Best Prepaid Plans In Malaysia: Our Picks
When it comes to paying for internet access in homes, the premise is fairly simple for fiber internet solutions: you pick the speed you want, and that’s about it. However, in the realm of mobile networks, it can get a bit confusing for some. Prepaid? Postpaid? Unlimited quota? Fair usage policy? That’s a lot of terms to juggle around, so in this two-part guide, we’ll get you up to speed on the best prepaid plans for your mobile network needs.
In Part 1, we’ll focus on the best prepaid plans. But what’s a prepaid? Simply put, you pay whatever you need to use upfront: the prepaid plan usually consists of a set data cap, validity period, and sometimes, restrictions on some features (or lack thereof) depending on the price tier you’re choosing. It’s great for budget-conscious users, and for those who only need mobile data occasionally as the situation calls for it.
Best Prepaid Plans In Malaysia: Our Picks
Unlimited Data Pass
First off, let’s talk about unlimited data passes. In most cases, unlimited data passes come with something called Fair Usage Policy (FUP): essentially, it’s a kind of hidden data cap that, once depleted, will throttle back your speed.
“Why impose a cap like this?” You might ask. Telcos argue that this is to ensure even access for all users to their networks. Think of 4G/5G as a giant Wi-Fi router – somebody in your family is constantly downloading huge chunks of data and it causes your devices to load webpages slower than usual, and that’s annoying right? FUP is designed to make way for everyone else so bandwidth hogs don’t ruin the internet experience for everyone else.
With that out of the way, here are our top picks for those looking to surf the web without quota worries:
Yes Prepaid FT5G Unlimited
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM30
+ Unlimited 5G speed
+ No FUP limits
– 4G limited to 7Mbps (for areas without 5G coverage)
The YTL-owned Yes has what we believe is the best value 5G plan if you don’t want to worry about data caps, and it is the only one that, as far as we can tell, doesn’t feature any kind of FUP limits. The only two limitations you have are: one, the hotspot quota is limited to 12GB; and two, speed is limited to 7Mbps if you’re out of the 5G coverage. As a bonus, Yes subscribers also get discounted pricing for accessing NVIDIA GeForce NOW operated by the same company in Malaysia.
Honorable Mention: Unifi Mobile UNI5G WOW 35
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM35 (auto-renew by default)
+ Unlimited 5G speed
– 4G limited to 5Mbps
– FUP applicable (50GB for both 5G & 4G)
The close second place belongs to TM’s Unifi Mobile, with its UNI5G WOW 35 package providing unlimited 5G, 5Mbps 4G, albeit with FUP limits applicable. Still, 50GB should be fine for most users, although it is slightly more expensive than Yes 5G, hence it ended up being our honorable mention here.
High-Speed Pass
So if you are less worried about eating up your data and more worried about waiting for the large files taking lots of time to arrive, speed is your best friend. Depending on your quota needs, you might want these options.
CelcomDigi Edisi Kuning Prepaid 5G 39
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM39
Quota: 75GB
+ huge 75GB quota
+ 100Mbps for both 5G & 4G connections
– Limited hotspot quota
If speed is your priority, but you don’t want to lose on quota – the CelcomDigi Edisi Kuning’s RM39 option could be for you. For this price, you get a whopping 75GB of quota (the company currently offers an additional 10GB at this writing) at the maximum speed of 100Mbps – it’s not the kind of 5G speed you’d get with true uncapped 5G that gets hundreds of Mbps, but 100Mbps is still plenty for anything you could throw at it.
Honorable Mention: Yoodo High-Speed25
Configuration: Data 20GB (5G included), Voice 100 minutes, no SMS
Price: RM25/month (RM20 data + RM5 voice)
+ Highly customizable
+ Cheap
– Larger quota options get expensive
Yoodo is one of the best-known MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) in recent years thanks to its highly customizable plans which allow you to get just the stuff you want, without spending anything more for things you don’t need. We previously reviewed the plans from this Celcom-owned telco operator, and you can read more about our experience using the Yoodo 5G Prepaid by clicking here.
Monthly Pass
If value is what you’re looking for while having a readily accessible internet when you need it, here are the best options we found. Both are priced at RM25/month, but you can choose between speed or quota.
Hotlink Pantas 5G Monthly Pass
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM25
Quota: 20GB (5G+4G) + 20GB (5G only)
+ High-speed internet
+ No hotspot restrictions
Honorable Mention: U Mobile Prepaid U25
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM25
Quota: Unlimited with 3Mbps
+ Speed booster available for occasional heavy usage
+ Unlimited quota
– No hotspot included in price
Both the Hotlink and the U Mobile cost RM25 for their most accessible monthly packages, and these two are what we consider as best value for two types of light users. For those who only occasionally go out and want to binge-watch the shows you have queued while riding a train, Hotlink’s Pantas 5G plan should provide you the speed you need, with just enough quota to chug along the month. Those preferring avoiding quota limits can go for U Mobile’s option, though it still has the same 20GB limit, albeit in FUP form.
Weekly Pass
If a monthly pass is too long for your needs, various telcos in Malaysia also offer weekly passes for when you need the internet for a shorter period. Again, we have picked the two options depending on your preference for quota versus speed:
CelcomDigi One-Time Pass 20GB
Validity: 7 days
Price: RM12
Quota: 20GB (5G+4G)
+ 100Mbps speed
+ sizeable 20GB quota
Honorable Mention: Hotlink Unlimited Internet 6Mbps
Validity: 7 days
Price: RM12
Quota: Unlimited
+ Uncapped speeds from 8pm-8am
+ Unlimited hotspots
– Slower
The same principle applies: we’ve picked the speed priority and quota priority options for the different types of users. We think CelcomDigi’s option is better since you’re unlikely to exceed 20GB of usage within a week even if you binge-watch a lot of things – the only thing it’s not designed to do is download the latest Call of Duty titles looking to hog a huge chunk of your PC storage. Hotlink’s option is worth considering as well, as Maxis offers uncapped speeds on nighttime daily – perfect for night owls.
Overseas Travel Pass
If you’re a frequent traveler (or a Johorean working in Singapore), you might want a plan that covers both ends of your journey. No more worrying about expensive roaming costs – it’s all covered with the plans below.
Note: not to be confused with Roaming passes, which are significantly more expensive.
Hotlink Pantas 5G Monthly Pass
Validity: 30 days
Price: RM60
Quota: 70GB (5G+4G) + 30GB (5G only)
+ Accessible in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand & Indonesia
+ High-speed internet
+ No hotspot restrictions
Honorable Mention: U Mobile 14-Day Travel Pass
Validity: 14 days
Price: RM35
Quota: Unlimited (FUP 50GB)
+ Accessible in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand & Indonesia
+ Unlimited quota
– Hotspot requires add-on
Not counting roaming passes (which are designed to be used abroad), there are very few prepaid plans in Malaysia that are designed to work in our neighboring countries as well. The best option we’ve found is the monthly-pass courtesy of Hotlink, and the two-week pass from U Mobile – both plans cover Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, on top of our homeland.
Conclusion
One of the best advantages of prepaid is that you don’t have to worry about commitments – compared to postpaid plans which sometimes require up to 2 years of contracts, prepaid users can simply grab a pass as needed. That requires a bit of planning, of course, but it shouldn’t be an issue for you if you’re familiar with planning things. Still, for those who don’t want to calculate constantly, our picks should give you a good starting point, and you can always change to another plan right away to better suit your needs.
In Part 2, we’ll cover the best postpaid plans in Malaysia – so stay tuned on Pokde.net.
