Taiwan travel notes

Travel tips for Taiwan covering payments, transit cards, and eSIM data.

Notes from a 13-day trip across Taiwan. 🇹🇼

💵 Cash is king

Cash is king in Taiwan - especially for night markets, small shops, and most local food stalls.

Withdraw New Taiwan dollars from an ATM on arrival.
Apple Pay covered larger shops, chains, and department stores.
Line Pay and EasyCard filled the gap for smaller shops that did not take Apple Pay but did want a digital option.
Credit cards work at the MRT gates and on intercity trains, so you do not need to top up an EasyCard for those.
- Wise and Revolut debit cards charge no foreign transaction fee, which makes them ideal for MRT rides.

🚇 EasyCard over iPass

The EasyCard is the most widely accepted transit card in Taiwan.
It works on buses, the MRT, trains, and at many shops, including convenience stores and some small restaurants.
iPass exists, but it only covers transit and coverage was noticeably worse during the trip. Stick with EasyCard.
MRT and trains accept credit cards, but buses do not, so an EasyCard is required for bus rides.
Top up at any MRT station or convenience store.

📶 Klook eSIM - stay connected with cheap eSIM

20 GB lasted comfortably for 13 days of normal use, including maps, photos, and streaming.
Public Wi-Fi was limited and slow. The eSIM was a much better experience.

I recommend the Klook eSIM for Taiwan:

Buy and install the eSIM before arriving in Taiwan.
By far the cheapest data option I found (2026-06-14).
Speed and coverage were great across cities, smaller towns, and mountain areas.

TIP

I used a VPN while using the Klook eSIM for added privacy. Klook's eSIM ran all data through a Hong Kong cellular provider.

Kaohsiung is a major city with plenty to do, but I found it much less crowded and less expensive than Taipei.
I found plenty of night markets in both cities, but enjoyed Kaohsiung's more.
I enjoyed both cities, but I plan to return to Kaohsiung.