Every year, about three million people visit Brazil to experience its thrilling adventures. Whether you're exploring the Amazon rainforest or dancing the night away in Rio de Janeiro, having proper internet access makes everything more fun. With the right SIM card, you can easily share your journey and find your way around Brazil.
Travelers have several connectivity options in Brazil. Holafly offers convenient eSIM solutions with unlimited data plans. Local carriers like Vivo, TIM, and Claro provide traditional SIM cards with various data packages. These services utilize Brazil's extensive mobile networks to provide reliable coverage.
This article discusses options for obtaining internet access in Brazil. It compares the advantages and disadvantages of each option, provides guidance on where to purchase SIM cards, and answers frequently asked questions about internet connectivity for travelers in Brazil.
Because having internet is perfect to stay connected with family and friends while visiting the country, SIM cards offer different cheap deals so you can forget about the expensive roaming offered by your cellphone operator.
We advise you to look for a SIM card that allows you to keep your WhatsApp number, is easy to use, i.e., insert it into your cellphone/device, activate "Data roaming," and that's it!
Therefore, we will show you several international SIM options, although only one alternative offers you the best amount of data at the lowest price and with the best coverage. See for yourself in the following chart:
Holafly offers unlimited data plans with 4G LTE coverage for 5, 7, 10, 15, or 20 days. As their services are virtual SIM card services you can easily purchase and install your data plan from home.
You can buy a SIM card for Brazil both before arriving at your destination (virtual shops like Holafly, for example) and during your trip (airports, shopping malls, and mobile operators stores). Remember that the best option is to do it before your trip, so you will avoid worrying about it later on and have more time to visit Brazil.
This is the perfect option in coronavirus times. Forget about looking for stores and waiting in long lines at stores. Purchase from the comfort of your home and receive your international SIM card without leaving!
Here are some options such as features, advantages, and disadvantages of operators with online stores that facilitate your purchases.
Holafly has five options for virtual SIM cards Brazil, offering unlimited data and coverage of 5 to 20 days.
| Days | Data | Price |
| 5 | Unlimited data | $20.90 |
| 7 | Unlimited data | $29.90 |
| 10 | Unlimited data | $36.90 |
| 15 | Unlimited data | $50.90 |
| 20 | Unlimited data | $61.90 |
Table N°1. Presentations of virtual SIM cards Brazil
Advantages:
Disadvantage:
How much data do I need to travel to Brazil?
The amount of internet you need depends on you. If you are a social media lover, maybe you are looking for restaurant recommendations, or you simply need to have internet for work while traveling. Everything you need to know to know how much data you need on your trip, we tell you here.
It has a prepaid SIM card, which costs you up to 30 USD, and offers you more than 15 types of data packages. Note that this company will charge you for everything, both the card and the shipping.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Now that you know the features, advantages, disadvantages, and prices, I will now show you a comparison of the promotional prices (offered in their online ads) and final prices, what they will charge you.
| Card cost | Cost data | Shipping cost | total cost | |
| Holafly | – | $20.90 | – | $20.90 |
| One SIM Card | $27,46 | $82,53 | $2,74 | $112,73 |
Table N°2. Price comparison of prepaid SIM cards for Internet in Brazil
Now you will see that only one option charges you what it proposes, while the other charges you additional costs, even tripling the price.
You can buy a SIM card at airports (such as Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo), stores (specialized or official of each cellphone operator), supermarkets, kiosks, pharmacies, vending machines (if you require data packages when you have already bought the prepaid SIM card). Keep in mind to always carry your passport when buying a prepaid SIM card.
We will show you three options from the leading cellphone operators in Brazil, such as Vivo, TIM, and Claro. There are a few more, but we will focus on these.
Being one of the main cellphone operators in the country, Vivo has around 73 million subscribers. Its SIM cards start at 400 MB and can operate on tablets and modems.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
With 66 million subscribers, TIM has all coverage types, 2G, 3G, and 4G. Its plans range from 30 to 180 days. Remember that some packages are only exclusive for TIM customers, to activate a data plan you have to send an SMS or dialing *241#.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
With a 25% market share and with 50 million consumers, Claro has one of the best 4G/LTE coverage. Some of its data packages offer unlimited SMS or WhatsApp.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Without a doubt, whenever you have a compatible mobile phone, the best option is the Holafly virtual SIM card for Brazil. Unlimited data plans, multilingual customer service, multilingual website, and the possibility to recharge your service with top-ups.
You can get internet in Brazil in different ways, for example: buying a SIM card or eSIM, contracting roaming from your cellphone operator, using free wifi, and even renting a Pocket Wifi.
Roaming in Brazil costs depend on the offers provided by your cellphone operator. These vary according to your contracted service. You should consider the alternative of buying a prepaid SIM card for Brazil.
Choosing a Brazil SIM card is easy. First, find the best suits the days you will be traveling and how much data it provides. Second, find out if it includes a phone number, local calls, and SMS and if it allows you to share data with other devices.
The easiest way is to do it with online providers (such as Holafly) or when you arrive at your destination at the airport and in operator stores.
Prices vary according to the days of validity of the data plan, if it includes shipping costs and if you are provided with a phone number in Brazil. For example, for an approximate price of $19, you can receive a SIM card with unlimited data.
Our mission is simple: to make sure you never have to ask, “What’s the WiFi password?” again. All our tips come straight from personal experience — because we’d never recommend something we haven’t put to the test ourselves.
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