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Visiting Peru soon? Make sure to know what to expect when it comes to purchasing a Peru SIM card.
Fortunately, South America is one of the best places where you can buy a SIM card easily. You should be able to find a cheap SIM card pretty much anywhere in South America. In fact, most data packages are affordable, which makes the whole thing easier!
In this guide, we’ll explain where to buy a SIM card in Peru 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 Peru. 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 Spanish – you may want to get a SIM card for your travels in Peru.
Best SIM Cards In Peru
If you’re traveling in Peru, we recommend using a SIM card from Claro, Moviestar, Entel, 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 South America, you might want to make sure to pick an option that offers coverage in other South American countries.
How To Buy A SIM Card In Peru
You can either buy a Peru 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 a South American prepaid SIM card online.
Now, let’s take a look at the data plans offered by Claro, Movistar, and Entel.
Claro SIM Cards
Claro Peru offers three main types of data-focused plans:
- 1.5 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 5 days for PEN 10 ($2.53)
- 1.8 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 12 days for PEN 20 ($5.05)
- 3 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 20 days for PEN 30 ($7.58)
Movistar SIM Cards
Movistar has six different prepaid plans available:
- 1.1 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 8 days for PEN 8 ($2.02)
- 1.2 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 9 days for PEN 9 ($2.27)
- 2.5 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 15 days for PEN 15 ($3.79)
- 4 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 20 days for PEN 20 ($5.05)
- 4.5 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 25 days for PEN 25 ($6.32)
- 7 GB + unlimited social media, valid for 30 days for PEN 30 ($7.58)
Entel SIM Cards
Entel offers two tourists plans:
- Unlimited data, valid for 7 days for PEN 67 ($16.93)
- Unlimited data, valid for 15 days for PEN 133 ($33.60)
Overall, we think Entel 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!
How To Buy A Peru Prepaid SIM Card Online
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 South America Prepaid Travel Card works in 4 countries, including Peru, and gives you 12 GB of data for 30 days.
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 South American SIM card on Simify. This works if you live in the United States or Australia. They currently offer one package that covers Peru:
- 12 GB, valid for 30 days for $26 – works in 13 countries
Finally, the last option is to buy an eSIM card for Peru or, if you’re traveling to multiple countries, an eSIM plan for South America.
How To Buy An eSIM Card For Peru
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 Peru.
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 Peru.
Airalo Peru
If you want to buy an eSIM for Peru, you could purchase one on Airalo. This website offers many eSIM cards worldwide and special plans for South America and Peru. I’ve been using Airalo for several months, and it works fine.
Here are the options available:
- Habla Telefon: 1 GB, valid for 7 days for $6
- Habla Telefon: 3 GB, valid for 30 days for $15
- Habla Telefon: 5 GB, valid for 30 days for $20
Here’s an overview of the options available for South America:
- 1 GB, valid for 7 days for $15
- 2 GB, valid for 15 days for $28
- 3 GB, valid for 30 days for $39
- 5 GB, valid for 30 days for $60
The options mentioned above are part of Latamlink and offer coverage in 19 countries, including Peru.
Alternatively, if you’re traveling in other countries that are not mentioned on the list, you can try Discover Global, which offers coverage in 87 countries, including Peru.
Here’s an overview of the options available on Discover Global:
- 1 GB, valid for 7 days for $9
- 3 GB, valid for 15 days for $24
- 5 GB, valid for 30 days for $35
- 10 GB, valid for 60 days for $59
- 20 GB, valid for 180 days for $89
Now, one important thing to note about Airalo is that you’ll need to keep an eye out for the provider in each country. Suppose you ever have trouble connecting to the Internet during your trip. In that case, it might be because you’re connecting automatically to networks and need to select a network manually instead.
When you purchase the eSIM, you’ll get access to the list of networks supported in each country.
Holafly Peru
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 the plan for Peru:
- 6 GB data, valid for 15 days for $44
Their South America eSIM works in 13 countries (including Peru), and they offer the following plan:
- 6 GB data, valid for 15 days for $44
Nomad Peru
Finally, Nomad is also a great eSIM provider. Here’s an overview of the plans available for Peru:
- 1GB, valid for 7 days for $20
- 3GB, valid for 30 days for $48
- 5GB, valid for 30 days for $54
Nomad also has Global, an eSIM plan for 111 countries worldwide. This plan offers coverage in Peru. Here’s an overview:
- 1GB, valid for 7 days for $20
- 3GB, valid for 30 days for $48
- 5GB, valid for 30 days for $54
Final Thoughts On SIM Cards In Peru
As you can see, getting a prepaid SIM card in Peru or even an eSIM for your travels in Peru is pretty straightforward. You’ll even be able to stay connected wherever you go in South America without changing your SIM card, especially if you purchase a South American or global plan.
I believe the eSIM card is the most convenient way to get data in Peru 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 Peru soon? Read one of the following blog posts:
