1 GB
Valid for 7 days
$6.99
$6.99 per GB
eSIM for Egypt
In Egypt, Uber settles the taxi fare before you get in. The Grand Egyptian Museum sells timed tickets online only. Your guide confirms the 5 a.m. Valley of the Kings pickup on WhatsApp. None of that works without data.
Egypt is also the country with a phone tax. Put an Egyptian SIM in a foreign phone and its IMEI is logged. You then have 90 days to register it in the Telephony app and pay 38.5% of its value, or the phone is blocked on every Egyptian network.
A FairSIM eSIM roams onto Vodafone or Orange Egypt instead of registering as an Egyptian line, so the 90-day clock never starts. You get the same 4G everywhere and the new 5G in Cairo, at the wholesale rate, and you top up from the app on a Nile cruise or a Red Sea beach.
Egypt eSIM plans
Wholesale rates in US dollars, with nothing added at checkout. Buy in the FairSIM app and the plan is on your phone in seconds.
How long is your trip?
All plans. Pick a trip length to narrow the list.
- Get it in the app for Egypt
3 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Egypt$14.99
$5.00 per GB
- Best value
10 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Egypt$29.99
$3.00 per GB
Unlimited
Valid for 15 days
Get it in the app for Egypt$69.99
Speed policy shown in the app
Coverage in Egypt
- 4G LTE
- 5G
- Vodafone EgyptThe largest network and the usual host for travel eSIMs. Best reach in Upper Egypt and along the Nile, and Opensignal's 5G coverage winner in February 2026.
- Orange EgyptThe other common host for travel eSIMs. Strong 4G in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea resorts.
- WE (Telecom Egypt)Opensignal's Best Network and download speed winner in February 2026, but few travel eSIMs use it. e& (Etisalat) is the fourth network.
Typical speed: About 82 Mbps median mobile download after the 5G launch, up from 46 Mbps on 4G alone (Ookla data via GSMA, 2025). Expect 15 to 40 Mbps in Luxor, Aswan and the resorts.
Strong in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. On a Nile cruise the signal holds near towns and docked temples but drops on the open river between Edfu and Kom Ombo. Almost nothing in the Western Desert oases and off-road Sinai. Through late 2025 users still spent about 95% of their time on 4G, so treat 5G as a bonus.
How much data do you need in Egypt?
It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.
Classic circuit: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan
Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a flight south, temples and a few nights on the Nile.
Why data matters: Uber and Careem in Cairo, timed museum tickets on visit-gem.com, Google Maps and Translate at the temples, WhatsApp with guides, and photo uploads when the boat docks.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Red Sea resort week: Hurghada, Sharm, Marsa Alam
All-inclusive stays with diving and snorkelling days.
Why data matters: Resort Wi-Fi is fine in the lobby and slow in the room. Dive-centre bookings, excursion chats and video calls home run on mobile data.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Nile cruise or dahabiya
Three to seven nights sailing between Luxor and Aswan.
Why data matters: Signal fades on the open river, so download maps and guides before sailing. When it returns near Edfu, Kom Ombo and Esna you catch up on photos and messages.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 8 GB
- 30 days
- 15 GB
Business trip to Cairo
Meetings between New Cairo, Downtown and Smart Village, in traffic.
Why data matters: Teams and Zoom on the move, Personal Hotspot for the laptop, Uber all day, and email while the ring road crawls.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
Backpacker: Dahab, Siwa, the White Desert
Buses, hostels and long stretches with no signal at all.
Why data matters: Go Bus tickets, hostel WhatsApp groups and dive logs. Download offline maps for Siwa and the White Desert, where there is nothing.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Long stay or winter escape in Luxor or Hurghada
Weeks or months of sun on a tourist visa.
Why data matters: Past 90 days an Egyptian SIM triggers the phone tax. A roaming eSIM never registers your handset, and unlimited plans cover daily video calls and streaming.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
What your home carrier charges in Egypt
Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Egypt start at $6.99 and never bill per day.
Ten days of daily passes cost $80 to $120 per phone. A FairSIM plan for Egypt costs a fraction of that and does not reset at midnight.
| Carrier | Roaming charge | FairSIM |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon TravelPass (US) | $12 per day, 5 GB high-speed then slowed | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| AT&T International Day Pass (US) | $12 per day per line, $6 for extra lines | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| T-Mobile International Pass (US) | $5 for 1 day and 512 MB, $35 for 10 days and 5 GB, $50 for 30 days and 15 GB | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| EE Travel Data Pass (UK) | About £8 per day or £40 per week | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Vodafone UK | £7.86 per day | from $6.99, no daily fee |
| Orange Pass Voyage (France) | €9.99 for 3 days, €29.99 for 10 days | from $6.99, no daily fee |
Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.
How FairSIM works
- 1
Pick a destination and a plan
Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.
- 2
Tap install
On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.
- 3
Land and connect
Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.
Connectivity tips for Egypt
Install the eSIM at home and turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you land. Walk past the SIM kiosk and the passport photocopier.
Book Grand Egyptian Museum slots on visit-gem.com days ahead; walk-up tickets no longer exist.
Download offline Google Maps for Luxor, Aswan and the Nile before the cruise; the signal drops between Edfu and Kom Ombo.
Use Uber or Careem from Cairo Airport rather than the taxi touts; the fare is fixed in the app before pickup.
Heat kills batteries. Summer Luxor passes 40°C; carry a power bank and keep the phone out of the sun on felucca rides.
Keep your home SIM active for bank SMS codes with its own data roaming off, so it never bills you.
Staying more than 90 days? An Egyptian SIM triggers the 38.5% phone tax; a roaming eSIM does not.
Siwa, the White Desert and the road to St Catherine have long dead zones. Tell someone your plan before you go.
Apps you will actually use
- Uber and Careem fixed fares in Cairo, Alexandria and Hurghada; pay by card or cash.
- inDrive you propose the fare; cash only, and popular in Luxor and Aswan.
- visit-gem.com the only way to get Grand Egyptian Museum tickets since December 2025.
- Google Maps Cairo traffic routing and the metro; download Luxor, Aswan and the desert offline.
- Google Translate camera mode for Arabic menus and signs.
- WhatsApp guides, drivers, felucca captains and hotels confirm everything here.
- Go Bus and Egyptian National Railways intercity buses and the Cairo to Luxor sleeper train.
- Telephony (NTRA) only if you use an Egyptian SIM for more than 90 days; a roaming eSIM does not need it.
Uber shows the fare before you book, which ends the meter argument, but drivers often phone to confirm the pickup, so keep WhatsApp reachable.
Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?
Five-star hotels in Cairo and the Red Sea resorts have decent Wi-Fi; budget hotels in Luxor and Aswan often do not reach the rooms. Cairo cafés in Zamalek and Downtown are fine, temples and tombs have nothing, and cruise-boat Wi-Fi works maybe 70% of the time. Treat it as a backup.
Local SIM card or eSIM in Egypt?
Vodafone, Orange and e& run 24-hour kiosks next to the baggage belts at Cairo Airport, and stores in Hurghada, Sharm and Luxor. A tourist pack with 20 to 30 GB costs roughly $10, and Vodafone's cheapest traveller bundle starts around E£200 for 7 GB. You show your passport and the kiosk photocopies it with your visa stamp.
The catch is the phone tax. Inserting an Egyptian SIM logs your IMEI and starts a 90-day clock. Stay longer and you must register in the Telephony app and pay 38.5% of the handset's value, or lose service on every Egyptian network. The airport grace period for one duty-free phone ended on 21 January 2026. A FairSIM eSIM roams, never registers as an Egyptian line, and needs no kiosk.
Good to know before you land in Egypt
- Currency
- Egyptian pound (E£, EGP)
- Plug type
- Type C and F (European two-pin)
- Voltage
- 220 V, 50 Hz
- Emergency number
- 122 police · 123 ambulance · 180 fire
- Language
- Arabic; English widely spoken in tourism
- Time zone
- UTC+2, daylight saving UTC+3 from late April to late October
- Capital
- Cairo
Egypt eSIM questions
Does eSIM work in Egypt?
Yes. Any unlocked, eSIM-capable phone connects to Vodafone or Orange Egypt 4G and 5G with a travel eSIM. On iPhone that means XS, XR or newer, and the one-tap install needs iOS 17.4 or later.
Which network will my Egypt eSIM use?
Most travel eSIMs use Vodafone Egypt, the largest network, or Orange. Vodafone holds best along the Nile and in Upper Egypt. The app shows the network for each plan before you buy.
Is there 5G in Egypt?
Yes, since June 2025 in Cairo, Giza and parts of Upper Egypt, with Vodafone covering the most ground. Most of the time you will be on 4G, which runs 15 to 40 Mbps in the tourist cities.
Does the Egyptian phone tax apply to a travel eSIM?
No. The 90-day rule starts when an Egyptian SIM or eSIM logs your phone's IMEI. A foreign travel eSIM roams on Egyptian networks without registering as an Egyptian line, so the clock never starts. Tourists are also exempt for 90 days per visit.
Can I use Personal Hotspot in Egypt?
Most FairSIM plans support Personal Hotspot; the plan details in the app confirm it for each plan. A laptop uses data quickly, so budget for it.
Do WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work in Egypt?
Yes. Egypt does not block internet calling, so WhatsApp, FaceTime and Messenger calls run over data. The eSIM has no Egyptian number; your home SIM stays active for SMS codes.
Should I install the eSIM before or after landing?
Before. Install it over Wi-Fi at home, then turn on the line and data roaming when you land. Validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to an Egyptian network, not when you install it.
Will I have signal on a Nile cruise?
Near Luxor, Aswan, Edfu and Kom Ombo, yes. On the open river between them expect gaps of an hour or more. Vodafone tends to hold best; download maps and guides before sailing.
Local SIM or eSIM for Egypt?
Local SIMs are cheap but need a passport photocopy at the kiosk, and they enrol your phone in the 90-day registration system. A travel eSIM is installed before you fly, avoids the phone tax entirely, and tops up from the app anywhere with signal.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.
Is my phone compatible?
FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer. iOS 17.4 or later unlocks the one-tap install with no QR code. Check the full list on the How it works page.
When should I install my eSIM?
Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.
Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?
No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.
Traveling beyond Egypt?
Get your Egypt eSIM in the app
Plans from $6.99. Install before you fly, track your data live, and top up in seconds if you need more.
Download on theApp Store
iPhone XS or later · iOS 17.4+ for one-tap install
