Best Costa Rica eSIM (w/ Discount) – Best eSIM for Costa Rica Compared

Looking for the best eSIM for Costa Rica on an upcoming trip? We give you a detailed comparison of the best Costa Rica eSIM in this guide.

Our top recommendation for the best eSIM for Costa Rica is Airalo with Holafly as an alternative.

Related Travel Guides on Costa Rica

• Book online Costa Rica activities and day trips
• Costa Rica Sim card
• How to get from San Jose airport to city center
• Costa Rica packing list
• Costa Rica travel tips

What Are The Most Popular eSim in Costa Rica?

You can get the most popular eSim providers in Costa Rica: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, MTX, GigSky and Ubigi depending on how much data you need in Costa Rica.

What Is The Cheapest eSim For Costa Rica?

You can find the cheapest Costa Rica eSim with Airalo Costa Rica eSim prepaid for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%). for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days. For $20 USD with 3 GB data and for $30 USD with 5 GB data. (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%)

Holafly Costa Rica eSim will offer for $27 USD for 5 days and $54 USD for 20 days of unlimited data if you use our discount code GAMINTRAVELER

BEST COSTA RICAN ESIM COMPARED AND BEST PREPAID COSTA RICA ESIM

An eSim is a virtual sim card (embedded sim) that you can use to connect to data services while you’re traveling. It’s not a physical sim card that you insert on your phone. Usually, you scan a code that gives your phone access to the data plan package of that eSim.

An eSim data plan is a great way to get a data or internet package outside of your home sim card, or phone carrier service from Europe. And because you are using an eSim, you don’t have to worry about changing your phone number for Whatsapp, imessage, Telegram, or any other messaging apps.

Once you purchase an eSim, you’ll immediately be emailed a QR code that you can scan, and if you should be connected to data immediately. There are a few eSims in Costa Rica available for tourists and prepaid eSim data plans.

Movistar, Kölbi and Claro are the main phone operators in Costa Rica. Movistar, Kölbi and Claro don’t offer eSim for tourists in Costa Rica only with a subscription plan.

Difference between an eSim vs getting a data plan

Ease of access to a data or internet package is the biggest difference between an eSIM over a data plan from Regular mobile data carriers from your country. With an eSIM, instead of buying the physical sim, you can buy a package online and activate it wherever you are.

How to Activate Your Esim Service

You can purchase your Holafly eSim here (in this case with Holafly eSim Costa Rica but there are other providers too). Choose the country you’re going to, and how many days you want to have unlimited data service or any other data packages for data eSim in Costa Rica.

Remember that you’re buying internet data and not credits for sending text messages/SMS, or making phone calls. You can use regular messaging apps for these like Whatsapp, Telegram, Messenger or iMessage.

Once you have your eSim confirmation, you’ll get the code. You can save this code in your phone as an image, and scan it later, or scan it now, and you’ll immediately activate it.

Costa Rica eSim Comparison What do I need to have to get a data package for eSim in Costa Rica

Before you can get an eSim Costa Rica data package, you need to first make sure that your phone supports the eSim functionality. Unfortunately this is not available for all phones. It became available in the last year or two, making only the newest phone versions to support this feature.

If you are using an iPhone or iPad running SIM card functionality, these are the models that support the eSim feature for iOS.

iPhone and iPad with Esim Functionality

iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone SE 2 (2020), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro,, MaxiPhone SE 3 (2022). On iPhone 13 models you can have two eSIMs activated at the same time.

For iPads, you have the following.

iPad Pro 11″ (model A2068, from 2020), iPad Pro 12.9″ (model A2069, from 2020), iPad Air (model A2123, from 2019), iPad (model A2198, from 2019), iPad Mini (model A2124, from 2019)

Your ipad needs to have the sim functionality to get the esim feature.

This is how you activate an esim with iOS devices.

Android Phones with the Esim Functionality

Samsung Esim Phones

Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S20+, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21+ Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy S22, Samsung Galaxy S22+, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy Fold, Samsung Galaxy Fold 3, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung Watch (via Samsung Wearable application)

For Samsung subscribers, you can check the guide here for activating the esim.

Google Pixel Esim Phones

Have a Google Pixel phone, check this guide on how to activate esim. Below are the Google Pixel Phones that support esim:

Google Pixel 2 (only phones bought with Google Fi service), Google Pixel 2 XLGoogle Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL, Google Pixel 3a, Google Pixel 3a XL, Google Pixel 4, Google Pixel 4a, Google Pixel 4 XL, Google Pixel 5, Google Pixel 5a, Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 6 Pro.

Other Android Handsets that Support the eSim functionality:

Huawei P40, Huawei P40 Pro, Huawei Mate 40 Pro

Oppo Find X3 Pro, Oppo Reno 5A, Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G, Oppo Find X5, Oppo Find X5 Pro, Oppo A55s

Motorola Razr 2019, Motorola Razr 5G, Nuu Mobile X5, Gemini PDA, Rakuten Mini, Rakuten Big-S, Rakuten Big and Sony Xperia 10 III Lite.

There are also Ultrabooks that have the eSim functionality in them.

So check the following ultrabooks and laptops:

Microsoft Surface Pro X, Microsoft Surface Go 2, Microsoft Surface Pro LTE Advanced

Acer Swift 3, Acer Swift 7, Asus Mini Transformer

Asus NovaGo, Asus VivoBook Flip 14, HP Elitebook G5

HP Probook G5, HP Zbook G5, HP Specter Folio 13, Lenovo Yoga C630, Lenovo Miix 630

Lenovo Yoga 520, Lenovo Flex 5G and Samsung Galaxy Book 2

Check if your phone is Unlocked

The idea of having an eSim is to have another carrier providing data service/internet service to your phone. Even if your phone supports the eSim functionality, the phone needs to be open or unlocked to use any data/sim company.

Locked phones are usually the phones you purchased with a data plan with a sim card or carrier service, where you have plans that you pay monthly until your contract expires, and allowed you to get your phone at a discount or for free.

Buying Costa Rica eSim And Best Prepaid eSim Costa Rica Data Plan

HOLAFLY COSTA RICA ESIM DISCOUNT CODE

Holafly eSim Costa Rica data plans start at $27 USD for 5 days for unlimited data. If you choose 7 days unlimited data $34 USD, for $37 USD 10 days unlimited data and $47 USD and $54 USD unlimited data for 15 and 20 days all of them with unlimited data even cheaper if you use our discount code GAMINTRAVELER.

AIRALO COSTA RICA ESIM DISCOUNT CODE

Airalo Costa Rica eSim prepaid for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%). for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days. For $20 USD with 3 GB data and for $30 USD with 5 GB data. (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%)

MORE PREPAID ESIM COSTA RICA

MTX Connect eSim Costa Rica

MTX Connect eSim Costa Rica is a small provider offering data plans in Costa Rica. MTX Connect eSim Costa Rica for €24 with 4 GB data valid for 14 days.

Nomad eSim Costa Rica

Nomad eSim Costa Rica for $20 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days can be a great idea if you aren’t planning to use so much data. Plans with Nomad eSim Costa Rica prepaid start at $48 USD with 3 GB data valid for 30 days and for $54 USD with 5 GB data valid for 30 days.

UBIGI COSTA RICA ESIM

Ubigi Costa Rica eSim for $19 USD with 1 GB data valid for 30 days. (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%).

GIGSKY COSTA RICA ESIM

GigSky Costa Rica eSim for $11 USD with 1 GB data valid for 15 days and for $40 USD with 5 GB data valid for 30 days.

BEST ESIM FOR COSTA RICA CONCLUSION (CHEAPEST COSTA RICA ESIM FOR TOURISTS)

The best eSim for Costa Rica I would go for the cheapest eSim in Costa Rica with Airalo Costa Rica eSim prepaid for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%). for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days. For $20 USD with 3 GB data and for $30 USD with 5 GB data. (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%)

Holafly eSim will offer for $27 USD for 5 days and $54 USD for 20 days of unlimited data if you use our discount code GAMINTRAVELER

Feel free to use our links for discounts. By using our links, you will help us to continue with the maintenance of the website and it will not cost you anything. Thanks for the love guys. 

Happy Travels!