SIM Cards
Ok so Chile is genuinely the trickiest country I've covered for this. As of February 2025, a new Chilean law tightened SIM registration rules and a lot of tourists started getting flat-out refused at stores, with staff saying they couldn't activate prepaid lines without a Chilean RUT. That isn't fully accurate, but the friction is real. For most travelers in 2026, an eSIM is honestly the smarter call.
I tested both options on separate Chile trips, comparing carriers on price, data, validity, network coverage from Atacama down to Patagonia, where you can actually buy a SIM, and the new registration steps.
Quick picks: the best SIM card for Chile is Entel, mainly because their 24/7 airport desk in Santiago has the most consistent track record of registering tourists with just a passport, their network is the strongest nationwide, and the activation flow is simple.
I’d also quickly look at plug types in Chile so you don’t get caught out.
Quick verdict: if you're traveling around Chile for a week or more and expect heavy data use across Santiago, Atacama, the Lake District, and Patagonia, Entel is the SIM I'd grab.
Their tourist plans run from cheap daily passes to weekly bundles, and Entel's 4G/LTE blanket covers basically the whole country, which matters because Chile is genuinely huge end to end.
| Provider | Price (from) | Data | Validity | Network coverage | Where to buy | Best for |
| Entel | ~$2.58 (1.5GB+social) to ~$5.45 (unlimited 7 days) | Up to unlimited | 1 to 7 days | Strongest 5G, 97% LTE national, fastest in tests | Santiago Airport (24/7), Entel stores, supermarkets | Best overall, best for tourists |
| Movistar | from ~$1-2 for 1.5GB tourist plans | 1.5 GB and up | ~7 days | Wide LTE, ranked fastest in 2025 tests | Santiago Airport (24/7), Movistar stores | Best if Entel refuses, solid backup |
| Claro | from ~$0.21 (100MB) to ~$1.55 (1.5GB / 3 days) | 100 MB to 1.5 GB | 1 to 3 days | 97% population, decent in mountainous areas | Claro stores, supermarkets, kiosks | Cheapest entry, weaker tourist support |
(Prices and bundles shift, double check at the kiosk on the day you buy.)
How to choose between them comes down to where you land and how much patience you have.
Chile has four carriers (Entel, Movistar, WOM, and Claro), but the three I'd point a tourist toward are Entel, Movistar, and Claro.
WOM is worth knowing about (it holds around 25% of the Chilean market) but it filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and only completed its restructuring under new ownership in early 2025. It's back operating normally, but given how recently that process wrapped up, I'd skip it until things settle.
Entel is the homegrown Chilean operator (founded in 1964) and the carrier I'd point most tourists toward. They have the fastest 5G in the country, 4G/LTE coverage hitting around 97% of the population, and 130-plus retail stores from Santiago down to Patagonia.
I bought my Entel SIM at the Santiago airport last trip, the agent walked me through the call-103 activation and SMS link in about 15 minutes, and I had unlimited data for the day before I left arrivals.
| Duration | Data | Price | Notes |
| 1 day | Unlimited | ~$0.92 | Cheap day pass, perfect for a quick top-up |
| 3 days | 1.5 GB + unlimited social | ~$1.03 | The weekend trip option |
| 7 days | 4 GB + unlimited social | ~$2.58 | Sweet spot for most one-week trips |
| 7 days | Unlimited | ~$5.45 | Heavy use, photo uploads, hotspotting |
Quick verdict: pick Entel if you want the best chance of a smooth tourist registration and the strongest network. The trade-off is the airport desk gets queues during peak arrivals and the activation requires a working internet connection (use airport WiFi to do the SMS link step before you leave).
Movistar is the Telefónica-owned carrier and the one ranked fastest mobile network in Chile in 2025 (around 160 Mbps average download on 5G). Their basic Chip Prepago comes with 2 GB of data, 100 minutes, and 7 days of unlimited WhatsApp at activation, plus a recurring promo for 6 months whenever you top up at least 1,000 CLP.
| Plan | Data | Price | Notes |
| Chip Prepago | 2 GB + 100 min + WhatsApp | ~$3.50 | Basic starter, includes top-up bonus |
| Travel prepaid | 1.5 GB + minutes + SMS | ~$1-2 | 7 days validity, common at airport |
| Bolsas (data add-ons) | varies | from a few CLP | Top up via Movistar app or website |
Quick verdict: pick Movistar if Entel is queueing too long or out of stock, or if you need a 24/7 desk inside the Santiago airport's domestic departures area for an early connecting flight.
The trade-off is registration can be more strict at downtown stores than at the airport, with some refusing tourists outright since the law change. You can buy it at the Santiago Airport Movistar desk (Terminal 1 International Arrivals, ground floor, 24/7; also near Gate B11 in Domestic Departures).
Claro is the América Móvil arm in Chile, the second-largest carrier with about 9 million subscribers and 97% population coverage. They have the cheapest entry-level data plans (100 MB for around $0.21 if you really want to budget) and decent reach in the mountains and along the highway network.
The catch is the airport presence is smaller than Entel or Movistar, so you usually have to head into the city to find a store.
| Duration | Data | Price | Notes |
| 1 day | 100 MB | ~$0.21 | Bare minimum, only useful for messaging |
| 1 day | 500 MB | ~$0.52 | Light browsing |
| 3 days | 1.5 GB | ~$1.55 | Solid weekend bundle |
Quick verdict: pick Claro if you want the absolute cheapest entry point and you're sticking to Santiago or short hops. Trade-off is the smaller airport footprint, slightly weaker tourist registration support compared to Entel, and lower 5G availability.
Honestly, the airport is your safest bet right now. Chile changed its SIM registration rules in February 2025 with Ley 21.729, and downtown stores have been hit-or-miss with tourists ever since.
The Santiago Airport (SCL) carriers have all adapted to handle foreign passports, but city stores haven't all caught up.
A few Chile-specific things worth knowing before you walk in.
Tourists are still legally allowed to buy and activate SIMs with just a passport, but the on-the-ground implementation has been uneven. Some stores will tell you they need a RUT (Chilean tax ID) and refuse you.
The workaround: buy the chip, then go online (Entel and Movistar both have web activation portals) and activate using your passport details over WiFi. This works.
One more thing: if you have a US-purchased iPhone 14 or newer, you can't use a physical SIM at all because those phones are eSIM-only, which actually makes the whole RUT issue moot. eSIMs from international providers are activated with your passport details only and bypass the registration headache entirely.
For most Chile trips in 2026, an eSIM genuinely makes more sense than fighting through Ley 21.729. You simply buy it before you fly and it activates the second you land at SCL. I've used eSIMs on Chile trips since the law change and the time and frustration saved is real.
The trade-off is the usual: per gigabyte, eSIMs cost more than local Chilean data, and you don't get a Chilean phone number for local calls. But if you ask me, I’d say the eSIM cost premium is worth it for the certainty alone.
Below are the three eSIM providers I'd always consider for Chile.
| Provider | Plan style | Starting price | Notes | |
| Holafly |  | Unlimited data | from ~$19 for 5 days | Runs on Entel + Movistar partner networks. I've used this in Chile. |
| Airalo |  | Pay per GB | from ~$5 for 1 GB / 7 days | Cheapest entry. South America regional plans available. |
| Nomad |  | Pay per GB, tiered | from ~$6 for 1 GB | Solid speeds on Movistar. |
You can quickly compare eSIM Chile options and pick what fits your trip.
Chile has four main prepaid SIM card providers: Entel, Movistar, WOM, and Claro. Entel and Movistar offer the strongest tourist support and 24/7 airport desks at Santiago. Claro has the cheapest entry-level plans starting at around $0.21 for 100 MB.
Yes, but as of February 2025 (when Ley 21.729 took effect), buying one as a tourist became harder. You can still legally buy and activate a Chilean prepaid SIM with just your passport, but some downtown stores have been refusing tourists.
The chip itself runs around 3,000 CLP (~$3.50) for Claro or Movistar, and Entel is similar. Tourist data plans range from $0.21 for tiny day passes up to $5.45 for unlimited 7-day plans. So plan on $5-10 total for a useful SIM with a week of data.
Entel for nationwide coverage and the most consistent 5G performance, especially on speed tests. Movistar was actually ranked fastest in 2025 (around 160 Mbps average 5G download), but Entel has the better tourist support since the new law took effect.
I'd personally pick Holafly because of the unlimited plan, especially for Patagonia trips where you don't want to monitor data usage on long drives.
Yes, in many places. Santiago Airport has free WiFi in arrivals, almost every Chilean cafe and hotel offers it, and most malls (Costanera, Parque Arauco) have decent free networks. Outside Santiago and major tourist towns, free WiFi gets patchier.
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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