How to Buy a SIM Card in Malta in 2026

If you are coming to Malta from elsewhere in the EU, you may not need a SIM at all: Malta is an EU country, so your home plan should roam at home prices. Everyone else has two choices. You can buy a prepaid SIM from Epic, GO or Melita at Malta International Airport or in town, or install a Europe eSIM before you fly and be online as soon as you land. This guide covers the three networks, what the airport really sells, the prices we found, and our plans for Malta and Gozo. Every plan is on the Malta eSIM page.

Check your own plan first

Under the EU's roaming rules, visitors from EU and EEA countries normally use their home allowance in Malta at no extra cost. If that is you, look at your operator's fair-use limit and you may be done. Visitors from the UK, the US and elsewhere should check their operator's roaming charge, which is often the reason to buy a local SIM or an eSIM.

Epic, GO and Melita

Malta has three mobile networks:

• Epic, formerly Vodafone Malta, is the name you will see first at the airport.
• GO is described by one guide as the fastest network in the country.
• Melita is generally the cheapest to start with, with a base SIM at 5 EUR in its own stores.

Opinions differ on which is best. One guide says Epic offers the best balance of speed and price for most travellers; another favours GO for speed; Melita is the choice when price matters most.

Buying a SIM at Malta International Airport

Sources disagree about what the airport offers. One guide says only one store sells Maltese SIM cards there, and that it is Epic's. A 2026 guide says Melita and GO also have kiosks. A Vodafone travel article warns that desks are not guaranteed to be open in every arrival scenario, so if you land late you may find them closed and need to buy in town the next day.

One guide lists Epic's airport SIM at 10 EUR for the card, plus a plan at 4.99, 5.99 or 9.99 EUR. Another quotes Epic Prepaid 10GB for 7 days at €10. Airport SIMs are generally priced for convenience rather than value, and you will usually pay less in a shop in town.

Registration

Bring your passport. One guide says the seller registers the prepaid SIM for you when activating it. Another notes that city shops may ask for more personal details than the airport desk.

Our eSIMs for Malta

All of these cover Malta and are installed before you travel, so there is no desk to find and no registration on arrival:

• Europe 5GB at $8 for 7 days, Europe 10GB at $12 for 14 days, or Europe 25GB at $19 for 30 days. Data only, valid from first use, in 32 countries.
• EE Europe Travel 30GB at $21.33 for 30 days, with a UK +44 EE number, 50 minutes and 100 texts, for travellers who want calls and texts too.
• Vodafone Travel at $26.60 for 25 GB in 76 countries, valid 30 days from purchase, with unlimited local calls and calls to the UK, if Malta is one stop on a longer trip.

If you were looking for pay as you go in Malta, our Global PAYG Data eSIM costs $20 and includes €17.50 of credit, used only when you use data. It works on all three Maltese networks, Epic, GO and Melita, and the credit stays usable in the other countries the plan covers.

For a typical week in Valletta, Sliema or St Julian's with a day trip to Gozo, Europe 5GB is the cheapest way to arrive connected, at less than the airport SIM and plan together.

If you keep your home SIM off to avoid roaming charges, the O2 SMS Only eSIM at $8 a month gives you a private UK +44 number that still receives bank and airline texts.

Malta SIM and eSIM options compared

Our recommendation

If you live in the EU, check your home plan before buying anything. Otherwise, install Europe 5GB for a week or Europe 25GB for a longer stay before you fly: you are online when you land, even if the airport desks have closed. Choose EE Europe Travel if you also need a number for calls. If you would rather have a Maltese number, buy a Melita SIM in town with your passport. Our eSIM installation guide explains the set-up, and every plan is on the Malta eSIM page.