eSIM data plans for Taiwan

Two ways to get online in Taiwan: a fixed amount of gigabytes on Chunghwa Telecom, or a daily unlimited plan on Taiwan Mobile. Both run on 4G and 5G.

Fixed data plans, sized to the trip

The Chunghwa Telecom plans start at 1GB for a week and go up to 50GB for a month, so a short weekend visit and a month of daily navigation, messaging and photo uploads both have a matching size. If the data in a plan runs out before the trip does, a top-up restores it on the same eSIM, so picking a size is about a comfortable starting point rather than a final number.

Unlimited by the day, on Taiwan Mobile

The Taiwan Mobile plans are sold by the day, from a single day at $5 up to 30 days at $123, and carry a fair use policy: past a daily amount, speed is reduced for the rest of that day before returning to normal the next. This suits a traveller who would rather set a number of days than watch a data counter, particularly on a trip built around maps, video calls or streaming.

Deciding between the two

A short stay with light browsing and messaging fits neatly into one of the smaller fixed data plans. A trip with heavier daily use, or one where counting gigabytes is simply more than a traveller wants to think about, fits the day-based unlimited plans instead. Both can be matched closely to the length of the visit, from a single day to a full month. A trip that includes booking train seats through Taiwan Railway's own app, which handles payment and issues QR-code e-tickets, is the kind of daily app use that points toward the unlimited plans.

Buying ahead of the flight

Validity begins at the first connection to a network in Taiwan, not at purchase or installation. An eSIM bought and installed days or weeks before departure sits ready and unused until arrival, so there is no reason to wait until the last minute to buy. Taiwan also asks arriving travellers to complete the Taiwan Arrival Card, a free online immigration form, on the National Immigration Agency's site before they travel, so it is worth doing that step wherever you have a connection beforehand.

Sharing the connection

Hotspot and tethering are allowed on every plan, fixed data and unlimited alike, so a single eSIM can also cover a laptop or a second device travelling with the same person.