Visiting Bolivia soon? Make sure to know what to expect when it comes to purchasing a Bolivia SIM card.
Fortunately, South America is one of the best places where you can buy a SIM card easily. You should be able to find a cheap SIM card pretty much anywhere in South America. In fact, most data packages are affordable, which makes the whole thing easier!
In this guide, we’ll explain where to buy a SIM card in Bolivia in person and online. We’ll also discuss prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs if your mobile supports them.
Before you read this guide, you may wonder if you actually need a SIM card in Bolivia. If you don’t mind not having Internet, you’ll likely find free Wifi in restaurants, shopping malls, and hotels.
That said, if you need data to get around, call a cab, or translate Spanish – you may want to get a SIM card for your travels in Bolivia.
Best SIM Cards In Bolivia
If you’re traveling in Bolivia, we recommend using a SIM card from Tigo, Entel, Viva, or Airalo. (I’ll get back to Airalo later on, so keep reading to learn more!)
That said, if you’re planning on visiting other countries during your trip to South America, you might want to make sure to pick an option that offers coverage in other South American countries.
How To Buy A SIM Card In Bolivia
You can either buy a Bolivia prepaid SIM card in person in some international airports, mobile provider stores, convenience stores, or online.
Usually, you can expect higher costs and low data offers at the airport, so we don’t recommend buying a SIM card at the airport.
That said, you won’t necessarily find SIM card shops in every airport, so it’s essential to keep this in mind. And, when you see a shop, you might also have limited options.
For this reason, I’d recommend buying a SIM card directly from the mobile provider store. Note that you may need your passport to buy one.
Although, this means you won’t get data right upon your arrival. So, if you prefer to be connected at all times, you could use an eSIM or purchase a South American prepaid SIM card online.
Now, let’s take a look at the data plans offered by Tigo, Entel, and Viva.
Tigo SIM Cards
Tigo offers several different types of prepaid plans:
- 1.5 GB, valid for 1 day for BOB 20 ($2.90)
- 1 GB, valid for 7 days for BOB 20 ($2.90)
- 4 GB, valid for 30 days for BOB 120 ($17.39)
Entel SIM Cards
Entel has several different prepaid plans available:
- 1 GB, valid for 1 day for BOB 7 ($1.01)
- 2.5 GB, valid for 1 day for BOB 15 ($2.17)
- 4.8 GB, valid for 7 days for BOB 40 ($5.80)
- 10 GB, valid for 30 days for BOB 98 ($14.20)
- 15 GB, valid for 30 days for BOB 140 ($20.29)
Viva SIM Cards
Viva has several different prepaid plans available:
- Unlimited data, valid for 1 day for BOB 10 ($1.45)
- Unlimited data, valid for 3 days for BOB 27 ($3.91)
- Unlimited data, valid for 7 days for BOB 60 ($8.69)
Overall, we think Tigo is the best option if you plan to buy your SIM card in person. That said, any would do if you can’t find their store!
How To Buy A Bolivia Prepaid SIM Card Online
If you wish to have your SIM card ready for your arrival, you could purchase it online or on websites like Amazon.
You’ll find different plans on Amazon. For example, Orange Holiday World SIM works in more than 100+ countries and gives you up to 10 GB of data for 14 days. Bolivia is included.
But there are many other options worth considering, so have a look and make sure the countries you plan on visiting are listed.
Finally, the last option is to buy an eSIM card for Bolivia or, if you’re traveling to multiple countries, an eSIM plan for South America.
How To Buy An eSIM Card For Bolivia
eSIM is a new concept allowing you to have a virtual SIM card inside your phone. If your mobile phone supports eSIM cards – it’s definitely one of the best options to get data in Bolivia.
Curious? Learn more about eSIMs for travelers on eSIM Roamers.
I started using eSIM as soon as my mobile phone supported it. And I first tried it when visiting my family in Canada. To buy eSIMs, I usually use Airalo. Keep reading to learn more about the best eSIMs for Bolivia.
Airalo Bolivia
If you want to buy an eSIM for Bolivia, you could purchase one on Airalo. This website offers many eSIM cards worldwide and special plans for South America and Bolivia. I’ve been using Airalo for several months, and it works fine.
Here are the options available:
- WA Mobile: 1 GB, valid for 7 days for $8.50
- WA Mobile: 2 GB, valid for 15 days for $16.50
- WA Mobile: 3 GB, valid for 30 days for $23
- WA Mobile: 5 GB, valid for 30 days for $36
Here’s an overview of the options available for South America:
- 1 GB, valid for 7 days for $15
- 2 GB, valid for 15 days for $28
- 3 GB, valid for 30 days for $39
- 5 GB, valid for 30 days for $60
The options mentioned above are part of Latamlink and offer coverage in 19 countries, including Bolivia.
Now, one important thing to note about Airalo is that you’ll need to keep an eye out for the provider in each country.
Suppose you ever have trouble connecting to the Internet during your trip. In that case, it might be because you’re connecting automatically to networks and need to select a network manually instead.
When you purchase the eSIM, you’ll get access to the list of networks supported in each country.
Holafly Bolivia
Alternatively, you could look at your options on Holafly. You can read our Holafly review to learn more about this eSIM store.
Here’s an overview of their plans for Bolivia:
- 6 GB, valid for 15 days for $44
Their South America eSIM work in 13 countries (including Bolivia), and they offer the following plan:
- 6 GB, valid for 15 days for $44
Final Thoughts On SIM Cards In Bolivia
As you can see, getting a prepaid SIM card in Bolivia or even an eSIM for your travels in Bolivia is pretty straightforward.
You’ll even be able to stay connected wherever you go in South America without changing your SIM card, especially if you purchase a South American plan.
I believe the eSIM card is the most convenient way to get data in Bolivia if you wish to have data upon your arrival. This way, you won’t need to go to a store to buy a SIM card.
Obviously, you need to make sure your mobile phone supports eSIM first.
Traveling soon? Read one of the following blog posts:
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