How to Buy a SIM Card in Copenhagen in 2026
Copenhagen Airport has no phone-company shop. When you come out of arrivals in Terminal 3, the SIM cards on sale are in a WH Smith, a 7-Eleven and a vending machine, and the staff selling them are not SIM experts. That is fine if you know what to ask for. This guide walks through the three places in the order you meet them, explains which card suits a trip that stays in Copenhagen and which suits one that crosses the Øresund Bridge to Malmö, and compares them with an eSIM you install before you fly. Our plans for Denmark are on the Denmark eSIM page.
First: do you need a SIM at all?
If your phone plan is from an EU or EEA country, it already works in Denmark at home prices, and in Sweden too. You can skip everything below. Visitors from the UK, the USA and elsewhere pay whatever their own network charges for roaming, which is where a local SIM or a travel eSIM saves money.
The three places to buy at CPH
All three are landside in the single arrivals hall of Terminal 3, close to the information desk and the trains:
- WH Smith is straight ahead as you come out of arrivals, across from the DSB ticket machines. It sells Oister, a brand on the 3 network.
- 7-Eleven is about a minute's walk to the left, past the information desk, on the way to Terminal 2. It sells Lebara, and the 7-Eleven stores in arrivals are open 24 hours.
- A SIM vending machine stands in the baggage claim hall, so you can buy before you clear customs. It sells Lebara and Lycamobile starter cards.
Before you buy, CPH Airport Free Wi-Fi needs no password and works before and after security, which is enough to install an eSIM or look up a bundle's terms.
Oister, Lebara or the machine
A travel blog that tested the airport options in August 2026 picked Oister, and the reason is roaming:
- Oister at WH Smith: the SIM is 49 DKK with 50 DKK of credit. A top-up of 89 DKK brings 25 GB in Denmark, 5 GB in the rest of Europe and 5 hours of calls. Oister's website is in Danish only, so you may need a translation tool to manage it.
- Lebara at 7-Eleven: the SIM is 49 DKK with 10 DKK of credit and no data. You add a bundle at the till, about 99 DKK for a large one. Lebara's Danish bundles work in Denmark only, not in the rest of the EU.
- The vending machine: a Lebara or Lycamobile card for about $5 to $8. It comes with 200 MB and 50 minutes, and you activate yourself online or at a Lebara or Lycamobile shop in the city centre.
At about 6.5 DKK to the dollar, all three are cheap. The difference is what happens when you leave Denmark.
Day trips to Malmö
Malmö is across the Øresund Bridge in Sweden. A Lebara bundle bought at the 7-Eleven stops working there, because it is valid in Denmark only. Oister's 5 GB of European data covers it. So do all of our European eSIMs, which treat Denmark and Sweden the same. If Malmö is on your list, rule out Lebara.
Our eSIMs for Copenhagen
An eSIM skips the airport shops altogether: you install it at home and it connects when you land. Denmark is covered by all our European plans:
For texts only, such as bank codes, the O2 SMS Only eSIM gives you a UK number for $8 a month.
Copenhagen options compared
| Option | Price | Data | Works in Sweden | Where |
|---|
| Oister SIM plus top-up | 49 DKK, then 89 DKK | 25 GB in Denmark, 5 GB in Europe | Yes, 5 GB | WH Smith, Terminal 3 arrivals |
| Lebara SIM plus bundle | 49 DKK, then about 99 DKK | Large bundle | No, Denmark only | 7-Eleven, Terminal 3 arrivals, 24 hours |
| Vending machine card | About $5 to $8 | Starter credit: 200 MB and 50 minutes | Check before you buy | Baggage claim hall; activate yourself |
| Europe 5GB | $8 | 5 GB, 7 days | Yes | Online, before you fly |
| Europe 10GB | $12 | 10 GB, 14 days | Yes | Online, before you fly |
| EE Europe Travel 30GB | $21.33 | 30 GB, 30 days | Yes | Online, UK number |
Our recommendation
If your plan is from an EU country, use it. For a city break of up to a week from the UK or further afield, Europe 5GB at $8 has you online when you land, with nothing to activate and no Danish website to translate, and it keeps working in Malmö. For a fortnight, or a trip that continues to Sweden or Norway, take Europe 10GB. If you would rather have a Danish SIM, buy Oister at WH Smith rather than Lebara if Sweden is on your route. For SIM cards across the rest of the country, read our Denmark SIM card guide. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and every plan is on the Denmark eSIM page.
