If you want the best experience during your trip to Egypt, you must have a good internet connection that allows you to surf and upload files to social media showing the wonders Egypt offers. But…how can you have the best connection and use your cell phone in Egypt during your trip without paying the expensive roaming charges? For some time now, there have been international SIM cards for Egypt, Pocket Wifi for Egypt, and free Wifi hotspots. However, the new alternative is the eSIM for Egypt.
This is one of the best ways to stay connected 24 hours a day when traveling to Cairo, Alexandria, etc., because they are virtual, and you can buy them anywhere in the world. They allow you to have a lot of data and minutes. Besides, they are very easy to use and activate. So what are you waiting for? Get yours today!
Here we will tell you in detail the best options for eSIM cards to travel to Egypt, opinions, and coverage; you will understand its operation, requirements, and compatible cellphones so you can make the best decision.
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eSIM Egypt card need-to-know information
Being an innovative and reasonably recent technology, eSIM cards still have some limitations, mainly regarding compatibility, since virtual sim cards are only compatible with certain phones (the most recent ones), and they operate based on certain electronic requirements such as emails. If you want to have an eSIM, we recommend that you consider the following:
- The eSIMs are compatible with the most recent versions of current phones, and depending on the operator you are going to use, these versions may change from one to another.
- It is essential to have an email address to register and receive your eSIM.
- It is important that you have an internet connection: your eSIM profile will be downloaded from the carrier’s servers after scanning the QR code or installation code.
- Sometimes you will need to install an App to download the eSIM.
If you can’t buy an eSIM, you can purchase a physical SIM card for travelers instead.
Mobile eSIM card providers for traveling to Egypt
After meeting the aforementioned requirements, we will tell you about the providers available in the market for you to acquire your eSIM to connect to the Mobile Internet in Egypt. These are companies that sell international eSIM cards for use during your leisure or business trips abroad. See the following:
Rates and data plans from eSIM providers for traveling to Egypt
Below you will find the prices of the different eSIM providers in Egypt. Their price variation will depend on the area, coverage, roaming agreements they have with local carriers in Egypt, and the payment methods used. Many companies do not support recognized payment methods such as PayPal, especially those originating from China or Japan.
Holafly
Let’s start by talking about Holafly. It has been positioning itself very well in the market of telecommunications for travelers, especially eSIMs. With this store, you can buy an eSIM with data for Egypt easily through their website. You don’t need to register, visit their website, search for your travel destination, choose the plan, and finish with the payment and your personal data.
Holafly currently offers five unlimited data plans for Egypt, which costs from $27 to $54, and you will have 5, 7, 10, 15, or 20 days at a speed of 4G. The great advantage of the eSIM of this company is that you can use it immediately after your purchase, and you can connect to the best internet services in the country you visited.
Pros of Holafly’s eSIM for Egypt:
- Enjoy the high-speed and stable connection in Egypt.
- Easy to set up and activate.
- You’ll have unlimited data plans.
- Recharge eSIM through top-ups
- Keep your WhatsApp number on your cellphone.
- You’ll enjoy 24/7 customer service from Holafly’s team.
Cons of Holafly’s eSIM for Egypt:
- You won’t be able to make or receive calls.
- No messages included.
- The eSIM is not compatible with all phones.
United Global
On the other hand, United Global is a company that offers a variety of internet services, including international data plans for eSIMs. This company separates its international plans into groups of Zones. In the case of Egypt, it is in the Blue Zone. The cost of the eSIM for this zone is $25, and you will be able to make more top-ups when your data is over.
You can purchase a Global eSIM from the United Networks online store or by contacting their support team. Before selecting the Global eSIM to purchase, you will need to check which zone you will be traveling to. In the case of Egypt, it will be the Blue Zone.
Pros of United Global eSIM:
- Some tariffs and plans offer voice and messaging services.
- Their eSIM is easy to install.
- Prepaid, no lock-in contract needed.
Cons of United Global eSIM:
- Internet connection speed may vary in some locations.
- You will have to recharge it when you run out of data.
- The eSIM is not compatible with all phones.
YeSIM
Finally, Yesim is a brand of Genesis Group AG, which is located in Switzerland and provides cellular data connectivity to travelers through eSIMs. With this company, you will be able to purchase the eSIM through their website or their mobile application. However, please note that these will only be in English and Russian.
Among the data plans they offer for Egypt, you can choose the following: 1GB for 7 days at $10, 3GB for 5 days at $27, 5GB for 7 days at $38, and 10GB for 14 days at $60. As you can see, the maximum amount of days of their plans is 10 days, so if you are traveling for a longer amount of days, you will have to buy more than one plan.
Pros of YeSIM’s eSIM for Egypt:
- You can make top-ups with the eSIM.
- You’ll be able to track your data usage through their App.
- They offer good prices.
Cons of YeSIM’s eSIM for Egypt:
- Voice calls, SMS, and MMS are not included.
- The YESIM Application only works on unlocked devices.
- The eSIM is not compatible with all phones.
Comparison of eSIM providers for Egypt
| Provider | Amount data | Days | Price | Support | Sales channels |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | 5 | 27 USD | English, Spanish, German, French | Web |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | 7 | 34 USD | English, Spanish, German, French | Web |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | 10 | 37 USD | English, Spanish, German, French | Web |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | 15 | 47 USD | English, Spanish, German, French | Web |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | 20 | 54 USD | English, Spanish, German, French | Web |
| United Global | 1GB | 30 | $46.31 USD | English | Web, App Store, Play Store |
| United Global | 3GB | 30 | $123.50 USD | English | Web, App Store, Play Store |
| United Global | 5GB | 30 | $192.97 USD | English | Web, App Store, Play Store |
| YeSIM | 1GB | 7 | 10 USD | English, Russian | Web, App Store, Play Store |
| YeSIM | 3GB | 5 | 27 USD | English, Russian | Web, App Store |
| YeSIM | 5GB | 7 | 38 USD | English, Russian | Web, App Store |
| YeSIM | 10GB | 14 | 60 USD | English, Russian | Web, App Store |
Features of eSIMs for travel to Egypt
Despite their similarities, the characteristics of eSIMs compared to normal SIM cards are quite different, both in coverage and activation, since, although eSIMs correspond to totally virtual cards, they also correspond to different characteristics that you should keep in mind, which are:
- Most eSIM cards only provide you with data, so you cannot make any voice calls, but only through applications such as WhatsApp or Skype.
- Because it’s in the cloud, the eSIM is not something that you can put in over and over again, but rather something that you only install once, and if you have problems, you should contact your provider or operator.
- If your phone is not dual SIM, by having an eSIM in your smartphone, you can also keep the physical SIM in your smartphone, making it easy to have two lines.
- You can add multiple data plans to your phone, but you can only use one at a time.
- Some eSIMs allow you to share data.
- Some eSIMs configure the APN automatically.
Mobile Internet coverage map for travel to Egypt
One of the most important things you have to take into account when traveling to Egypt is the coverage that your eSIM will offer you because although you can get an eSIM at a very low price, this cheap eSIM may not have as much coverage on your trip to Egypt, this translates to latency and very long loading time, which is something that you do not want to have.
The eSIM cards that will offer you the best network coverage on your trip to Egypt are those that have the most roaming agreements with the main operators. By having multiple connection options, your cell phone will take the one that offers the best stability. To give you a clear idea of the coverage, here we will show you the maps managed by the main operators in Egypt:
Vodafone 3G network coverage map in Egypt
Orange 4G network coverage in Egypt
Etisalat Mobile 4G coverage map in Egypt
Local phone carriers offering eSIM in Egypt
Unfortunately, no mobile operator in Egypt currently offers eSIMs for prepaid customers. So you cannot purchase one of these eSIMs as a tourist. However, Of the four available operators, only Etisalat Mobile offers eSIM to its customers. You can still buy prepaid SIM cards as tourists from other operators such as Vodafone, Orange, and We Telecom.
- Etisalat Mobile (eSIM available)
- Vodafone
- Orange
- We Telecom
eSIM Etisalat Mobile Egypt
This is the most competitive phone company with Egyptian origin in the local market to the point of being the only option available with an eSIM card for its customers residing in the country. Their virtual SIM card services are available on phones and smartwatches.
It is important to mention that you must have a contracted plan with the phone company and that the process of registration or transfer of the eSIM must be done in one of its branches. This change or contracting will not have an additional cost. You only have to pay for the service you decided to use with the digital SIM card.
Benefits of the Etisalat Mobile eSIM in Egypt
First of all, you will have access to all the postpaid plans available with Etisalat Mobile as if you were a physical SIM card customer. You can change these plans at any time and use them on your smart devices and phone. Finally, Etisalat allows you to transfer an existing number or use a new number on your virtual SIM card. Other benefits you can expect from this new technology with the company are:
- You can now switch between private and business numbers in one phone without physically swapping the SIM cards.
- Accommodate multiple phone numbers, which you can add, delete and configure right from your phone’s settings.
- The entire process is free.
How to Activate an Etisalat Mobile eSIM for Egypt
The process to activate an eSIM with Etisalat Mobile starts by signing up for one of their services. After that, in one of their physical stores, you can request and register your eSIM by migrating an existing number or using a new one.
As a final step, after registering your information and requesting your eSIM, you will receive a QR code from the My Etisalat UAE mobile App if it is an existing number. If it is a new number, you will receive it directly from an agent in a physical store. With this QR code, you need to scan it and perform the configuration on your phone, this step may vary between devices, but on the Etisalat Mobile website, you will find guides for most of the compatible models.
Prepaid SIM card Vodafone Egypt
As we already anticipated, Vodafone does not offer eSIM services for visitors, but it has a prepaid SIM card called Tourist Line in its catalog. With this option, you can have internet as a tourist with 30 GB of browsing, 30 minutes of international calls, and 200 minutes of local calls.
The package is valid for 30 days, and if you exhaust any of the available consumptions, you will be able to continue using them but with higher consumption costs. These Tourist lines can be purchased at the Vodafone airport store or from any Vodafone retail store across Egypt. To locate the nearest store, we recommend you use the map that Vodafone has on its website.
Prepaid SIM card Orange Egypt
Another option with physical SIM cards for tourists is Orange and its Holidays Line. These packages are only available for visitors to Egypt and offer two options with 10GB and 40GB of browsing. The packages have 30-day usage periods and also include minutes for local and international calls. You can send SMS to local numbers, but they are not included in the plan.
Each message will consume credit as long as you have it available. In case your stay is extended, and you use the plan for more than 30 days, you will have to migrate to a prepaid profile with the operator through their customer service number or in a physical store. The Holiday Line can be purchased in any Orange branch, some of them located in international airports of the country.
Frequently asked questions about eSIM in Egypt
Find answers to your most common questions before purchasing your eSIM to travel to Egypt.
It is a virtual SIM card that will allow you to use data during your trips.
There is no need to present your passport if you buy your eSIM card in an online store. Some suppliers do require your address.
Some eSIM for Egypt will allow you to share your data with other devices. However, we recommend that you check with the provider’s customer service.
After installing the virtual SIM profile, choose it as the default cellular medium, turn on data and roaming, and your virtual SIM should be working.
Yes, just like physical cards, virtual SIM cards also have an expiration date.
