Traveling to Ireland and flying to Dublin Airport? Wondering if you can buy a sim card for Ireland on arrival at Dublin Airport? This is a complete guide with you everything you need to know about buying a sim card at Dublin Airport. Where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per May 2023, info about free EU roaming and e-sim cards for Ireland and much more.
Don't get stuck with high roaming costs or slow overseas data bundles that limit your internet speed. Get yourself an e-sim card for traveling in Ireland or buy a local prepaid sim card in Ireland.
As part of my journey to travel to every country in the world I get to a lot of different countries every year. Being a full time nomadic travel blogger I always need to find ways to stay connected and that is how I have written more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world: Asia, USA, New York, Newark, Miami, Canada, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dubai, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and many more.
Why buying a sim card at Dublin Airport
Don't get stuck with high roaming costs on your trip to Ireland. The most convenient place to buy a sim card for Ireland is of course on arrival at Dublin Airport.
Staying connected while traveling to Ireland makes life so much easier. Think about ordering an Uber, finding a cool pub nearby, getting direction from Google Maps or simply staying in touch with friends and family. Yes, there is public WiFi in Ireland, but not when you are on your way. Also a reminder that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network, the use of a VPN is recommended.
Therefore Traveltomtom always recommends buying a local prepaid sim card or an e-sim card. Dublin Airport is the easiest, fastest and most convenient place to buy a prepaid sim card on arrival in Ireland. An e-sim card is the easiest way to stay connected in general.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone sim card for Ireland at Dublin Airport. For €25 you get 20 GB and their network is good.
However, there are better Ireland prepaid sim card deals if you can wait till Dublin city center! Check out my article about the best sim card for Ireland in 2023 for more info on where to find the cheapest sim card deals for Ireland.
A great alternative is a so called travel sim card with global coverage and data. Traveltomtom recommends these international sim cards for traveling to Ireland and even onwards to Europe. Check out my article with a comparison of the best international sim cards in 2023.
E-sim cards for Ireland
The fastest and most convenient way of getting connected when traveling to Ireland in 2023 is an e-sim card. No more swapping sim cards and visiting a shop on arrival at Dublin Airport. You order an e-sim card on the internet, you receive a QR code, follow the instructions and you can connected to a local network as soon as you land in Ireland. Bye bye roaming costs!
Check out the following data-only Ireland e-sim card deals:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $7 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $9 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $13 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $32 USD
Click here to oder any of the above e-sim card deals for Ireland or find more info about it.
If you are also keen on making phone calls with your e-sim card then check out the following international e-sim cards that are valid in more than 70 countries including Ireland:
- 10 GB data + $2 calling credit (top-up possible) for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 8 GB + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 20 GB + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to directly order one of the above international e-sim cards for Ireland and Europe or find more info.
Make sure that your phone is unlocked and your phone is e-sim card compatible before buying an e-sim card.
Rather get a physical sim card or is your phone not e-sim card compatible then you can also order a prepaid sim card for Ireland online before your trip. It saves you the of hassle getting in line on arrival and buying a sim card at Dublin Airport. Get one shipped to your home address before your trip and arrive prepared. These international sim cards are activated already, click on the banner above or the link to see all the deals.
Ireland sim cards and EU roaming
Good news is that most of the prepaid sim cards in Ireland include free data roaming in Europe. That means that with the sim card you buy in Dublin you can roam the internet in Paris, Rome, Madrid at no extra costs. All your data, voice and text bundles are valid all across the EU countries.
Always ask when buying a sim card in Ireland about the limitations on EU roaming. Since Brexit the UK is not part of the EU anymore and EU roaming might not be available in the United Kingdom. For more info about UK sim cards in 2023 click on the link or read all my tips and tricks for buying a local sim card in Europe on arrival in my complete guide including more info on EU roaming.
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Dublin Airport
There are two different terminals: 1 and 2. Terminal 1 is mostly used for European flights and Terminal 2 for intercontinental flights. That means if you are flying Delta Airlines, United, Airlines, Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, etc you will arrive in Terminal 2.
Can I buy a sim card at Dublin Airport?
Yes you can! Although there are not many options for tourists and no official phone stores at Dublin Airport, there are several places where you can buy a sim card for Ireland.
Where to buy a sim card at Dublin Airport
Strange enough there are more opportunities to buy a sim card at Dublin Airport Terminal 1. This is not where the majority of the intercontinental tourists arrive but well…
At Terminal 1 you can buy an Ireland sim card at the WH Smith shop as well as at the Left Luggage store. You can easily find them either right or left when you enter the arrival hall.
At Terminal 2 the easiest place to buy a sim card at Dublin Airport is at the SPAR convenient store directly next to entrance into the arrival hall. There is a little baggage wrap kiosk downstairs at Departures that sell the exact same Ireland sim card for tourists.
Prices for sim cards at Dublin Airport in 2023
There are a few options for buying a sim card at Dublin Airport and they pretty much sell the same Ireland sim cards: Lycamobile, Vodafone Ireland and Three (3).
Lycamobile prepaid sim card
A Lyca Mobile activated sim card costs €25, does not come with any package, but give you €20 credit to choose any package you want from their website. For example you can choose 35 GB data in Ireland and unlimited calling and texting in Ireland for €20, but be aware only 5.5 GB can be used for roaming in the EU.
Im personally NOT a fan of Lycamobile because there are always some hidden restrictions like reduced data speed, capped EU roaming, etc. So for traveling within Europe I definitely do not recommend buying a Lycamobile sim card at Dublin Airport.
Vodafone Ireland prepaid sim card
They have a couple different Ireland sim cards on offer:
- €25 = 20 GB data in Europe + 100 minutes calls & unlimited text in Ireland - valid for 30 days.
- €25 = 5 GB data in Europe + unlimited calls & texts to Vodafone Ireland + €10 credit - valid for 30 days.
- €35 = 15 GB data in Europe + unlimited calls & texts in Ireland + 100 minutes in Europe - valid for 30 days.
Three Ireland prepaid sim card
A Three Ireland sim card isn’t sold in Terminal 2, only at Terminal 1 at the WH Smith shop.
- €30 = Unlimited data in Ireland + 8 GB data in Europe + unlimited Three to Three calls + unlimited sms in Ireland - valid for 30 days.
Best prepaid sim card at Dublin Airport
I already told you I am not a fan of Lycamobile, because they mostly lure you in with great offers but only to find out later there are a lot of restrictions. And after a couple negative experiences I don't often recommend a Lycamobile prepaid sim card for traveling.
A Three Ireland sim card can only be bought in Terminal 1 and most intercontinental tourists arrive at Terminal 2, which kind of sucks. The walk is not far though. Three (3) has a prepaid sim card for Ireland with unlimited data and is therefore the best prepaid sim card at Dublin Airport.
However, if you land at Terminal 2 Vodafone is the best prepaid sim card for tourists. They offer 20 GB data and unlimited calling and texting for €25. You can buy them across the airport at several kiosks and convenience stores.
When arriving at Terminal 2 you can impossible miss the SPAR supermarket on your left hand side. This is where you will find the Vodafone Ireland sim cards at Dublin Airport.
Buy a sim card for Ireland online
Forget about the hassle of buying a sim card at Dublin Airport when you order an Ireland sim card online. Arrive prepared and get online as soon as the plane touches the ground with an international prepaid sim card that will be shipped to your home address before your trip to Ireland. These pre-activated travel sim cards for Ireland work like plug and play.
Three data pack 10 GB - $24.90
- 10 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Unlimited calls/sms within Europe and UK
- Valid 30 days
Three data pack 12 GB - $29.90
- 12 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Unlimited calls/sms within Europe and UK
- Valid 30 days
O2 Go Card - $24.90
- 10 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- $2 calling credit - top up possible
- Valid 30 days
Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 20 GB data in Europe and UK
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
Click here to order any of the above sim card deals for traveling in Ireland directly online or find more info.
Also another reminder that you don't need physical sim cards anymore if your phone is e-sim card compatible. You can simply order an e-sim card for Ireland through Airalo starting from $5 USD. Or if you want an e-sim card including calls then order your e-sim card for Ireland on SimOptions.
How to get from Dublin Airport to the city
Busses are running 24 hours between Dublin Airport and the city center. Taxi’s are expensive in Dublin and Uber is kind of non-existing from the airport. I tried to order one on my recent trip and it wasn't successful. Busses are the best way to travel from Dublin Airport to the city center and back. They leave just outside Terminal 1 and 2 and costs between €6 to €8 one-way and take around 30 minutes.
I hope this article about buying a sim card for Ireland at Dublin Airport was helpful. In case you have any questions, please leave me a comment below. I am happy to help out.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of May 2023 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Dublin!
