Planning a holiday in Egypt and you don’t want to rely only on the (hotel) Wi-Fi? If your smartphone supports digital eSIM profiles, you can stock up on them before you fly to Egypt and start surfing as soon as you get off the plane. We have selected the best eSIM plans for Egypt for you.
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How It Works
An eSIM is a digital SIM card that can be loaded directly onto a compatible device without the need for a physical SIM card. This type of SIM card is particularly convenient for travellers because it is easy and quick to buy and activate online without having to worry about a physical SIM card.
You will find numerous providers of eSIM plans on the Internet. With most of them, you buy a one-off prepaid plan for a certain number of days and data volume. After expiry, there are no further costs and you do not need a subscription.
Unfortunately, not all smartphones support an eSIM. You have good odds with an iPhone 11 / 12 / 13, but also with an Android smartphone, e.g. Google Pixel 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 or Samsung Galaxy S20, S21, or Note 20. You can find a list of smartphones that support eSIM here: Which devices support an eSIM?
If your Android smartphone does not support eSIM profiles, eSIM.me is a physical SIM card that you can use with eSIM profiles.
Most eSIM providers only offer data volume and no free minutes. Since these are also prepaid plans, outgoing calls are generally not supported. With some smartphones, e.g. iPhones, you can still be reached via your normal SIM card and make calls.
Plans For Egypt Compared
You can find the right eSIM plan for you quickly and easily in our comparison. Simply select your travel duration and the required data volume:
Cheapest Provider
The cheapest eSIM provider is Maya Mobile for our selected packages. The packages with 1, 3, 5 or 10 GB always have a term of up to 30 days. The packages from Airalo offer a little more variation
In our large eSIM comparison, Airalo and Maya Mobile offer the cheapest plans in many countries and are also open about which network provider is used (Orange for Egypt). If you don’t want to constantly hunt for the cheapest provider, you’ll find the best overall package here.
Billing According to Consumption
If you don’t yet know exactly how much data volume you need, you can also use MTX Connect and Surfroam to charge according to usage. You top up the eSIM with credit beforehand, e.g. €10 and can then use the credit. At 1.2 euro cents per MB, MTX Connect is significantly cheaper than the 3 euro cents that Surfroam charges.
In addition, MTX offers a free chat option with which you can chat via WhatsApp, Telegram… 7 days after activating the eSIM and 15 days after each top-up.
Data Without an Expiration Date
Anyone who travels to Egypt regularly can buy data volume via BNESIM without an expiry date. Although this is significantly more expensive than other providers with an expiry date, it can be used very flexibly. If you use the data volume sparingly, you can enjoy it for a long time.
Network Coverage
Unfortunately, only Airalo, Holafly and BNESIM are open about which network operator is behind their eSIM. There are four network operators in Egypt:
- Etisalat Egypt
- Orange Egypt
- Vodafone Egypt
- Telecom Egypt (under the brand WE)
You can find out how good the local network coverage is at nperf. In the big cities and tourist resorts, Orange and Vodafone usually offer the best coverage.
Internet Censorship and VPN Blocking
Internet freedom is disappointingly severely restricted in Egypt. Many apps and services, mainly Voice-over-IP such as Skype or WhatsApp calls (WhatsApp as a messenger is usually not affected) are blocked and cannot be used via the (hotel) Wi-Fi or via a local SIM or eSIM. Even most (simple) VPNs are blocked thanks to Deep Packet Inspection. If you depend on these services, you should get a suitable VPN, e.g. set up NordVPN or use apps like Signal.
Alternative: Buy a Local SIM Card
While eSIMs are very convenient and can be taken care of before you travel, they are quite expensive compared to SIM cards bought locally in Egypt. Especially if you want to have many gigabytes of data volume. However, there is the disadvantage that you usually cannot continue to use your own SIM card and can still be reached under your usual telephone number. At least if your smartphone doesn’t support two physical SIM cards (Dual SIM). If your smartphone supports eSIM, you can swap your own SIM card for an eSIM before you travel and use both cards at the same time.
The most convenient option is to buy it directly after arrival at the airport in the arrival hall. Unfortunately, no precise statement can be made about the offers there. In the Orange or Vodafone network, you often pay less than €10 for 10 GB and 20 to 40 GB usually cost between €10 and €20. The plan is usually valid for one month. However, depending on the time of day, you have to expect long queues in front of the shops.
With the Vodafone Tourist line, Vodafone Egypt itself offers a plan tailored to tourists. 10 GB data volume + 20 minutes international calls + 200 minutes local calls officially cost EGP 250 (~€5). 30 GB + 20 minutes international + 200 minutes local are available for EGP 500 (~€10). Unfortunately, the plans cannot be booked online, only in Vodafone shops in Egypt.
Not all vendors are honest. There are numerous reports on the Internet where tourists have paid for significantly more data volume than was available. You only notice that when you have used up the lower data volume (a few GB). After activating the SIM card, you can use the Ana Vodafone app or My Orange app to check how much data volume you actually have.
The EgyptSIM cards are a little more expensive but can be ordered in advance. You can book the plan online and pick up the SIM card at Marsa Alam Airport and pay there. Alternatively, the SIM card will be brought to your hotel in Marsa Alam, Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi and Sahl Hasheesh. Overall, however, the plans are more expensive than directly at the airport.
Conclusion
An eSIM for your holiday in Egypt is a simple and relatively cheap option to not be completely dependent on Wi-Fi. They are more expensive than SIM cards on-site, but you can do everything before departure, and you can still be reached on your own cell phone number (for iPhones).