How to Buy a SIM Card in Colombia in 2026

A SIM card in Colombia costs less than a coffee, and the data bundles are among the cheapest in the Americas. The friction is not the price but the registration, which ties every line to a cédula or a passport and turns a five-minute purchase into a half-hour one. This guide gives the prices for Claro, Tigo, Movistar and WOM, says where to buy at El Dorado and in the cities, and shows the eSIM that is working before you reach the taxi rank. Our plans for Colombia are on the Colombia eSIM page.

Claro, Tigo, Movistar and WOM

Claro is the largest network and the one with coverage beyond the cities, which matters in the coffee region, on the Caribbean coast and anywhere a bus goes over a mountain. Tigo is strong in Bogotá and Medellín and sells the most tourist-friendly plans. Movistar's coverage is argued over: it wins awards in the cities and its own maps show gaps outside them. WOM is the newest and cheapest, best treated as a city network. All four run 4G in the main cities and 5G is arriving in Bogotá and Medellín.

What a SIM and a plan cost

The card itself is about COP 3,000 to 20,000 depending on the operator: Movistar around COP 3,000, Claro around COP 5,000, Tigo from COP 5,000 to 20,000 with a plan attached. Starter bundles are small and cheap: Claro about COP 15,000 for 1GB over seven days, Tigo about COP 25,000 for 3GB over 15 days, Movistar about COP 40,000 for 5GB over 30 days. All of these move with the peso, so treat them as a guide.

El Dorado and the city stores

Bogotá's El Dorado airport has shops in arrivals selling Claro and Tigo prepaid SIMs with registration on the spot, at prices above the same packs in town. The carriers' own stores in Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and Cali are the safer place to buy and the slower one: registration against a passport is what takes the time, and some official stores do not stock the tourist plans, so check the validity before paying. Authorised dealers in shopping centres sell the same SIMs and are often quicker.

Install before you fly

Our Latin America 5GB eSIM is $12 for seven days, the Latin America 10GB eSIM is $20 for 14 days and the Latin America 15GB eSIM is $28 for 30 days. They cover Colombia and fifteen other countries from Mexico to Argentina, start from first use, include hotspot and use 5G where available, with no registration. For a phone number, the Orange World 20GB eSIM is $28 for 20GB over 30 days in more than 90 countries including Colombia, with a French +33 number, 15 minutes of calls and 50 texts. Both are working in the El Dorado arrivals hall.

Side by side

Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, the coffee region and the coast

In Bogotá, Medellín and Cali every network is fast. Cartagena and Santa Marta are well covered along the coast, and Tayrona's beaches are not, whichever SIM you carry. In the coffee region around Salento, Claro holds the signal on the roads between the towns and the others drop out in the valleys. On long bus journeys through the Andes expect hours without service on any network, so download maps and tickets before you leave the city.

Our recommendation

For a trip of up to a month, install the Latin America 10GB or 15GB eSIM before you fly and skip the registration queue; the same plan carries on to Ecuador, Peru or Mexico. Take the Orange World 20GB eSIM if you need calls. For a long stay or a Colombian number, buy a prepaid SIM in a carrier store with your passport: Tigo for Bogotá and Medellín, Claro if you are heading into the countryside. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans are on the Colombia eSIM page.