Buying a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport 2024: Travelers Guide

Olivia Brown

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Published: July 2024

Many travelers wonder whether they should buy a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport when arriving at this airport? Here are instructions and suggestions for you.

Many tourists do not know whether they can buy a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport or not. Buenos Aires city is the capital of Argentina with Jorge Newbery airport located in the Northeast, which welcomes many tourists to relax and visit. The article below was compiled and shared by Gigago to help tourists and foreigners understand more information.

I. Should You Buy a SIM Card at Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airport (AEP)?

Yes, you can absolutely consider buying a SIM card at Jorge Newbery airport. Why don’t you buy a SIM card at the airport so you can use the internet as soon as you arrive? It’s purely a convenience reserved for tourists.

Buying a SIM card at the airport is a favorite way of buying for people like:

• Be prepared to spend time waiting
• There is time to wait for your turn
• Really need internet as soon as arriving at the airport
• Arrange your trip on schedule after purchasing a SIM card

II. Where to Buy a SIM Card at Jorge Newbery Airport?

Below are the 2 simplest ways to receive a SIM card at Jorge Newbery airport for travelers:

1. Order online and receive at the airport

If you need to order a SIM card to use the internet before arriving but your phone is not supported by eSIM, ordering a SIM card is necessary. This means you can have an internet connection as soon as you arrive at Jorge Newbery airport, ready to explore Argentina. Its usage is as usual: insert it into the phone’s slot.

You also don’t need to book too long in advance because the SIM card can be used immediately after activation. Personal or Claro even give away SIM cards and activation for free to tourists. When you arrive at the kiosk at the airport, you need to present proof of online booking to receive your SIM card.

However, buying online also has some good points and some disadvantages:

Pros:

• Don’t waste time waiting, spend that time on outings
• No need to jostle or push in line
• There is internet available to use upon arrival to find maps
• You can choose to ship home

Cons:

• Normally, this form costs more
• There isn’t much to choose from among operators as the number of operators that offer this way of purchasing is quite limited

2. Buy directly at the airport upon arrival

Many travelers need certainty and they love the traditional way of buying, so they choose to buy a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport upon arrival. Immediately after checking in, in the arrivals hall on the ground floor, you will see the Personal kiosk selling SIM cards and it is already activated. Personal even regularly has programs to give away free SIM cards to tourists.

Pros:

• You can refer to more data package options
• Get direct support from staff from installation to activation

Cons:

• Fluency in Spanish or English is required to communicate when purchasing
• Lineup and wait
• Maybe you fly when the store is closed

III. How Much Does a SIM Card at Jorge Newbery Airport Cost?

In fact, it is natural that prepaid SIM card prices vary between network operators. Besides, within a network there is also a difference in price between data packages. It can be understood that the cost of a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport depends on many factors such as: the time of year of purchase with incentives or tourist season, package,…

The price of SIM cards varies markedly between providers. However, SIM cards in Argentina from major carriers cost around $100 USD (87470 ARS) to $2700 USD (2.361.588 ARS). Of course, these packages include internet data, voice call minutes, SMS messages, social media,… necessary for your trip.

IV. What to Prepare for Getting a SIM Card at Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airport – Registration Process

Unlike buying a regular SIM card at home, when traveling, especially buying a SIM card at the airport, tourists need to prepare the following:

• You need to prepare your passport to carry out the official SIM registration procedure and go to the service counters right in the arrival hall to choose the appropriate SIM
• In addition to your passport, you’ll need to have your phone unlocked and your local SIM card ready to connect
• Most suppliers allow payment by credit card, but you should prepare extra cash to be more certain and to prevent risks
• Usually, at the network operator’s kiosk, there are tools to support SIM card installation and the staff will help you do it, so you may not need to bring a SIM card stick.

V. Best Tourist Buenos Aires Airport SIM Cards Options and Price

All three major Argentine carriers, Claro, Movistar and Personal, offer diverse data packages. Here are some examples you might consider:

1. Best Claro SIM card options and prices

Claro has a variety of data packages from short-term to long-term, you can freely choose the one that suits your trip:

• 104974 ARS ($120 USD) = 1 GB data (valid 3 days)
• 148713 ARS ($170 USD) = 1 GB data (valid 7 days)
• 218670 ARS ($250 USD) = 2 GB data (valid 7 days)
• 358661 ARS ($410 USD) = 4 GB data (valid 7 days)
• 279931 ARS ($320 USD) = 2 GB data (valid 15 days)
• 341166 ARS ($390 USD) = 3 GB data (valid 20 days)
• 481131 ARS ($550 USD) = 4 GB data (valid 30 days)
• 612348 ARS ($700 USD) = 6 GB data (valid 30 days)

2. Best Movistar SIM card options and prices

Not less than Claro, Movistar also has many data packages, but here are some suggestions for a trip of a few days or more, I guess you won’t be in Argentina for too few days. Some packages are as follows:

• 157461 ARS ($180 USD) = 2 GB data (valid 5 days)
• 122470 ARS ($140 USD) = 1 GB data (valid 7 days)
• 174957 ARS ($200 USD) = 2 GB data + 1 GB for social media (valid 7 days)
• 209948 ARS ($240 USD) = 1.5 GB data + 60 minutes call (valid 7 days)
• 231818 ARS ($265 USD) = 2 GB data + 80 minutes call (valid 7 days)
• 454887 ARS ($520 USD) = 3 GB data + 1 GB for social media (valid 30 days)
• 577357 ARS ($660 USD) = 5 GB data + 5 GB for social media (valid 30 days)
• 524860 ARS ($600 USD) = 2 GB data + 100 minutes call (valid 30 days)

3. Best Personal SIM card options and prices

Personal always prioritizes brand reputation and customer experience first, so the number of data packages introduced is somewhat limited such as:

• 122470 ARS ($140 USD) = 2 GB data (valid 3 days)
• 209948 ARS ($240 USD) = 2 GB data (valid 7 days)

To compensate for the small amount of regular data packages, Personal offers a package specifically for tourists within 30 days for only 699827 ARS ($800 USD) and you will receive 3 GB internet data + 100 minutes of domestic calls + 30 minutes international calls. This allows you to call to contact local family members even when internet data runs out.

VI. Argentina eSIM for Buenos Aires – an Alternative to Prepaid SIM Card at Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airport

eSIM can be used for almost all devices and mobile networks, easy to switch when needed, saves a lot of device space and increases the aesthetics of the phone. Based on those advantages, Gigago offers Argentine eSIM tourists an easy way to buy and attractive packages.

Argentina eSIM data packages range from 2 GB data to 6 GB data with high speeds from 1 GB to 5 GB depending on each data package. This is an eSIM from Claro network operator with wide coverage throughout Argentina, so using this network operator’s eSIM when traveling here has a stable speed, especially in urban areas.

VII. Where to Buy a SIM card Outside Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airport?

Like many other localities, you have many ways to buy a SIM card, it is not necessary to buy a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport. Some of the following suggestions you can choose as a reference to buy a SIM card when coming to Argentina, especially in the capital Buenos Aires:

• Buy at SIM card retail stores franchised by network operators
• Stores of network operators in the city
• Buy at the train station
• Buy at the gas station
• Buy at the shopping mall
• Buy through the online SIM card sales service and ship to your home

Prepare: Passport, unlocked phone, cash, credit cards,…

Pros:

• It may be easier to compare data plans
• Save more for your trip

Cons:

• Takes a lot of time and effort
• Having difficulty with foreign languages, especially when some carriers do not have English services but are mainly in Spanish.

In reality, each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, in terms of saving time and money, there is not much difference between the forms, and in terms of time, of course buying a card SIM cards at the airport are still convenient and don’t take too long. In addition, if you want to save time and want convenience, try eSIM.

VIII. FAQs

IX. Conclusion

Buying a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport is a familiar issue and is increasingly of interest thanks to the increasing number of visitors to Argentina landing at this airport. Hopefully you will choose a suitable method to buy a SIM card on your upcoming trip. Don’t forget Gigago always has eSIM incentives for you!