europe exit
WhatsApp and FaceTime calling are restricted on UAE networks, and that catches many visitors out. Our UAE plans run on Du, with 5G, but send your data out to the internet in Europe, so calls in WhatsApp and FaceTime generally connect on mobile data.
Local wifi in the UAE will still block them, at the airport and in your hotel. For a call home, switch wifi off and use the eSIM's data.
The same Europe exit means some websites and apps may treat you as being in Europe rather than the UAE. That rarely matters on a stopover. Our guide to where your eSIM's internet comes out explains when it does.
Prices for popular trips
- Singaporefrom US$3.20
- United Arab Emiratesfrom US$5.80
- Qatarfrom US$5.30
- Hong Kongfrom US$3.60
- Globalfrom US$11.90
Cheapest plan with 1GB or more, in US dollars from our catalogue, updated 27 Sep 2026.
Questions travellers ask
Do I need an eSIM for a Singapore layover?
For a few hours inside the airport, usually not, because most big hubs have free wifi. For a night or more in the city, yes. A small Singapore plan or a day of Endless costs little, and it only starts when it first connects in Singapore.
Will my Europe eSIM work in Dubai or Doha?
No. None of our Europe plans covers the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore or Hong Kong. Buy a small plan for the hub, or a Global plan if you want one eSIM for both, which costs more.
Can I have two eSIMs on my phone?
Yes. Most phones that take an eSIM can store several. Install the stopover plan and your main plan at home, then switch on the one for the place you land in and set it as your mobile data line. Most phones keep only two lines on at once, so with your home SIM on, use one eSIM at a time.
Does a stopover use days on my main eSIM?
Not if your main plan does not cover the hub. Our plans start when they first connect in a country they cover, so a Europe plan waits until you land in Europe, and its days start then.
Is there one eSIM for a Singapore stopover and Europe?
Yes, a Global plan covers both, but it costs more than a Europe plan and a small Singapore plan together. For most trips, two eSIMs on one phone is the cheaper way.
Do WhatsApp calls work in Dubai on a travel eSIM?
Usually yes, on ours. WhatsApp and FaceTime calling are restricted on UAE networks, but our UAE plans send your data out to the internet in Europe, so calls generally connect. Local wifi in the UAE will still block them.