Prepaid SIM / eSIM in Cuba: how to buy a 4G internet chip?
Cuba is one of the hardest countries in the world to access the internet.
Don’t expect free Wi-Fi everywhere. Public hotspots are rare and you have to buy specific cards (waiting in line) to use them. Even then, the speed is very low and disconnections are frequent.
Here’s how you can go about it anyway.
Roaming fees
As usual outside the EU, roaming fees are very high. However, a pleasant surprise from Bouygues Télécom, even if it comes to more than €500 per gigabyte of data, to avoid!
| Carrier | Roaming rates |
|---|---|
| SFR | €13.20 / MB |
| Free Mobile | €9.70 / MB |
| Orange | €13.31/MB |
| Bouygues Telecom | €0.54 / MB |
Buy a SIM card before you leave
Few offers allow you to get a SIM card before leaving for Cuba.
However, there is an Orange offer that gives you 50 MB of data for €50 with a validity of 14 days.
See the Orange SIM card offer for Cuba.
It’s little data, it’s very expensive, but it might be enough to chat with your loved ones on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger during your stay in Cuba.
Buy an eSIM valid in Cuba
Unfortunately, there is no eSIM offer for Cuba as of now.
Buying a 4G SIM at the airport
It’s very recent, since December 2019, tourists have the possibility to buy a CubaCel SIM card.
This SIM card can only be purchased at Havana airport, Terminal 3, before passport control.
For $25 USD, you get 20 minutes of calls (handy for booking casa particulars), 20 SMS, and 1 GB of internet data.
One particularity: the 20 minutes of calls are valid for local calls, but also for international calls.
You’ll then be able to top up the card at ETECSA stores:
- 600 MB for 7 CUC
- 1 GB for 10 CUC
- 2.5 GB for 20 CUC
- 4 GB for 30 CUC
Buying a SIM card in town
If you didn’t buy the SIM card at the airport, you won’t be able to do it in the city.
