Last updated on March 10th, 2023 at 01:43 am
UAE is the favorite destination for tourists and you have to buy a UAE sim card to stay online when you visit there. It is painful that this beautiful country has two mobile operators only and you have to choose the best option for your phone plan between them only. There is no competition between them and you get expensive mobile phone services in UAE. You will not get a good prepaid sim card for less than $15. If you get an International roaming plan in your country at a cheaper rate then don’t buy a prepaid SIM card in UAE.
Best options for phone plans for tourists in UAE
The mobile operator market in the UAE is dominated by two major players, Etisalat, and du. Both of these companies offer mobile services, as well as fixed-line, broadband, and television services.
Etisalat is the largest mobile operator in the UAE, with over 145 million subscribers worldwide. The company offers a range of services, including 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile data services, as well as 5G services in select areas. Du is the second-largest mobile operator with over 9 million subscribers. The company offers a range of mobile services, including 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile data services, as well as 5G services in select areas.
Etisalat and Du are two mobile service providers in UAE and Virgin Mobile is an MVNO that operates on the Du network. Etisalat has better coverage than the Du network in UAE. Prepaid users are popularly known as Wasel users. Since the prepaid plan is the best option for short-term visiting tourists so I focus on finding alternatives to prepaid data plans. All plans are figured in AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) but to guess how much it will cost you, I am considering the current rate of conversion of one US dollar is equal to approx AED 0.27
Etisalat offers the following prepaid plans for mobile for tourists.
- Prepaid Visitor Line for AED 49 with 2GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Visitor Line+ for AED 79 with 4GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Visitor Line Premium for AED 125 with 8GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Visitor Line Premium Plus for AED 200 with 22.5GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Visitor Line Unlimited for AED 319 with unlimited data with a validity of 28 days
If you buy Etisalat Dubai prepaid tourist sim cards at the Dubai Duty-Free shop at the airport, you get a cheaper rate of AED 90.
Du mobile operator also offers similar plans for tourists. Let us see Du’s prepaid plans also.
- Prepaid Tourist SIM Free with 1GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Tourist for AED 49 with 2GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Tourist for AED 99 with 6GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Tourist for AED 139 with 10GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Tourist for AED 189 with 20GB of data with a validity of 28 days
- Prepaid Tourist Unlimited for AED 299 with unlimited data with a validity of 28 days
Virgin Mobile is an MVNO and offers mobile services by using the Du network. Virgin Mobile offers more affordable plans as compared to Du and Etisalat. Just see the below options from Virgin Mobile.
- Prepaid SIM for AED 150 which offers 3GB per day for 7 days validity
- Prepaid SIM for AED 200 which offers 4GB per day for 10 days validity
- Prepaid SIM for AED 300 which offers 5GB per day for 15 days of validity
Tourists need international minutes to get connected with their friends and family in their own country. Virgin Mobile sells International minutes with the above SIM cards by paying some extra AED, as can be seen below
- AED 140: It offers 6 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 International minutes with 30 days validity.
- AED 189: It offers 10 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 International minutes with 30 days validity
- AED 282: It offers 20 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 International minutes with 30 days validity
- AED 357: It offers 30 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 International minutes with 30 days validity
Free SIM card at Dubai Airport
It is amazing to get a free sim card at Dubai Airport. The Customs Officer gives you back your passport with a complimentary package of a free Du Dubai sim card. This free SIM card allows you to use 1GB of data and 3 minutes of calling time only.
If we look at all options of the above telecom brands, We find that Etisalat has good coverage in UAE but its plans are a little bit expensive and Virgin Mobile gives more value for your money.
