Planning your trip to Los Angeles and wondering if you can buy a tourist sim card on arrival at Los Angeles International Airport?

The answer is yes! But is it worth it? Keep reading...

This is a complete guide with everything you need to know before buying a prepaid sim card at Los Angeles Airport in 2025.

Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, my recommendation, more info about eSIMs for the USA and more.

In the past I always used to buy a prepaid sim card in the USA, nowadays I mostly use eSIMs to stay connected when traveling to the US.

Table of contents

Don't get stuck with high roaming charges on your trip to New York City. eSIMs and and local prepaid sim cards are an easy way to avoid this.

Heads up: you can NOT buy an eSIM at Los Angeles Airport, only physical prepaid sim cards for tourists are available.

Traveltomtom also wrote a guide with everything you need to know before buying a tourist sim card in the USA in 2025 or a comparison of the best eSIMs for the USA in 2025.

Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Los Angeles Airport (LAX) are affiliate links. If you buy any product after clicking on an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. Don't worry this is at absolutely no extra cost to you!

My recommendation

Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a sim card at Los Angeles Airport LAX. The cheapest sim card for tourists start from $82 USD. This is the most expensive tourist sim card I have seen anywhere in the world.

So what next? Well, there are lots of ways to get data on your phone when traveling to Los Angeles that are much cheaper than buying a sim card at Los Angeles Airport.

There are eSIMs for the USA that start from just $1 USD. An Airalo eSIM for the USA with 10 GB + 200 minutes is only $34.90 USD or a Jetpac eSIM for the United States with 10 GB data-only for $13 USD.

Check out my USA eSIM comparison for 2025 with many more eSIM offers.

When buying a prepaid sim card somewhere in LA at any AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile store you will find much better prepaid sim cards for tourists. Check out my guide on how to buy a prepaid tourist sim card in the USA.

Reminder that tourist sim cards or eSIM card only work in unlocked phones. Contact your provider in your home country whether you are not sure your phone is locked or unlocked.

Why buying a sim card for the USA

Make sure you avoid high roaming charges at all times or end up with excessive high phone bills. Also don't opt for those slow and overpriced overseas data roaming plans, they reduce the data speed!

There are many reasons to stay connected when traveling to Los Angeles. Having a data connection on our phone makes life so much more convenient. Think about ordering an Uber, getting directions from Google Maps or looking for a nearby rooftop bar, it is not possible without a data connection on your phone.

Also think about emergencies, checking your banking apps, etc. Don't depend on public WiFi. There is no guarantee, it can be slow and keep in mind that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network. The use of a VPN is recommended to protect your data.

Traveltomtom is on a journey to travel to every country in the world and everywhere I go I write sim card guides for other travelers to find the best ways to stay connected. That is why on Traveltomtom you can already find more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world: Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Asia, Hong Kong, Australia and many more.

Traveltomtom is the most complete sim card blog on the internet. Next time you are planning your trip abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM advice for your holiday destination. Bookmark me!

Arrival at Los Angeles International Airport LAX

Los Angeles is of course one of the most famous cities in the whole world. However, personally it is not a favorite and it won't appear on my top 100 best cities in the world list.

LAX is undoubtedly one of the busiest airports in the world and a big hub for planes arriving from South and Central America and Asia. Also some planes from Europe and beyond have direct flights to Los Angeles. I flew lately from Istanbul to LAX with Turkish Airlines, a direct flight of 14 hours.

Although Los Angeles LAX Airport is huge and has more than 7 terminals it is pretty easy navigable for international passengers. All international flights arrive in the International Terminal B. Upon arrival I was pretty surprised how easy going it was.

Los Angeles International Airport LAX is nothing fancy, in fact it seems pretty old and so are the arrival terminals and arrival hall. After you disembark the plane it is a short walk to Immigration, which was done fast and arrived around midday.

After passport control you will get to the luggage belts. There were about 12 luggage belts in the international arrival terminal and it was pretty busy, but also this went fast.

When you pick up your luggage then simply follow the walkways and after the sliding door you arrive in the small arrival hall.

In the arrival hall of the international arrivals terminal B there is not much apart from a Coffee Bean, a travel/convenient store, a tourist information desk and a currency exchange.

Where to buy a sim card at Los Angeles Airport

So where to buy a sim card at Los Angeles Airport when there is no sim card shop in the arrival hall? Well, luckily the Currency Exchange at Los Angeles Airport also sells prepaid sim cards for tourists.

You can't miss the Currency Exchange as it is right in front of you when you walk into the arrival hall. It is next to the Ground Transportation Exit and the Tourist Information Desk.

currency exchange opening times los angeles airport

The Currency Exchange is open from 06.15 AM to 9.45 PM and the ladies working here are very friendly.

The Currency Exchange is the only place to buy a sim card at the airport in Los Angeles. Like pretty much all international airports in the USA there are hardly any facilities for arriving passengers.

los angeles airport sim cards

Traveltomtom already wrote about buying a sim card for tourists at Newark, New York JFK, Miami and others, but there are very few options always. Therefore Traveltomtom mostly always recommends to NOT buy a sim card for the USA on arrival at the airport.

Once you step outside the International Terminal B in Los Angeles there are no shops, just ground transportation.

For much better USA tourist sim card deals you need to go to Los Angeles city center or simply buy your sim card for traveling in the USA on the internet.

Prices prepaid sim cards Los Angeles Airport

All the information below is up to date as of January 2025 and prices are in USD.

The Currency Exchange only offers two types of tourist sim cards and these are only available as physical prepaid sim cards. You can not buy an eSIM at Los Angeles International Airport.

prepaid sim card plans for tourists los angeles airport

Both sim card plans are from T-Mobile, one of the leading mobile internet providers in the USA, and are valid for 4 weeks.

  • 10 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $82.13 USD
  • Unlimited High Speed data + unlimited calls/text = $119.19 USD

These are the only 2 prepaid sim cards for tourists available at Los Angeles LAX Airport.

At the airport they sell tourist sim cards for tourist prices. If you want the cheapest USA prepaid sim card deals then you have to buy a sim card in a phone shop in Los Angeles city center and not at the airport.

Best sim card for tourists at Los Angeles Airport

Normally I compare all the sim card plans and help you get the best sim card for your trip to LA. In this case there is not much to compare and the only thing I can say that paying $82 USD for just 10 GB data or $120 USD for a sim card with unlimited data is OUTRAGEOUS!

Therefore the simple conclusion that Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a sim card at Los Angeles LAX Airport.

If your phone is eSIM compatible then it is a no-brainer and you should simply get an eSIM. There are eSIMs for the USA that start from just $1 USD.

An Airalo eSIM for the USA with 10 GB + 200 minutes is only $34.90 USD or a Jetpac eSIM for the United States with 10 GB data-only for $13 USD.

Check out my USA eSIM comparison for 2025 with many more eSIM offers.

Or if you prefer to buy a sim card for tourists in the USA then get away from the airport and find a Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile phone store and ask for a prepaid sim card.

For more info check out my complete guide for finding the best prepaid tourist sim card in the United States in 2025.

Best eSIMs for the USA

Traveltomtom strongly recommends eSIMs to stay connected when traveling to the the USA. The easiest way to get data on your phone when traveling to Los Angeles is by ordering an eSIM for the USA on the internet.

No need to buy an overpriced tourist sim card at LAX Airport, with an eSIM you are online as soon as the plane lands.

Order an eSIM for the USA directly on the internet, you process the payment, receive a QR code, scan it, follow the instructions and instal the eSIM in a couple simple steps. You are all set in less than 2 minutes.

For much more detailed info check out Traveltomtom's guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for the USA.

Here are some of my USA eSIM recommendations.

Jetpac

After extensively testing Jetpac the Traveltomtom Team came to the conclusion that Jetpac is more than just an eSIM solution. Check out our honest review about Jetpac eSIMs.

Jetpac also offers a free VPN subscription and much more services. But the main reasons why Jetpac is listed as one of the best eSIMs for USA are their competitive prices.

jetpac esim cards for usa

Here are the Jetpac eSIM plans for USA in 2025:

  • 1 GB data for 4 days = $1 USD
  • 3 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
  • 5 GB data for 30 days = $8 USD
  • 10 GB data for 30 days = $13 USD
  • 15 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
  • 20 GB data for 30 days = $20 USD
  • 30 GB data for 30 days = $28 USD
  • 40 GB data for 30 days = $33 USD
  • 50 GB data for 10 days = $25 USD

Click here to order a Jetpac eSIM for the United States.

Traveltomtom readers now get an extra 10% off on all Jetpac eSIMs when using the promo code: TOMTOM10 at check out!

The Jetpac USA eSIMs are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. Data is valid in USA only and the Jetpac eSIMs operate on the 4G/LTE/5G network of T-Mobile USA. 5G is supported.

Airalo

Airalo is another recommended eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo eSIMs uncountable times all around the world. Airalo has now data-only eSIMs as well as eSIMs for the USA including data/calls/text.

Check out the following Airalo data-only eSIM plans for the USA:

  • 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.5 USD
  • 2 GB data for 15 days = $8 USD
  • 3 GB data for 30 days = $11 USD
  • 5 GB data for 30 days = $16 USD
  • 10 GB data for 30 days = $26 USD
  • 20 GB data for 30 days = $42 USD

airalo usa esims with data calls text

And here are the Airalo data/text/calls eSIMs plans for the USA:

  • 1 GB data + 20 minutes + 10 sms for 7 days= $7 USD
  • 2 GB data + 40 minutes + 20 sms for 15 days= $12.5 USD
  • 3 GB data + 60 minutes + 30 sms for 30 days= $16 USD
  • 5 GB data + 100 minutes + 50 sms for 30 days= $22.5 USD
  • 10 GB data + 200 minutes + 100 sms for 30 days= $34.5 USD
  • 20 GB data + 400 minutes + 200 sms for 30 days= $49 USD

Click here to order a USA eSIM directly via Airalo or find more info.

The Airalo eSIMs operate on the 4G/LTE/5G network of Verizon and T-Mobile and are 5G ready.

Before ordering an eSIM for the USA make sure your phone is unlocked and eSIM compatible.

For a complete guide about using eSIMs when traveling to the USA and a comparison of the best eSIMs for USA in 2025 click on the link and read all my tips, including more eSIM offers from Roamless, SimOptions, Sim Local, Nomad, Holafly, etc.

Order a prepaid sim card for your trip to Los Angeles online

Remember that eSIMs can only be used in eSIM compatible phones. If your phone is not eSIM compatible and you want to order a sim card for Los Angeles on the internet then you have to look into buying an international prepaid sim card for the United States.

These pre-activated physical prepaid sim cards will be delivered to your home address before your trip. You put them in your phone during your flight and you are online as soon as the plane touches the ground in Los Angeles. Your international sim card connects automatically to an available network.

international prepaid sim cards for usa

Arrive prepared in Los Angeles with an international prepaid sim card for the USA from SimOptions:

  • 10 GB data valid in 56 countries for 30 days = $24.90 USD
  • 10 GB data valid in 124 countries for 30 days = $49.90 USD

Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for the USA via SimOptions.

My experiences buying a sim card at Los Angeles Airport

buying sim card at los angeles airport

Because of my previous trips to the USA I already had a feeling that tourist sim cards at Los Angeles Airport LAX would be super expensive so I arrived prepared and already bought and installed a Jetpac eSIM for the United States on my phone.

In general I always use eSIMS nowadays because I just like the convenience of being online as soon as the plane lands. No need to wait to connect to the free WiFi at airports anymore or wait till you find a sim card shop.

My Jetpac eSIM worked instantly and perfectly fine with a data speed of more than 70 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload at LAX Airport.

I also tested the free WiFi at LAX Airport for you and it was pretty damn fast I must say.

No need to tell you that Traveltomtom did not buy a sim card from the very friendly ladies at the Currency Exchange, but just sticked to my eSIM for the rest of my trip in the USA.

I even popped into some phone stores while in the USA and the cheapest prepaid sim card cost pretty much everywhere around $40 USD after activation costs and taxes. So it is a very simple conclusion that eSIMs are much more recommended.

Vlog about buying a sim card at Los Angeles Airport

Here is my YouTube video about my arrival at Los Angeles Airport LAX and showing you exactly where you can buy a sim card and how much it costs.

How much data do you need?

I consider myself a very heavy data user, but even on a crazy day I won't use more than 5 GB per day. On average I use about 2-3 GB per day, mostly on social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. Make sure you don't have Google Drive or iCloud enabled on data, but only on WiFi.

I am sure some of the above tips on how to stay connected when traveling to Los Angeles were helpful. If you have any additional questions then please leave me a comment below.

Curious what the road to 197 / visiting every country in the world looks like then head to my Instagram @traveltomtom and follow along. As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still more than 40 to go, but no rush.

Enjoy your trip to Los Angeles!