Traveling to Egypt and having a trip planned to Hurghada? If you are wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card for tourists on arrival at Hurghada Airport then this guide is exactly what you are looking for.
Find out everything you need to know about buying a sim card at Hurghada International Airport in 2025.
This guide will show you where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, my recommendation, info about eSIMs for Egypt, international sim cards and more.
In the past I used to buy a prepaid sim card in every country, nowadays I always use eSIMs to stay connected.
Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card in Egypt and a comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Egypt in 2025.
Table of Contents
- Why buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport
- My recommendation
- Where to buy a prepaid sim card at Hurghada International Airport
- Sim card registration in Egypt
- Prices Egypt sim cards at Hurghada Airport in 2025
- Best prepaid sim card for Egypt at Hurghada Airport
- Best eSIM for Egypt
- Order a prepaid sim card for Egypt online
- My experience buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport
RELATED: 8 Best Hotels with Views of the Pyramids of Giza.
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Why buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport
First of all, buying a local prepaid sim card in Egypt is the cheapest and the best way to stay connected, but there are many more reasons why I recommend you to get a local prepaid sim card for Egypt.
Did you know that overseas data plans limit their internet speed? You will mostly be roaming on 3G speed without your operator from your home country telling you this. We are already in 2025, we want 5G! Although unfortunately there is no 5G yet in Egypt as of 2025.
Also a reminder that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network, so the use of a VPN is recommended for privacy reasons.
Also you don't want to rely on WiFi either, especially in Egypt. In fact, many hotels in Hurghada still charge up to $10 USD per day for WiFi, even in 2025!
On top of that this public WiFi is limit. Especially on your sun bed on the beach or at the pool, there is no guarantee the WiFi signal reaches there.
Life is simply much easier with a data connection and traveling to Hurghada is much more fun with internet on your phone. Think about ordering an Uber. Yes, there is Uber in Hurghada and you can order one straight away from Hurghada Airport to your hotel if you want.
Or what about finding nearby restaurants or rooftop bars, looking up info about a historical site you are looking at or simply getting directions from Google Maps.
Buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport takes just a couple minutes, is very simple and done fast! Or if you prefer an eSIM for Egypt then you don't even need to buy a sim card at Hurghada Airport anymore as you are already online as the plane lands.
On Traveltomtom you can find endless travel tips and more than 200 sim card guides from all around the world: Cairo, French Polynesia, Europe, San Fransisco, South Africa, Bali, Marrakech, Germany, Switzerland, Dubai and many more.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money when traveling.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Hurghada Airport. Vodafone has the best 4G/LTE network in Egypt and also has great prepaid sim card plans for tourists.
Vodafone has the most extensive network coverage, even on the islands in the Red Sea, Vodafone is the only provider that works properly.
You can NOT buy an eSIM in at Hurghada Airport, only physical prepaid sim cards are available. But you can easily order an eSIM for Egypt online.
A SimOptions eSIM for Egypt with 10 GB data is just $25.90 USD.
For more eSIM plans check out Traveltomtom's complete guide with the best eSIM for Egypt in 2025.
If you really want to squeeze out every penny then check out Traveltomtom's complete guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.
Another great alternative is an international sim card with coverage in Egypt. These travel sim cards are convenient as they are pre-activated and will be delivered to your home address before your trip. Check out our list of the best international prepaid sim cards for 2025 and pick the one that suits your trip the best.
Where to buy a prepaid sim card at Hurghada International Airport
The 4 main mobile internet operators in Egypt are: WE, Vodafone, Orange and Etisalat. All of them have stores at Hurghada Airport and it is very easy to find them.
There are 2 different terminals, but don't worry both terminals have 4 sim card shops. The above photo is from the international Terminal 1 and this is what it looks like. You walk right into all the sim card shops.
Terminal 2 is a much older terminal and a little different, but also super easy to navigate. Terminal 2 is much smaller than Terminal 1.
As soon as you picked up your luggage from the luggage belts and you are walking out of the terminal you go through a sliding door and arrive in a really small arrival hall.
Here you will find the shops of all 4 mobile internet operators. Immediately on your left hand side there is Etisalat and Vodafone and right in front of you is Orange and WE.
Trust me it is impossible to miss them and all the sim card shops at Hurghada Airport are open 24 hours.
Be aware that all these phone stores only accept cash! You can NOT pay by credit card. They accept Euros, Egyptian Pounds and Dollars. There is also an ATM in both Arrival Halls.
Sim card registration in Egypt
When buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport you need to show your passport. At the sim card shop they take a copy of your passport as well as a copy of your Egypt visa including the entry stamp.
Then they will register your new Egypt sim card on your name and passport number. You don't need a fingerprint or a passport size photo like in many other African countries.
The registration process takes just a few minutes and your new Egypt sim card will be activated by the guy in the phone store. He will tell you that it takes about 2 hours for the activation. It sounds disappointing however, in reality it takes just 5 minutes. You can choose to wait at the counter before your sim card gets activated if you want.
In general Traveltomtom recommends to ALWAYS put the new sim card directly in your phone and wait till it is working before you walk away from the phone shop.
Prices Egypt sim cards at Hurghada Airport in 2025
All info and prices are updated in January 2025 and are in Egyptian Pounds: $1 USD = 50.2 EGP and 100 EGP = $1.99 USD.
All the sim card shops basically offer a free prepaid sim card for tourists, meaning they do not charge an extra registration fee. You just pay for the package you choose.
We
For the WE Egypt prepaid sim cards for tourists see the above picture.
Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a WE prepaid sim card for your trip to Hurghada. WE is the smallest mobile internet provider and has a much smaller 4G/LTE network in Egypt than the other operators.
As soon as you leave Hurghada you will start having connection issues. Trust me a WE sim card is not worth it for traveling to Egypt!
Check out my complete guide for the best prepaid sim card for tourists in Egypt in 2025 for more details and a comparison of the 4G/5G mobile data network coverage maps of all the mobile internet providers in Egypt and you will understand Traveltomtom does not recommend a WE sim card.
Vodafone Egypt
Vodafone offers 2 tourist sim card packages and so called flex lines that include units that equal MBs. All prepaid sim card plans are valid for 28 days.
Tourist Lines
- 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes = 505 EGP - $10 USD
Flex Lines
- 25 GB data = 542 EGP - $11 USD
- 33 GB data = 656 EGP - $13.5 USD
- 45 GB data = 799 EGP - $16 USD
- 62 GB data = 942 EGP - $19 USD
- 130 GB data = 1884 EGP - $38 USD
Facebook and WhatsApp is unlimited with a Vodafone prepaid sim card.
Orange Egypt
Orange offers 5 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists at Hurghada Airport. All the tourist sim card plans are valid for 30 days.
Orange Egypt used to work with 'Super Apps' and all that kind of complicated stuff and their prepaid sim card plans were a bit misleading.
However, it seems like they got rid of that regarding the message at the bottom: 1 MB = 1 MB for all websites, real gigabytes.
- 30 GB data = 560 EGP - $11.5 USD
- 40 GB data = 702 EGP - $14.5 USD
- 70 GB data = 1046 EGP - $21 USD
- 86 GB data = 1274 EGP - $26 USD
- 148 GB data = 1846 EGP - $37.5 USD
The cheapest Orange prepaid sim card at Hurghada Airport is 560 EGP = $11.5 USD. And you get 30 GB data.
Vodafone offers the same packages, but includes (international) calling minutes and is $1 cheaper. So far Vodafone is winning!
Etisalat Egypt
Etisalat offers the 7 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists at Hurghada Airport, all valid for 1 month:
- 10 GB data = $4 USD
- 17 GB data = $5 USD
- 23 GB data = $6 USD
- 35 GB data = $8.5 USD
- 45 GB data = $10 USD
- 55 GB data = $11 USD
- 65 GB data = $13 USD
- 110 GB data = $17 USD
Etisalat displays its prices in Euros as well as USD.
Best prepaid sim card for Egypt at Hurghada Airport
Reminder that none of the mobile phone stores in Hurghada Airport accept credit cards, only cash in Euros, Dollar or Egyptian Pounds.
Also be aware that there are ONLY PHYSICAL PREPAID SIM CARDS available at Hurghada Airport. There are no eSIMs for tourists.
If you want an eSIM for Egypt then SimOptions is the best-buy Egypt eSIM and you get 10 GB data for $25.90 USD.
For more eSIM plans check out Traveltomtom's complete guide with the best eSIM for Egypt in 2025.
Traveltomtom rates Vodafone as the best prepaid sim card in Egypt based on a full research, see for more info my guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.
Orange has good prepaid sim card plans for tourists, but Vodafone has much better 4G/LTE network coverage compared to Orange so it is an easy choice to recommend Vodafone sim cards over Orange.
Etisalat prepaid sim cards for tourists are cheaper than Vodafone and Orange. But Etisalat has a very weak network.
Traveltomtom tested an Etisalat sim card in Hurghada and was very disappointed with the 4G/LTE network coverage: weak signal, slow data speed.
For example my resort The Makadi Spa, was about 40 minutes outside of Hurghada and there was no Etisalat signal. Also on the island trips in the Red Sea there is no Etisalat signal, only Vodafone and sometimes Orange.
WE is the least recommended internet provider to use in Egypt as their mobile data network is even weaker than Etisalat.
Therefore Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Hurghada Airport. In 2025 they have a prepaid sim card deal for tourists with 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes for 505 EGP, which is around $10 USD.
Best eSIM for Egypt
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Cairo in 2025 is an eSIM. You arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. No more swapping physical sim cards or buying a sim card at Cairo Airport.
You order an eSIM for Egypt on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an Egypt eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Cairo it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Check out all FAQ about using eSIMs complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Egypt in 2025.
Here are some recommendations.
SimOptions
SimOptions is a very trusted eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions sim cards for more than 5 years now without ever facing an issue.
Read our honest SimOptions review with all pros and cons.
They offer several different eSIMs for Egypt plus one international eSIM valid in 123 countries including Egypt.
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.50 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $8.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $13.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $25.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $39.90 USD*
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $47.90 USD
- 30 GB data for 30 days = $67.90 USD
- 50 GB data for 30 days = $107.90 USD
* The Orange Holiday World eSIM is valid in 123 countries
Click here to order an international eSIM for Egypt via SimOptions.
The SimOptions eSIMs for Egypt are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls are not supported.
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue.
Have a look at the Airalo eSIM plans for Egypt for 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $7 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $12.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $17.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $26.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $44 USD
- Unlimited data* for 10 days = $35 USD
* 3 GB per day full speed then 1 Mbps.
Click here to directly order an Egypt eSIM via Airalo.
The above Giza Mobile eSIMs for Egypt are data-only and only valid in Egypt. Incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. The Giza Mobile eSIMs from Airalo operate on the Orange 4G/LTE network, 5G is not supported.
Before ordering an eSIM for Egypt make sure your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked. Otherwise an eSIM will not work on your phone.
For many more eSIM plans check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for Egypt in 2025.
Order a prepaid sim card for Egypt online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Egypt online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Egypt with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Egypt, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
Via SimOptions you are able to order a pre-activated international physical sim card for Egypt:
- 10 GB data valid in 124 countries for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Egypt via SimOptions.
Also a last reminder that if your phone is eSIM compatible you can easily stay connected with an Egypt eSIM. Check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Egypt in 2025.
My experience buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport
Lately I took my first trip to Hurghada to witness the beauty of the Red Sea and of course I wanted to buy a Vodafone prepaid sim card as I knew it is the best provider. Unfortunately, the Vodafone guy was having a break when I arrived at 3.00 AM at night and there was no one.
The Orange store was busy and since I also already had installed an Egypt eSIM from Airalo on my other phone I decided to test another time an Etisalat sim card.
Unfortunately as expected the performance was disappointed. In Hurghada city and around it was totally fine, but my resort The Makadi Spa was about 40 minutes outside of Hurghada and there the Etisalat signal was very weak and my data connection was often not working.
Also on the island trip on the Red Sea there was basically no Etisalat signal. Local people on the islands: Eden, Hula Hula, Paradise, Orange Bay, Mahmya, etc. all have Vodafone sim cards as it's the only provider that has signal out there.
Vodafone has the best mobile data network in Egypt so a Vodafone prepaid sim card for your Egypt trip is the best choice. Read more about it in my article about the best prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.
I am sure some of the above tips for buying an Egypt sim card at Hurghada Airport were helpful. If you have any additional questions or remarks please leave me a comment below.
Interested in some cool photo spots around Hurghada and Egypt then check out my wanderlust fuelling Instagram profile @traveltomtom. See what it is like to travel to every country in the world. As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries.
Enjoy your trip to Egypt!