1 GB
Valid for 7 days
$6.99
$6.99 per GB
eSIM for Taiwan
Taiwan is an easy country to travel and a hard one to travel offline. Train and high-speed rail tickets live in apps, night market stalls are found by map pin rather than address, mountain bus timetables change with the weather, and the fastest way to reach a guesthouse in Jiufen or Hualien is a LINE message. Google Maps transit directions for Taipei are accurate down to the MRT exit number, which only helps if you have data.
A FairSIM eSIM roams onto Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom, the two networks on our coverage sheet, both running 5G in the cities and 4G LTE nearly everywhere else. You install it over Wi-Fi at home, land at Taoyuan or Songshan, switch the line on, and walk straight to the MRT or the airport bus. Four plan sizes are on sale for Taiwan, from a long weekend in Taipei to a month circling the island.
One local rule to plan around: FairSIM is data only, so you get no Taiwanese phone number. That is fine for maps, LINE, banking apps and hotspot, but a handful of Taiwanese services still gate registration behind an SMS to a local 09 number, YouBike bike share being the one travelers hit most. Your credit card, your hotel front desk, or a Klook booking usually gets you around it. National earthquake and typhoon alerts arrive on any phone in Taiwan regardless of which SIM you use, so keep notifications on.
Taiwan eSIM plans
Wholesale rates in US dollars, with nothing added at checkout. Buy in the FairSIM app and the plan is on your phone in seconds.
How long is your trip?
All plans. Pick a trip length to narrow the list.
- Get it in the app for Taiwan
3 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Taiwan$14.99
$5.00 per GB
- Best value
10 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Taiwan$29.99
$3.00 per GB
Unlimited
Valid for 15 days
Get it in the app for Taiwan$69.99
Speed policy shown in the app
Coverage in Taiwan
- 4G LTE
- 5G
- Taiwan MobileThe second largest operator, bigger since it absorbed Taiwan Star in 2023. 5G across Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, with 4G on the rest of the island.
- Chunghwa TelecomThe former state carrier and the largest network, with the widest reach into mountain valleys, the east coast and outlying areas. 5G in the cities, 4G and 3G as fallback.
Typical speed: Fast enough for video calls and maps in any city; 5G in Taipei and the western metros is noticeably quicker than 4G, and the difference matters mostly for uploads.
Taipei, New Taipei, the whole west coast rail corridor, Hualien and Taitung are solidly covered, including most MRT and high-speed rail tunnels. Expect gaps on high mountain trails around Yushan and Hehuanshan, on some Taroko and Central Cross-Island roads, and on parts of the Suhua coast.
How much data do you need in Taiwan?
It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.
Taipei city break, 4 to 6 nights
MRT hopping, night markets, Beitou hot springs and a day trip to Jiufen.
Why data matters: Google Maps for MRT exits and bus stops, LINE for guesthouses and tour guides, EasyCard top-up checks, restaurant queue tickets and translation of menus.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
West coast by high-speed rail
Taipei to Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung on THSR, one city at a time.
Why data matters: Mobile tickets and QR codes, live seat changes, Google Maps in four cities, and hotspot for a laptop on the train.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Round-the-island loop
Two to three weeks by train, scooter or bicycle down the east coast and back up the west.
Why data matters: Offline maps as a backup, weather and typhoon updates, guesthouse bookings made the same day, and photo uploads once you are back in 5G.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Hiking and mountains
Alishan, Hehuanshan, Yushan permits, Taroko and the Central Cross-Island roads.
Why data matters: Permit paperwork, trail conditions and road closure notices, bus timetables that shift with the weather, and a satellite-free GPS that still needs map tiles downloaded in advance.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Work trip or nomad month in Taipei
Meetings in Xinyi, coworking in Da'an, weekends out of the city.
Why data matters: Teams and Zoom on the eSIM instead of cafe Wi-Fi, Personal Hotspot for the laptop, and large file uploads on 5G.
- 7 days
- Unlimited
- 14 days
- Unlimited
- 30 days
- Unlimited
What your home carrier charges in Taiwan
Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Taiwan start at $6.99 and never bill per day.
Taiwan sits outside EU roam-like-home and outside most UK inclusive zones, so European carriers charge a day pass or out-of-bundle rates here. Check your own tariff, since these are published list prices and change.
| Carrier | Roaming charge | FairSIM |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T International Day Pass (US) | $12 per day per line, $6 for additional lines | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Verizon TravelPass (US) | $12 per day, high-speed data then slowed | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| T-Mobile International Pass (US) | $5 for 1 day and 512 MB, $35 for 10 days and 5 GB, $50 for 30 days and 15 GB | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| EE Travel Data Pass (UK) | £7.50 per day for destinations outside the inclusive Europe zone | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Vodafone UK Global Roaming Plus | £7.86 per day | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Telekom Germany (EU) | Taiwan is outside the EU zone, so a world day pass or per-megabyte rates apply; check the current DayPass World price before you fly | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Telstra Day Pass (Australia) | A$10 per day for 2 GB | from $6.99, no daily fee |
Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.
How FairSIM works
- 1
Pick a destination and a plan
Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.
- 2
Tap install
On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.
- 3
Land and connect
Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.
Connectivity tips for Taiwan
Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and leave the line switched off until you land; validity typically starts at the first connection to a Taiwanese network.
Buy an EasyCard at any MRT station or convenience store. It pays for the metro, buses, most TRA trains, YouBike and a coffee, and it saves fumbling for coins.
The airport MRT to Taipei Main Station takes about 35 minutes on the express; the bus is cheaper and runs all night when the MRT does not.
Download Google Maps offline areas for Taroko, the Suhua coast and the mountain roads before you leave a city, because those are the gaps.
Watch typhoon news in July to September. City governments announce typhoon days the evening before, and trains, ferries and trails close fast.
National earthquake and typhoon alerts come through Taiwan's public warning system on any phone, no local SIM required. Do not silence them.
Turn Personal Hotspot on for your laptop on the high-speed rail rather than paying for onboard access; every FairSIM plan allows hotspot.
Keep your home SIM active for bank codes and set its data roaming to off, so nothing quietly bills you while the eSIM carries the data.
Apps you will actually use
- Google Maps transit directions in Taipei are excellent, down to which MRT exit to use; download the east coast before you drive it.
- LINE the default messaging app in Taiwan. Guesthouses, tour operators and even some restaurants reply on LINE, not email.
- T-EX (Taiwan High Speed Rail) book and store THSR tickets, including the foreigner discount passes; the QR code scans at the gate.
- Taiwan Railway the slower TRA network for the east coast, Pingxi and Alishan connections, where seats sell out on weekends.
- Uber and Taiwan Taxi 55688 Uber works in the main cities; 55688 is the big metered taxi fleet and reaches smaller towns.
- EasyWallet checks and manages your EasyCard balance for MRT, buses, convenience stores and many trains.
- Klook how most visitors buy Alishan buses, hot spring entries, SIM-free tour pickups and theme park tickets in Taiwan.
- foodpanda and Uber Eats delivery works almost everywhere on the west coast, often faster than finding an open kitchen after 21:00.
Several Taiwanese services want a local 09 mobile number for SMS verification, YouBike being the classic example; a data-only eSIM cannot receive that. Register YouBike with a credit card at a kiosk, ask your hotel, or rent from a shop instead. Keep your home SIM in the phone for bank one-time codes, with its data roaming switched off.
Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?
Free Wi-Fi is genuinely widespread: iTaiwan and Taipei Free cover MRT stations, libraries and public buildings, most 7-Eleven and FamilyMart stores have hotspots, and cafes and hotels almost always offer one. Registration for the government networks can want a phone number or passport details, and sign-in pages sometimes fail on mobile browsers. Speeds in a busy convenience store or on a station platform are fine for messages and rarely good for a video call. Treat Wi-Fi as a bonus and keep the eSIM as the connection you rely on for maps and tickets.
Local SIM card or eSIM in Taiwan?
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone all run counters in the arrivals halls at Taoyuan Terminals 1 and 2, and there are desks at Songshan and Kaohsiung. Tourist prepaid SIMs are usually sold as unlimited data for a fixed number of days, from a few days up to a month, and they come with a Taiwanese number and a small call balance. You will need your passport, and staff often ask for a second piece of photo ID, so carry a driving licence. Counters keep long hours but are not all open around the clock, and queues after a wave of arrivals can eat 30 minutes.
A FairSIM eSIM roams on Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom, the same towers, and is installed before you leave home, so you land connected with nothing to queue for and no passport photocopies. The trade-off is honest: no local number, so SMS-gated Taiwanese apps stay out of reach, and heavy streamers may prefer a truly unmetered local plan. If you want a number for YouBike and delivery apps, buy a local SIM and keep the eSIM as the data line and the backup when one network drops out.
Good to know before you land in Taiwan
- Currency
- New Taiwan dollar (TWD, NT$); roughly NT$30 to NT$32 to the US dollar
- Plug type
- Type A and Type B (US style, two flat pins)
- Voltage
- 110 V, 60 Hz
- Emergency number
- 110 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance
- Language
- Mandarin Chinese, with Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka widely spoken; English signage on transport, less English outside Taipei
- Time zone
- UTC+8, no daylight saving
- Capital
- Taipei
Taiwan eSIM questions
Does eSIM work in Taiwan?
Yes. An unlocked eSIM phone connects to Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom with a travel eSIM. On iPhone that means XS, XR or newer, and iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install.
Which network will my Taiwan eSIM use?
Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom. Chunghwa has the widest reach in the mountains and on the east coast; Taiwan Mobile is strong across the western cities. The app shows the network for each plan.
Is there 5G in Taiwan?
Yes, on both networks, mainly in Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and along the western corridor. Elsewhere you get 4G LTE, which is fast enough for maps, LINE and streaming. Your phone needs 5G support to use it.
Do I get a Taiwanese phone number?
No. FairSIM plans for Taiwan are data only. Calls and messages over LINE, WhatsApp, FaceTime and Telegram work normally, but you cannot receive an SMS to a local 09 number.
Can I register YouBike with a travel eSIM?
Not by SMS, because you have no local number. Register at a kiosk with a credit card, use a booking platform, or rent from a bike shop instead. Everything else in Taipei runs off your EasyCard.
Can I use Personal Hotspot in Taiwan?
Yes. Every FairSIM plan supports Personal Hotspot, with no separate cap, which is the simplest way to get a laptop online on the high-speed rail.
Should I install the eSIM before or after landing?
Before. Install over Wi-Fi at home, then enable the line and data roaming once you land at Taoyuan, Songshan or Kaohsiung. You will have data before you reach the MRT.
How much data do I need for a week in Taiwan?
A Taipei week on maps, LINE, photos and some video is roughly 5 to 8 GB. Two weeks touring the island with daily uploads is closer to 15 to 20 GB. Choose unlimited if you stream or work on the road.
Local SIM or eSIM for Taiwan?
A local tourist SIM gives you unlimited data and a Taiwanese number, but needs a passport, sometimes a second ID, and a queue at the airport. A FairSIM eSIM is installed before you fly, roams on Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom, and can be topped up or extended from the app. Many travelers run both.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.
Is my phone compatible?
FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer, on iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install with no QR code. iPhones bought in mainland China do not support eSIM at all, even when unlocked. Not sure yours is unlocked? Check Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock, or ask your carrier. The full list is on the How it works page.
When should I install my eSIM?
Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.
Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?
No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.
Traveling beyond Taiwan?
Get your Taiwan eSIM in the app
Plans from $6.99. Install before you fly, track your data live, and top up in seconds if you need more.
Download on theApp Store
iPhone XS or later · iOS 17.4+ for one-tap install
