We spent eight days in Taiwan in July 2024 with three kids. Taiwan's mobile infrastructure is excellent. The only thing that will slow you down is not having data.

We ran Holafly's Taiwan eSIM for the whole trip. It connected to Chunghwa Telecom within two minutes of clearing customs at Taoyuan, held signal through the entire High-Speed Rail run to Kaohsiung, and stayed on through Taroko Gorge. The girls used it for Google Maps and translation apps. We uploaded video from Elephant Mountain with full bars.

The short answer: The Holafly Taiwan eSIM gives you unlimited data on Taiwan's major carriers with no setup at a SIM counter. Use code ADAMANDLINDS for 5% off.

Holafly Taiwan eSIM

Unlimited data. Connects on Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, and Taiwan Mobile.

Use code ADAMANDLINDS for 5% off all Taiwan plans.

Get your Taiwan eSIM
The Clarkson family at Taoyuan International Airport with a loaded luggage cart, Harper in Lindsay's arms, all five smiling on arrival in Taiwan
Taoyuan Airport, luggage cart loaded, Harper in Lindsay's arms. The eSIM was running before we cleared the building.

Does an eSIM work in Taiwan?

Yes. Taiwan has 5G in all major cities and strong 4G across tourist areas, including Taroko Gorge and the HSR corridor. Holafly's Taiwan eSIM connects through Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, and Taiwan Mobile.

eSIM compatibility is the only real hurdle. Most iPhones from XS onward and the majority of recent Android flagships support it. Check your phone's specs before buying.

Why we use eSIM instead of a local SIM in Taiwan

All five Clarksons taking a selfie in front of the giant pineapple cake and bubble tea welcome display at Taoyuan International Airport
First selfie in Taiwan, in front of the Taoyuan Airport welcome display. The eSIM was already connected by this point.

Chunghwa Telecom and other carriers have SIM counters right past immigration at Taoyuan. They require passport registration, sometimes have a queue, and English support at the counter varies. We did it that way once. After 2023 we stopped.

With an eSIM you buy it before you leave home, scan the QR code at the gate or in the cab, and you're on data before your bags arrive. Nothing to keep track of, nothing to return.

One practical note: Harper spent a phase extracting SIM trays and posting the cards. The eSIM fixed that.

Holafly Taiwan eSIM plans and pricing

Holafly sells destination eSIMs for Taiwan with unlimited data across all durations. Use code ADAMANDLINDS for 5% off.

Duration Regular Price With ADAMANDLINDS
1 Day $6.90 $6.55
2 Days $9.90 $9.40
5 Days $19.90 $18.90
7 Days $29.90 $28.40
14 Days $47.90 $45.50
31 Days $75.90 $72.10

The 7-day plan covers most Taiwan trips. If you're combining Taiwan with Japan or South Korea, look at the Holafly Global Plans instead. Code ADAMANDLINDS gets you 10% off those, and they cover Taiwan along with most of Asia.

Adam taking a selfie on a bus with Taipei 101 visible through the rain-streaked window behind him
Taipei 101 through a rain-streaked bus window. We were streaming video the whole ride.

Hotspot

Holafly Taiwan eSIMs include 500MB of daily hotspot sharing. We used it to keep Lindsay's tablet connected on the long train ride south. The 500MB cap means it works for maps and light browsing on a second device, not tethering a laptop all day.

Calls and SMS

These are data-only plans. Your regular number stays on your physical SIM. WhatsApp or FaceTime over the Holafly data connection handles calls.

Taiwan network coverage: what to expect

All five Clarksons in sunglasses taking a selfie on the suspension bridge at Xinliao Village in New Taipei, jungle hills visible behind them
On the Xinliao suspension bridge in New Taipei. Full signal out here. We were navigating and uploading the whole way.

Taiwan's coverage is strong for a mountainous island.

Taipei and main cities: Download speeds in the 30-60 Mbps range on 4G are normal. 5G in central Taipei pushes higher. Navigation, video calls, and uploading are fast.

High-Speed Rail: Signal held solid the entire Taipei-Kaohsiung run. We watched YouTube for two hours without a buffer.

Taroko Gorge: Good coverage on the main road through the gorge. Deeper trail sections get patchy, which applies to all carriers in mountain terrain.

East coast and rural areas: 4G drops to 3G in stretches between Hualien and Taitung. Usable for maps, slower for uploads.

How to set up a Taiwan eSIM

A US-style Type A two-pin power outlet on a wall in Taiwan with a laptop nearby, showing American plugs work without an adapter
Taiwan uses Type A outlets, the same two flat pins as the US. No adapter needed.

The process takes about five minutes. Do it at home before you travel.

  1. Buy the eSIM

    Get your Holafly Taiwan eSIM and enter code ADAMANDLINDS at checkout for 5% off.

  2. Install the profile

    Holafly sends a QR code by email. On iOS: Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM > Use QR Code. On Android: Settings > Connections > SIM Manager > Add eSIM.

  3. Don't activate yet

    Leave the plan inactive until you land in Taiwan. The clock starts from activation, not purchase.

  4. Connect on arrival

    Enable the Holafly line and turn on data roaming for that line. The connection comes up within about 60 seconds.

  5. Set your data default

    Confirm your primary SIM has data roaming turned off. On most phones this is a one-tap setting in the SIM manager.

If nothing connects after two minutes, restart your phone. That fixes it the large majority of the time. Holafly's support chat can walk you through anything else.

Taiwan eSIM for longer stays and multi-country trips

At $75.90 for 31 days of Taiwan data you're paying $2.33 a day, which works for a long Taiwan stay. If you're moving between countries, the Global Plans are a better fit.

Holafly Global Plans

  • Global Light — $49.90/month: 25GB across most of Asia and beyond. Cancel anytime.
  • Global Unlimited — $64.90/month: No data cap, same global coverage.
  • Code ADAMANDLINDS gets you 10% off both.
See Global Plans

We've run the Global Unlimited plan since returning to Southeast Asia this year. It covered Vietnam, Thailand, and three other countries without a SIM swap. The full breakdown of Holafly's Plans options is worth reading before you choose.

Taiwan eSIM vs buying a SIM at Taoyuan Airport

The Clarkson family standing outside Taoyuan International Airport with the control tower visible in the background after landing in Taiwan
Outside Taoyuan after landing. The SIM counter is a few minutes inside. We walked past it.

Both options work. The gap is mostly about how much friction you want at the airport.

Feature Holafly eSIM Airport SIM Card
Setup location Home, before you travel Airport SIM counter
Passport required ✓ No ✗ Yes
Wait time Instant 5-20 min depending on queue
Price (7 days) ~$28 with code ~$15-25 USD equivalent
Hotspot 500MB/day Often unlimited
English support 24/7 live chat Counter staff only
Multi-country use ✓ With Global Plans ✗ No

Landing tired with luggage and kids, the eSIM pays for itself in skipped queues. If you're arriving off-peak with time to spare and want to save a few dollars, airport SIMs work fine.

Apps worth downloading before you arrive

Close-up of pan-fried soup dumplings on a crispy lace crust at a restaurant in Ximen Village, Taipei
Night market stalls rarely have English menus. Google Translate's camera mode got us through more of these than we can count.

A few of these need to be configured on WiFi before you arrive.

Taiwan Transit: MRT routes and bus times for Taipei and Kaohsiung. Download offline maps for both systems before you land.

Google Maps: Download Taiwan offline before you leave. The app falls back to cached maps when signal is weak.

Google Translate: Download the Chinese (Traditional) language pack for offline use. The camera mode handled every unlabelled menu and every market sign we pointed it at.

LINE: Taiwan's dominant messaging app, used the way Americans use iMessage. Set it up before arrival so you can add contacts on day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

Taiwan eSIM Questions

Does the Holafly Taiwan eSIM include 5G?

Coverage depends on your phone's 5G band support. Chunghwa Telecom has 5G in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. In those cities, a 5G-capable phone will connect to it.

Can I use the Taiwan eSIM on two devices at once?

The plan installs on one device. The 500MB daily hotspot lets you share data with a second device, but the eSIM profile itself stays on one phone.

Do I need to turn off my home carrier's roaming?

Yes. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM line and set Holafly as your data default. If both lines have data active, your phone may route through the home carrier and generate roaming charges.

How long does a Holafly eSIM stay valid after purchase?

You have 180 days from purchase to activate. The plan duration (7 days, 14 days, etc.) starts from the moment you first connect to a network with the eSIM active.

Is there a physical SIM card included?

No. Holafly sends a QR code by email. Your physical SIM slot stays empty or keeps your home SIM in it.

Does Holafly work in the Taiwan mountains, like Alishan?

Coverage on the main Alishan Forest Railway route and the visitor area is adequate for maps and messaging. Deep hiking trails lose signal in mountain terrain, as they do on all carriers.

Can I use Holafly's Taiwan eSIM for business calls?

VoIP apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, and Google Meet work over the data connection. For calls to Taiwanese numbers using a local number, you'd need a separate calling plan.

What if I run out of data?

Holafly's Taiwan plans include unlimited data. Fair-use policies exist in the fine print, but across eight days of heavy use we hit no slowdowns.

Our Taiwan content

The whole Clarkson family posed in front of a large Taipei sign on a sunny day in Taipei, Taiwan
Eight days in Taiwan with the whole crew. More of what we got up to in the links below.

We covered Taiwan across eight days in July 2024, with time in Taipei, Hualien, and the eastern coast.

One Week in Taipei with Kids — Complete Family Travel Guide Is Taipei Worth Visiting with Kids? Our Honest 8-Day Guide Best Places to Stay in Taipei Best eSIM for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Macau

Ready to get connected in Taiwan?

Use code ADAMANDLINDS for 5% off all Taiwan plans or 10% off Global Plans.

Get the Holafly Taiwan eSIM Compare Holafly Plans

This post contains affiliate links to Holafly. If you purchase through our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We used Holafly's Taiwan eSIM during our July 2024 trip and bought it ourselves. All opinions are our own.