Are you traveling to Colombia and flying to Bogota and wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card for tourists at Bogota Airport? Don't get stuck with high roaming charges or slow overseas data plans! This is the ultimate guide for buying a sim card at Bogota Airport.
Find everything you need to know about buying a sim card for Colombia at Bogota Airport with up to date prices as per August 2024, where to buy a sim card, my recommendation, the best eSIMs for Colombia, information about international sim cards, a vlog about my arrival and experiences at Bogota Airport and more.
As Traveltomtom is on a journey to travel to every country in the world I have been to many airports and countries. The first thing I do on arrival in a new country is looking for the best way to get connected to the internet. Staying connected makes life so much easier especially if you are traveling. In the past that used to be buying a local prepaid sim card but nowadays I mostly order an eSIM on the internet.
eSIMs are simply so convenient that I happily pay a couple dollar extra to be online as soon as the plane lands and have internet on my phone like at home without paying high roaming charges.
As I like to document all my travel tips you can find already find more than 200 sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all over the world: USA, New York, Newark, Miami, Los Angeles, Panama City, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Europe, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Istanbul, Israel, Vietnam, Philippines and many more.
Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide for buying a sim card for Colombia in 2024 with much more detailed info and a comparison of the Colombia prepaid sim cards, the mobile internet operators and the 4G/5G network coverage.
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!
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Claro sim card from the convenience store in the arrival hall of Bogota Airport. For around $20 USD you get 12 GB data for 30 days.
Traveltomtom surely recommends eSIMs for traveling to Colombia, but fact is that they are more expensive than local prepaid sim cards. With an eSIM you are online though as soon as the plane touches the ground and there is no need to find a sim card shop on arrival in Bogota.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an eSIM for Colombia via either SimOptions or Airalo.
We also recommend international sim cards for your trip to Colombia. There is actually a great sim card deal however, it is a physical prepaid sim card for Colombia that will be delivered to your home address. For $24.90 USD you get a sim card with 10 GB data which is only $2.49 USD per Gigabyte. For more info check out my comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2024.
Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Bogota Airport are affiliate links. If you buy anything after using an affiliate link I earn a small commission. Don’t worry this is at no extra cost to you, but I have the duty to inform you.
Best eSIMs for Colombia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Bogota in 2024 is an eSIM. You arrange everything online in just a couple clicks. No more visiting a phone store and swapping physical prepaid sim cards.
You order an eSIM for Bogota on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Colombia eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Bogota it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an eSIM for Colombia.
Airalo
Airalo is a trusted e-sim provider and Traveltomtom has been using Airalo eSIMs ever since the beginning days of e-sims. Here are the Airalo eSIM plans for Colombia for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $8 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $15 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $21 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $32.50 USD
Click here for more info or to order an eSIM for Colombia via Airalo.
The above eSIMs from Hartonet are data-only and phone calls are not supported. They operate on the 4G/LTE network of Movistar.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another reliable e-sim provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue. SimOptions sells so called international eSIMs valid in up to 141 countries around the world:
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $34.90 USD
- 6 GB data for 15 days = $39.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international eSIM for traveling to Colombia via SimOptions.
With an eSIM you keep your own phone number from home, but make sure your phone is unlocked and is eSIM compatible before you order an eSIM for Colombia.
There is a third e-sim provider tested and reviewed by Traveltomtom, but before Nomad makes it to Traveltomtom's top recommendation they will need to improve their product. Traveltomtom has faced some performance and reliability issues with Nomad eSIMs and although they sometimes have some great eSIM deals for Colombia it is not my first recommendation.
Arriving at El Dorado International Airport - BOG
Arriving on an international flight at Bogota International Airport (BOG) is very easy and straight forward. However, keep into consideration that immigration is a long and tiring process and I have experienced very long lines at customs at El Dorada International Airport BOG in the last few years. It doesn't seem to get any better. On my recent trip to Colombia in November 2023 I waited more than 1.5 hour online.
To kill time I literally bought an eSIM for Colombia borrowing the hotspot of a local guy on the airport because the WiFi of Bogota Airport was not working properly.
Once you get your passport stamped you will walk into the baggage hall and then continue into the arrival hall. Bogota Airport is an easy to navigate airport and there is only one exit for the international terminal that leads you into the arrival hall.
Where to buy a sim card at Bogota Airport
There are only 2 places to buy a sim card for Colombia when you arrive at Bogota Airport. The first shop that you will see when you go through the last customs baggage check is the Sim Market shop. It is located right in front of you next to the money exchange and car rental companies. Impossible to miss! In fact these shops are the last thing you see before you go through the sliding doors that lead you into the arrival hall.
Another place you can go for buying a sim card at Bogota Airport is a convenience store. When walking into the arrival hall and turn right there is a big convenience store on your right hand side. Also impossible to miss! It has no name and there is no sign saying 'prepaid sim cards for Colombia' or anything like that.
I only found out they sell sim cards for tourists by out by asking the lady working there. She replied positive and told me all the prepaid sim cards for Colombia that they offer.
Above you can find my YouTube video of what it is like to arrive at Bogota Airport (BOG). It will make it even easier for you to navigate around the airport and you get a first impression of what it is like and you see my experiences buying a prepaid sim card at Bogota Airport.
Prices Colombia sim cards at Bogota Airport
Colombia is a pretty cheap destination for travelers coming from Western countries. As per August 2024: $1 USD = 4,060 COP and 10,000 COP = $2.46 USD.
Heads up as per August 2024 it is still no possible to get an eSIM for tourists at Bogota Airport, only physical prepaid sim cards for tourists are available.
Sim Market
This for sure is the most convenient place to get connected and to buy a sim card for your trip to Colombia. However, that comes at a price! Prepaid sim cards for Colombia are very expensive at the Sim Market store.
It already says enough that prices are stated in USD instead of Colombian Pesos. That should be a sign that you are paying tourist prices!
Sim Market sells only Claro prepaid sim cards for tourists and they have 3 packages. The cheapest sim card costs $30 USD and then there is a package of $50 USD and $60 USD.
- 10 GB data + unlimited calls/text, FB & WhatsApp for 10 days = $30 USD
- 18 GB data + unlimited calls/text, FB & WhatsApp for 30 days = $50 USD
- 24 GB data + unlimited calls/text, FB & WhatsApp for 30 days = $60 USD
The Sim Market shop is open 24 hours and they accept international credit cards. The prepaid sim card deals at Sim Market are very expensive, definitely for Colombia standards. Therefore buying a sim card at Sim Market is not Traveltomtom's first recommendation.
For your reference... you can buy a Claro sim card with 9 GB data and unlimited calls/text for 30 days in Bogota city center at any Claro store and this will cost you just $6 USD! For more info check out my article about the best prepaid sim cards for Colombia in 2024.
Convenience store
Although a little harder to find and service is of course very different here than at the Sim Market shop, prices for Colombian sim cards are much cheaper at the convenient store. You can already get a sim card for Colombia with data for just $9 USD.
- 2 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 10 days = 35,000 COP - $9 USD
- 4.5 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 20 days = 55,000 COP - $14 USD
- 12 GB data + unlimited calls/text, FB & WhatsApp for 30 days = 75,000 COP - $19 USD
- 80 GB data + unlimited calls/text, FB & WhatsApp for 30 days = 150,000 COP - $38 USD
The prepaid sim cards sold at the convenience store are also from Claro, one of the main mobile internet operators in Colombia. In fact, in Traveltomtom's comparison of the best prepaid sim cards for Colombia it was Claro that was rated as the best Colombia sim card in 2024.
Also the convenience store is open 24 hours and accepts international credit cards.
Best prepaid sim card at Bogota Airport
Since both stores sell only prepaid sim cards from Claro it is easy to compare them. It leaves no doubt that the prices at the Sim Market store are much higher than the sim cards sold at the convenience store.
At Sim Market you pay the tourist price for buying your Colombia sim card at a prime location. It is the first store you see when setting foot in Colombia. Also at the Sim Market store there are ladies working specialized in selling sim cards, so there is much more service at Sim Market compared to the convenience store.
Personally, I recommend buying a sim card at the convenience store as it is not that hard to put the sim card in your phone yourself. The sim cards are pre-activated and do not need much set up, but I can understand that it sounds safer to buy a sim card at the Sim Market store.
But...
Prices for Colombia sim cards at Bogota Airport are much higher and if you wait till you get to Bogota city center and buy your sim card at a phone store in Bogota city center you get local prices.
Check out Traveltomtom's complete guide for buying a sim card for Colombia in 2024 and find much better prepaid sim card deals and also more info about the best 4G/5G network in Colombia.
Traveltomtom is an advocate for using eSIMs when traveling abroad. They are very convenient and simple to use. However, fact is that eSIMs for Colombia are more expensive than local prepaid sim cards.
That said, eSIMs are so easy to get that I often happily pay the higher price. Plus you are online as soon as the plane touches the ground and you don't need to buy a sim card on arrival in Colombia.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an eSIM for Colombia via either SimOptions or Airalo.
Order a prepaid sim card for Bogota online
If your phone is not e-sim compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Bogota online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Bogota with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Bogota, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Colombia:
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order a physical sim cards for traveling in Colombia via SimOptions.
Traveltomtom has used both the Three as well as the Orange physical prepaid sim cards in the past and I was always satisfied. However, nowadays it is no secret that I rather use eSIMs for traveling abroad instead of physical prepaid sim cards.
If your phone is e-sim compatible then here is a last reminder that you can arrange everything online in just a couple clicks. Order an eSIM for Colombia on the internet and arrive prepared. More expensive, but very convenient!
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an eSIM for Colombia via either SimOptions or Airalo.
I hope some of the above information for buying a sim card at Bogota Airport was helpful for your upcoming trip. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Please leave me a comment below and I will try to help you out.
Interested what it looks like to travel to every country in the world then check out my Instagram profile @traveltomtom for some serious wanderlust. As of August 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries so many more to go.
Enjoy your trip to Colombia!