Traveling to Mexico soon and preparing for your trip? Don't get stuck with high roaming charges or slow overseas data roaming plans which limit your data speed. Get yourself a local prepaid sim card or an eSIM for Mexico.
This is a complete guide with everything you need to know before buying a prepaid sim card in Mexico. Find out where to buy a sim card, the best 4G/5G network in Mexico, up to date prices as per February 2025, the best eSIMs for Mexico and more.
Buying a local prepaid sim card was the first thing I used to do when arriving in a new country, but nowadays I mostly use eSIMs for staying connected.
At Cancun Airport for example you can buy a prepaid sim card for Mexico, but these sim card deals are tourist traps. The easiest place to make money of unknowing tourists is when they just landed.
If you want to buy a local sim card in Mexico then go to a phone store of Telcel, Movistar or AT&T.
Traveltomtom also wrote guides for buying a sim card in Playa del Carmen or for buying a prepaid sim card at Mexico City Airport.
Table of Contents
- My recommendation
- Why buying a sim card for Mexico
- Where to buy a prepaid Mexico sim card?
- Registration process
- Mobile internet providers Mexico
- Prices Mexico prepaid sim cards in 2025
- Best 4G/5G network coverage Mexico in 2025
- Best prepaid sim card Mexico in 2025
- Best eSIMs for Mexico
- Order a prepaid sim card for Mexico online
- My experiences buying a Mexico sim card in Cancun
Some links in this article about the best Mexico prepaid sim cards are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. Don't worry this is at absolutely no extra cost to you!
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends a Telcel sim card for Mexico. Telcel has by far the best 4G/5G network coverage in Mexico and for around $16 USD you get unlimited social media apps, calling minutes and 4 GB data for surfing the internet.
Local prepaid sim cards are cheaper than eSIMs but you can only buy a local prepaid sim card in a store in Mexico.
If you want to be online when the plane lands then get yourself an eSIM. There are several eSIM providers like Jetpac, Airalo, SimOptions, etc. but most important is that you order an eSIM that operates on the Telcel network.
Therefore before ordering one check out Traveltomtom's comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Mexico in 2025.
After comparing all available Mexico eSIMs Traveltomtom came to the conclusion that Jetpac is the best eSIM for Mexico.
If your phone is not eSIM compatible then Traveltomtom recommends looking into buying an international sim card for traveling in Mexico. You can order them directly online, they get delivered to your home address before your trip and are automatically activated from the moment you land in Mexico.
Over the last years I made numerous trips to Mexico. Check out my Yucatan Peninsula itinerary with places like: Isla Holbox, Valladolid, Rio Lagartos, Mahahual Costa Maya, Cozumel and many more.
My longest trip to Mexico was when I rented a car from Mexico City and traveled more than 4,000 kilometer through the country and visited 20 different states in Mexico.
Find all those travel tips in my blog about the most beautiful places to visit in Mexico in 2025.
Why buying a sim card for Mexico
Being connected to the internet makes life simply much easier and that counts also for traveling in Mexico. With a working data connection you can easily order a taxi through a taxi app, find a nearby restaurant with good reviews or get direction from Google Maps. Also in case of an emergency or checking your banking apps, pretty much everything requires a data connection.
Staying connected when traveling to Mexico is easy. Prepaid sim cards are cheap and you can buy them in all popular tourist destinations in Mexico and eSIMs for Mexico are widely available on the internet.
For those traveling from the USA and Canada there is NO NEED buying a sim card in Mexico as your USA or Canada sim card should have FREE DATA ROAMING in Mexico, but double check it with your provider at home.
As part of my journey to travel to every country in the world I wrote already more than 200 sim card guides including countries like: USA, Canada, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Europe, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and many more.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money!
When swapping sim cards and changing phone numbers does not have your preference you can look into getting a portable WiFi device. Personally, I am not the biggest fan, but I admit they are a good way to get WiFi on the road. Check the link for my HONEST review about using a pocket WiFi.
Where to buy a prepaid Mexico sim card?
When you travel to Mexico you will find out that buying a prepaid sim card in Mexico is fairly easy. You just have to locate the nearest shop to your hotel or buy a sim card at the airport on arrival.
International Airport
The easiest way to buy a sim card for tourists in Mexico would be at the international airport on arrival. Unfortunately in Mexico they do not have many facilities in place at the airports. You won't find any proper sim card shop at the airport in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta for example.
Sadly, because it would be a great place to buy a tourist sim card straight on arrival. In Mexico City Airport there are some convenient stores that sell prepaid sim cards but it is obviously not the ideal place to buy a tourist sim card.
Traveltomtom also wrote a specific guide for buying a prepaid sim card at Mexico City Airport or click here for my guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Playa del Carmen in 2025.
Official mobile internet stores
All the mobile internet providers in Mexico: Telcel, Movistar and AT&T have stores in the bigger shopping malls anywhere around Mexico. You will also find them in the center of popular tourist destinations in Mexico.
In the phone stores of the mobile internet providers you obviously get the best service and the staff will help you set everything up. Traveltomtom always advices to double check if everything is working before leaving the sim card shop.
How to find these phone shops? Just use Google Maps to locate the nearest one to your hotel or ask the hotel staff where to buy a prepaid sim card.
Convenient stores
As I mentioned before, in Mexico you can buy tourist sim cards in convenient stores. Prepaid sim cards don't need to be registered and therefore you can simply buy a sim card in a 7Eleven, Oxxo, etc. Other convenient stores that sell prepaid sim cards for tourists are: Extra, Mobo and Circle K.
Don't expect much service in convenient stores as the staff is busy enough to sell other stuff, but if they have a free moment they will help you setting things up.
If buying a sim card in a convenient store you first need to buy the sim card, then you have to add credit and then activate a data package. It is like a do-it-yourself kind of thing.
Online
You can buy a sim card for traveling in Mexico on the internet. Traveltomtom definitely recommends using eSIMs for traveling to Mexico. If you are interested to learn more about eSIMs then check out my complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Mexico in 2025.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an eSIM for your trip to Playa del Carmen/Cancun/Tulum via either Jetpac or Airalo as they sell eSIMs that operate on the Telcel network.
If your phone is not eSIM compatible you can buy a physical prepaid sim card on the internet, a so-called international prepaid sim card. These sim cards will be delivered to your home address before your trip to Mexico. It is plug and play and as soon as the plane lands you have data on your phone without having to pay for roaming costs.
Registration process
You do NOT need your passport or ID to buy a prepaid sim card in Mexico. Tourist sim cards in Mexico are not registered on your name or passport number.
You can buy a prepaid sim card from anywhere and it works like plug and play. Meaning that as soon as you put the sim card in your phone you are instantly connected to data. The tourist sim cards are pre-registrated.
Be aware! Using a Mexican sim card only works if your phone is UNLOCKED!
If you are not sure about this contact your provider in your home country before your trip to Mexico! This also counts for using international sim cards and eSIMs.
Traveling onwards through Central America? I traveled for more than 6 months in all of the Central American countries, an amazing adventure. That is why on Traveltomtom you will also find sim card guides from: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama.
Mobile internet providers Mexico
There are 3 main mobile internet providers in Mexico: Telcel, AT&T and Movistar. Telcel is by far the market leader and biggest mobile internet provider in Mexico followed by Movistar. AT&T took over Unefon and Nextel and now all operate under the name of AT&T Mexico.
All mobile internet operators sell prepaid sim cards for tourists. The big difference between the mobile internet providers in Mexico is the 4G/5G mobile data network coverage.
Prices Mexico prepaid sim cards in 2025
All info is updated per February 2025 and prices are in Mexican Peso: $1 USD = $20.4 MXN and $100 MXN = $4.9 USD.
In Mexico it is not uncommon that they will charge you a different price in every shop when trying to buy a tourist sim card.
When buying an AT&T, Movistar or Telcel prepaid sim card in a store in Mexico this is what the prepaid sim cards have in common:
- The following social media apps are free (unlimited use) in Mexico: Snapchat, Facebook, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Twitter. Youtube and TikTok are mostly NOT unlimited!
- The available surfing data can be used in: Canada, USA and of course in Mexico.
- Available calling and texting credit can be used in: Canada, USA and in Mexico.
Telcel sim card Mexico
Telcel is the biggest mobile internet provider company in Mexico and also has the best network coverage, you will see that later when we compare the 4G/5G coverage maps of Mexico.
- 3 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 30 days = $200 MXN - $10 USD
- 4 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 30 days = $300 MXN - $15 USD
- 6 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 30 days = $500 MXN - $25 USD
Buying a Telcel prepaid sim card will cost you an additional 80 pesos ($5 USD) at some stores. Most shops charge this additional fee as an activation fee.
Strange but true, in some Telcel phone stores this 80 pesos sim card includes 50 pesos credit, in some Telcel shops it doesn't.
Telcel Mexico sim cards are sold all over: Oxxo, 7Eleven and any random phone shops. You will find the Telcel sign everywhere. For more info check the Telcel website.
As of 2025 Telcel now also supports eSIMs for tourists, but you can only get them at an official Telcel store.
AT&T sim card Mexico
In AT&T phone stores in Mexico you can expect the following prepaid sim cards for tourists:
- 1.5 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 14 days = $100 MXN - $5 USD
- 4.6 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting + 2.3 GB for Tiktok + YouTube for 20 days = $150 MXN - $7.5 USD
- 6 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting + 3 GB for Tiktok + YouTube for 30 days = $200 MXN - $10 USD
- 9 GB data + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting + 4.5 GB for Tiktok + YouTube for 30 days = $300 MXN - $15 USD
These are the AT&T prepaid sim card offers for tourists, have a look on the AT&T Mexico website for more info. AT&T does now also support eSIMs for tourists as well as physical prepaid sim cards.
AT&T is much cheaper than Telcel, but wait till you see the network coverage comparison.
Movistar sim card Mexico
Some Movistar shops will try to charge you 60 pesos ($3 USD) for the sim card registration, some shops do not. These are the latest Movistar sim card deals for Mexico:
- 1 GB + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 14 days = $50 MXN - $2.5 USD
- 5 GB + unlimited social media + unlimited calling/texting for 30 days = $100 MXN - $5 USD
Latest updates for a Movistar prepaid sim card in Mexico is that you can also find a sim card for tourists for 200 pesos, including 9 GB data and unlimited social media apps valid for 28 days.
This prepaid sim card deal is randomly offered at stores around Mexico, sometimes yes, sometimes no! For more info check the Movistar Mexico website. As far as the Traveltomtom Team figured out Movistar does NOT provide eSIMs for tourists yet, only provide physical prepaid sim cards are available in Movistar stores.
Best 4G/5G network coverage Mexico in 2025
Prices are a great indication but to determine the best prepaid sim card in Mexico we have to also consider the 4G/5G network coverage.
You don't want to lose signal when visiting the best places to see in Mexico, so let's have a look at the Mexico 4G/5G coverage maps.
Is there 5G in Mexico?
Yes, 5G has finally arrived in Mexico but don't expect too much yet. Telcel is pretty much still the only provider that offers 5G in Mexico. Although Movistar and AT&T also offer 5G, you can only find it in the 3 biggest cities. There is still a very long road to go before Mexico is covered with a 5G signal.
The Mexican government launched an initiative to get more people connected and came up with Altan Redes, a joint network that is accessible regardless which mobile internet provider you are using. It is however, still pretty new.
From the below 4G/5G coverage maps we can clearly see that the Altan Redes network only benefits Movistar and AT&T users. The Telcel network is by far the strongest and best mobile data network in Mexico, without a doubt.
4G/5G Network coverage map Altan Redes
4G/5G Network coverage map AT&T Mexico
4G/5G Network coverage map Movistar Mexico
4G/5G Network coverage map Telcel Mexico
Although the above mobile data network coverage maps are updated for 2025 they are not 100% accurate. However, they are a great reference to compare the 4G/5G networks of the mobile internet providers in Mexico in 2025.
We can clearly see that the Telcel network is by far the best in Mexico in 2025. If you for example go on a Yucatan road trip it is strongly adviced to get a sim card from Telcel or an eSIM that operates on the Telcel network, like an Airalo eSIM for Mexico.
All the mobile internet providers have good 4G/LTE network coverage in the main tourist destinations in Mexico. But are you traveling around in Mexico: TELCEL!
Best prepaid sim card Mexico in 2025
Depending on your kind of Mexico trip the network coverage is more important than the prices for prepaid sim cards.
Movistar and AT&T Mexico have a much smaller 4G/5G network but prices are more or less the same as Telcel sim cards. Telcel has by far the best 4G/5G network in Mexico.
Therefore it is a simple conclusion that Telcel is the best Mexico prepaid sim card for tourists in 2025 and it is Traveltomtom's first recommendation when buying a prepaid sim card in Mexico.
That said, you can only buy a Telcel sim card in Mexico and not on the internet. If you want to arrive prepared and your phone is eSIM compatible then simply order an eSIM for Mexico. You are all set in just a couple clicks.
A Jetpac eSIM for Mexico operates on the Telcel network and for $30 USD you get a 5G ready eSIM with 10 GB data.
In my complete guide with a comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Mexico in 2025 you will find amazing Mexico eSIM deals for tourists.
On all my Mexico trips in the past I have always bought a Telcel prepaid sim card on arrival, but on my trip to Mexico last year I got myself an Airalo eSIM. I was also only staying for 10 days so it was easy, fast and convenient to get an eSIM.
On longer trips to Mexico when I would need more data I would buy a Telcel prepaid sim card again on arrival in Mexico.
It is also possible to buy a sim card at Mexico City Airport and lately a Traveltomtom team member got herself a Telcel prepaid sim card for $200 pesos ($11 USD) and got 3.2 GB data + unlimited social media apps, texting and calling.
Best eSIMs for Mexico
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Mexico is an eSIMs. Simply because you don't need to visit a sim card shop anymore and no need to swap physical prepaid sim cards.
You order an eSIM for Mexico on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Mexico eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Mexico it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
For more info about using eSIMs in Mexico check out my complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Mexico in 2025.
Below you find a selection of the available eSIMs for Mexico.
Jetpac
The best eSIM for Mexico is from Jetpac. They have great eSIM deals and their eSIMs operate on the Telcel network. Who is Jetpac? Check out the complete Jetpac review by the Traveltomtom Team.
These are the Mexico eSIM plans from Jetpac for 2025:
- 1 GB data for 4 days = $1 USD
- 3 GB data for 7 days = $10 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $18 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $30 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $61 USD
Click here to order a Jetpac eSIM for Mexico.
Traveltomtom readers now get an extra 10% off on all Jetpac eSIMs when using the promo code: TOMTOM10 at check out!
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used them in more than 50 countries around the world.
Here are the Airalo eSIM plans for Mexico in 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $6 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $11.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $15.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $23.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $42 USD
Click here to order an eSIM for Mexico from Airalo.
The above Chorro Fon eSIMs are data-only eSIMs and valid only in Mexico. They operate on the 4G/LTE network of Telcel and therefore are a recommended eSIM for Mexico.
Make sure your phone is eSIM compatible before ordering an eSIM for Mexico.
For more detailed info check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Mexico in 2025.
Order a prepaid sim card for Mexico online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible and you still would like to order a sim card for Mexico on the internet then look into buying an international prepaid sim card. These physical prepaid sim cards are pre-activated and will be delivered to your home address. It is plug and play on arrival in Mexico.
- 10 GB data sim card valid for 14 days = $49.90
Hotspot available so you can share with friends/partner/kids! Click on the link above to see all the online sim card deals for Mexico or order one directly online.
Click here to order the Orange Holiday World sim card via SimOptions.
A lot of North American sim cards can also be used in Mexico. Check my article about the best prepaid USA sim cards or best prepaid Canada sim cards to find out which ones have free data roaming in Mexico. However, they limited the data speed on international data-roaming plans.
Therefore Traveltomtom still recommends Americans and Canadians to get a Telcel sim card or an eSIM for Mexico.
My experiences buying a Mexico sim card in Cancun
First of all I love the fact that Mexico sim cards come with unlimited use of social media. Most of the data I consume is through these apps. As a professional travel blogger I constantly want to be online updating my Instagram stories and my TikTok videos.
I always used to buy a Telcel sim card for my Mexico trips and I have always been very content with it. May be not always at super speed, but pretty fast at least.
When buying a sim card in Mexico I always go for a Telcel sim card because of its extensive network, far better than Movistar and AT&T.
For example when traveling to Mahahual in the South of Yucatan, there is only a Telcel phone signal available, the same for when traveling to Rio Lagartos to see Las Coloradas Pink Lake.
Here is one of my experiences buying a sim card in Mexico when I was traveling in Yucatan for 3 months.
Initially I purchased a package of 300 pesos ($15 USD) for getting me through my Yucatan itinerary. In total I traveled a little over 3 months in Yucatan and because of the ongoing Telcel promotion (not every Telcel shop offered me this) I got 7 GB and unlimited social media for 33 days. A pretty epic deal for using the best network in Mexico!
On my last trip to Mexico I got myself an Airalo eSIM with 10 GB data for $24.50 USD just because it was convenient and I didn't have to buy a prepaid sim card in Mexico anymore.
I hope the above tips for buying a sim card in Mexico were helpful. If you have additional questions let me know, Im happy to help.
Looking for more Mexico travel tips? What about these amazing Yucatan tourist destinations? Travel to Holbox for its sunsets, visit Rio Lagartos for Las Coloradas Pink Lake, read more about scooter rental in Cozumel or for the most authentic travel experience in the Yucatan travel to Merida Mexico.
In total I visited more than 20 amazing tourist destinations in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Go check it out if you need some travel inspiration or check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow my journey to visit every country in the world. As of February 2025 I have visited more than 155 out of 197 countries.
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