What is the best prepaid and unlimited data SIM card for me?
With what SIM, can I pass Covid-19 Quarantine and Immigration in Incheon International Airport
Updated : 2022. 11. 18
version 1.61
Unlimited data SIM? 4G LTE Prepaid SIM? or WiFi Egg?
Abstract
- Korea eSIM Red or Korea eSIM Sky is highly recommended for Covid-19 Quarantine and Immigration in South Korea, on the condition that you have a smartphone which has eSIM function. It is perfect solution you can know your Korean Phone number which will be used for registrating in Covid-19 Quarantine app. even before boarding the airplane.
- If your phone does not support eSIM function, you can choose Korea SIM Gold and pick it up in the airport in Korea.
- Above all 3 products have 4G unlimited data and RECEIVING voice and message function. If you want to use OUTGOING voice and message function, you should choose Korea SIM Blue Plus. But in this case, for you to pass Covid-19 quarantine in airport, the phone number should be updated afterwards. It can be only delivered by parcel in South Korea. You can designate the hotel address when you order.
- The details is described well in another article of mine: How to Pass Covid-19 Quarantime and Immigration In Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea with Korea SIM
General
Nowadays, related to Covid-19 situation, Korean Government request foreigners who are about to visit Korea to submit their cell phone number on arrival in Incheon International Airport. So, If you have a plan to travel to Korea, you should prepare for a prepaid SIM which has a Korean phone number before landing in Seoul.
On the other hands, South Korea is the best country offering best quality of mobile network that any visitors must experience. The quality and coverage of the 4G LTE network is second to none in the world. It covers almost 99.9% of the whole region in South Korea with 4G LTE network, therefore it is not just a subsidiary option but a major tour package itself that is highly recommended to try.
It is even leading the mobile 5G global standard now. Especially, top 3 telecom company, SKT(SK Telecom), LGU+(LG Uplus) and KT(Korea Telecom) eagerly try to advertise its technological superiority for the world.
So, this article would like to share every checkpoint to enjoy mobile network in Korea such as what product to choose or what to be aware.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Korea_(South) shows the general introduction but it’s not only too massive to effectively search or compare information or products nor hard to notice but it also displays meaningless products from A to Z and it makes users harder to choose.
If there’s any missing points or anywhere needs modifications, it’ll be constantly updated in the future with continuous feedbacks so please feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions. I’ll focus on getting best products based on that.
Things to check
Most of the mobile devices made outside of Korea are available to use in Korea. As long as the device allows to plug in the USIM regardless of its USIM size or type, all smartphones, tablet PCs, routers or laptops are all available.
The reason its size or type doesn’t’ matter is because almost of them comes in 3-in-1 type (nano, micro and general) and you can pick the size your device allows. (Most of the devices produced recently are made with nano size.) But to make it more securely, let’s keep those 3 in mind.
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The smartphone has to be unlocked.
No need to explain but literally make sure if the device you are willing to use is restricted to specific telecom company or specific country. If so, you can not use the device with Korean local SIM. But don’t worry. Most of the countries allow to unlock immediately by calling the current telecom company or production companies and offer them IMEI numbers of yours. -
Check the network techniques and frequencies.
It is not working if your phone is CDMA base or doesn’t allow SIM card to plug in. Only devices with LTE or WCDMA that allows SIM card in it are available. Also if the device supports Korean LTE frequencies, you can use LTE. If it doesn’t support LTE frequencies, it’ll be connected to 3G WCDMA. Among those networks, SKT(SK Telecom) and KT(Korea Telecom) SIM cards for tourists are dominantly being used because of its frequencies. LG U+ is CDMA based and therefore it’s limited to work! So LG U+ are focusing more on WiFi router even at the airport booth. -
If you have used Korean prepaid SIM card in your device before,
In this case, the SIM in the past could be still connected to the device so it may not be able to use with new SIM in. If newly purchased SIM is not working, you may be requested to call your previous telecom company and ask for deactivation. For your information, if it’s stolen devices or listed on a international blacklist, it is restricted to use.
Where to buy
There are 3 ways to buy it. What you need to be aware is it is not absolutely impossible to purchase in town outside of the airport but pretty bothering.
You can find some convenience stores like 7-11 in major places in Seoul or Haewoondae in Busan but you have to get to the store and in some case you may have language barrier. Best recommendable idea is buying from below 3 ways. It is not recommended to leave the airport with not getting the SIM card.
In fact, below 3 ways are the most dominant for visitors or foreigners coming to Korea, which are 1) purchase online prior to the arrival and pick up at the airport, or 2) purchase at airport convenience stores after arrival or 3) getting the SIM card from the airport telecom company service desk.
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Online Purchace and Pick up at Airport
It is strongly suggested and cheapest way to purchase online prior to the trip and to pick it up at the airport after arrival especially in this Covid-19 situation.The most reliable and commonly used online SIM shopping mall is Korea SIM card( https://www.krsim.net ). Koea SIM card is highly recommended because it’s on market directly from the telecom company and has all the best SIM solutions for tourists with cheapest price reward system. You can also choose eSIM there. From the actual experiences their CS is also very pleasant. No need to return after use.Roaming KT offers data unlimited plan and smartphone rental services in the airport but no premium 4G LTE is provided. There you can get only 5Mbps data SIM. Other than KT, there are other data unlimited USIM sellers getting their products from overseas tour agencies such as funko, trazy, klook, or kkday. But even though you order there, you will get the same product(kt 5Mbps unlimited data 5 days, 10 days and 30 days) with Roaming KT. In addition, it’s not only provided from Korean telecom companies directly but also complicated to get in touch with CS when needed so not recommended.Also you may see other online small distributor’s shopping mall such as linkkorea or neokoSIM, but some products of theirs are available only by visiting a specific offline store in town like Hongdae so not inconvenient enough as well. In case of EG SIM, it used to be widely used but currently it is extremely hard to get connected to CS center. It is easy to find people who cursing the company in Facebook of EG SIM. (It was also the starting point for me to start this posting). Still, I find so many blog articles that introduces EG SIM. I can clearly say it is outdated article and forget EG SIM.Please remember that if you can not find the information about data speed on the product detail page, it will offer just 5Mbps internet or below.
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Airport Convenience Stores
If you haven’t purchased the SIM card online in advance, getting one from the airport convenience store is another great way to get. There’s no differences from other countries where you can easily buy SIM cards from continence stores. It makes your trip easier and recommended to buy from airport convenience store whereas online purchase is needed to finalize reservation average 1~2 days ahead of the arrival.Korea SIM Blue is on market and I was told that only 7 days and 15 days are available there. And recently Korea SIM Orange (5, 10 and 30 days) was released, too. You can get them even at the same prices in CVS downtown. The price is a bit higher than online purchase though. (About 20%).# Incheon International Airport (T1): CU #1, #2 and #3 on 1F. Arrival Floor
# Incheon International Airport (T2): 7-11 on 1F. Arrival Floor
# Gimpo International Airport: 7-11 on 3F. (You can also get from Domestic Terminal or Subway Station “Gimpo Airport”)
# Gimhae International Airport : 7-11 on 1F. Arrival Floor
# Jeju International Airport : 7-11 on 3F.
CU convenience stores on the 1F arrival floor in Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 are the most actively purchasable places.
7-11 convenience stores on the 1F arrival floor in Incheon International Airport Terminal 2Separate from purchase, you can activate the SIM card by yourself whenever you need. In case of Inchon Airport, there’s red cap wearing staff helping activation in front of the Gate 10 and CU convenience store where says SIM card on the board on the arrival floor so you can get help. (8AM-8PM, 7 days a week)
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Airport Roaming Desk
Likewise, once you’re arrived at the airport and need the SIM card urgently, it is also one of the good idea to visit the telecom roaming desk. There are different roaming desks from different telecom companies (SKT, KT, LG U+) but it’s very busy with many crowds all the time, so you may need to wait more than an hour. And there, it is much more expensive than online.
Basically roaming centers sell unlimited data SIM card but if you want to use voice, you should set your credit card open for deposit and return the SIM after use, and pay extra charged if there’s any when you’re returning the SIM. Other than this they also have WiFi router rental and smartphone rental services.
What to buy – The Best SIM in South Korea
Here, I suggest the Best SIM in South Korea for foreign traveler. And online preorder is highly recommended. If you have a plan to arrive in Korea and to buy SIM in airport, it will be much more expensive and you can find few options to select.
한국어 페이지는 https://www.krusim.com 이며, 中文网站是 https://www.ktisim.com .
The Best 4G LTE Prepaid SIM for travelers in South Korea
CHOICE : Korea SIM BLUE
The Best 4G LTE Prepaid SIM I think is ‘Korea SIM BLUE’ which has recently released. It offers unlimited 4G LTE full speed(Max 150Mbps) data, Korean mobile number which starts with 010- , local voice call 100 min. and 100 messages at a very rational price starting from US$ 22.9. With it, everyone can use his phone just like in his home country with world best high quality and all coverage in Korea. International outgoing voice calls are impossible, but receiving voice calls from anywhere are for free of charge unlimitedly. (In fact, there is no SIM for travelers that enable international outgoing voice call in Korea.) It also offers the most various period option products, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days. Recently the price was set down from US$ 22.9 tempararily.
product package : 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 daysMain Features
Max. 150Mbps 4G LTE everywhere in Korea with your own Smartphone
No deposit / Offers 010 number (free incoming calls)
Local voice call 100 min. and Messages 100EA
Unlimited free for receiving calls and messages.
All the mobile services including voice call, message and internet.
24/7 Registration system (you can choose when to start)
Additional top-up available anytime by mobile APP
Available from Korea SIM Card ( https://www.krsim.net ) and offline stores such as CU or 7-Eleven.Price
Korea SIM Blue 5 days – US$ 22.9 (Online, discounted)
Korea SIM Blue 7 days – US$ 27.9 (Online, discounted), KRW 34,900 (CVS)
Korea SIM Blue 10 days – US$ 31.9 (Online, discounted)
Korea SIM Blue 15 days – US$ 40.3 (Online, discounted), KRW 49,900 (CVS)
Korea SIM Blue 30 days – US$ 58.9 (Online, discounted)
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The Best 4G LTE Data SIM for travelers in South Korea
CHOICE : Korea SIM Orange
Recently(July 2018), Korea No. 1 telephone company SKT(SK Telecom) released new outstanding 4G LTE unlimited data SIM. It offers 1GB per each day + unlimited data at 400kbps. Moreover, there is no need to activate or register the SIM, so on insrerting the SIM, you can start to use without any other process. As far I know, there is no other SIM which requires no activation in South Korea. Above all, The price begins with USD 4.75! I don’t know when the price promotion will be ended.
Also, you can enjoy Korean mobile number which starts with 010, and with it, you can receive voice calls from anywhere for free of charge unlimitedly.
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product package : 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30 daysMain Features
Max. 150Mbps 4G LTE everywhere in Korea with your own Smartphone
2GB at Full speed per each day and unlimited data at 400kbps speed
No need to Activate
Korea No. 1 Telecom compamy, SKT(SK Telecom)
No deposit / No need to return
Offers Korean Mobile 010 number
Unlimited free for receiving calls
Data Sharing(Tethering) and Messenger Talk(mVoIP) available
Available from Korea SIM Card ( https://www.krsim.net )
Price
Korea SIM Orange 1days – US$ 4.7 (Online, discounted), KRW 6,600 (Off-line in Airport)
Korea SIM Orange 3days – US$ 14.5(Online, discounted), KRW 18,000 (Off-line in Airport)
Korea SIM Orange 5days – US$ 22.0 (Online, discounted), KRW 27,500 (Off-line in Airport)
Korea SIM Orange 10days – US$ 29.65 (Online, discounted), KRW 38,500 (Off-line in Airport)
Korea SIM Orange 20days – US$ 48.7 (Online, discounted), KRW 60,500 (Off-line in Airport)
Korea SIM Orange 30days – US$ 55.5 (Online, discounted), KRW 71,500 (Off-line in Airport)
Cheapest internet with little convenience as long as it’s connected to network
CHOICE : SKT WiFi Router
Main Features
Wi-Fi connected with unlimited data without worry
Have to make a security deposit, and return the device to have the deposit back.
There will be a charge for a damaged or lost device.
Price
USD 2.9 / day (Online, discounted), Credit card open needed
Covid-19 prepaid SIM in Korea 