(Accidental) cellular roaming in Japan was once a traveler’s nightmare, but roaming has become, for some visitors at least, a viable alternative to travel SIMs and rental Wi-Fi.
Here, we review Japan roaming rates for some of the most popular phone networks in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia, so you can figure out whether it’s the best way to stay connected on your trip.
Roaming in Japan on US mobile providers
Some of the bigger US providers offer roaming to existing customers as part of their monthly plans, or as an add-on. Here’s a look at some of the bigger names.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile customers can use their existing Go5G plans to roam while traveling overseas. The basic Go5G plan offers unlimited 256kb speeds, which might work for someone who just wants to use maps and check locations on the go, but otherwise plans to rely on the hotel wifi.
The bigger Go5G Next or Plus plans will give you 5GB of high-speed data and unlimited 256KB speeds while in Japan. All of these plans also include US$0.25 calls and free texts.
Verizon
Verizon’s TravelPass will give you unlimited calls, text, and data for US$10 per day. If you opt to keep your data roaming off and not use it, you’ll only get charged for the days you receive or make calls, send texts or use data.
The fine print says that while your data is unlimited, it’ll be slowed down to 3G speeds after your first 2GB of data use. You’ll need to purchase extra high-speed data if you want more.
AT&T
Similar to Verizon, the International Day Pass from AT&T offers roaming for US$12 per day. It is an add-on for those with an existing Unlimited plan.
Roaming in Japan on UK mobile providers
Vodafone UK and EE seem offer some of the most feasible data roaming in Japan. Here are the details.
Vodafone UK
Vodafone UK has different roaming plans depending on how you pay your phone bill and when you started your existing contract. If you pay monthly and started your contract after August 2021, you’ll get calls, texts, and up to 25GB of data for an extra £7.39 per day. If you started your contract before August 2021, you’ll get the same for £6 per day, on top of your existing monthly bill.
If you’re on a PAYG Plus plan, you can buy an Around the World Extra add-on for between £5 and £27. Those on a PAYG plan will be charged for individual calls, texts, and data, with rates available via the company website.
EE
For Pay Monthly customers, EE has rather expensive call rates at £2.52 per minute for both incoming and outgoing calls. Texts are also 82p. However, you can buy data add-on packages — these might be useful for those needing very little data. Day rates start from £8.45 per day for 150MB of data. For PAYG customers, calls and texts are a bit cheaper at £1.80 per minute and 60p, and you can buy a data add-on when you land.
Roaming in Japan on Australian mobile providers
For Australia, Telstra and Optus offer reasonable roaming plans for those who want the option of voice calls and text. If you only need data, an eSIM might be a cheaper option if you’re coming from this part of the world.
Telstra
Telstra has an International Roaming Day Pass for Upfront Mobile Plan customers. Their prices differ depending on the region you’re traveling in, but for those visiting Japan, you get unlimited calls, SMS, and 2GB data for AU$10 per day. For those on pay-as-you-go plans, voice calls will be AU$3 per minute, texts, 75 cents, and data is a pretty hefty AU$3 per MB.
Optus
Optus Choice Plus customers can roam in Japan from AU$5 per day for 5GB of data and unlimited standard calls and texts. If you’re not a Choice Plus customer, the Optus Roaming Pass is $10 per day and includes 1GB of data and unlimited national calls and texts. This applies to most postpaid mobile plans; certain plans may already have certain roaming inclusions, or incur standard roaming rates.
Roaming in Japan on New Zealand mobile providers
New Zealand also has a few providers that offer feasible roaming rates for Japan. Here are the details.
Spark
For NZ$30, you can add a roaming pack (with data) to your Spark plan or prepaid card. It gets you 2GB of data, 300 minutes of outgoing and incoming calls each, and 300 texts for 14 days. They also offer a 14-day, data-only plan for $14, which will give you 2GB of data.
One NZ
If you are on most Pay Monthly plans, you can add roaming for NZ$8 a day to use your One NZ data, minutes, and texts in Japan. For those with Prepay plans, there are a few different general or data-only roaming options. The Daily Prepay add-on will set you back NZ$6 per day for 200MB of data, 20 minutes of calls, and 20 texts. The weekly one costs $22 for 1GB of data, 100 minutes of calls, and 100 texts. The data-only packages are $3.45 daily for 50MBs, or $17.25 for a weekly 1GB of data.
Skinny
Skinny has a 7-day roaming data pack of 1GB for NZ$17. You can make it NZ$23 if you want calls and texts as well (200 minutes and 200 texts). If it’s a shorter trip, 500MB of data, 100 minutes of calls, and 100 texts will set you back $11 for 3 days.
2 Degrees
2 Degrees offers a pretty straightforward NZ$8 per day option to use your active Prepay or Pay Monthly NZ plan overseas, but you only get 1GB of high-speed data. After that, your speeds will slow down to a crawling 128Kbps.
Roaming in Japan on Singaporean mobile providers
Most SG phone providers provide data-only roaming options. Here’s an overview of what you can get.
Giga
GigaRoam costs S$5 for 5 days and gives you 1GB of data, making it a reasonable option for your trip to Japan if you only need a bit of data. However, if you want to make calls and texts, you may want to check their standard roaming rates.
Starhub
Their DataTravel plan is S$6 for 3 days and gives you 1GB in the Asia Pacific region. If you’re in Japan for longer, 30-day plans come in 2GB and 3GB options for $16 and $20 respectively. They also offer prepaid data SIMs, which range from $5 for 3 days to $25 for 4 weeks and 4GB of data.
Gomo
GOMO offers Japan roaming as an add-on to their 4G and 5G eSIM plans. To roam in Japan, you’ll need to buy the Worldwide add-on, which includes roaming in 50 destinations. Prices start at S$12 for 1GB and 7 days.
Singtel
Singtel has simple but effective ReadyRoam data plans for 18 Asian destinations, including Japan. Their 30-day plan costs S$18 for 4GB of data, and their 14-day plan is $35 for 10GB. If you’re also planning to travel outside of Japan, they have worldwide roaming plans, too.
MyRepublic
My Republic offers two different roaming offerings for its customers. Their data-only plans, dubbed “Travel Boosters”, include a 7-day, 1GB Japan option for S$14.90. They also have 30-day worldwide options for $39.90 with 1GB of data. Standard charges will be applied for calls and texts, and will differ depending on your location — so be sure to check the fine print.
M1
M1 has a range of different prepaid and postpaid roaming options depending on your existing plan. For postpaid customers, their Daily Passport will get you a rather large 3GB for S$3.95 per day, while their Data Passport will let you use your local data overseas for $15 per month. They also have an (expensive) unlimited data option for $25 per day in Japan. Their prepaid plan gives you 2GB of data and 10 minutes of calls for $28 every 10 days.
Roaming in Japan for Malaysian mobile providers
Here is a quick comparison of two of the bigger providers — CelecomDigi and Maxis.
CelcomDigi
CelecomDigi offers a 7-day roaming pass for Japan for RM58, which includes 2GB of daily high-speed data and 15 minutes of calls. This should satisfy most travelers’ needs and you’ll continue to get up to 1Mbps of unlimited data if your 2GB runs out. They also have a cheaper 3-day option if you’re here on a shorter trip.
Maxis
If you only need data, the unlimited data-only plans from Maxis are affordable at RM89 for 15 days, or RM119 for 30 days. Both plans offer 2GB per day of unlimited data, with speeds of up to 1Mbps after that.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use roaming, pocket wifi, a travel SIM, or eSIM when I’m in Japan?
It depends on your individual needs and budget. If you’re traveling in a group and just want data, it may work out cheaper to share data using a pocket wifi device. If you’re traveling solo, an eSIM is a good alternative to roaming (only if your device is unlocked) — it may work out cheaper, and could also give you more data. A prepaid Japanese travel SIM is another option. You can get voice and data packages for both eSIMs and physical SIM cards in Japan — see, e.g. Mobal.
If you want the option of using your existing phone number for voice calls and texts, as well as the general convenience, then roaming might be for you.
How do I use roaming while I’m in Japan?
It may sound like obvious advice, but once you land in Japan, check whether your roaming is turned on. While the location of this setting depends on your phone model, it is usually found in settings under “cellular data” and then “roaming”. Note that some providers need you to dial a number, receive a text, or agree to roaming charges on their website for it to be turned on, so check the fine print.
This article is intended only as an initial guide. Information may change, though it was accurate at the time of writing. Please carefully compare all options and prices before deciding about cellular roaming in Japan.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. The first version of this post was published in March 2020. Last updated in October 2024, by Patrick Balfe.
