Buying a SIM Card in Buenos Aires for Travelers 2024: Guide from Locals

Olivia Brown

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Published: July 2024

Argentina’s Buenos Aires city attracts many international tourists. Many first-time visitors may not know how to buy a SIM card in Buenos Aires.

The article below is information from local experts to guide tourists on how to buy a SIM card in Buenos Aires. It includes an explanation of why you should buy a SIM card here, what network operators are available locally, whether there are many packages, etc. Gigago has compiled and the information is here.

I. Why buy a SIM card in Buenos Aires?

Why should I choose to buy a SIM card in Buenos Aires? That is the question many travelers ask when receiving advice. Buying a SIM card is not only for convenient communication, access to location, translation,… but also for many of the following reasons:

• Many package options: When buying in the city, especially directly at official stores, you will be able to compare and choose data packages more easily.
• Stay connected: Even if you’re on the go and don’t have fixed or public wifi, your SIM card can still help you stay connected to the internet and keep up with social media.
• Outstanding advantages: Compared to other options such as data roaming, pocket wifi, public wifi or buying a SIM card online, buying a SIM card in Buenos Aires still has many advantages, without the exorbitant high cost. like roaming but still has more stable access speed than pocket wifi.
• Cost savings: By buying locally, you can use your SIM card like a local with multi-tier data plans.
• Provides emergency services: Local SIM cards make it possible to contact emergency numbers without relying on roaming or any form of wifi.
• Network promotions: Local network operators often have promotions for tourists to buy SIM cards directly, whereas this is not available for using pocket wifi, roaming or buying SIM cards. online.

II. Which mobile internet carrier is the best in Buenos Aires?

In Argentina in general and Buenos Aires in particular, the following 3 network operators provide main telecommunications services to this country:

In a large city like Buenos Aires, network operators often do not have much difference in coverage area and access speed. Usually, that happens in rural or less populated areas. The main difference is in plan details and customer support. If you travel, please refer to Claro because it is the market leader so it will have better and more diverse policies.

III. Best Buenos Aires SIM Card Plans and Price

So that visitors can compare, Gigago will update some data packages of carriers in Buenos Aires for reference:

• Claro SIM card packages:

• Movistar SIM card package:

• Personal Flow SIM card plans:

IV. Where to Buy a SIM Card in Buenos Aires?

The best places to buy SIM cards in Buenos Aires are the city airport and city center. The following are specific guidance tools for each buying method:

1. Buy a SIM card at Buenos Aires airport

You need to prepare a valid passport, visa and cash to buy a SIM card at two major airports in Buenos Aires city: Ministro Pistarini airport and Jorge Newbery airport. If you buy at Ezeiza International Airport, look for the kiosk in lobby A, on its ground floor. There they sell pre-activated SIM cards. You will find the carrier kiosk on the ground floor of the arrivals hall at Jorge Newbery.

Pros:

• Get an internet connection immediately upon arrival.
• Don’t waste your time finding a store in the city
• Enthusiastic support staff

Cons:

• There aren’t too many SIM card options
• Not sure if your carrier will be open when you land
• Cost may be more expensive

2. Buy a SIM card in Buenos Aires center

In the city, you have many options to buy SIM cards such as:

• Buy online from network operator websites, SIM providers or from platforms like Amazon, eBay
• Buy at official stores of mobile network carriers
• Buy at convenience stores

Pros:

• The cost may be lower when buying at the airport because you buy directly
• Easily compare multiple data plans
• Options depend on data usage needs

Cons:

• Need more time to find a place to buy
• Requires you to have foreign languages, especially Spanish
• Besides the official store, there may be other locations that are not 100% reputable.

► Our recommendation: Based on the information given above, you should buy a SIM card at the airport immediately upon arrival or buy eSIM online before departure from eSIM providers (Do not buy directly at the network operator because you will have to present your passport and visa). However, it should be noted that the phone must be compatible with eSIM.

V. Argentina eSIM card for Buenos Aires – Alternative to SIM Card for travelers

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t try Argentina eSIM if you have a compatible device. It has many outstanding advantages both in terms of advanced technology and how to activate it compared to a physical SIM card:

• High-speed data: Many options from 1, 3, 5 GB data
• Many time options: There are eSIM types valid from 3 days to 30 days
• Coverage: Not only used in Argentina, Claro’s eSIM in Argentina also covers 14 other countries

Users can choose 1 of the following 2 ways to buy eSIM:

• Buy at websites of network carriers offering eSIM services: All three major carriers in Argentina, Claro, Movistar and Personal, offer eSIM. However, this way of buying usually requires you to present your ID/passport.
• Buy from eSIM carriers or retailers: Gigago is a typical example of an Argentinian eSIM. Argentina eSIMs range in price from 14 433 ARS ($16.5 USD) to 25 280 ARS ($28.9 USD) and can receive from 2 GB to 6 GB of data.

VI. What to Prepare to buy SIM card in Buenos Aires

You need to prepare the following to be able to buy a SIM card when arriving in Buenos Aires:

• Phone must be unlocked: You can check on your phone or contact the provider to request to check the unlock status.
• Prepare documents: Passport is indispensable when traveling abroad. When buying a SIM card, it serves as an identification document to register to activate the SIM card and determine identity.
• Prepare cash: In some unfortunate cases, the credit card may not be able to pay, prepare cash to make sure you don’t encounter any unfortunate problems.

VII. Extra Tips when buying SIM card in Buenos Aires

In addition to basic information when buying a SIM card abroad, especially in Buenos Aires, Gigago also provides you with the following tips:

• Before purchasing a travel SIM, make sure your phone meets the SIM eligibility criteria
• Based on the time, trip schedule, as well as usage needs, you should choose to buy a SIM with appropriate packages and mobile networks.
• You should keep the travel SIM card frame so you can get support service information when needed
• Need to compare between carriers to avoid wasting money unfairly

VIII. FAQs

IX. Conclusion

Buying a SIM card in Buenos Aires is essential for travelers to ensure they can connect to the internet during their trip. Hopefully this Gigago article has helped you get the information you were looking for. If you have a compatible device, don’t hesitate to use eSIM with many offers from Gigago.