How to buy a Malaysian sim card in Penang

Malaysian sim cards are easy to arrange once you arrive in Penang, with a number of providers and packages to choose from, alongside a range of e-sims. Follow this simple guide to learn how to buy, register, activate and recharge your sim card in Penang, and whether you should consider an e-sim instead.

For anyone arriving in a new country, one of the first tasks on the to-do list is getting online. If you’re in Penang and need to get a Malaysian sim card, the choice and selection on offer can seem daunting, and that’s before you’ve factored in e-sims.

In this guide, we’ve collected together all the information you need to buy a sim in Penang, choose the best package, and get online.

Prepaid SIM

The prepaid sim is the version tourists and visitors to Penang are most likely to use. Prepaid means you pay upfront for a package which either expires after the data runs out, or after a time period, usually 30 days. Once that happens you need to recharge or top-up to stay online.

Postpaid plans usually require users to signup to contracts and pay at the end of the billing cycle, which is also usually 30 days.

For travellers and visitors to Penang, in the vast majority of cases, you’ll need the Prepaid SIM option as it has less red-tape and formalities than postpaid (e.g. credit checks or a permanent Malaysian address).

Why do you need a SIM?

The main reason to get a prepaid sim is so you can get online and access the internet, but it also means you’ll get a local Malaysian phone number. Penang is one of the most digital-focused states in Malaysia and so much of life here now happens online.

When you first arrive, your first few hours will probably have several online tasks including ordering your first Grab ride, communicating with your Airbnb host, or deciding how to spend your first day in Penang.

Aside from data and internet access, more and more websites require a Malaysian mobile phone number to register before first use, and they’ll need to send you a one-time passcode (OTP). International numbers are usually not allowed.

Free wifi is convenient but not always secure (consider using a VPN) and you’re never guaranteed to get a connection. From a safety perspective, it makes sense to be online, and not have to rely on someone else’s wifi connection.

Where to buy a sim card

Sim cards are available almost everywhere, including airport arrival halls, shopping malls, convenience stores, street-side vendors and online.

A registration process is required, so it’s usually easier to visit a shop where someone can guide you through the steps, register the sim, and confirm the process was successful.

Perhaps the easiest and most familiar place to buy a sim card is at 7-Eleven, who have stores all around Penang Island. The staff here can sell you the sim card and also complete the registration process for you, just remember to bring along your passport.

Who are the main operators

There are five main mobile network operators in Malaysia:

• Digi
• Celcom
• Yes
• Maxis
• U Mobile

Our personal recommendation is Digi as we’ve had a positive experience with them in Penang, with reliable connection and fast speeds. The pricing is also very competitive and their app works well.

Registration process

You’ll need to show your passport when you buy the SIM as it’s a government requirement that everyone shows ID before buying a SIM.

When we bought our first prepaid SIM in Lotus’s Mall at Tanjong Tokong, the friendly guy helped us to complete the whole process without us having to lift a finger. We were even given the option to choose our new phone number from a pre-defined list. It took about five minutes from start to finish.

Make sure your phone is unlocked and can accept foreign sims; most mobile phones are unlocked nowadays, but it’s best to double check.

Package types

There are many different package types (known as ‘add-ons‘), offering various combinations of internet speed, GB per month, number of call minutes and SMS options.

Usually when you first buy the sim activate, a basic package will be included that will get you online for a certain number of days before you need to reload and buy add-ons. Typically this will include around 10GB of data, certainly enough to get online and get through the first few days of your trip.

As an example, here are some popular internet packages in Penang (prices subject to change):

Topping up

As with everything nowadays, it’s nearly always easier to install the app and manage your account from there yourself. However, if you prefer, you could go back to the same place you bought the sim (or similar) and ask them to help; they’ll let you pay them in cash which might be easier in your first few days.

If you’re going down the self-service app route, when you run out of data (or your initial plan date validity has expired), you’ll first need to add some money to your account before you can get back online. What you might know as ‘recharging‘ or ‘topping up‘ is more commonly called ‘reload‘ and ‘add-ons‘ in Malaysia.

If you want to use a credit card or e-wallet, you can simply select your add-on in the app and proceed to the checkout to make payment. Once the transaction goes through, you’ll receive an SMS letting you know it has succeeded and you’ll be back online.

Alternatively, you can choose to reload your account first (e.g. add money to it) and then use the available balance to pay for the add-on. This can be done via a credit card on the app or, if you’d prefer to use cash, you can go to a newsagent (e.g. 7-Eleven) and ask for a Reload PIN, which can then be used in the app to add the credit to your account.

It’s usually easier to buy the add-on in one transaction rather than reloading first, but some travellers prefer not to use a credit card online, or you may have some unused balance to use up on your account.

You’ll get a local Malaysian number

Aside from getting online, another incredibly useful benefit of getting a local sim is that you’ll receive a local Malaysian number. Some websites, apps, discount cards, etc, let you use an international number but it’s more common that you’ll need a local number.

If you’re staying in Malaysia for more than a few days, this becomes increasingly useful. It also allows you to make local telephone calls if needed, e.g. to book a Penang restaurant, contact your tour guide or make plans to meet your new Malaysian friends.

Can you use an e-sim instead?

Yes, you can use an e-sim in Penang and they usually work smoothly. They’re undoubtedly more convenient than a physical sim but they’re vastly more expensive.

A 30 day, 3GB e-sim package usually costs from around $12 but you can’t choose which provider it’s with, which can be a problem if they offer a poor signal in your area. For comparison, the closest comparable package with a local sim would cost around $5, but you’d get 30GB of data.

The main advantages for e-sims are that they don’t need you to register in person with your passport, so they can be bought and installed before you arrive in Penang (they activate when first connected to a local network). For a lot of people, this offers peace of mind, especially in the first few days.

If your phone only has one sim slot, another plus point is that you can keep your home sim active, allowing you to receive one-time passcodes from all the websites and apps back home that you need to log into. You could swap sims around if needed, but it’s quite the hassle.

Final thoughts

Getting a local sim in Penang is a straightforward process and, aside from showing your passport, there is very little in the way of formality or red tape. The people working at the sim stalls and 7-Elevens are well used to tourists and know exactly what to do, and there’s never any question of being ripped off or cheated. Within a few minutes you’ll be online and connected to the world.

It’s worthwhile installing your provider’s app as soon as possible as it’ll make reloading and buying new packages much simpler, plus you can keep an eye on your usage. If you’re happy to use your credit card (and it works), it’s quick to add credit and buy a new package when you need to, otherwise you can buy Reload PINs from most newsagents around Penang.

The package cost is low by international standards and, assuming you won’t be using too much data, you’ll probably only need to pay around RM30 to stay online for a whole month. Do remember to use free wifi where possible, ideally while on a VPN.

E-sims are more convenient and let you keep your home sim in place (if your phone only has one sim slot), but they’re way more expensive, especially if you’re likely to use more than 3GB in a month. If possible, we’d recommend getting a local sim, mainly for costs reasons but also because you’ll be given a local Malaysian number.

Whichever option you choose, you’ll have soon ticked off this piece of life admin, and be free to focus on the more exciting things Penang has to offer.