U Mobile data roaming - Package options, international roaming rates, and more

If you’re a U Mobile pre- or postpaid plan holder, and you’re planning a trip, you’ll need to choose the right U Mobile international roaming option¹ for your needs. Otherwise you won’t be able to easily access your phone data once you leave Malaysia - making access to essential tools and services tougher than it needs to be.

This guide looks at the U Mobile data roaming packages available, and the U Mobile roaming rate you’ll pay.

U Mobile Data Roaming

U Mobile data roaming is available for some customers who have a postpaid plan, as part of the plan’s monthly fee. You can also buy a specific roaming package as a prepaid customer, or if you need to add more countries into the coverage offered by your postpaid plan. Roaming packages are offered on a daily basis.

Differences between U Mobile international roaming, local SIM card, and travel eSIM

When you’re travelling it’s pretty essential to have continuous phone data coverage, to access maps, manage your money, connect with others and make all the necessities of daily life that bit easier. Broadly speaking you can pick from one of these options:

• Activate international roaming on your normal Malaysian phone
• Buy a local SIM card on arrival at your destination
• Use a travel eSIM if you have a compatible device

There’s no single best option here. Buying a local SIM on arrival in your destination can be cheap in some countries - but not always. It also has the disadvantage that you’ll need to remove (and look after) your Malaysian SIM, so you can reconnect when you get back home. You’ll have a different number when using a different SIM, so will need to give the foreign number to people who want to connect with you while you’re away.

Using a travel eSIM can be a bit easier if you have a compatible device. In this case you don’t need to switch out a physical SIM card, but you will still have a different number when using the travel SIM overseas.

Using international roaming can be the most convenient option if you can find a plan that works well for your specific trip. You won’t need to change out your physical SIM card, or get a new foreign number just for the purposes of travel. Plus, depending on the U Mobile plan you have, you may even get some roaming for free as part of your postpaid package.

U Mobile roaming package options

Some U Mobile postpaid packages include some roaming as part of the regular fee.

If you want roaming in a broad range of countries, you’ll be best off with the U Postpaid 98 package, but if your priority is for local travel, you can also get U Mobile roaming for Singapore, U Mobile roaming for Thailand and U Mobile roaming for Indonesia as part of the U Postpaid 68 plan.

The other option is to buy a U Mobile prepaid roaming package² on a day-by-day basis. You can do this as a prepaid customer, or if you have a postpaid plan and need to add in greater roaming coverage to make sure you’re able to receive a signal in your destination.

U Mobile roaming packages are available for varied daily fees, depending on where you’re heading off to. We’ll look at the fees in a moment - first, here’s an overview of your U Mobile roaming options.

U Mobile roaming rate

If you would prefer a postpaid U Mobile plan, you can choose between U Postpaid 68, which costs 68 MYR a month, or the U Postpaid 98, at 98 MYR a month⁴. As well as accessing some roaming as part of this plan, you’ll also get plenty more services locally - but bear in mind you may be locked into a contract as part of this plan, which comes with ongoing costs.

If you’re a U Mobile prepaid customer, you can add on a U Data Roam package for either 10 MYR a day or 36 MYR a day. The cheaper plan only covers a relatively small number of countries, but both offer up to 500 GB roaming data daily.

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Order your Wise card here

How to buy data roaming U Mobile

If you’re planning on getting a U Mobile postpaid plan you’ll usually need to visit a store to sign up for your package. However, if you’re a prepaid customer, you can buy your roaming package right from your phone.

The ways you can set up roaming can vary depending on whether or not you’ve been with U Mobile for 6 months or more, but can include:

• Activate roaming via UMB * 118 *6#
• Send an SMS ON ROAMIDD to 28118
• Call U Mobile on 1318
• Activate roaming via MyUMobile App
• Activate roaming via U Mobile Self Care

How to activate roaming U Mobile

You’ll need to set up your data roaming before you travel to make sure that you have seamless service when you’re away from home. In all cases, you need to use a U Mobile preferred provider when you’re abroad, so you’ll need to take a look at the providers available in your destination.

Once you arrive, simply turn on roaming and manually connect your phone to one of the preferred U Mobile operators to get service.

U Mobile contact details

If you have an issue with your U Mobile data roaming package you can get in touch with the team in the following ways:

• Call U Mobile on +6018 388 1318
• Use the online form which lets you enter the details of your question and get a call back
• Open a chat in the U Mobile app
• Use U Mobile’s social media contacts on Facebook and Instagram

Bring along the Wise card when you’re abroad to get the most out of your foreign currency transactions

While you’re setting up your U Mobile international roaming, why not also check out Wise and the Wise card for smart ways to spend overseas without high, unexpected or unfair fees⁵.

You’ll be able to use your Wise account to hold and exchange 40+ currencies with low fees and the mid-market rate. Add money in ringgit and tap to pay with your card or using a wallet like Apple Pay, in 150+ countries. Plus, all Wise accounts even offer up to two free overseas ATM withdrawals every month for those times only cash will do.