Taiwan: SIM Card or eSIM? Why Chunghwa Telecom Is Still My Pick (2026 Update)

I first wrote about buying a Chunghwa Telecom（中華電信） eSIM at Taipei Songshan Airport back in November 2022. The carrier itself hasn’t changed, but the way you buy into it has — pickup rules, ID verification steps, and a whole category of roaming-type eSIMs that barely existed for casual travelers back then. This is an update, not a rewrite: the 2022 experience is still in here, alongside what I’ve found since.

Taiwan SIM and eSIM listings look interchangeable until you get into the pickup process. Some require in-person ID verification with no way to do it in advance, some let you finish that step online before you land, and some skip ID verification entirely because they are not local subscriptions at all — they are international roaming eSIMs that happen to connect through a Taiwanese network. Picking the wrong type means either standing in a line you did not expect, or filling out paperwork at the counter that you could have finished from your couch weeks earlier.

This guide draws on trips to Taiwan across several years. I compared network coverage on the Pingxi Line, a rural branch line outside Taipei, in 2016. In November 2022, I bought a Chunghwa Telecom eSIM in person at Songshan Airport, and separately tested a roaming-type eSIM (bought through KKday) on the same trip, carrying both alongside physical SIMs from Taiwan Mobile and Chunghwa on two phones for comparison. On a more recent trip, in 2025, I used Taiwan Mobile, and on a trip in May 2025 I relied mainly on my own carrier’s postpaid international roaming alongside a Taiwan Mobile SIM. I have not personally bought the specific 2026 KKday and Klook listings described below; the pickup process and ID rules for those come from what each listing states, checked in August 2026 (links included). I say so where that applies.

Quick answer

• Staying in Taipei the whole trip? In my experience, the three carriers are close enough that it hasn’t mattered much which one I used.
• Don’t need a Taiwan phone number, just data? A roaming-type eSIM is the least hassle — just know that in my own test, speed was inconsistent at times.
• Want a real local number and don’t mind a physical SIM? Chunghwa Telecom, whether booked to a fixed counter or bought in person, is what I keep coming back to.
• Landing at Taipei Songshan instead of Taoyuan? Buying at the counter on arrival has worked for me before; I wouldn’t count on reserving online.
• Heading outside Taipei, especially somewhere rural like the Pingxi Line? Chunghwa Telecom is the one I would pick.

The three carriers, and when it matters which one you pick

Taiwan has three major carriers: Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone. I have used all three, on trips going back to 2016.

If your trip stays inside Taipei, I would not stress over which one to choose. In my experience the difference has not been noticeable there.

Outside Taipei is where I noticed a gap. In 2016 I compared coverage on the Pingxi Line — the rural branch line east of Taipei known for the sky lantern towns — and Chunghwa Telecom held a signal more consistently than the others did. I have not re-run that specific comparison since, so treat it as one data point from one trip, not a lab test. But if your itinerary includes rural areas or small towns off the main lines, it is the carrier I would default to — and it’s a large part of why this page has stayed a Chunghwa recommendation across two versions now.

Option 1: A roaming-type eSIM (least hassle, no ID check)

As of August 2026, some Taiwan eSIMs sold through platforms like Klook are not issued directly by a Taiwanese carrier. They are operated by international eSIM resellers — RedteaMobile is one — that lease capacity on a local network, in this case Chunghwa Telecom’s, rather than selling you a genuine local subscription. (Klook checked August 2026)

Because these are not local carrier subscriptions with a Taiwanese phone number, Taiwan’s real-name registration law does not apply to them. There is no counter to visit and no ID to show. You buy the eSIM through the app, scan a QR code before or after landing, and turn on data roaming. The listing I checked caps its unlimited plan at about 15 GB of high-speed data per day, after which speed drops to 1 Mbps. (same listing)

I have actually tested one of these before, just not this exact product. In November 2022, I bought a roaming-type eSIM through KKday, sold as being from China Mobile Hong Kong, though the activation text message suggested it was actually routed through mainland China Mobile, running on Chunghwa’s network underneath. Setup needed WiFi, same as the genuine eSIM below, and it took me a moment to realize that finishing the QR code setup and actual activation are two separate steps — activation only happened once I landed and switched roaming on. Once running, it caught a 5G signal, but was often slow, especially in the morning. I was carrying physical SIMs from Taiwan Mobile and Chunghwa on the same trip, and at the same time and place, those weren’t running especially fast either, so I couldn’t tell whether the slowdown was about the eSIM specifically or just the network in general that morning. It was cheap, needed no ID beyond what KKday already had on file, and it worked. I’d treat this category as a solid second network rather than something to rely on alone.

If you try a 2026 version of this, that’s the trade you’re making: convenience and no paperwork, in exchange for a data cap, a carrier relationship that runs through a reseller rather than Chunghwa directly, and — based on my own experience, though it’s a few years old now and I can’t rule out it was just a bad morning — speed that isn’t always consistent.

Option 2: A genuine local SIM, with ID verification done in advance

If you want an actual Chunghwa Telecom subscription — a real Taiwanese phone number, no reseller in between — the SIM card route is the more predictable one, mainly because you can finish identity verification before you ever land.

As of August 2026, one Chunghwa Telecom SIM product sold through KKday is tied to a fixed pickup point: the Ezfly counter at Taoyuan Airport, with separate counters — and separate hours — for Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 1’s counter runs 10:45 am to 7:15 pm; Terminal 2’s runs 4:30 am to 11:00 pm. (KKday listing, checked August 2026) Neither is open 24 hours, so if your flight lands outside those windows, this particular pickup point will not work for you.

The upside of this specific product is that Taiwan’s real-name registration can be completed online before you travel: upload your passport and a second document through the listing’s KYC link, and at the counter you just show your voucher and passport, no paperwork or photo on the spot. Skip the online step and you will need two ID documents, a form, and a photo taken at the counter instead. (same listing)

I have not gone through this specific product’s pickup process myself, so I am describing what the listing states, not what happened when I used it. What I have done is the walk-up version: in November 2022, I bought a genuine Chunghwa Telecom eSIM in person at Songshan Airport, and it worked, though it took some trial and error. There are two counters at Songshan that look similar; the first one I approached turned out to be run by a third party that doesn’t sell eSIMs, and I had to find Chunghwa’s own counter instead, which was near a Subway sandwich shop in the terminal. I paid in cash — NT$300 for a 4G, 5-day plan with talk and unlimited data — and had my passport copied on the spot. The agent setting it up on my iPhone got stuck for a minute because the phone needed to be on WiFi to install the eSIM profile — he ended up connecting it to the airport’s free WiFi to get it done. Worth knowing: public WiFi like that isn’t the most secure place to set up an eSIM, but at the counter, the agent is the one doing the connecting, not you, so it isn’t really something you can steer around. That price and plan are from 2022, so treat them as a reference point, not a current rate.

I would not recommend booking the genuine Chunghwa Telecom eSIM in advance online as a first choice, even though it exists. One version, sold through Klook for roughly NT$275 depending on the day-count and call-credit combination you pick, only says pickup happens “at a designated airport counter” or at a Chunghwa Telecom store or Senao (神腦) store somewhere in Taiwan — without naming which counter or which stores actually carry it. (Klook listing, checked August 2026) It also does not appear to offer the same advance online ID verification the SIM card product does; the listing states you can only get the activation QR code by registering in person at the counter. Asking around in person, the way I did in 2022, still works if you’re willing to backtrack to a second counter. Booking it online in advance, with a pickup point you can’t pin down before you land, adds uncertainty without the payoff of finishing your ID check ahead of time. Unless you specifically need a real Taiwanese phone number on an eSIM rather than a physical card, the SIM card route above gets you the same carrier with less uncertainty.

If you land at Taipei Songshan instead of Taoyuan

Most international flights use Taoyuan, but if yours routes through Songshan (common on the Haneda–Songshan route, for one example), the SIM situation is thinner. As of August 2026, I checked separate SIM listings that included Songshan as a stated pickup option — one was marked sold out, and another, despite mentioning Songshan in its marketing copy, did not actually list it among its real pickup locations; only Taichung and Kaohsiung airports showed up there. (KKday listing, sold out / KKday listing, Songshan missing from actual pickup list)

In my own experience, buying at the counter after landing has worked, even though it took two tries to find the right one — Chunghwa’s own counter, not the third-party one, near the Subway sandwich shop inside the terminal (see above). My working assumption is that reserving online for Songshan pickup still isn’t a reliable plan. If you’re landing there, budget for buying at the counter after you arrive, and treat online reservation as a bonus if it happens to be available when you check.

If you already have decent roaming through your home carrier

You might not need to buy anything. Plenty of home carriers now include some amount of free or low-cost international roaming, and Taiwan is a common inclusion. It is worth checking your own carrier’s plan details before you buy a SIM or eSIM — the terms vary a lot by country and provider, so I can’t generalize about what yours offers, but a few minutes checking could save you the trouble entirely.

On my trip in May 2025, I relied mainly on my own carrier’s postpaid international roaming, alongside a Taiwan Mobile SIM. If your trip is short and you are mainly using maps and messaging apps, roaming alone is worth checking before you buy anything else.

Bottom line

If you just want data and don’t care about a Taiwanese phone number, the roaming-type eSIM is the least hassle — no ID check, no counter — though in my own test, speed wasn’t always great, and I couldn’t pin down whether that was the eSIM’s fault or just the network that morning. If you want an actual Chunghwa Telecom number, I keep coming back to Chunghwa itself, whether that means a fixed pickup counter booked in advance or asking around at the airport in person, the way I first did this in 2022. Landing at Songshan changes the plan either way — expect to buy on arrival rather than counting on a reservation.

Check current rates for Taiwan SIM cards and eSIMs on KKday and KLOOK.