Are you looking for the best tourist SIM card in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, or Dubai? If yes, you come to the right place. You will get a list of all networks in the United Arab Emirates, call, internet, and international packages and offers. This will allow you to choose a good card for yourself so that you will keep connected with your friends and family after reaching the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates is a famous country where millions of people from all over the world come on the trip. Before going to Dubai or UAE you must have good knowledge about UAE tourist SIM Cards and prices. You can compare, and check the prices of all SIMs in UAE and also can see the latest deals and offers of prepaid and postpaid cards easily on PriceYOO.
List of the Best Tourist SIM Cards in the United Arab Emirates
There are three major mobile operators in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which are:
These three networks are mostly famous in this country. When you will go to UAE airports, all SIM card services, and operators will be available there. Most visitors landed at Dubai City airport were Virgin, Etisalat, and DU all companies retailers, and shops are always available. Etisalat is the most used and trusted network in the UAE than other networks. DU is the second largest network which is providing 5G services, prepaid and postpaid services for calling and texting.
All the operators have different types of plans, prices, and resources like different internet volumes and calling minutes. After reaching the UAE, you have to inform your relatives and friends so, you will need a type of SIM card that will provide you with international calling minutes and text. So, by carefully checking the plans and prices of each network, you can easily get the best tourist SIM card in the UAE.
It is a time of social networking, you can also contact your friends and family through Facebook, WhatsApp, and IMO. You must need to know that WhatsApp is banned in the United Arab Emirates so, you should prepare for this before landing in the country. You can use the alternative of WhatsApp in UAE to call your friends and family.
As you know I travel and always visit new countries in some months and always stay there for 2 weeks to 1 month. If you visit the United Arab Emirates and other countries and want to get a helpful guide you can save us a bookmark. We already provide many prepaid SIM card details like the Best SIM card in Saudi Arabia.
Etisalat
Etisalat is the major mobile phone network in the United Arab Emirates and it covers more than 70% population by providing calling and internet services. This network provides an eSIM facility to its customers who have smartphones and watches. To get the eSIM, customers have to go to the Etisalat shop and franchise where they will get an eSIM and use it in their smartwatches without any physical SIM.
To get the prepaid, postpaid, or Etisalat visitor line, you must have a valid passport, 3D-secured credit or debit card, or cash in AED. A visitor can only buy 2 visitors line SIM cards on one passport or ID. Once you have purchased any SIM card, you will never get any refund from the company. So, buy any SIM card carefully and don’t waste your money and time. Now, we will talk about the Etisalat visitor line and other prepaid packages and offers.
PRICES AND PACKAGES:
Etisalat provides Visitor line, Visitor Line +, Visitor Line Premium, and unlimited local data. These SIM cards and package prices are starting from 79.00 AED to 319.00 AED. All the packages are valid for 28 days or by visa validity. If your relatives and friends live in Qatar then you can get unlimited calling from UAE to Qatar by using these plans.
Excluding of Visitor Line + package, customers will get free data for the Gochat app which will be used for video and audio calling and messaging. Here are the prices and plans of all Etisalat UAE tourist SIM cards.
Prepaid Visitor Line – AED 49/month
- 30 Flexi Minutes for calling
- 2GB Local data
- FREE SIM
- 28 Days Validity
Prepaid Visitor Line + – AED 79/28 Days
- 30 Flexi Minutes for calling (UAE Networks)
- 4GB Local Data
- FREE SIM Card
- 28 Days Validity
Prepaid Visitor Line Premium – AED 125/month
- 120 Flexi Minutes for calling
- 8GB Local data + 500MB Gochat Data+ 5 hours WIFI
- FREE SIM
- 28 Days Validity
Prepaid Visitor Line Premium + – AED 200/month
- 525 Flexi Minutes for calling
- 22.5GB Local data + 500MB Gochat Data
- 30 hours WIFI
- FREE SIM Card
- 28 Days Validity
Prepaid Visitor Line Unlimited – AED 319/month
- 100 Flexi Minutes for calling
- Unlimited Local data + Unlimited Gochat Data
- FREE SIM
- 28 Days Validity
Etisalat is providing prepaid SIM cards in UAE which will give you a free SIM card worth 55 AED. You can easily activate any kind of package by recharging this SIM card. By recharging the balance, you can easily make calls to any network, activate the internet package, and activate the international calls package. This SIM Card will be available with a recharge of 20 AED which will help you to make calls and send SMS.
I will suggest you buy this SIM card if the company will allow you to buy this card from the airport. Because you will be new in this country, per second billing charge method will be the best for you. When you will need internet you have to recharge the required balance and activate the internet package. This SIM card works as pay as you go system.
Prepaid SIM Cards
Prepaid SIM cards are the best for those who visit the UAE for a short time. If you are not making too many calls nationally and internationally, then this can be the best choice. This is a very simple and easy-to-use card for your tour or trip. Prepaid SIM packages are too many to activate easily when you need them. Just dial *101# to activate the packages when you need any Etisalat prepaid SIM card. When you dial this code, you will see the menu for your account and package activation. Choose the data packages, call packages, and SMS packages that you want to activate. Here are some shortcodes which will help you to use a prepaid SIM card.
- Dial *101# to activate the packages and offers on the prepaid SIM card
- To get the deal of the day dial *050#
- Use the Etisalat app to activate and deactivate the packages
- Dial *101*30*1# to get gifts like free minutes and internet
DU Tourist SIM Card
Du is the second largest mobile network in the United Arab Emirates which is mostly famous due to its cheapest tourist plans and offers. Most visitors buy DU tourist SIM cards because this offers free calling national at a very low cost.
You can buy this SIM card at any shop and airport retailer. You can book DU prepaid and traveller SIM cards online while in your home country. After booking a SIM card online you can get this card from any airport in UAE. New customers have a great opportunity because they will get a FREE SIM card from the airport. You have to pay only its package fee which will be 49 AED including VAT.
What the new customers will get? New customers will get free 2GB of internet data and 30 Flexi minutes for calling in supported countries and networks. From these minutes you can talk with your friends and family by paying 0.38 AED national calling.
If you need more data and calls, you have to recharge the amount of AED 99, customers will get 6GB of data, 30 Flexi minutes, and free internet calling-only supported apps. Botim and Voico apps are free if you will activate the 99 AED plan on your SIM. I will suggest you activate the second plan if you have a good budget otherwise 49 AED plan is enough for calling and internet usage. Here are some great deals for you that you can activate yourself through online recharge and shops.
DU Tourist SIM Cards Offers & Deals
| 20GB PLAN |
|---|
| 20GB Data 30 Flexi minutes Free Internet Calling 189 AED Incl. VAT Valid till 28 Days |
| 6GB DATA |
|---|
| 6GB Data 30 Flexi minutes Free Internet Calling 99 AED Incl. VAT Valid till 28 Days |
| 10GB DATA |
|---|
| 10GB Data 30 Flexi minutes Free Internet Calling 139 AED Incl. VAT Valid till 28 Days |
| 2GB DATA |
|---|
| 2GB Data 30 Flexi minutes 49 AED Incl. VAT Valid till 28 Days |
| UNLIMITED PLAN |
|---|
| Unlimited Data Free Internet Calling 299 AED Incl. VAT Valid till 10 Days |
- Internet data speed depends on the user device, signal strength, or coverage area
- Flexi minutes are usable on all national networks and supported countries only
- Free video calling is usable on BOTIM and VOICO apps
- After the expiry of the plan, customers can reactivate these offers by recharging the required balance.
Virgin Tourist SIM Card
Virgin is the third largest network in UAE and is a virtual network of DU. You can get this SIM card easily from any airport at T1, and T2 points. There are different types of packages with different types of validity. You can choose any SIM card by data volume, calling plans, and prices of prepaid and postpaid SIM cards. 7 Days, 10 Days, and 15 days trips people can use this SIM card instead of heavy billing and plans SIM card for calling and internet services. Here is the chart of Virgin UAE tourist SIM card prices and offers.
| Local Calls/SMS | International Calls/SMS | DATA | PRICE | VALIDITY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Minutes & SMS | 20 Minutes & SMS | 21 GB | 150 AED | 7 DAYS |
| 30 Minutes & SMS | 20 Minutes & SMS | 40 GB | 200 AED | 10 DAYS |
| 30 Minutes & SMS | 20 Minutes & SMS | 75 GB | 300 AED | 15 DAYS |
- Prices include 5% VAT
- International calling minutes are for selected countries only
- Internet data will be reset at midnight daily
- 300 AED per month tourist plan includes VoIP 2 months subscription.
Virgin 7 Days Tourist Plan:
If you are coming to UAE for 7 days then you can choose the 7-day plan which includes a SIM card, 21GB data, 30 local minutes and SMS, and 20 international minutes and SMS. This SIM card or package price is 150 VAT including 5% VAT for 7 days. Once you have bought this SIM card, you will be able to reactivate the same package again on your SIM card.
Virgin 10 Days Tourist Plan:
Virgin UAE 10 days tourist plan is offering 40GB data (4GB per Day), 30 local minutes and SMS, and 20 international calling minutes and SMS. While buying a SIM card you can choose any of them to offer as your visa validity. The price of this package is 200 AED Including 5% VAT per 10 days.
Virgin 15 Days Tourist Plan:
This package is also called a half-monthly Virgin tourist SIM card. Virgin is also offering a 75GB unlimited data offer in which customers can use daily 5GB data including 30 local calling minutes and SMS and 20 international calling minutes and SMS. If you are coming to UAE for 30 days, you can reactivate this package again after 15 days. the price of 15 days tourist SIM card is 300 AED per 15 days including 5% VAT.
Virgin SIM card is some costly than other SIM cards. Because this network provides an international call plan including free data and local calls so, it costs the same price as other networks if you also get international call packages. If the customers need unlimited internet data, they can activate the booster data plan whose price is 100 AED. This booster will give you unlimited GBs to download and watch TV channels and videos, and stream gaming. You can also visit the Virgin UAE website to read the terms and conditions.
Comparison of Etisalat, DU, and Virgin SIM Card
Prices, internet data, and calling minutes are the most important things to buying a prepaid and tourist SIM card. Here is the comparison chart of all UAE SIM cards which will help you to choose the best tourist SIM card in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
| DETAILS | ETISALAT | DU | VIRGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMALLEST PLAN | 30 LOCAL MINUTES 2GB DATA 49 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINUTES 2GB DATA 49 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINTS & SMS 20 INTERNATIONAL MINTS & SMS 21GB DATA 150 AED 7 Days Validity |
| MEDIUM PLAN | 30 LOCAL MINUTES 4GB DATA 79 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINUTES 6GB DATA FREE internet calling 99 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINTS & SMS 20 INTERNATIONAL MINTS & SMS 40GB DATA 200 AED 10 Days Validity |
| FULL PLAN | 525 LOCAL MINUTES 22.5GB DATA 30 Hours WIFi 200 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINUTES 20GB DATA FREE internet calling 189 AED 28 Days Validity | 30 LOCAL MINUTES & SMS 20 INTERNATIONAL MINTS & SMS 75GB DATA 300 AED 15 Days Validity |
If we compare Etisalat vs DU tourist SIM cards then both networks are equal in prices and calling minutes. It is difficult to know which Etisalat and DU which is the best network. If you buy the full plan of Etisalat then this will allow you to use free 30 hours of WIFI calling. It is like a bonus from Etisalat which DU is not offering.
If we compare DU vs Virgin and Etisalat vs Virgin then Virgin can be a good network. Because Virgin is offering international call plans including all free minutes and SMS which DU and Etisalat are offering. Now, depending on user needs, users have to decide which is the best SIM card for tourists or trips in Dubai, UAE.
Free SIM card in UAE:
Free SIM cards in the United Arab Emirates are only offered by Du and Etisalat which also offer 1GB of data for 24 hours. You can buy this SIM card at any airport in the United Arab Emirates and you can also ask for a free SIM from any DU & Etisalat retailer or point of sale.
After purchasing the SIM card, if you want to use it for calls, you can recharge it. Both Etisalat and DU have offered their customers 1GB of data for 24 hours, which you can use for web browsing watching videos and social networking. These sims are completely free, you don’t have to pay any kind of fee. Both companies reserve the right to terminate this offer at any time.
