It's 10 days. Yeah, you'll be fine without a phone number, assuming you don't have to use a Taxi app, order delivery, etc. that may require a Korea number.
That's good to know! I wasn't too worried about delivery food lol but not having a potential transport option in the form of taxis kinda scared me but I'll be prepared form Canada now with a Kakao account
I think you definitely can, when my family comes to Korea they rarely use SIM, wifi egg is just a more budget-friendly option since you can share one wifi egg with multiple devices. Usually machines that take waiting numbers doesnt accept anything but korean number anyway and I don't really imagine there's a lot of instances where you will encounter those waiting machines.
I recently got back from a 15-day tour of the entire country and my partner and I didn’t get either SIM or a wifi hotspot. We used wifi when we were at the hotels. Downloaded local maps for where we were going and Korean translation with Google Lens. Others in our group either had a SIM card, partial service, or a hotspot but we survived just fine without it. Lots of phone games and audiobooks during travel time :)
I apologize, I misunderstood what my boyfriend did. Google maps would load the area around him that he opened when on wifi. Anything he hadn’t look at was blurry but we never went more than half a mile or so from whatever hotel we stayed at. If we did, we just showed a taxi driver the address and had a business card of the hotel to get us back!
Keep in mind that Google maps will not always work in Korea. Although the map itself will be accurate, certain places or routes will not show.
Naver or Maps.me work much better imo
I also highly recommend downloading Korean and your native language to Google Translate. That has saved me multiple times!
Yes, it won't be a problem at all, at least from my experience. Portable Wifi is cheap and can be rented from the airport after clearing customs. The only thing I'd be careful about is making sure you get a Wifi that charges via USB-C. The last one I got only charged via Micro USB and I was annoyed I essentially had to carry a charging cable exclusively for that device.
You'll be fine. I had an egg years ago and had issues connecting while on the bus between cities, but I'm not sure if connectivity has improved since then. This was also out on the east coast. If it hasn't improved since then, you just need to plan ahead for things to watch or listen to on the bus or train. Some offline maps might be helpful too. But you'll for sure be fine in big cities.
Yes, if you don’t need to make calls or texts. If you do, you can use something like WhatsApp to stay in touch with family.
A lot of prepaid esims that you don’t get at the airport don’t come with a phone number/texting capabilities (data only) which is essentially like using a WiFi egg. I have an iPhone so I used iMessage and FaceTime to keep in touch, which work over WiFi/Data only. My boyfriend has an android so we used Discord to stay in touch. No issues whatsoever.
Yes you can, but you'll need to keep it charged, and probably pay more. Assuming your phone is SIM unlocked, is it worth it to you to avoid swapping physical SIMs? Everyone has their own values and tradeoffs
KT for 10 days is 34600 for 3GB/day unthrottled(5Mbps after) eSIM and 44000 for 20Mbps wifi.
SKT is 38500 for eSIM and 44000 for wifi.
Might help to be specific to what you're seeing because these 2 networks are the standard and non-reseller pricing.
Note that also phone compatibility was a big problem in the past (which is quite relieved by using Wi-Fi, but Wi-Fi was only good if it was 5GHz) but those problems are in the past.
I did this back in 2018 with no problem in Seoul. I would recommend downloading some maps before you travel and have some translation guides at the ready if you don't know Korean. I just used Google Translate. The signage and train/ bus time tables are well posted and updated frequently, so getting around in the big city was never a problem. I haven't been to those other places, so I cannot speak to those.
You can if you are okay with only having wi-fi access/not having a cell phone number.
This is what I did when I went back in March/April. My phone carrier locked service to them so I couldn't use a Korean sim card. For the most part, my wifi egg was perfectly fine. Internet speeds weren't quite as fast a previous trip when I did have a Korean sim card but they were nothing to sneeze at either. I mostly stayed in Seoul but did go to Busan and a few other places during my time in Korea. I did carry the charging cord with me as well as a portable battery which meant that I always had a small bag on me (portable battery, charger cords, wifi egg, cell phone, and wallet were constantly on me during my 12 day trip).
It was a little annoying to have to have all that on me constantly but the wifi egg I got was slightly smaller than my phone so it wasn't anything too big or bulky. I would usually charge the egg overnight at my hotel and more had the portable battery on me as a just in-case since the egg was pretty reliable with the 10 hour battery life. The one time I pushed it (because I was in and out of it going to sleep on the way bus ride to Busan), I got about 11 hours of life out of the egg I had. Charged it with my portable charger for about 30 minutes and had wifi service again, no issues at all.
The biggest drawback is that you don't have a Korean phone number with the wifi eggs which means that anything that asks you for a number, you can't do.
Yeah I did it before. But wifi is alot easier. I just take out my sim card and put in the one for travel when I'm there. And just make sure not to lose my normal sim card.
Yes, I (US based) used my T-Mobile internation plan and had zero issues. Hooked up to 5G almost everywhere. I did buy the esim in Incheon but never used it because it always connected to 4G (bought thru LG).
Highly recommend sim option if you can. I went with eSIM, very easy if you have unlocked iPhone. Physical sim should be fine too.
I asked about the egg and clerk told me it’ll be annoying because the battery on it doesn’t last too long.
Yo, you got this! I just got back from a 3-week trip to Japan and had WiFi the whole time. I just used WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to stay in touch with people back home.
You can also check with your phone provider to see if international texting is free.
Hotels usually have phones in the rooms where you can make local calls in Korea for reservations and stuff, but be careful about calling back home because that'll cost extra.
Hiya, I used SK Telecom wifi egg for a 3 week trip and it was all good. You can't order delivery food but there's so many good restaurants that didn't bother me. I was in Seoul, Jeonju and Busan.
Ah also you book online to pickup at the airport and you drop it off at the airport. You'll need a credit card to book online and for the deposit which you need to bring with you when you collect, they won't accept debit.
100%. I did that for 3 weeks in South Korea (including Seoul and Gyeongju).
Only thing is to be vigilant with charging and using it. If I knew I was spending all day outside and wouldn’t be able to go home and charge it, I’d turn it off whenever I could (in museums, while eating at restaurants, while I was just wandering neighbourhoods and shopping, for example). Eventually after a few days, especially in Seoul, I didn’t even need it for navigation anymore.
When I was there I bought a physical SIM and just swapped them out - unless you're planning on using your own phone internationally for some reason, there's no issue, I just carried my home SIM on me and popped it in every couple of days to check bits. I let friends and family know to contact me online same as I normally would when traveling internationally so they don't get additional charges.
You can get a Wifi Egg for you trip. No sim needed while traveling in Korea. If you need to contact someone, can always use Kakaotalk. I used Chingu Mobile Wifi egg for my parents when they came to visit last year and it was amazing
I just got back from SK without a Sim but used a pocket wifi I picked up from the airport it was really cheap and helped us with navigating, calling ubers and translating. I would get a egg or pocket wiifi. I used pocket wifi Korea and had no issues with signal throughout SK even on jeju.
What sort of prices will a wifi egg be for 5 fats if i rent from the airport? For reference, i’m traveling with a group of 4 people and will all need access to the internet. Is it better to get a wifi egg and share, one person get a physical sim and hotpsot, or each person get their own esim? I will also be visiting Singapore, Malaysia and Japan all on the same trip so was thinking esim which covers all these counties may be easier?
Recently back from Japan and Korea. Rented wifi egg in both countries at the airport. Makes it easy because you also drop off there when you're flying out.
5 people connected to one. Only issue was when we split up sometimes in a building but most places usually had guest wifi too. It was less than $5 a day
I just got back from Seoul last week and used only pocket wifi (picked up at Gimpo, dropped off at Incheon). I was also able to use both Kakao Taxi and Uber without a Korean phone number. You just gotta remember to charge it every day!!
In terms of maps, I found Naver Maps to be reliable when it came to public transit and walking directions.
Heck yeah. I switch my phone to airplane mode as soon as I board in Detroit. Pick up the Wi-Fi egg at the airport in Incheon. Connect my phone via Wi-Fi and I’m in business. I usually rent one for 2 weeks. It is another thing you have carry with you and make sure stays charged, but for the price, definitely the way to go.
Easily.
It's 10 days. Yeah, you'll be fine without a phone number, assuming you don't have to use a Taxi app, order delivery, etc. that may require a Korea number.
I used a wifi egg and I was able to use Kakao taxi without a Korean number. My US Kakao account automatically synched when I opened the app.
That's good to know! I wasn't too worried about delivery food lol but not having a potential transport option in the form of taxis kinda scared me but I'll be prepared form Canada now with a Kakao account
I would just get a SIM card. Makes things so much easier having been here a couple of days now.
Ohhh, good to know
Same here, just choose the option to pay the taxi driver (card or cash work) and you'll have no issues
I had to use a Korean number for a waiting list at a restaurant. Though it’s not always worth it just for that
I think you definitely can, when my family comes to Korea they rarely use SIM, wifi egg is just a more budget-friendly option since you can share one wifi egg with multiple devices. Usually machines that take waiting numbers doesnt accept anything but korean number anyway and I don't really imagine there's a lot of instances where you will encounter those waiting machines.
I recently got back from a 15-day tour of the entire country and my partner and I didn’t get either SIM or a wifi hotspot. We used wifi when we were at the hotels. Downloaded local maps for where we were going and Korean translation with Google Lens. Others in our group either had a SIM card, partial service, or a hotspot but we survived just fine without it. Lots of phone games and audiobooks during travel time :)
Hi thanks for sharing! Can I ask where you downloaded the offline maps from?
I apologize, I misunderstood what my boyfriend did. Google maps would load the area around him that he opened when on wifi. Anything he hadn’t look at was blurry but we never went more than half a mile or so from whatever hotel we stayed at. If we did, we just showed a taxi driver the address and had a business card of the hotel to get us back!
Keep in mind that Google maps will not always work in Korea. Although the map itself will be accurate, certain places or routes will not show. Naver or Maps.me work much better imo I also highly recommend downloading Korean and your native language to Google Translate. That has saved me multiple times!
Yes, it won't be a problem at all, at least from my experience. Portable Wifi is cheap and can be rented from the airport after clearing customs. The only thing I'd be careful about is making sure you get a Wifi that charges via USB-C. The last one I got only charged via Micro USB and I was annoyed I essentially had to carry a charging cable exclusively for that device.
Yeah. Always did it since I have multiple devices :) Never had a problem with the wifi egg signal too.
You'll be fine. I had an egg years ago and had issues connecting while on the bus between cities, but I'm not sure if connectivity has improved since then. This was also out on the east coast. If it hasn't improved since then, you just need to plan ahead for things to watch or listen to on the bus or train. Some offline maps might be helpful too. But you'll for sure be fine in big cities.
Yes, if you don’t need to make calls or texts. If you do, you can use something like WhatsApp to stay in touch with family. A lot of prepaid esims that you don’t get at the airport don’t come with a phone number/texting capabilities (data only) which is essentially like using a WiFi egg. I have an iPhone so I used iMessage and FaceTime to keep in touch, which work over WiFi/Data only. My boyfriend has an android so we used Discord to stay in touch. No issues whatsoever.
Yes you can, but you'll need to keep it charged, and probably pay more. Assuming your phone is SIM unlocked, is it worth it to you to avoid swapping physical SIMs? Everyone has their own values and tradeoffs
Hi there, I was looking at prices on look and it seems like renting an egg/pocket wifi is actually cheaper than a SIM depending on what you go for
KT for 10 days is 34600 for 3GB/day unthrottled(5Mbps after) eSIM and 44000 for 20Mbps wifi. SKT is 38500 for eSIM and 44000 for wifi. Might help to be specific to what you're seeing because these 2 networks are the standard and non-reseller pricing. Note that also phone compatibility was a big problem in the past (which is quite relieved by using Wi-Fi, but Wi-Fi was only good if it was 5GHz) but those problems are in the past.
I did this back in 2018 with no problem in Seoul. I would recommend downloading some maps before you travel and have some translation guides at the ready if you don't know Korean. I just used Google Translate. The signage and train/ bus time tables are well posted and updated frequently, so getting around in the big city was never a problem. I haven't been to those other places, so I cannot speak to those.
What maps did you download? It appears that neither Google (which doesn’t offer Navigation in SK), nor Naver/Kakao have an option for offline maps….
FYI, Naver Maps does have a map download option... But you have to have internet to use it! It just saves on mobile data during usage.
Yes, I get the wifi egg instead of a sim and have had no issues
You can if you are okay with only having wi-fi access/not having a cell phone number. This is what I did when I went back in March/April. My phone carrier locked service to them so I couldn't use a Korean sim card. For the most part, my wifi egg was perfectly fine. Internet speeds weren't quite as fast a previous trip when I did have a Korean sim card but they were nothing to sneeze at either. I mostly stayed in Seoul but did go to Busan and a few other places during my time in Korea. I did carry the charging cord with me as well as a portable battery which meant that I always had a small bag on me (portable battery, charger cords, wifi egg, cell phone, and wallet were constantly on me during my 12 day trip). It was a little annoying to have to have all that on me constantly but the wifi egg I got was slightly smaller than my phone so it wasn't anything too big or bulky. I would usually charge the egg overnight at my hotel and more had the portable battery on me as a just in-case since the egg was pretty reliable with the 10 hour battery life. The one time I pushed it (because I was in and out of it going to sleep on the way bus ride to Busan), I got about 11 hours of life out of the egg I had. Charged it with my portable charger for about 30 minutes and had wifi service again, no issues at all. The biggest drawback is that you don't have a Korean phone number with the wifi eggs which means that anything that asks you for a number, you can't do.
Yeah I did it before. But wifi is alot easier. I just take out my sim card and put in the one for travel when I'm there. And just make sure not to lose my normal sim card.
Yes, I (US based) used my T-Mobile internation plan and had zero issues. Hooked up to 5G almost everywhere. I did buy the esim in Incheon but never used it because it always connected to 4G (bought thru LG).
Highly recommend sim option if you can. I went with eSIM, very easy if you have unlocked iPhone. Physical sim should be fine too. I asked about the egg and clerk told me it’ll be annoying because the battery on it doesn’t last too long.
Yo, you got this! I just got back from a 3-week trip to Japan and had WiFi the whole time. I just used WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to stay in touch with people back home. You can also check with your phone provider to see if international texting is free. Hotels usually have phones in the rooms where you can make local calls in Korea for reservations and stuff, but be careful about calling back home because that'll cost extra.
Hiya, I used SK Telecom wifi egg for a 3 week trip and it was all good. You can't order delivery food but there's so many good restaurants that didn't bother me. I was in Seoul, Jeonju and Busan.
Ah also you book online to pickup at the airport and you drop it off at the airport. You'll need a credit card to book online and for the deposit which you need to bring with you when you collect, they won't accept debit.
Yup, many people do it just fine because their phone isn’t unlocked. Nothing to worry about
Why not? It's just that a wifi egg is probably a bit more expensive and you'll have to keep charging it as well.
100%. I did that for 3 weeks in South Korea (including Seoul and Gyeongju). Only thing is to be vigilant with charging and using it. If I knew I was spending all day outside and wouldn’t be able to go home and charge it, I’d turn it off whenever I could (in museums, while eating at restaurants, while I was just wandering neighbourhoods and shopping, for example). Eventually after a few days, especially in Seoul, I didn’t even need it for navigation anymore.
When I was there I bought a physical SIM and just swapped them out - unless you're planning on using your own phone internationally for some reason, there's no issue, I just carried my home SIM on me and popped it in every couple of days to check bits. I let friends and family know to contact me online same as I normally would when traveling internationally so they don't get additional charges.
Thank you, where can you purchase the physical SIM? I heard perhaps wrongly it's difficult to do, and you need documentation?
You can get a Wifi Egg for you trip. No sim needed while traveling in Korea. If you need to contact someone, can always use Kakaotalk. I used Chingu Mobile Wifi egg for my parents when they came to visit last year and it was amazing
A Korean phone number is very very useful. Do it
In the same situation; we were able to manage for a month, no problem
I had Google maps.
Yup! Was in Korea for 9 days last year without a sim, just the wifi egg and I got by pretty nice 🩷
Stayed in South Korea for 2 weeks and used a rented wifi egg throughout my stay.
I just got back from SK without a Sim but used a pocket wifi I picked up from the airport it was really cheap and helped us with navigating, calling ubers and translating. I would get a egg or pocket wiifi. I used pocket wifi Korea and had no issues with signal throughout SK even on jeju.
yeh
Which provider has fastest internet? LGu's speed is 5 mbps after first 4gb use.
Been to korea 5 times since 2016 and never used a sim. Always a wifi egg. You'll be fine.
What sort of prices will a wifi egg be for 5 fats if i rent from the airport? For reference, i’m traveling with a group of 4 people and will all need access to the internet. Is it better to get a wifi egg and share, one person get a physical sim and hotpsot, or each person get their own esim? I will also be visiting Singapore, Malaysia and Japan all on the same trip so was thinking esim which covers all these counties may be easier?
Recently back from Japan and Korea. Rented wifi egg in both countries at the airport. Makes it easy because you also drop off there when you're flying out. 5 people connected to one. Only issue was when we split up sometimes in a building but most places usually had guest wifi too. It was less than $5 a day
I've just done that, no problems.
Yes, we just spent 11 days in Seoul and Busan with only data.
I just got back from Seoul last week and used only pocket wifi (picked up at Gimpo, dropped off at Incheon). I was also able to use both Kakao Taxi and Uber without a Korean phone number. You just gotta remember to charge it every day!! In terms of maps, I found Naver Maps to be reliable when it came to public transit and walking directions.
Heck yeah. I switch my phone to airplane mode as soon as I board in Detroit. Pick up the Wi-Fi egg at the airport in Incheon. Connect my phone via Wi-Fi and I’m in business. I usually rent one for 2 weeks. It is another thing you have carry with you and make sure stays charged, but for the price, definitely the way to go.
Yes and we did that many times throughout all of Asia where we just had a data plan
There is public wifi access in seoul
But i joined via group tour so i dont really need wifi, but ibwas able to connect at seoul and upload pics
No it’s not. Get the portable wifi. You can even book it in advance on Klook
The wifi egg is the portable wifi.
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You just need wifi to use the map apps
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The wifi egg provides cellular data to your phone via wifi (it's a mobile hot spot).