If you have been following my SIM only series, you already saw how crazy the value became in my earlier Maxx vs Eight reviews for October 2024 and May 2025.
For April 2026, the story at the $8 and $12 tiers is even more exciting, especially if you care about roaming and kids smart watch.
Let us zoom in on just two levels: the “budget but powerful” $8 tier, and the “serious traveller” $12 tier.
$8 Tier: Maxx $7.90 vs Eight Double Eight $8
At this level, most people want three things: big data, some roaming for short trips, and something you are not scared to put inside your child smart watch.
Plan snapshot
| Feature | Maxx $7.90 4G (online only) | Eight Double Eight $8 4G |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $7.90 for first 12 cycles, then $9.90 per 30 days | $8 per 30 days |
| Network | M1 4G, Singapore and Malaysia | StarHub 4G, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong |
| Local data | 290 GB (SG / MY) | 528 GB (SG / MY / ID / TH / HK) |
| APAC roaming | 10 GB APAC (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan) | About 10–12 GB APAC across Eight APAC list (Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and more) |
| International roaming | 2 GB global | 2 GB global (Group A countries) |
| Local outgoing calls | 500 minutes | 588 minutes (very generous for normal use) |
| Local SMS | 99 SMS | 88 SMS |
| IDD minutes | None | 288 IDD minutes (20+ countries) + 88 minutes to Myanmar |
| SIM type | Physical + eSIM | Physical + eSIM |
| Account management | Maxx app only | Eight app + web dashboard |
Which is best for data at $8
Both are already overkill for most people, but the way they structure data is different.
Maxx $7.90 gives you 290 GB just within Singapore and Malaysia, which can already handle all your YouTube, TikTok and Netflix usage without fear.
Eight Double Eight $8 bumps that up to 528 GB, and not just in SG and MY but also Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong.
So if you mainly live between Singapore and JB, Maxx $7.90 is good enough, and cheaper for the first year.
If you want your “home” data to follow you to Bangkok, Bali and Hong Kong, Eight $8 clearly wins for data and coverage spread.
Which is best for roaming and where
Once you step out of your local coverage, roaming structure comes in.
Maxx $7.90 roaming:
- 10 GB APAC roaming that works in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
- 2 GB international roaming for key long haul spots like Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, USA, Canada and more.
Eight Double Eight $8 roaming:
- About 10–12 GB APAC roaming that covers Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and other Eight APAC destinations.
- 2 GB global roaming (Group A) to handle occasional long haul trips.
If your family pattern is mostly Malaysia and Thailand, both plans work quite nicely.
If you like the idea that both local data and roaming are spread across more APAC countries, Eight Double Eight $8 has the more flexible roaming list.
Which is better for kids smart watch
For a primary school kids smart watch, you want:
- Free incoming calls,
- Enough outgoing minutes to call mum, dad and grandparents,
- A bit of roaming data so the watch still tracks location during trips.
Maxx $7.90 is fine if you want something basic.
500 local outgoing minutes is enough for a child, and the APAC plus global data will keep your tracking app running when you cross into JB or fly to Bangkok.
However, Eight Double Eight $8 feels more “made” for kids watch:
- 588 local minutes gives more breathing space for frequent calls.
- 288 IDD minutes is nice if any important contact is on an overseas number.
- Eight roaming includes VoLTE roaming voice in some APAC destinations according to the CIS, so it handles calls better when you are abroad.
If I am choosing a SIM purely for my kid watch, I will pick Eight Double Eight $8 at this tier.
That tiny price difference from Maxx $7.90 is worth it for the extra calls and roaming flexibility.
For readers who want to see how far this $8 tier has moved from the early days, they can also refer back to:
$12 Tier: Maxx $12 vs Eight Fortune Eight $11.80
Now we look at the “slightly more premium” level.
Here, you are okay to pay around $12 a month, but you want serious roaming and IDD so that you do not keep buying travel eSIM or topups before every trip.
Eight does not have an exact $12 plan, so the closest matchup is:
- Maxx $12 5G
- Eight Fortune Eight $11.80 4G
If a reader wants 5G on the Eight side, the next step is Lucky Eight $14.80, which I will mention but keep as a side note.
Plan snapshot
| Feature | Maxx $12 5G | Eight Fortune Eight $11.80 (4G) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $12 per 30 days | $11.80 per 30 days |
| Network | M1 5G, local in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia | StarHub 4G, local in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong |
| Local data | 500 GB (SG / MY / ID) | 628 GB (SG / MY / ID / TH / HK) |
| APAC roaming | 20 GB APAC (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan) | 26 GB APAC (Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam) |
| International roaming | 7 GB global in Group B countries (USA, Canada, parts of Europe and more) | 8 GB global in Group A countries (popular long haul destinations beyond APAC) |
| Local outgoing calls | 500 minutes | Unlimited local talktime |
| Local SMS | 50 SMS | 128 SMS |
| IDD minutes | Up to 600 IDD minutes: 600 mins MY / BD / IN / CN, 200 mins ID, 120 mins MM, 50 mins PH | 388 IDD minutes + 88 minutes to Myanmar |
| SIM type | Physical + eSIM | Physical + eSIM |
Which is best for data at $12
Maxx $12 gives 500 GB across three countries (SG, MY, ID), which is already very generous for any normal user.
Eight Fortune Eight ups this to 628 GB and spreads it across five countries (SG, MY, ID, TH, HK).
If you just look at numbers, Eight clearly wins on “how big” and “how many countries”.
If you live a simple SG–JB–Batam–Jakarta life, 500 GB on Maxx is more than enough, and you may value 5G speed plus IDD more than the extra GB.
Which is best for roaming and where
Now to the travel story.
Maxx $12 roaming:
- 20 GB APAC covering Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
- 7 GB global which includes Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, USA, Canada and some European countries.
Eight Fortune Eight roaming:
- 26 GB APAC covering a long list: Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
- 8 GB global for Group A long haul destinations.
So, in plain language:
- Maxx $12 is very strong for people who mostly go Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and a few long haul trips, plus need a lot of IDD minutes to call relatives in Asia.
- Eight Fortune Eight is better if you roam around Asia and Pacific more widely, especially Japan, Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam, because the APAC list is longer and the APAC GB is bigger.
If your yearly pattern is JB runs, Bali, Bangkok and maybe one Tokyo or Seoul trip, both can work, but Eight gives more breathing room for APAC data in those advanced markets.
Which is better for kids smart watch at this tier
Realistically, these plans are best as main parent lines, not watch lines.
A kids watch does not need 500–628 GB of data and 20–26 GB APAC roaming.
The plan is better used in your main phone while your child uses a cheaper SIM like Eight Double Eight $8.
But if someone still wants to know:
- Maxx $12 in a watch gives 500 minutes local and huge roaming and IDD, but price is overkill.
- Eight Fortune Eight in a watch gives unlimited local calls and solid roaming, but again, it is more expensive than needed for a watch.
The smarter combo at $12 tier is:
- Parent main line on Maxx $12 for 5G plus 600 IDD minutes, or Eight Fortune Eight for bigger APAC roaming.
- Kids smart watch on Eight Double Eight $8, which already covers a lot of calls and roaming at a much lower total spend.
This is quite consistent with how I used to structure it in my May 2025 Maxx vs Eight analysis.
How I would choose in 2026
If I have to summarise just the $8 and $12 tiers in one breath:
- At $8, use Maxx $7.90 if you are very price sensitive and mostly stay within Singapore and Malaysia, and do not need IDD.
- Use Eight Double Eight $8 if you want more data countries, more outgoing minutes, and a kids smart watch friendly profile, for only slightly more money.
- At around $12, go for Maxx $12 if you are an IDD heavy user who calls Asia often and want M1 5G with a simple APAC plus global roaming split.
- Go for Eight Fortune Eight $11.80 if you travel more widely around Asia Pacific, want a bigger APAC bucket and unlimited local calls across five “home” countries.