Buying a Sim Card for Russia at Moscow Airport in 2024
Flying to Moscow Airport Sheremetyevo soon? Avoid on high roaming costs and buy a sim card for Russia on arrival at Moscow Airport or get yourself an e-sim card for Russia. Prepaid sim cards in Russia come with a lot of data and are cheap, but language barriers are real! E-sim cards are easier, but a couple dollar more expensive.
In this guide you can read everything you need to know before buying a sim card for Russia at Moscow Airport, where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2024, my recommendation and even info about international and e-sim cards for Russia.
Staying connected is the first thing I do when I get to a new country. These days I mostly order an e-sim card online because it is so easy, but buying a local prepaid sim card is sometimes a better option.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me!
Buying a prepaid sim card for Russia is actually really affordable! Great value for money. When I discovered this it definitely made me smile. Who does not love cheap data?
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Megfon prepaid sim card at Moscow Airport for traveling in Russia. Megafon has a great prepaid sim card deal for tourists: 30 GB data + free social media for just $6 USD.
Be prepared that pretty much no one speaks English at Moscow International Airport so buying a prepaid sim card can be a hassle.
Therefore Traveltomtom definitely recommends e-sim cards for traveling to Russia. As soon as the plane lands you are online. However, there are not many e-sim cards for Russia available on the internet. SimOptions is the only e-sim provider that sells e-sim cards for Russia.
Need some travel inspiration for Russia? Check out my trip to Altai Mountains! Absolutely amazing.
Best e-sim cards for Russia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Russia in 2024 is an e-sim card.
You order an e-sim card for your trip to Moscow on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Russia e-sim card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Moscow it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Airalo
Airalo has recently stopped supplying e-sim cards for Russia until further notice! As of January 2024 Airalo e-sim cards for Russia are still not available.
SimOptions is currently the only e-sim provider that sells e-sim cards for Russia. Traveltomtom has used SimOptions in more than 50 countries around the world without any problems.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Russia.
You can also order a physical prepaid sim card for traveling in Russia online and get it shipped to your home address before your trip. Click on the link to get an international data sim card for Russia with 10 GB data for $49.90 USD and get more info and see all the sim card deals.
Arriving at Moscow Airport SVO
First off this airport is spread out with 6 terminals and traveling in and between the terminals takes time. There are trains that connect the terminals so if you are in transit don’t worry the transportation system is pretty well organized. But hey we are in Russia, be prepared to struggle with languages barriers.
You may think at an international airport with this status there would be a ton of people speaking English, but forget about it. Welcome to Russia!
The ladies at the information desk all spoke good English and were very helpful. A tip for when you visit Moscow, download a translate app this will make traveling in Russia much easier.
To use most translate apps that use the dictation function you need a working internet connection. Sheremetyevo Airport has very easy access to good and free WiFi but as soon as you leave the airport you would wish you had a prepaid sim card for Russia with data. So no need to explain you anymore why you should buy a Russia sim card on arrival.
Aeroexpress SVO Airport
In and between Terminal D and E there is the Aeroexpress train station, the most convenient way to get from Sheremetyevo Airport to Moscow city. Just before you enter the train station there are many mobile phone shops where they sell prepaid Russian sim card for tourists.
Mobile internet operators in Russia
The main mobile internet operators in Russia are: Tele2, Beeline, MegaFon, MTS and Yota. Apart from Yota and MTS you can buy a Russia sim card from any of the operators at Moscow Airport.
Yota is a fairly small operator with a weak 4G network in Russia and is not recommended for tourists. But especially for an MTS prepaid sim card it is a pity they don't sell them at Moscow Airport. MTS has the strongest 4G network in Russia and is the only provider that offers 5G in Russia.
Where to buy a sim card at Moscow Airport
As I said the airport is pretty big and it more or less comes down to which terminal you arrive. Most travelers from Europe will arrive at Terminal B or D so let’s have a look at buying a Russian sim card there first.
If you are about to visit Moscow then I recommend you to go to the city by Aeroexpress, a convenient train that connects Sheremetyevo Airport to Moscow city. It is located between Terminal B and D. Just before you enter the train station there are many shops lined up where you can buy Russia sim cards for tourists as well.
At Terminal F there are also shops in the arrival hall where you can buy a prepaid Russia sim card.
Buying a sim card at SVO Terminal B
Arriving at Terminal B at SVO airport makes things easy for you as there is no choice. The only available sim card for Russia is Beeline. It is impossible to miss the Beeline shop as it is straight in front of you when you walk out of arrivals.
Prepaid sim card Beeline
The picture is hard to read when you don’t speak Russian. Neither do I so I had the guy selling the Beeline sim Russia sim card explain me in his best English what everything means.
600 Rubles = $9
15 GB - 4G internet
500 minutes calling in and to Russia
300 SMS
Valid for 30 days
Total costs for this package is only around $9, that is only $0,60 per GB data. I told you Russian sim cards are cheap! When arriving at Terminal B buying a Beeline sim card for Russia is worth it.
Buying a sim card at SVO Terminal D
At Moscow SVO Airport Terminal D there are two options for you. In the arrivals hall on level 1 there is TELE2 and at the departures hall level 3 you can buy a Megafon sim card.
Prices and info below are updated in January 2024. Prices are in Russian Ruble: $1 USD = 88.5 RUB and 100 RUB = $1.13 USD.
Megafon Russia prepaid sim card
Let me tell you if it is worth going up two levels to the Megafon kiosk to buy your Russia sim here.
I went there twice as a week later I wanted to double check the information what I wrote down and both ladies spoke very little English. Service level for English speaking tourists is zero at Moscow Airport so be prepared. I used a translate app to get the following info.
There are two Megafon sim cards for tourists available:
Depending on which exit you take from the luggage belts you will either walk up to the TELE2 shop or it is on your left in the arrivals hall. At the small shop two young employees were very helpful and explained the available TELE2 sim cards fro tourists in Russia.
TELE2 Russia offers the following sim cards for tourists:
600 Rubles (400 + 200 activation costs) = $7 USD
15 GB - 4G internet
Unlimited calls to TELE2 numbers in Russia
500 minutes calling in and to Russia
50 sms
Free Facebook, VKontakte, Viber, Whatsapp
1 month valid
900 Rubles (700 + 200 activation costs) = $10 USD
30 GB - 4G internet
Unlimited calls to TELE2 numbers in Russia
800 minutes calling in and to Russia
50 sms
Free Facebook, VKontakte, Viber, Whatsapp
1 month valid
Looking at these Russian prepaid sim card packages I am impressed by the value for money of TELE2. Since I never really call and text anyway, a TELE2 sim card for Russia was a perfect match.
Beeline Russia prepaid sim card
There is a Beeline shop that sells the following package:
500 Rubles = $6
Unlimited internet - 4G network
500 minutes calling in and to Russia
300 sms
No hotspot available
14 days valid
30 Rubles per day extra, top up credit can be bought everywhere
There is also a shop called EBPOCETb where they sell Megafon sim cards and Beeline sim cards. The guy in the shop recommended me to buy a Megafon sim card instead of Beeline. Scroll down to see 4G network coverage maps for Russia.
Buying a sim card at SVO Terminal F
In the end I headed to Terminal E and F to find the perfect Russia sim card for tourists. At Terminal E there is NO shop that sells prepaid sim cards for Russia, but in Terminal F there was a Megafon kiosk again.
Megafon sim card Russia at SVO Terminal F
Of course here they sold the same sim cards for tourists as they did at the Terminal D, but to my surprise they also sold a specific tourist package.
Megafon tourist sim card Russia
30 GB data + 1500 minutes + unlimited social media - valid for 15 days = 500 Ruble - $6 USD
WOW! Looking at the above I am sure you are stunned too! Free social media and on top of that 30 GB data just for $6 USD. I asked if there would be any activation costs, but nope you pay just the 500 Rubles.
For tourists traveling to Russia for less than 2 weeks this for sure is the best Russia prepaid sim card you can find at Sheremetyevo Airport. The Megafon shop is open from 09.00 to 21.00 daily and is next to the meeting point at Terminal F.
Best 4G/5G mobile network in Russia in 2024
Let’s quickly have a look at the mobile providers in Russia selling sim cards at Moscow Airport to determine who has the best 4G/5G network in Russia. For more detailed maps of the 4G/5G network coverage in Russia have a look at the link and you can zoom in to the region in Russia you will be traveling.
Is there 5G in Russia?
No, there is still no proper 5G network in Russia in 2024. Only in the city center of Moscow there is a small 5G network available when you are having an MTS sim card. Unfortunately they don't sell MTS sim cards at Moscow Airport. If you want an MTS 5G sim card you have to go to an MTS store in Moscow city center.
Beeline 4G/5G network coverage map
TELE2 4G/5G network coverage map
Megafon 4G/5G network coverage map
Looking at the mobile internet coverage maps for Russia you can see that as of 2024 the 4G/LTE network coverage is pretty similar for each provider. However, Megafon is slightly more extensive than Beeline and Tele2 and therefore is rated as the best 4G/LTE network in Russia in 2024.
I expect Russia to start rolling out 5G soon, but unfortunately it is hard to go through the Russian news on the internet as I do NOT speak a word Russian! ;)
Order a prepaid sim card for Russia online
With such cheap prepaid sim cards on arrival at Moscow Airport I would not directly recommend buying an international sim card for Russia. However, it makes you forget about all the hassle buying a sim card on arrival since barely anyone even speaks English.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible then look into the following if you want to order a prepaid sim card for Russia on the internet.
Arrive prepared in Russia 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 Russia, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Russia:
My experience buying a Russia Sim Card at Moscow Airport
I decided to buy a TELE2 sim card for traveling in Russia and spent $9 USD on the smallest prepaid sim package. I went on a trip to the Altai Mountains in Siberia and to my surprise I could not only use the network of TELE2, but also the Megafon network. No clue why but it worked smooth.
Another reason why I would recommend you to buy a Megafon or TELE2 prepaid sim card for Russia at Moscow Airport.
A working network connection in Russia is as you can imagine a challenge in the worlds biggest country. But overall if I had a signal the 4G speed was good, especially in cities. On the road in Siberia I mostly just had a 3G signal, which worked fine.
Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Moscow Airport are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you!
