Buying a SIM at the airport: when it works out and when it doesn't

Buying the card on arrival works, and it works less well than people remember. Memory keeps the times it went fine and forgets the queue at dawn, the closed counter and the plan that turned out not to be the one it seemed.

When it works out

• In destinations where the process is simple and several counters compete with each other.
• When you land during business hours and are not in a rush.
• On long stays, where a local tariff beats any travel plan.
• If your phone does not support eSIM, in which case it is the natural option.

When it goes badly

• Flights that land at dawn, which is when half the long-haul arrivals come in.
• Countries with compulsory registration and paperwork, where activation is not immediate.
• Airports with a single counter, which is where tourist prices go through the roof.
• When you need data the moment you walk out, to order a transfer or find the hotel.

The five questions at the counter

If you do buy there, these five avoid almost every disappointment.

1. How many days does it last and from when does it count?
2. How many gigabytes is it and what happens when they run out?
3. Does it work across the whole country or only in this region?
4. Does it include calls and messages, or is it data only?
5. Can it be topped up, and how?

And one check before you leave the counter: that the phone is actually browsing with the card in. That is the moment to fix it, not two hours later at the hotel.

What to do with your usual card

When you put the local card in, yours comes out of the phone if there is only one tray. Keep it in a fixed place, always the same one, and not in a trouser pocket: coming home without it is more common than it sounds, and getting the number back takes days.

With an eSIM that problem does not exist, because your line never moves out of the phone.

The comparison of the three ways to have data abroad is in eSIM, pocket wifi or local SIM.