Planning your trip to Panama and flying to Panama City and wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card at the airport? Don't waste money on high roaming charges or slow overseas data roaming plans!
This is a complete guide with everything you need to know before buying a tourist sim card at Panama City Airport in 2025.
Find out where you can buy a sim card, up to date prices as per February 2025, my recommendation, international sim cards, a vlog about my arrival and experiences buying a sim card at Panama City Airport, info about eSIMs for Panama and more.
As Traveltomtom is on a mission to visit every country in the world I get to a lot of new countries constantly. I always used to buy local prepaid sim cards but nowadays I mostly use eSIMs to stay connected while traveling.
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Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide for buying a tourist sim cards in Panama and a comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Panama in 2025.
My recommendation
Some people really can't wait to get connected straight away on arrival. If you are like them then Traveltomtom recommends buying a +Movil prepaid sim card at Panama City Airport. For $30 USD you get a prepaid sim card with unlimited data.
However, my main recommendation is to NOT buy a sim card at Panama City Airport. You can buy the same prepaid sim card in Panama city center for just $5 USD. For more info see my guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card for tourists in Panama in 2025.
Another option to get internet on your phone when traveling to Panama is an eSIM. You can get an Airalo eSIM for Panama with 10 GB data and 100 minutes for $38.50 USD. For more eSIM plans check out my guide with the best eSIMs for Panama in 2025.
In general Traveltomtom recommends using eSIMs because they are super convenient and you are online as soon as the plane lands. But you pay a couple dollar extra.
There are also international prepaid sim cards with global coverage and you get 10 GB data for $24.90 USD. Check out my comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling abroad in 2025.
Why buying a sim card for Panama
First of all we want to make sure we don't end up with excessive high data roaming charges. An eSIM or a prepaid sim card for tourists is the best way to stay connected when traveling to Panama.
Did you know that overseas data roaming plans limit the internet speed? They are expensive and often useless.
Trust me having a data connection on your mobile phone makes traveling to Panama so much more convenient. Getting directions from Google Maps, finding nearby restaurants with good reviews, ordering a taxi through a taxi app (there is Uber in Panama City), finding your friends through sharing live location, emergencies, checking your banking apps, traveling planning on the go. You want me to go on?
Also don't rely on WiFi in Panama. It is not always guaranteed and internet speed can vary hugely. Also keep in mind that surfing the internet on public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network. The use of a VPN is high recommended to protect your data.
Since I like to document all my travel tips I already wrote more than 200 sim card guides from all around the world: Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico City, Colombia, Bogota, Paraguay, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, New York, Newark, USA, Miami, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Europe, Asia, Bali, Bangkok, Dubai, Israel 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!
Where to buy a sim card at Panama City Airport
Seems like there is only one store that has the rights to sell prepaid sim cards for tourists at Panama City Airport and that is Travel Data Global, which you can better recognize by: Sim Card Internacional 'Conexion en más de 150 Paises'.
Apart from these kiosks there are no other places where you can buy a sim card at Panama City Airport. You can find these kiosk all over the airport: land-side and air-side. Meaning as soon as you walk out of the plane, even before you go through immigration and before you pick up your bags you can already buy a tourist sim card for Panama at one of these kiosks.
Unfortunately there are no phone stores from Mas Movil or Tigo at Panama City airport.
Prices prepaid sim cards at Panama City Airport
As per 2022 Claro merged with +Movil and Digicel stepped out of business in Panama. Which means Panama went from 4 mobile internet providers to only 2: Tigo and +Movil.
the Travel Data Global group has a monopoly for selling tourist sim cards at Panama City Airport and therefore prices are high. Typical tourist prices.
For me it was a very easy and quick research as all tourist sim cards offer the exact same and they are all sold at the same price.
Although around the airport you will see for example Tigo and +Movil advertisements with: 'Unlimited data for 1 week for $5 USD', at the Travel Data Global shops they sell this exact same prepaid sim card for tourists for $30 USD.
So if you would like to buy a prepaid sim card at Panama City Airport there is only 1 sim card deal available for a flat fare:
- unlimited data for 7 days = $30 USD
You decide for yourself if you want to buy this overpriced tourist sim card at Panama City Airport or if you go for an eSIM or decide to buy a sim card in Panama City Center in a Mas Movil or Tigo phone store for 6x cheaper.
Best eSIMs for Panama
eSIMs make it all so easy to get connected when traveling to Panama in 2025. No need to swap physical sim cards anymore and visiting a phone store. Arrange everything online within a couple clicks.
You order an eSIM for Panama on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Panama it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
For more info check out my guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Panama.
Here are some recommendations.
Airalo
Airalo is one of the eSIM market leaders and rock solid. Traveltomtom has never faced an issue using Airalo eSIMs. Airalo has data-only eSIMs for Panama as well as eSIM plans that including calling and texting.
Here are the Airalo data & voice eSIM plans for Panama for 2025:
- 1 GB data + 10 sms + 10 minutes for 7 days = $12 USD
- 2 GB data + 20 sms + 20 minutes for 15 days = $17.5 USD
- 3 GB data + 30 sms + 30 minutes for 30 days = $22.5 USD
- 5 GB data + 50 sms + 50 minutes for 30 days = $32.5 USD
- 10 GB data + 100 sms + 100 minutes for 30 days = $38.5 USD
- 20 GB data + 200 sms + 200 minutes for 30 days = $46.5 USD
Click here to order an Airalo eSIM for Panama.
Get an extra discount of $3 USD on your first Airalo eSIM with the code: TOMTOM3.
These Airalo eSIMs come with a local phone number from Panama.
The above Pancell Digital+ eSIM for Panama are only valid in Panama.
GigSky
The Traveltomtom Team tested GigSky and was positively surprised. Check out our complete GigSky review with all pros and cons.
Here are the GigSky eSIM plans for Panama in 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $6.99 USD
- 3 GB data for 15 days = $11.24 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $13.49 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $24.74 USD
- Unlimited data* for 7 days = $20.24 USD
- Unlimited data* for 15 days = $36.74 USD
*2.5 GB high speed data per day then reduced data speed. High speed data resumes every 24 hours from plan activation.
Click here to order a GigSky eSIM for Panama.
Downside about GigSky is that it gives little to no information about the eSIM. GigSky doesn't specify if the eSIM is 5G ready, neither which mobile data network in Panama they use and how and when the eSIM will be activated.
Make sure your phone is unlocked and your phone is eSIM compatible before ordering an eSIM for traveling to Panama.
There are many more eSIM plans available. Check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Panama in 2025.
Order a prepaid sim card for Panama online
You can also buy an international prepaid sim card for Panama online before your trip. These are physical prepaid sim cards for traveling internationally and in fact even better deals.
Order online and get a physical prepaid sim card delivered to your home address. These travel sim cards are automatically activated from its first use, plug and play!
Check out the following international sim cards for Panama:
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Panama via SimOptions.
Vlog about buying a sim card at Panama City airport
See my vlog about my arrival at Panama City Airport and my experiences buying a sim card below.
I am sure some of the above information for buying a prepaid sim card at Panama City Airport was helpful for your upcoming trip. Let me know if you have any more questions and leave me a comments below and I will try to help you out.
Want to be fuelled by wanderlust then I recommend you to check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow my journey to visit every country in the world. As of February 2025 I visited more than 155 countries.
Enjoy your trip to Panama!