eSIM Taiwan: compare, buy, and travel connected

Planning a trip to Taiwan? Whether you’re exploring Taipei’s bustling streets or the scenic Taroko Gorge, staying connected is essential. eSIMs offer a convenient, hassle-free alternative to traditional SIM cards. But what options are available to you, and which one provides the best internet across Taiwan?

Popular eSIM providers in Taiwan include Holafly, Knowroaming, TravelSim, and YeSIM. Holafly offers unlimited data plans ranging from $20.90 to $106.90, while Knowroaming provides a 15-day unlimited plan for $46. YeSIM is a budget-friendly option with 10GB for 30 days at $25.30. Travelers can purchase and activate these eSIMs online with a QR code.

This guide helps you choose the best eSIM for your trip, covering pricing, providers, and setup instructions. It also explores local eSIM alternatives and other internet options to provide reliable connectivity throughout your journey.

Requirements to install the eSIM Taiwan:

Before diving deeper into further details on how you can buy the new eSIM Taiwan, we’re going to show you the main and fundamental requirements that you have to meet to use this eSIM without any problem. Keep in mind that although more and more travelers use this product to connect to their destinations, there are still quite a few manufacturers that have not integrated eSIM technology into their cellular devices yet.

In order not to waste your money or your time, we have drawn out a list of requirements that you have to meet before buying this product. Indeed, some of these requirements are easy to meet, like having an email, and others are a bit more complicated. To clarify, these requirements are:

• As we mentioned before, one of the main features that determine whether you can buy this product is the compatibility of your smartphone. If your cellphone is incompatible with eSIM technology, that is, if it doesn’t have an eSIM included, you won’t be able to use this product in any way. The smartphones with the greatest compatibility are the iPhone XR and later versions.
• Once you make your purchase, you must have provided a valid email address to receive your eSIM.
• During the activation process of your eSIM you must have a prior internet connection so that there are no problems.
• Some providers will ask you to install their official app, or they will ask you to sign up under a new account on their website or platform. For this, they will ask you for your phone number, email, username, and password.

Mobile providers of eSIM cards to travel to Taiwan

Now that you know and meet all the requirements to buy and use the eSIM offered by the following providers, it’s time for you to know exactly which providers offer you the eSIM to travel to Taiwan. Certainly, it should be noted that all these providers that we will show you below are dedicated to the sale of temporary international eSIM cards. That is, eSIMs are intended for vacation trips or business trips whose duration doesn’t exceed one month’s time.

If you’re interested in buying an eSIM for Taiwan with a longer duration, keep reading this article, since soon we will show you how you can buy a local Taiwan eSIM.

Taiwan’s international eSIM providers are:

• Holafly
• Knowroaming
• TravelSim
• YeSIM

Prices and data plans of eSIM providers to travel to Taiwan

Now that you know which carriers can provide you with an eSIM for your trip to Taiwan, before deciding which one you’ll choose, you have to see the plans and prices of these providers. If you’re not familiar with them, don’t worry because below we have compiled all the prices and data plans that these providers offer on their eSIM cards for Taiwan.

Before looking at the prices and data plans, you should keep in mind that there may be providers that offer eSIM cards with enough data at a fairly reasonable price. However, in some cases these eSIMs they offer likely have low coverage. The most important thing about an eSIM and what gives it the most value is the coverage it provides you at your destination through its roaming agreements.

Holafly plans and prices in Taiwan:

• Unlimited data for 5 days at $20.90 USD
• Unlimited data for 15 days at $50.90 USD
• Unlimited data for 60 days at $106.90USD

Knowroaming prices in Taiwan:

• Unlimited data for 15 days at $46

TravelSIM plans to travel to Taiwan:

• 5 GB for 30 days at $63

YeSIM prices in Taiwan:

• 10GB for 30 days at $25.30

Comparison of eSIM providers in TaiwanTable 1. Comparison of eSIM providers to connect to the internet in Taiwan.

Features of the eSIM to travel to Taiwan

After seeing this comparative table between the providers available to buy your eSIM Taiwan, it’s time for you to know a little more about this product. And for this, we have listed the most common series of features that you can find in your next eSIM for your trip to Taiwan. Within these features, you will be able to appreciate both advantages and important details to consider.

If you’re not very knowledgeable about this product, here are the most important details and features of the eSIM for Taiwan:

• In most cases, eSIMs offer only data. If you want to make a call or something like that, what we can recommend is calling through VoLTE apps. These apps can be WhatsApp, Skype, and Telegram, among others.
• eSIMs can only be installed once after purchase, so avoid deleting your eSIM at all costs.
• A very beneficial feature is that with the eSIM our iPhone will become dual-SIM. This will allow us to use the eSIM together with our physical SIM card.
• The eSIM supports more than one data plan at a time, yet, only one can be used at a time.
• Depending on where you buy your eSIM you’ll be able to get more benefits, for example, with the Holafly eSIM you can share data with family and friends.

Coverage of the eSIM to travel to Taiwan

Previously we mentioned how important it is to have good coverage provided from the eSIM you buy. If the coverage provided by your eSIM is bad, or simply not that good, this will lead you to experience endless problems that will worsen your travel experience to Taiwan. These inconveniences can be lagging, or even losing the internet connection during your stay in certain areas of the country.  Under those circumstances, it can be a real nightmare.

If you want to avoid this, what we recommend the most is that you look at the roaming agreements that your provider has. In other words, the internet network that will be used to connect to Taiwan. If this network is from one of the best cellular operators, then your coverage will be good. For example, the Holafly eSIM Taiwan connects to the networks of Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile, the best cellular operators in the country.

If you want to know more, we invite you to take a look at the following cellular coverage maps.

Chunghwa Telecom 4G coverage map in Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom 4G coverage map in Taiwan. Source: GSMA

Taiwan Mobile 4G coverage map in Taiwan

Taiwan Mobile 4G coverage map in Taiwan. Source: GSMA

Local Mobile operators offering eSIM in Taiwan

If you’ve come this far, it’s because you are surely looking for an alternative to international eSIMs. An alternative that provides you with internet for much longer than a month. And this alternative is the local eSIM offered by cellular operators in Taiwan. Since these eSIMs work the same as the ones we show you throughout this article, the difference is that they are intended only for Taiwan residents, so their validity time is quite long.

To get an eSIM with one of the local operators in Taiwan you will have to sign up for a data plan with them, be it prepaid or postpaid, and make sure that they include an eSIM in the plan. Another alternative to getting your eSIM in Taiwan is to buy a plan without an eSIM and then request the transfer from the traditional SIM card to eSIM. Remember that for this you must have specific documents such as your passport, and you’ll have to follow certain procedures.

The local operators where you can buy your local eSIM are:

• APT
• Chunghwa Telecom
• FarEasTone
• Taiwan Mobile
• Taiwan Star

FAQ about eSIM in Taiwan

If after reading this article you have any questions, don’t worry because here at Roaming we will answer the most frequently asked questions about the eSIM Taiwan, to have the best experience during your trip.

Cintia Soto Tomeu

Adventurer, passionate traveler, and tech enthusiast. On Roami, I aim at sharing the best solutions to help you navigate the complexities of staying connected abroad, ensuring a hassle-free experience. I enjoy playing chess, reading Brian Greene, and exploring different cultures!