---
title: "Where to buy a SIM card for travelling abroad | Gigapass"
description: "At the airport, in a shop in the country, online before you leave, or as an eSIM. What each one wins on and where the small print is."
url: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/where-to-buy-a-travel-sim
markdown: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/where-to-buy-a-travel-sim.md
lang: en
site: Gigapass
generated: 2026-10-24
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# Where to buy a travel SIM: the four options and their catches

> At the airport, in a shop in the country, online before you leave, or as an eSIM. What each one wins on and where the small print is.

[Home](https://getgigapass.com/en) › [Blog](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog) › Where to buy a travel SIM: the four options and their catches

Before you buy

At the airport, in a shop in the country, online before you leave, or as an eSIM. What each one wins on and where the small print is.

**Tomás Berruezo** 10 Aug 2026 5 min Photo by JR Harris on Unsplash

In this article › The four › What changes by country › What to ask when you buy

There are four places to get data for a trip, and the difference between them isn't so much the price as when you have it and what paperwork sits behind it.

## The four

| Where | When you have it | The catch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Airport counter | On arrival | Queue, opening hours and tourist pricing |
| Operator shop in town | The next day | Registration and sometimes a local address |
| Online, posted to you | Before you leave | You have to order it days ahead |
| eSIM | In minutes, from home | Compatible, unlocked phone |

## What changes by country

In some destinations buying a local line takes five minutes with your passport, and in others it means registration, forms and a wait of hours. That paperwork is what decides whether waiting until you arrive is worth it.

And there's one specific case worth looking up beforehand: countries that require you to register a foreign handset if you use a local line for longer than a set period.

One of the best known examples is in [internet in Turkey](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/internet-in-turkey).

## What to ask when you buy

1. How many days it lasts and when they start counting.
2. How much data it includes and what happens when that runs out.
3. Whether it works across the whole country or only in one region.
4. Whether it can be topped up, and how.
5. And that they leave it working before you walk away from the counter.

That last point is what saves you going back the next day.

If you buy at the airport, keep your own card in one fixed place and always the same one. It's the most common loss on any trip, and getting your number back takes days.

Know where you're going?

Pick your destination, days and data. Install it before you leave and pay once.

[See destinations](https://getgigapass.com/en#destinos)

Tomás BerruezoPlans and small print

Thirty years reading operator terms, first for work and now out of habit. If something is billed separately, he finds it.

## Frequently asked questions

**Where's the best place to buy a travel SIM?**

In a shop in the country if the paperwork is simple and you're not in a hurry, and as an eSIM if you want to land with data from the first minute.

**Is the airport counter expensive?**

It's usually the highest price in the country, and at certain hours there's a queue. In exchange, it's immediate.

**What should I ask when buying?**

Days and when they start, data and what happens when it runs out, whether it covers the whole country, whether it can be topped up, and that they leave it working.

**Are there countries with special paperwork?**

Yes, some require registration with documents, and even registering a foreign handset if you use a local line beyond a set period.

## Keep reading

- [Before you buy](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/how-much-does-roaming-cost) | What your operator charges outside the EU, and how to find out before you fly | 7 min
- [Before you buy](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/last-minute-travel-internet) | You fly tomorrow and haven't thought about internet: here are your options | 6 min
- [Before you buy](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/one-esim-for-two-phones) | One eSIM for two phones: what works and what doesn't | 6 min