Getting a Mexican SIM Card is incredibly easy. Whether you want to get one before you arrive in the country so that you can start using it as soon as you get here or you are heading here last minute and don’t have the time to wait, I promise it’s very simple.
There are a few companies to choose from and a few ways to top up depending on where you’re going to be based and how long you plan to be in Mexico.
You may not even need a Mexico SIM card if you are from the USA or Canada and have a provider that works within North America. I’ll talk more about that below.
What Mexico Phone Company Should I Use?
I recommend using Telcel. They have the largest network setup in the country. You get service almost anywhere and you can pay as you go very easily and cheaply.
The other two companies that you’ll likely see a lot of information about are AT&T and Movistar.
Movistar is probably the cheapest, but it’s also the most unreliable and drops out when you leave major cities.
If you’re just going to be staying in major cities like Mexico City or Guadalajara, then Movistar is fine. It’s easy to buy a SIM card and to top it up.
AT&T is pretty good.
The coverage is better than Movistar, however, it’s cheapest if you get yourself a contract and pay for an entire year upfront.
If you are going to be staying in Mexico City or another major city in Mexico for an extended period of time, this may be your best and cheapest option. You can usually even get a new phone with this plan for a small amount extra per month just like you would with a phone plan in the USA.
They do also offer reasonably priced month-to-month options similar to Telcel, but the packages vary slightly. In general, they are a good option if you want to stay in the big cities, but I have found the coverage to be average at best in more rural places or near the beach.
What to Know Before You Arrive in Mexico
Is your phone unlocked for international use? This is mostly aimed at American travelers. Most European phones are sold unlocked. However, regardless of where you are based if you have a phone contract and you are still paying your phone off, you will likely have to call your provider and ask them to unlock your phone.
Be sure to let them know that you are unlocking it for international use only. You are not asking for it to be unlocked so that you can switch national providers. You only want to make sure that you will be able to put international SIM cards in it.
If you’re unsure of what type of SIM card you have, you’ll also want to find that out. Do you have a regular, micro, or nano-SIM card in your phone? You’ll need to know this so that you buy the correct one on Amazon or once you arrive.
Note: If you have Sprint, this has changed. Since Sprint was bought by T-Mobile’s policies override their old rules. If you want to unlock your phone, even only for international use, your phone has to be 100% paid off.
Getting a Mexican SIM Card Before You Arrive
If you have time and are set on getting yourself a SIM card, I think the easiest thing to do is to order it on Amazon.
You can order a Telcel SIM card and have it delivered to your house before you set off for Mexico.
That means once you arrive in the country, all you have to do is head to an Oxxo or 7-11 to top up your Mexico SIM card.
This particular SIM card comes ready to top up. It costs $17, which is $5 more expensive than you would pay if you were to purchase it once you arrive in Mexico. However, it means as soon as you land in Mexico, you can top it up without a problem.
This SIM card comes with 4 GB worth of data on it. It includes free calls and texts within Mexico. This is valid for 30 days from the date of activation.
As an added bonus, all Telcel top-up plans include unlimited use of WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
That’s a huge amount and will last you up to 30 days. You can always top it up again if you’re going to be staying for longer. That package costs $39.
However, if you wait until you arrive in Mexico to do a top-up at a local store, it should only cost you about $15 USD (about 300 Pesos).
All of those Amazon purchases come with a normal, micro, and nano-chip, so you don’t have to stress too much about purchasing the correct one when ordering online.
Getting a SIM Card in Mexico Once You Arrive
If you aren’t in a rush to get a Mexico SIM card until you arrive in the country (or you’re already here), then the best place to grab a cheap SIM card is either Oxxo or 7-11.
Oxxo is basically the exact same as 7-11, it’s just the Mexican version. Well, it is technically it’s owned by Coca-Cola Mexico.
You can find exactly the same things in both – beer, snacks, soda, ramen noodles, etc. Some even have tacos! Although I very much do not recommend eating them.
Simply go into your nearest Oxxo or 7-11 and ask for a Telcel chip (not a SIM, they call it a chip in most places in Mexico). You may have to specify or show them what you mean on your phone if they don’t speak English.
If you are arriving in the country at the Mexico City airport, you can actually go straight to the Telcel shop which is located on the second floor (or first floor if you class the bottom floor as ground like they do in Mexico) of Terminal 1.
It’s located up the escalator between the domestic and international areas. If you can’t find it, just ask someone.
If you go there, they will set it all up for you and ask you what sort of top-up you want. They may ask for your ID to set it up, which they don’t do if you purchase it in Oxxo or 7-11.
Make sure wherever you buy it, that the card has been activated. You may struggle to activate the Mexican SIM card on your own if you don’t speak much Spanish. Again, Google Translate will be your best friend.
Be sure to download the Spanish dictionary on Google Translate while you’re on WiFi so you can use it offline. If you’re buying a SIM card, I would assume it’s because you don’t want to use your SIM from home.
How to Top Up a SIM Card in Mexico
Topping up a SIM Card is even easier than purchasing one, even if you don’t know a ton of Spanish.
The Spanish for top-up is recarga.
They will ask you what company you use. Tell them (Telcal, Movistar, AT&T). Then they will ask you how much you want to top up. I usually use 200 Pesos a month, so I say doscientos.
You can check what all of the up-to-date top-ups available are here. Note that although they use the $ sign in Mexico, the prices are in Pesos. This is also the Peso sign in Mexico.
That link will take you to the Telcel website where you can read how much data and unlimited each amount will give you and how long it will last.
My boyfriend usually tops up 200 Pesos (about $10 USD) which gives you 3.5 GB, unlimited usage on social media apps and Whatsapp, as well as unlimited phone calls within the country. This lasts for 30 days.
Do You Even Need a Mexican SIM Card?
Let me let you in on a little secret. I have been living in Mexico City for five and a half years and I never canceled my phone plan in the US.
My phone contract is with Sprint and I can use my phone pretty much anywhere in the world for no extra cost.
I do not pay a penny extra to use my phone as normal here in Mexico. Free calls, free texts, free low-speed data (which really isn’t that low-speed) at no extra cost.
I use Whatsapp to text and call people who don’t have US numbers without any problems (pretty much everyone uses Whatsapp in Mexico).
This was the same for when I went to Costa Rica, Colombia, and across the pond, to the UK. I wrote a full post about why Sprint is the best phone company for American travelers here.
Regardless of where I take my phone in the world, I get free low-speed data, free text messages, and when I leave North America, calls are only $0.20 per minute.
I have a friend who came to visit me last year and she has a contract with AT&T. She wasn’t charged anything extra to use her phone as normal in Mexico either.
Many phone companies across the USA, Mexico and Canada do not charge for you to continue using your phone within these three countries. Telcel is included in this as is AT&T in Mexico.
So you may not even need a Mexican SIM card.
If you are only coming to Mexico for a short period of time and you aren’t going to cancel your phone plan back home, then call your phone company and find out what it will cost you to use your phone in Mexico.
However, if you are moving to Mexico, it will definitely be cheaper to wait out your plan back home and then simply buy a Mexican SIM card once you arrive.
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Darla
Saturday 4th of March 2023
Wow, this is so handy to know. I just returned to Canada from my first trip to Mexico. We booked it 4 days in advance and I didn’t even think about the texts banks send for confirmation. Luckily I didn’t need to check anything til the day before I left. Definitely using all your info next. Such a great article packed with tons on info. Thanks so much!
Oscar Garcia
Friday 23rd of December 2022
I still can't find out why won't my chip take the money when I try and put credit on it
Sofie Garcia
Thursday 30th of June 2022
I live in the U.S. I was told by a bank executive in Mexico that I need a Mexican phone number to be able to do bank transactions with the Mexican bank online. I attempted to "register" my US phone number with the bank through the bank app and it doesn't accept it. The security for banking online is upgraded, so now I need to receive a verification code to a mexican cell phone number do anything online. So I need to get a mexican sim card and activate it to use for this purpose. I want to make sure that I can receive a bank verification code via text to the mexican phone number while I am in the U.S. How do I get the phone I have for this purpose to be unlocked for international use? Please help!
Elizabeth Jones
Friday 13th of May 2022
Please be aware that there is a scam at the 7-eleven at the Mexico City airport where they will sell you a sim card that is supposed to be for two months of service but is only one week's worth. They stole $40 from me for two sims. Please beware!
Gregor
Tuesday 28th of September 2021
Laura, I moved to Mexico, permanently, just this month. I still have T-Mobile with great service here but I want to change to a Mexican phone number so I can open a Mexican bank account and other things. My phone is paid off and I need to know if I go to Telcel can they change this phone over to a new Mexican number and will it work when I give it to my American financial institutions? I dont care about the American number, will the mexican bank apps work on this American phone and will the new number work with the American financial institutions apps? Thanks.
Laura Bronner
Wednesday 29th of September 2021
Hey Gregor - is your phone unlocked? That's the first thing you'll have to check with t-mobile about. They have to unlock it since it's paid off, but it may not already be unlocked for international use. Just give them a call and they can do it over the phone. Once it's unlocked you can then take it to Telcel and set up a sim card and phone plan with them. Yes, the Mexican banking apps with work with your American phone. Will it work when you give it to American financial institutions is a question I do not know the answer to. You will have to ask them. I've always kept my US number wherever I've lived and then had a Mexican number as a second SIM card because changing numbers for banks is such a hassle and my business accounts are all linked to my US number. You'll have to call your bank in the US and find out, however, I think it should be possible.