South America SIM card: options for internet | April 2024

SIM card for South America: options for connecting to Internet

If you are thinking of travelling to Latin America, it is important that you have internet connection. For this, one of the options you have is the SIM card for South America, but other options are also available, such as the eSIM, pocket wifi or free wifi.

Latin America is not roaming free, so if you want to contact your family, send some pictures to your friends or find your way to your hotel you need to have access to a data plan in South America. SIM cards for Latin America may be an option but in this post we offer you the different alternatives.

For more information on some of the services offered by different providers in the UK please see the following links:

Services provided by Lycamobile

Services provided by Virgin Media

Services provided by O2

Services provided by Three

In the table below you can see different options and internet plans in Latin America. The best thing is that you can choose the one that best suits your trip:

Internet cost in South America
Service	Cost/Days	Data
eSIM South America	From £44/15 days	6Gb
SIM Card South America	from £9/7 days	12Gb
Wifi in South America Portable Public	From £3,5/day Free	1GB/day Unlimited
Roaming in Latin America O2 Three Mobile Vodafone	£6 £6 £6	1MB 1MB 1MB

Get South America SIM card

One of the options you have to get internet is buy a SIM card for South America. Purchase a SIM card for Latin America is very easy. You can buy it when you arrive at any airport in the country or before you arrive by shopping online. Some of the main operators in South America are Claro, Oi and TIM.

Some of the data plans you can find for have a SIM card for Latin America, are:

Latin America Data SIM Card Plans
Plan	Cost	Gigas
7 days	£9	1GB
30 days	£17	12GB
30 days	£26	12GB

If you choose to buy a prepaid SIM card when you arrive, you can usually buy a travel SIM card in South America from the official shops of the main operators. Be aware that many of them ask for official identification before you can buy it. For that, it may be better to buy the SIM card online or choose the eSIM card and avoid worries.

eSIM for South America

Another option you can choose is the eSIM. This virtual card allows you to get internet connectivity in Latin America without the hassle of card size. You no longer have to worry about whether you need a MiniSIM, MicroSIM or NanoSIM. Just enjoy the journey.

Checking the compatibility of your phone with the eSIM is very simple and with very few steps you can find out, all you have to do is follow the steps below:

• Android device: look for "Connection" on Settings" and then "SIM Card Manager", if you see "Add mobile tariff" you can sign up for eSIM.
• IOS device: in "Settings" go to "Mobile data", if there is a section that says "Add data plan" your smartphone is eSIM compatible.

If the eSIM convinces you, the Holafly eSIM is one of the best options. This card offers you mobile internet in 15 countries in Latin America. You can keep the same number to receive calls and SMS as usual and have this eSIM to have internet in Latin America and not worry about overcharging.

eSIM Holafly South America
Plan	Cost	Gigas
15 days	£44	6Gb

Getting internet in Latin America is very easy with Holafly eSIM. You just have to check the compatibility of your phone and then choose the plan and buy the eSIM, as soon as you do this, an email is delivery to you with a QR to install the data plan following this step:

1. Choose the days you wish to travel Select the South America data plan.
2. Scan a QR code Scan the QR code that you will receive in the email.
3. Activate the data plan Instal the data plan following the instructions.
4. Enjoy the travel Activate the eSIM and enjoy the travel.

Enjoy your travels in South America with this card installed. Contact with your family and friends, book or cancel a trip without worrying about possible recharges. Visit Cancun or Machu Picchu and send all the photos you want to your contacts or post them on social networks.

Once the card is installed, you will be able to enjoy internet connection in Morocco throughout your trip. Sign up for eSIM Holafly with all the advantages. You should know that this card is prepaid but it is not rechargeable, so you should ask for the tariff that adapts to the number of days you want to travel in the country.

It is possible that this virtual card is what you are looking for but the Holafly eSIM does not meet the requirements you are looking for for this trip, so you can consult other companies:

• Ubigi
• Conecty
• Mogo eSIM
• Truphone

Wifi connection in South America

The last option you can have if you want to get internet in South America is the most common and probably the most used: wifi. This type of connection allows you to connect several devices at the same time. You have two options if you choose this one:

• Wifi pocket: a unique connection with your own password and a mini router that you can take everywhere you go.
• Wifi free: you can find this connection in various libraries, cafes or parks.

Using portable wifi in South America

With this mini router you can connect several devices at the same time while travelling in Latin America. All you need to do is rent one of these devices and the company offers several locations for pick-up and drop-off at the end of your trip.

This device is rented, so it is not the cheapest option. It is rented by the day and the price you can find is from £3,5. The best thing is that you can connect different devices at the same time without cyber acttack problems.

Wifi free in South America

The last option you have to be able to get internet while travelling in Latin America is the public wifi network offered by different places in the cities. In South America you can find these networks at the airport, bookstores or some parks.

Another option you can have is the hotel wifi. This option allows you to connect several devices at the same time without the problem of public networks leaving mobile phones unprotected.

Roaming in South America

In South America you will not have free roaming. So, if you are using your usual tariff, you may be able to find a surcharge when the month ends. Also, you need to know when your contract starts, because with Brexit, roaming changes.

In the following table you can find the roaming tariffs of some British operators:

Roaming rate South America
Companie	Price Data	Call Rate
O2	£7,2/MB	£2/min
Vodafone	£6/MB	£2,5/min
Three Mobile	£6/MB	£3/min

As you can see, roaming charges are high, so we recommend that you sign up for Holafly's eSIM, a SIM card or portable wifi so that you don't have to worry and can enjoy your trip.

Internet speed in Latin America

Latin America is not known for its fast internet speeds. However, depending on where you go you can find better or worse coverage. Chile is one of the places with the best internet speed, with a download speed of 47.40 Mbps ⁽¹⁾ .

On the other hand, if you travel to Paraguay, Haiti or El Salvador, you will not find very good internet coverage. The same will be true if you go to areas further away from large population centres or to jungle areas.

In places like Brazil, Chile or Mexico you can find 5G networks, but there are not many countries where you will be able to enjoy this coverage. 3G and 4G networks are the norm.

Advantages of internet access in South America

Getting internet while travelling in South America is one of the best things you can do. There are several advantages to getting a mobile connection, such as:

• Keep in touch with your family and friends to send them photos of your visit to Chitzen Itza, Cuba, or the beautiful beaches of the Riviera Maya and let them know how your trip is going.
• Don't get lost on the way to the hotel or to the meeting point of the excursion you have booked to see the historical centre of Quito as you can search for the quickest route to get there. Look for the quickest route to get to Torres del Paine National Park or Guatemala's Vocán de Fuego.
• Book, cancel or reserve some trip to Glacier National Park in Argentina.

Recommendations for a trip to South America

Visiting one of the seven wonders of the world is one of the things you can do in Latin America, visiting Machu Picchu, one of the great attractions of Peru. Visiting the Iguazu Falls is another of the things you can do during your trip and having a SIM Car in South America allows you to show your friends these wonders.

Please note that the mains voltage in South America is 120 volts. Plugs are either type A or type B, so check with your accommodation to find out if you need an adaptor and what type you need.

Thanks to the SIM card for America Latina you can book excursions to Rapa Nui, cancel a hotel in the outskirts of Quito and book a hotel in the historic centre. You can also enjoy the beaches of the Riviera Maya or Chitzen Itza.

If you want to forget all your worries and enjoy this trip to South America, the Holafly eSIM South America is the option we recommend.