Mobile data in Buenos Aires for visitors
Buenos Aires is a city of long walks, late dinners and a great many buses, and the phone does the navigating. The Argentina eSIM connects to Personal on 5G and Movistar on 4G, and it is data only: your own number stays on the phone for WhatsApp and texts.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Argentina?
- Yes. It connects to Movistar, Personal (5G).
- Price
- From 12,99 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 21,29 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Argentina is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Argentina. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Ezeiza is far, Aeroparque is not
International flights land at Ezeiza, a little over 30 km from the centre; by road that is 45 minutes to an hour, more in rain or at rush hour. The cheapest way in is city bus 8, a semi-express service that reaches Plaza de Mayo in just over an hour and takes a bank card or a SUBE card. Manuel Tienda León runs minibuses to its terminal in Puerto Madero, and official taxis and remises, fixed-fare cars with a driver, are sold at counters in arrivals.
Uber and Cabify pick up at signposted meeting points outside arrivals, so switch on the eSIM line and data roaming as you leave the plane. Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, used by most domestic flights, sits inside the city on the riverside Costanera, a short ride from Palermo.
eSIM for Argentina
Data on your phone the moment you land in Argentina. No account, no app, no shop.
Black Friday −25 % Ends in 32d 00:58:13Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
Write the email where we should send the QR code.
We send the QR code and your receipt here. No spam.
QR in your inbox in minutes · If it does not connect, we fix it · Secure payment with Stripe
Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Subte, colectivos and the city's own route planner
The Subte has six lines plus the Premetro, and its turnstiles take a contactless bank card or a phone wallet, so you can ride without a SUBE card. The colectivos, the city buses, cover everything the Subte does not; most of them still run on the SUBE card, which you buy and top up at kiosks and stations. Ezeiza's bus 8 is an exception that also takes bank cards.
The city government's Cómo Llego app plans trips by Subte, bus, train, bike or on foot, with arrival predictions on some Subte lines. For a cab, BA Taxi is the city's official app for registered taxis, and Uber, Cabify and DiDi all work in Buenos Aires. None of that runs on hotel wifi once you are out of the door.
Tigre and the Delta, then across the river to Uruguay
The Mitre line runs from Retiro to Tigre in under an hour, and a few blocks from the station the river terminal sends passenger launches into the channels of the Paraná Delta. All of it is Argentina, so the pack keeps working, but the islands are spread out and wooded: save your launch stop and the time of the boat back before you board.
The other classic day trip leaves from the port by Puerto Madero. Ferries to Colonia del Sacramento take roughly an hour and a quarter, and check-in and immigration happen at the terminal, so arrive early. Colonia and Montevideo are in Uruguay, where this pack does not work. For a night or two over there, add the Uruguay eSIM; for an afternoon in Colonia's old town, a downloaded map is often enough.
How much data for Buenos Aires
Four days in the city, with wifi at the hotel and the phone used for maps, ride apps, restaurant bookings and messages, fit the 3 GB pack, valid for 15 days. A week that adds Tigre, a match at La Bombonera and late nights in Palermo is more comfortable on 5 GB, valid for 30 days. If you work from a café with the laptop on the phone's hotspot, take 10 GB; 20 GB is for a month in the city.
Buy it up to 180 days before the trip and install it at home over wifi: the plan only starts when it first connects in Argentina, and it keeps working if you fly on to Mendoza, Bariloche or the Argentine side of Iguazú. If you run short, top up the same eSIM without reinstalling it. The data calculator sizes it for your days and the packs are on the Argentina page.
Can I book an Uber as soon as I land at Ezeiza?
Yes. Uber and Cabify pick up at signposted meeting points at the arrivals exit, and the eSIM gives you data as soon as you switch its line on. Your account keeps the number you signed up with.
Do I need a SUBE card for the Subte?
No. The Subte turnstiles accept contactless bank cards and phone wallets. For most colectivos you still need a SUBE card, sold at kiosks and stations.
I land at Ezeiza and fly on from Aeroparque. Do I need anything else?
No. Both airports are in Argentina, so the same eSIM covers the transfer and your next destination. Manuel Tienda León also runs a bus between the two airports.
Will it work in Tigre and on the Delta launches?
Yes, the Delta is Argentina. Among the islands the signal can drop, so save your launch stop and the return times before you leave the river terminal.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Argentina