How To Get Cell Service In Colombia (The Colombian Way)

Getting Ready To Visit Colombia, But Wondering What’s The Best Way To Get Cell Service And Data While You’re Here?

When I moved to Colombia to teach English, I knew I wasn’t going to be here forever, but I was going to be here long enough so that switching from my US cell service was necessary to avoid expensive charges. It’s pretty simple and cheap to get cell service in Colombia this way, and it may even be a better option than getting international data from your own service (depending on how much your service charges), even for shorter trips.

📵 Is It Worth Getting A SIM Card In Colombia For Cell Service And Data?

Even if it's a short trip, I think its worth getting a SIM card to avoid high international data charges.

While US or other cell phone based services can be used in Colombia if you have international data or you purchase international data, it can get quite expensive, especially if you’re using lots of data for services like Uber (one of the safest transportation options here) or directions.

✅ Even for those going on short trips to Colombia, I think getting a Colombian SIM card can definitely be worth it if your home service charges too much (usually they charge by the day).

❌ If you don’t speak Spanish and going to the trouble of buying a SIM card at a local store gives you anxiety, then the convenience of buying international data on your own cell service is worth it to avoid the extra stress.

📶 How To Get Cell Service In Colombia

If getting a SIM card in Colombia to get cell service seems worth it to you, the process is quite simple and I recommend going with the Claro brand, because they have locations all over Colombia.

Steps For Getting Cell Service In Colombia:

find a cell phone service store as soon as you arrive in the country (I recommend Claro, but Tigo and Movistar are also popular here)
- if you fly into Bogota, here are some Claro locations
- if you fly into Medellin, here are some locations
- if you fly into Cartagena, here are some locations

go to the desk and ask for a prepaid SIM card (tarjeta SIM prepagada or SIM card prepago)

SIM cards cost around 5,000-10,000 pesos (less than $3 US)

you can also buy some credit at this time, which will give you minutes and data (however much you want to spend)

I only ever cared about the data because I only used services like Uber and WhatsApp (which is the easiest for all texts and calls back to your home country)

anytime you run out of data, you just go into any phone service store (from the company which you bought the SIM card) to reload

🔁 Sum Up: How To Get Cell Service In Colombia

Although you can easily use your normal cell service when visiting Colombia, international data can get expensive depending on the service so getting a Colombian SIM card may be easier and cheaper, even for shorter trips. The nice thing about Colombian SIM cards is that you can load them up with data wherever you are in the country, as long as there is one of the cell phone service stores (which are typically all around Colombia).