*The original was published in October 2018. Since then many Telcos have totally refreshed their prepaid plan.
*Post update No.1 on 5th June 2020- removed ookyo, Tron
*Post update No. 2 on 4th Sept 2021 – added TuneTalk Hi-Value plans, Digi Next, Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited, a total refresh of article
In 2020-2021, the latest trend in Malaysia’s mobile plan is definitely the affordable unlimited internet plans. Almost every telco now provide an unlimited internet mobile package.
Another important update is the Jaringan Prihatin Program, which offers a monthly discount of RM15 for subscription to new mobile plan and up to RM300 subsidy for device package (valid from 5 Mei 2021 to 30 September 2021). So, please use this opportunity properly if you’re eligible.
Having reviewed all the prepaid plans available in Malaysia right now, these are the best prepaid plans I have shortlisted:
- Best High Speed Prepaid Plan For Casual Users: TT Hi Value 35
- Best Prepaid Plan For Student: Yoodo Unlimited 35
- Best Prepaid Plan Under RM30: TT Hi-Value 25
- Best Prepaid Plan With Unlimited Hotspot: Secret Prepaid Plan
- Best Prepaid Plan With No FUP: Yoodo Unlimited 43
Comparison Of Cheap Prepaid Plans In Malaysia
Prepaid Plans | Price | Data Quota | Speed | FUP | Free Calls | Hotspot | Extra |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TT Hi-Value 25 | RM 25 | 25GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | Unlimited TuneTalk | Shared | |
TT Hi-Value 35 | RM 35 | 35GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | Unlimited All Network | Shared | 10GB Booster @ RM10 |
TT Hi-Value 48 | RM 48 | Unlimited | 6Mbps | 100GB | Unlimited All Network | 5GB | Booster Hotspot 5GB @ RM3 |
Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited 35 | RM 35 | Unlimited | 3Mbps | 50GB | Unlimited All Network | No hotspot | Unlimited Hotspot @ RM5 |
Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited 45 | RM 45 | Unlimited | 6Mbps | 50GB | Unlimited All Network | No hotspot | Unlimited Hotspot @ RM6 |
Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited 60 | RM 60 | Unlimited | 18Mbps | 50GB | Unlimited All Network | No hotspot | Unlimited Hotspot @ RM7 |
Celcom XPAX Unlimited | RM 35 | Unlimited | 3Mbps | No hard limit | Unlimited All Network | No hotspot | 20GB Hotspot @ RM10 |
Digi Data Khas Belia | RM 20 | 15GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | - | Shared | Unlimited TikTok, IG |
Digi NEXT 30 | RM 30 | 15GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | - | Shared | |
Digi NEXT 35 | RM 35 | 30GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | Unlimited All Network | Shared | |
Digi NEXT 45 | RM 45 | 40GB | Uncapped | Not applicable | Unlimited All Network | Shared | |
Umobile GX30 | RM 30 | Unlimited | 6Mbps | No hard limit | - | 6GB | |
Umobile GX38 | RM 35 | Unlimited | 6Mbps | No hard limit | Unlimited All Network | 12GB | |
Yoodo Unlimited 35 | RM 35 | Unlimited | 3Mbps | No hard limit | 100 minutes | 6GB | |
Yoodo Unlimited 43 | RM 43 | Unlimited | 6Mbps | No hard limit | 100 minutes | 6GB |
Why You Should Go For Prepaid
There are various factors to go for prepaid plans instead of postpaid plans. Among the factors, the two biggest driving factors for using prepaid plans are the flexibility of usage and money-saving.
Flexibility of Usage
For prepaid plans, there is no need to commit to any fixed term contract whether it is one year or two years. You can enjoy the privilege to change or swap to any new Telco whenever you want.
There is also no fixed monthly commitment. For postpaid plans, you are tied to a fixed amount of commitment but prepaid plans allow you to switch to cheaper or more expensive plans depending on your monthly budget. Or you may stop subscribing to a new monthly plan if you are away for long holidays.
Money-Saving
Generally, prepaid plans are always cheaper than postpaid plans because they are meant for consumers with a lower budget. Effective 6th September 2018, prepaid reload services are exempted from 6% Service Tax for Malaysians based on Section 34(3)(a) while the postpaid plans charge an additional 6% service tax (SST).
You can also use the Lazada and Shopee app to reload which gives nearly 5%-10% discount. And possibly earning some cashback or coin cashback.
As the Malay saying goes, ‘sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit’. Over time, all these little savings and cash backs add up to a significant amount.
Throughout the years, I have been a user of various mobile plans in Malaysia so I have a knowledge or two on advantages and disadvantages among the local telcos.
I understand an average consumer’s needs because I am standing in the same shoes. Combined with my thorough research and comparison of various prepaid plans, I am confident that I can help you to find the best Malaysia mobile prepaid plan.
Why You Should Trust Me
Throughout the years, I have been a user of various mobile plans in Malaysia so I know the advantages and disadvantages among the local telcos.
I understand an average consumer’s needs because I am standing in the same shoes. Combined with my thorough research and comparison of various prepaid plans, I am confident that I can help you to find the best Malaysia mobile prepaid plan.
How I Picked The Best Prepaid Plan
Network Coverage
Network coverage is the most crucial factor you should consider whenever choosing your mobile network provider.
The performance of a mobile network can vary depending on location. Some mobile networks perform well in both rural and city areas while some are just pure sh*t in the rural area as they do not have the infrastructure to support it. Without good network coverage, everything else on a prepaid plan is meaningless.
Speed
Data speed is the second most important factor and it is directly related to network coverage. There are 3G, 4G, 4G LTE and 5G networks.
Price
Each prepaid plan is packaged and priced differently. I am looking for the best and most practical bargain of them all.
Data, Call Time and SMS
Among these three, I consider data/internet is the most essential. Because apps like WhatsApps can easily replace conventional calls and messages (SMS). So, call time and SMS is less of my priority.
Validity
I will focus specifically on the 30-days validity prepaid package. Users with specific needs like extra-long validity periods can explore other available options which are currently out of my list.
How To Find The Best Telco Network In Your Area
Telco network coverage varies according to location. Generally, I would say Celcom has the widest network coverage which includes many rural areas. Maxis followed closely at second. Digi is in third place and the last one will be U Mobile.
To find out the best telco for yourself, please download the OpenSignal app from Google Playstore or Apple App Store.
Download OpenSignal> Open the app> Click on the map icon> View Network Stats
From here, you can see the best network speed based on real-world performance that is crowdsourced from other real users. In my area, you can see Celcom, Digi and Maxis are the top three telcos.
Best High Speed Prepaid Plan For Casual Users
TuneTalk Hi-Value 35
Get New TuneTalk Sim Port in to TuneTalk
For working adults, TuneTalk Hi-Value 35 is the best value high-speed prepaid plan. It is great for its generous 35GB data and unlimited call time to all networks.
Nowadays most telcos go for the unlimited data route with limited speed, this makes TT Hi-Value 35 plan an interesting and favourable choice. Because this TuneTalk prepaid plan offers high-speed data with no speed limit and no data limitation on WiFi hotspots.
The majority of us who already work have broadband internet both at home and at work. So, the 35GB of data should be sufficient to last for a full month.
In the worst-case scenario that you depleted your data, you can get a 10GB data booster for only RM10. It is the cheapest data booster among all prepaid plans.
Speed of mobile data internet is more important for us in order to get things done quickly. This plan is especially great for people who often need to download documents or videos on the go.
Moreover, Tunetalk is riding on the Celcom network which has the widest network coverage area in Malaysia.
With TuneTalk Hi-Value 35, you can enjoy the most stable and fastest mobile network speed on your smartphone.
Best Prepaid Plan For Students
Yoodo Unlimited 35
Get New Yoodo Sim Port in to Yoodo
In my opinion, Yoodo Unlimited 35 is the best prepaid plan for students. It offers unlimited internet with 3Mbps maximum download speed.
As a former undergraduate who stayed in University’s hostel, I understand how poor the school and hostel’s public WiFi is. Most of the time, they are almost unusable.
Students always need tons of data and also ideally, unlimited call time. As we all know, teenagers can binge watch YouTube/Anime for the whole day without any problem.
Given the current Covid19 condition, most students have to attend online classes and Zoom meetings too. It is best for students to go for a prepaid plan with an unlimited data plan, despite having a slower internet speed.
Yoodo doesn’t have unlimited calls but it has 100 minutes of free calls to all networks, which should be sufficient for most people. We can always use WhatsApp calls for less urgent matters.
Besides that, Yoodo has a 6GB WiFi hotspot quota. Although not much, it is good enough for occasional data sharing to other devices or with friends.
On a side note, 3Mbps is only good enough for 480p video streaming. If you try to stream video at a higher resolution, you will get a lot of video buffering.
For students who have a low budget but need unlimited internet, I highly recommend getting the Yoodo Unlimited 35. Yoodo Unlimited 35 is the cheapest unlimited internet with no FUP limit. Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited 35 is not suitable because it has 50GB FUP (fair usage policy), which essentially is only a 50GB plan with a speed cap. And the Celcom XPAX unlimited has no free calls at all.
Best Prepaid Plan Under RM30
TuneTalk Hi-Value 25
Get New TuneTalk Sim Port in to TuneTalk
If you want the cheapest prepaid plan in Malaysia, look no further, you should get the TuneTalk Hi-Value 25. It has a total of 25GB high-speed internet quota per month.
Digi Data Khas Belia is another option at only RM20 which is only available for users aged between 12-25 years old. It has only 15GB data but it has unlimited TikTok and IG usage. Still, I don’t recommend it since Digi doesn’t have the best network coverage.
Another competitor is U Mobile GX30, which has unlimited data and a 6Mbps speed limit. However, the GX30 plan is also not recommended because of the poor network coverage of U Mobile and the 6GB hotspot limit.
On the other hand, TuneTalk Hi-Value 25 has no speed limit and you can use the full 25GB data for WiFi hotspot/tethering.
All of the prepaid plans below RM30 have no unlimited calls features. The TT Hi-Value 25 has a slight advantage among these 3 prepaid plans as it has unlimited TuneTalk free calls.
In general, I’m neutral on whether to subscribe to prepaid plans under RM30. Because most of us are going to make some calls each month. And we will incur additional costs from those calls.
To be safe, I’d suggest getting RM35 prepaid plans with unlimited calls.
If you’re certain that you don’t need any call times at all, then I think TuneTalk Hi-Value 25 plan offers the best value for under RM30.
Best Prepaid Plan With Unlimited Hotspot
TuneTalk Hi-Value 35
Get New TuneTalk Sim Port in to TuneTalk
The thing is, there has never been an unlimited hotspot prepaid plan, at least until today. If you are always using WiFi hotspot, then TuneTalk Hi-Value 35 is the best choice
Hotlink claim that their unlimited prepaid plans have unlimited hotspot. Users only need to pay an extra RM5 to unlock unlimited hotspot.
BUT! Don’t forget that hotlink has a hard limit FUP of only 50GB for all of its unlimited data plans. So, they are not the real deal, they are not unlimited as they claim.
Next, let me show you some simple math why Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited is not worth the money.
From the comparison above, you can clearly see that you are paying RM1 for 1GB of data for both Hotlink and TuneTalk prepaid plans. So, they are both equal in terms of internet quota.
However, TuneTalk Hi-Value 35 has no speed limit while the Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited is limited to only 6Mbps.
If you’re a heavy hotspot user, it is best to get the TuneTalk Hi-Value 35 which gives unlimited free calls to all networks as well. If you use more than 80GB hotspot per month, then you may want to check out Yoodo customized plan.
Best Prepaid Plan With No FUP
Yoodo Unlimited 43
Get New Yoodo Sim Port in to Yoodo
We all hate FUP on unlimited internet mobile plans. Because FUP is just another way that Telco tells you that it is actually a “glorified high quota limited data plan”.
There are a total of three qualified prepaid plans with no FUP: Celcom XPAX Unlimited, U Mobile GX38 and Yoodo Unlimited 43.
Out of the three, Yoodo Unlimited 43 offers the best value with 6Mbps speed, wide network coverage, and 6GB WiFi hotspot.
Celcom XPAX unlimited is capped at 3Mbps. Personally, I think we will need at least 6Mbps for a smooth internet experience in today’s standard. And, it doesn’t come with any free hotspot data. So, I don’t really encourage getting Celcom XPAX.
In fact, U Mobile GX38 is the cheapest unlimited data mobile plan with no FUP limit. It only costs RM35. The speed limit is 6Mbps and the hotspot quota is 12GB, which is quite generous.
However, U Mobile is still suffering from poor network coverage after all the years. If you are living in an area with a good U Mobile signal, then the GX38 is a sweet deal.
In short, I prefer Yoodo Unlimited 43 over U Mobile GX38 because of its better network coverage, despite it being slightly more expensive.
Conclusion
Malaysians are lucky to have a competitive and vibrant mobile network ecosystem. We have the choice of more than 10 mobile service providers available on the market (including redONE, XOX, Yes and Unifi Mobile).
Personally, I am a bit disappointed to see Digi no longer offering any competitive prepaid plan packages in 2021.
Remember that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to mobile plan choice. Everyone has different needs and consumption habits. Take the time to explore all the available prepaid plans, and you will surely find one plan that suits your requirements.