Internet in Egypt for Tourists: What to Use and What It Costs
You land in Egypt, your driver is somewhere outside the terminal, and you need your hotel address. The airport Wi-Fi may show up on your list and still refuse to connect. If your phone starts roaming on a daily pass, that first message can cost $12.
Getting internet in Egypt comes down to three choices: a local SIM bought with your passport, a data eSIM installed at home, or roaming with your US carrier. A local SIM is by far the cheapest if your phone can take one. An eSIM is the easy choice if you want data the moment you land, or if your iPhone has no SIM tray. Roaming fits a day or two.
In short:
- WE sells 5 GB for 30 days at 100 pounds (about $2) plus taxes, on a line that costs 81.23 pounds. A passport is required.
- e& sells 7 GB at 200 pounds (about $4), with taxes included.
- Verizon TravelPass and AT&T International Day Pass list $12 a day for one line, so 7 days of use is $84.
- The Moosetrip Egypt eSIM starts at $6 for 1 GB over 7 days. 5 GB for 30 days is $19.50 on 2026-10-30.
Egypt eSIM from $6Install at home, connect when you land.See plans
Internet options in Egypt compared
Dollar amounts for pound prices are rough, and the exchange rate moves. Check it before you buy.
| Option | Price | What you get | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WE tourist SIM | 100 pounds ($2) plus taxes, plus the line | 5 GB, 60 local minutes, 30 days | Lowest cost, phone with a tray |
| e& Travel pack | 200 pounds ($4), taxes included | 7 GB, 100 local minutes | Low cost, phone with a tray |
| Orange or e& local eSIM | 350 pounds ($7) for a new line, plus a plan | A local number, set up in Egypt | No tray, staying a while |
| Moosetrip eSIM | $6 to $69 | Data only, 1 GB to 20 GB | Data from the moment you land |
| Verizon or AT&T daily pass | $12 per day for one line | Your US number, talk, text, and data | A day or two |
Egyptian tourist SIMs: WE, e&, Orange, Vodafone
Egypt has four mobile operators: Orange, Vodafone, e& (formerly Etisalat), and WE, the mobile brand of Telecom Egypt. WE and e& post tourist plans with prices on their own sites. WE plans were checked on 2026-10-30, and e& plans on 2026-10-13.
| Plan | Data | Local minutes | Valid for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WE Mobile Egypt 100 | 5 GB | 60 | 30 days | 100 pounds, before taxes |
| e& Travel 200 | 7 GB | 100 | Not listed | 200 pounds, taxes included |
| e& Travel 300 | 12 GB | 250 | Not listed | 300 pounds, taxes included |
| WE Mobile Egypt 300 | 20 GB | 120 | 30 days | 300 pounds, before taxes |
| e& Travel 450 | 25 GB | 250 | Not listed | 450 pounds, taxes included |
Three things to know before you pay:
- The WE line costs extra. A new line was 81.23 pounds with taxes on 2026-10-13, and the plan goes on top of that. Ask for the full total at the counter.
- WE slows down instead of cutting off. When your data runs out, internet keeps going at low speed with no extra charge. Local calls and texts past the plan cost 0.19 pounds each.
- Tourist plans are for tourists. Both WE and e& say so, and WE says a foreign buyer needs a valid passport.
The plans also carry a few international minutes: 20 on the WE 100 plan and 60 on the WE 300 plan.
A plastic SIM may not fit your phone
This catches a lot of US travelers. Many newer iPhones sold in the US are eSIM only, with no tray. If yours has none, the plastic cards above will not help. Your phone must also be unlocked for any local line. You can check your phone here.
A local eSIM is possible, but only after you arrive. Orange says eSIM is open to all customers, including tourists, and a new eSIM line costs 350 pounds, activated at an Orange shop. e& charges the same 350 pounds. Its profile downloads only inside Egypt, and the QR code lasts 5 days from purchase. So you still need a working connection and a shop visit once you land.
Where to buy a SIM in Egypt
WE's store list shows two points each at Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh airports, open 24 hours, as of 2026-10-13. Orange listed two Orange Travel points at each of those airports, open all day, on 2026-10-05. At Marsa Alam, WE has a 24-hour point in the arrivals hall, and no Orange point was listed.
In the cities, WE says any Telecom Egypt store in the country sells its lines. That covers Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan as well as the Red Sea resorts. Regular WE stores in Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh open from 9:00 to 22:00, until 23:00 on Thursday, and from 14:00 on Friday. Most resort Orange stores open from 9:00 to 23:00, also from 14:00 on Friday.
At the counter:
- Have your passport ready.
- Ask for the full price. e& includes taxes in the plan price. WE adds them on top, plus the line.
- Have the staff put the SIM in your phone and show the data on the line. On WE, dial *414#.
- Turn off Wi-Fi and open a map to confirm the connection works.
On WE, *550# shows your balance and *688# shows your number. If something is wrong with a tourist plan, WE answers at *444# or 544. Be careful with top-up cards: on WE's table, a 100-pound card adds only 70 pounds of balance.
A local number will not wait for your next trip. WE closes a line after 105 days with no paid use, and Orange cuts one off after 90 days without use, with 15 more days to restore it.
Roaming with your US carrier
Roaming needs no setup, and your normal number keeps working. Verizon lists TravelPass at $12 per day, per line, outside Mexico and Canada, with 5 GB of high-speed data per 24-hour session. AT&T lists International Day Pass at $12 per day for one line, plus $6 for each extra line used that day, for customers on an unlimited plan. Confirm Egypt and the rate in your carrier app before you fly.
For one line, 7 days of use is $84 and 14 days is $168. Our 5 GB plan for Egypt is $19.50 for up to 30 days. That comparison is not exact, since a daily pass includes calls and texts and our eSIM is data only.
Some US plans include travel data. If yours covers Egypt and gives you enough high-speed data, keep it. You do not need an eSIM.
Does Egypt's phone rule affect you?
Not on a normal vacation. Egypt ended its duty-free allowance for phones brought in by passengers at noon on January 21, 2026. Reports on the telecom regulator's rules say tourists are treated like this:
- On a foreign SIM with roaming, your phone pays no customs fee.
- On an Egyptian tourist SIM, your phone is exempt for 90 days on each visit.
A travel eSIM issued outside Egypt roams on local networks, which fits the first case. Both rules cover the phone itself, so a two-week trip is fine either way.
Network coverage at the resorts
nPerf maps show which network type users recorded at each spot over the last two years. This table shows the most common reading near each place, from maps read on 2026-10-05. These are user readings, not our own tests.
| Place | Orange | Vodafone | e& | WE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Gouna, Downtown | 5G | 4G+ | 4G | Mostly no signal |
| Makadi Bay | 4G+ | 4G | 4G | 4G+ |
| Marsa Alam town | 4G+ | 5G | 4G | 4G |
| Naama Bay, Sharm El Sheikh | 5G | 4G+ | 5G | No readings |
| Dahab center | 4G+ | 5G | 4G+ | 4G |
| Blue Hole, Dahab | 4G | No readings | No readings | No readings |
Our Egypt eSIM runs on Orange, so that is the column to read. No readings means nobody logged a test there, not that the place has no signal. Before a snorkeling trip or a day in the desert, download offline maps. 4G is plenty for maps, ride apps, and video calls, so do not pay extra to chase 5G.
Travel eSIM for Egypt
An eSIM is a digital SIM. You install it at home over Wi-Fi with a QR code, and your regular number stays on as a second line. Days count from your first connection in Egypt, so you can set it up well before the flight. Your phone must support eSIM and must not be locked to your carrier. Our eSIM is internet only, with no phone number.
Our Egypt plans on 2026-10-30:
| Data | Valid for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $6 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $17 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $19.50 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $41 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $69 |
A local SIM costs much less per GB, so an eSIM makes sense for convenience, not price. Pick it if your phone has no tray, or if you do not want to line up after a long flight.
To size your plan, use a cautious rule: 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and taxi apps, or about 1.5 hours of video calls. An hour of maps a day for 7 days is about 1.4 GB, so 3 GB leaves room, and 5 GB costs only $2.50 more. For 14 days with a 30-minute video call each day, you need about 7.5 GB, so take 10 GB. If you run low, you can add data to the same eSIM.
Hotel Wi-Fi
Hotel Wi-Fi ends at the hotel gate. It will not help on a transfer, a tour, or a taxi ride, so plan on mobile data for those. Before you book, search your hotel's reviews for Wi-Fi comments. Skip banking and passwords on open networks.
Questions
What is the best way to get internet in Egypt as a tourist?
A local SIM from WE or e& is the cheapest if your phone has a tray and is unlocked. If it has no tray, or you want data as soon as you land, install a data eSIM at home. Keep your US plan if it already covers Egypt.
How much is a SIM card in Egypt?
On 2026-10-13, a WE line was 81.23 pounds, and its 5 GB tourist plan was 100 pounds plus taxes. e& charged 200 pounds for 7 GB with taxes included.
Do I need a passport to buy a SIM in Egypt?
Yes. WE says a foreign buyer needs a valid passport, and the tourist plans at WE and e& are sold only to tourists.
Can I buy an Egyptian eSIM before my trip?
Not from e&, since its profile downloads only inside Egypt. Orange activates a new eSIM line at its shops. To have data on landing, install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi.
Will my phone be blocked in Egypt after 90 days?
Not on a normal vacation. A phone on a foreign SIM pays no customs fee. A phone on an Egyptian tourist SIM is exempt for 90 days on each visit.
Will I keep my US number with an eSIM?
Yes. It stays on as a second line. Turn off data roaming on that line so you do not start a daily pass by accident.
Sources
- WE, Mobile Egypt tourist plans, checked 2026-10-30
- WE, prepaid FAQ, checked 2026-10-13
- WE, store locator, checked 2026-10-13
- e& Egypt, Travel to Egypt, checked 2026-10-13
- e& Egypt, eSIM, checked 2026-10-13
- Orange Egypt, eSIM, checked 2026-10-30
- Orange Egypt, line deactivation FAQ, checked 2026-10-13
- Orange Egypt, store finder, checked 2026-10-05
- nPerf, Egypt coverage map, read 2026-10-05
- Khaleej Times, Egypt ends fee exemption on imported mobile phones, January 21, 2026
- Egyptian Streets, Egypt ends customs exemption on imported phones, January 20, 2026
- Verizon, TravelPass FAQs, checked 2026-10-30
- AT&T, International Day Pass, checked 2026-10-30