by | Last updated Nov 3, 2022 | Africa, Middle-East, SIM Cards, Travel Tips
Visiting Egypt soon? Make sure to know what to expect when it comes to purchasing an Egypt SIM card.
In this guide, we’ll explain where to buy a SIM card in Egypt in person and online. We’ll also discuss prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs if your mobile supports them.
Before you read this guide, you may wonder if you actually need a SIM card in Egypt. If you don’t mind not having Internet, you’ll likely find free Wifi in restaurants, shopping malls, and hotels.
That said, if you need data to get around, call a cab, or translate Arabic – you may want to get a SIM card for your travels in Egypt.
If you’re traveling in Egypt, we recommend using a SIM card from Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat, or Airalo. (I’ll get back to Airalo later on, so keep reading to learn more!)
That said, if you’re planning on visiting other countries during your trip to Africa, you might want to make sure to pick an option that offers coverage in other African countries.
You can either buy an Egypt prepaid SIM card in person in some international airports, mobile provider stores, convenience stores, or online.
Usually, you can expect higher costs and low data offers at the airport, so we don’t recommend buying a SIM card at the airport. That said, you won’t necessarily find SIM card shops in every airport, so it’s essential to keep this in mind. And, when you see a shop, you might also have limited options.
For this reason, I’d recommend buying a SIM card directly from the mobile provider store. Note that you may need your passport to buy one.
Although, this means you won’t get data right upon your arrival. So, if you prefer to be connected at all times, you could use an eSIM or purchase an Africa prepaid SIM card online.
Now, let’s take a look at the data plans offered by Vodafone, Orange, and Etisalat.
Vodafone offers five different types of data plans:
Orange has two different tourist plans available:
Etisalat offers several prepaid plans for tourists:
Overall, we think Etisalat is the best option if you plan to buy your SIM card in person. That said, any would do if you can’t find their store!
If you wish to have your SIM card ready for your arrival, you could purchase it online or on websites like Amazon.
You’ll find different plans on Amazon. For example, the OneSimCard works in more than 200+ countries and gives you data for $0.01 per MB. Egypt is included.
But there are many other options worth considering, so have a look and make sure the countries you plan on visiting are listed.
Another option is to purchase a prepaid Middle East SIM card on Simify. This works if you live in the United States or Australia. They currently offer 2 different packages that cover Egypt:
Finally, the last option is to buy an eSIM card for Egypt.
eSIM is a new concept allowing you to have a virtual SIM card inside your phone. If your mobile phone supports eSIM cards – it’s definitely one of the best options to get data in Egypt.
Curious? Learn more about eSIMs for travelers on eSIM Roamers.
I started using eSIM as soon as my mobile phone supported it. And I first tried it when visiting my family in Canada. To buy eSIMs, I usually use Airalo. Keep reading to learn more about the best eSIMs for Egypt.
If you want to buy an eSIM for Egypt, you could purchase one on Airalo. I’ve been using Airalo for several months, and it works fine.
Here are the options available:
Alternatively, you could look at your options on Holafly. You can read our Holafly review to learn more about this eSIM store.
Here’s an overview of their plan for Egypt:
As you can see, getting a prepaid SIM card in Egypt or even an eSIM for your travels in Egypt is pretty straightforward.
I believe the eSIM card is the most convenient way to get data in Egypt if you wish to have data upon your arrival. This way, you won’t need to go to a store to buy a SIM card. Obviously, you need to make sure your mobile phone supports eSIM first.
Traveling to Egypt soon? Read one of the following blog posts:
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