Mobile data in Punta Cana and Bávaro
In Punta Cana the hotel wifi covers the room and the pool, and the phone needs data for everything else: the transfer, a taxi back from a restaurant in Bávaro, the boat trip, the drive to Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic eSIM connects to Altice on 4G and is data only, so your WhatsApp number stays the same.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in the Dominican Republic?
- Yes. It connects to Altice (4G).
- Price
- From 13,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 21,79 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: The Dominican Republic 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 the Dominican Republic. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
An airport under palm roofs
Punta Cana International Airport is privately owned and was built with open-air terminals under palm-thatched roofs, close to the hotel strips of Punta Cana and Bávaro. Transfers to the resorts take from about ten minutes to well over half an hour, and longer to Uvero Alto in the north. If your package includes a shared transfer, the rep meets you outside; if not, taxis wait at arrivals.
Switch on the eSIM line and data roaming as you leave the plane. The transfer rep's message, the hotel's WhatsApp and the tour operator's welcome note tend to arrive in the first minutes, and that is also when you want the map open to see how far the resort is.
eSIM for Dominican Republic
Data on your phone the moment you land in Dominican Republic. No account, no app, no shop.
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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.
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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.
Taxis, Uber and the hotel gate
There is no metro or tram here: visitors get around by transfer, taxi or rented car. Ride apps are where Punta Cana differs: taxi unions and Uber have clashed for years over who picks up at the hotels. Under an agreement brokered by the tourism ministry, hotel pickups in Bávaro and Punta Cana were reserved for Uber Select, driven by union taxi drivers, while the cheaper UberX picks up outside the hotels.
In practice, check in the app which option it offers at your hotel, since the rules have shifted, and confirm the plate and the driver's name before getting in. For a dinner in Bávaro, save the taxi number your hotel gives you: with data you can message it on WhatsApp and send the restaurant's location.
Hoyo Azul, Santo Domingo and the whales of Samaná
Hoyo Azul, a turquoise cenote at the foot of a limestone cliff, is inside Scape Park in Cap Cana, about 15 minutes from the airport; you need a park ticket, and the park runs a shuttle from the main hotels. Santo Domingo and its colonial city are roughly two and a half to three hours away by road; Expreso Bávaro runs buses to the capital, and a taxi takes you on from the bus station.
From January to March humpback whales gather in Samaná Bay, and full-day whale-watching trips leave from Punta Cana. The whole country is in the pack, but with Altice as the only network, long drives can have stretches without signal: download the route and save the operator's contact. If you continue to Puerto Rico, it needs its own Puerto Rico eSIM.
Which pack for an all-inclusive week
If you mostly stay in the resort and leave it for one or two excursions, the 3 GB pack, valid for 15 days, covers the transfers, the boat days and messages outside the wifi. For a family where one adult's phone shares data with the children's on the beach or at Hoyo Azul, the 5 GB or 10 GB pack is more comfortable; the hotspot is included.
If your flight connects in Madrid, Miami or another hub, the pack does not start there: it only connects, and starts counting, in the Dominican Republic. Buy it up to 180 days before, install it at home and top it up without reinstalling if you need more. The packs are on the Dominican Republic page.
Can I order an Uber from my resort in Punta Cana?
Often only as Uber Select, because hotel pickups in Bávaro and Punta Cana have been reserved for union taxi drivers. Open the app at the hotel to see what it offers; UberX usually picks you up outside the gate.
Does the pack start counting on my layover in Miami or Madrid?
No. It only connects in the Dominican Republic, so it starts when you land in Punta Cana and switch its line on.
Will it work at Hoyo Azul and in Cap Cana?
Yes, Cap Cana is in the Dominican Republic. Signal depends on Altice's coverage at each spot, so save your park ticket on the phone before you go.
Can the whole family use one eSIM?
Yes, the phone with the eSIM can share its data over the hotspot. With several phones connected all day, the 10 GB pack is the sensible size.
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 the Dominican Republic