Best Prepaid Sim Cards For Brazil (Find Great Deals)
Planning on a trip of a lifetime to Brazil and want to know how to keep your mobile phone connected while you’re there? Well, you have come to the right place.
While traveling around Brazil you can either use expensive data roaming on your home sim card, use a Brazilian eSim card, international sim card, or use a Brazil prepaid sim card.
In this article, we are going to focus on the latter and try to find you the best-prepaid sim card Brazil has to offer. We take a look at the top local mobile network providers, their deals, how to buy a local sim card in Brazil, and lots more.
Top Product Overview
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| SEE ON Claro → |
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| SEE ON TIM → |
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| SEE ON VIVO → |
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| SEE ON Correios → |
Best Prepaid Sim Card In Brazil
Claro Sim Card
Claro is one of the top local network providers in Brazil across both Central and South America also. You will have a reliable connection all over Brazil and a connection speed of 5G or 4G.
You will have to pay about $2 for Claro sim cards and this is the registration fee. With all sim cards comes unlimited use of Whatsapp and unlimited calling minutes in Brazil for the duration of the package you buy.
You have 3 packages to choose from with a Claro sim card. The most affordable package is just $2.29 for 3G for 7 days and goes up to 12 GB for $6.67 for 30-days – how affordable are these packages? It is pretty insane.
You might be surprised to hear this but the price per GB with Claro is actually a little more than other local network providers.
Pros
- Good coverage all over Brazil
- Fast connection speeds
- A range of plans to choose from
- Comes with unlimited calls and whatsapp
- A good amount of data
- Very affordable
Cons
- More expensive per GB than others
Product Information
- Price: $2.29, $5.72, $6.67
- Data: 3 GB to 12 GB
- Calls: Unlimited
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited Whatsapp
- Valid For: 7, 30 days
- Service Speed: 5G/4G
- Data Tethering: Yes
TIM Sim Card
TIM is another of the top mobile network providers in Brazil and with one of their sim cards, you will be able to stay connected with reliable speeds all over the country.
To get a TIM Brazil sim card you will need to pay $2 for the registration process and then add a package to your sim card.
As far as I can see, they only offer one prepaid package for their Brazil sim cards which comes with unlimited calls, texts, and Whatsapp.
For just $2.86 you can have 9 GB of data for 15 days along with all the freebies.
It is a pretty insane deal but there are some things to be aware of. The 9 GB of data is made up of 3.3 GB of data, plus a 2 GB recharge bonus, and then an extra 3.7 GB loyalty bonus.
Also, if you are in Brazil for more than 15 days, there are no longer term package options. Considering how affordable this is, topping up twice is not such a big deal.
Pros
- Reliable coverage around the country
- Fast 5G/4G network
- A lot of data for not much money
- Super good deal
- Comes with free calls, SMS, Whatsapp
Cons
- No 30-day option
- Data is split into 3 different piles
- (3.3 GB + 2 GB top up bonus + 3.7 GB loyalty)
Product Information
- Price: $2.86
- Data: 9 GB
- Calls: Unlimited
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited + Whatsapp
- Valid For: 15 days
- Service Speed: 4G
- Data Tethering: Yes
Vivo Sim Card
Vivo is also another good mobile network provider in Brazil and is worth considering getting a prepaid sim card as they have good coverage and fast connection speeds.
Like the others, you will have to pay around $2 to buy and activate Vivo sim cards.
Once activated, you can then choose from 4 different packages to add to your Brazil sim card. All the packages come with unlimited calls and unlimited Whatsapp.
Their packages start at 3 GB of mobile data for 7 days for $2.29 and go up to 5 GB for 15 days for just $3.81. As you can see, these prices are insanely affordable but there is no option for a 30-day package.
Pros
- Lots of packages to choose from
- Great price per GB
- Comes with unlimited calls & Whatsapp
- Solid coverage around Brazil
- Fast connection speeds
Cons
- No 30-day plans
Product Information
- Price: $2.29, $2.86, $3.81
- Data: 3 GB to 5 GB
- Calls: Unlimited
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited Whatsapp
- Valid For: 7, 15 days
- Service Speed: 4G
- Data Tethering: Yes
Correios Cellular Sim Card
Correios offers more prepaid Brazilian sim card packages than any of the other mobile operators in the country.
They are also one of the top mobile operators in Brazil and therefore provide good coverage and connection speeds all over the country.
Like the other mobile providers, it costs $2 to register the Brazilian sim card. You then have to add one of 5 packages and they all come with unlimited Whatsapp and some or unlimited call minutes in Brazil.
The most affordable package gives you 1.5 GB for $4.76 and goes up to $14.30 for 20 GB of data. All their packages last for 30 days. If I was on a long trip, I would buy the 20 GB data package.
Pros
- Come with free minutes
- Includes unlimited Whatsapp
- Good coverage
- Fast connection speeds
- Big data packages available
- Last for a full 30 days
Cons
- More expensive than others
Product Information
- Price: $4.77, $5.72, $7.62, $9.53, $14.30
- Data: 1.5 GB to 20 GB
- Calls: Unlimited
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited Whatsapp
- Valid For: 30 days
- Service Speed: 4G
- Data Tethering: Yes
Is A Sim Card Essential When Traveling to Brazil?
A sim card is essential when traveling to Brazil. In my opinion, having a sim card is essential no matter what country you travel to.
Living without a mobile phone at home would make life a little difficult, so doing it on vacation in a new country you do not know your way around is going to be much harder.
Navigating around a country or a city you do not know without Google Maps would not be easy, in fact, it might just be impossible. So, if you want to walk or drive, your phone and Google Maps are very helpful.
Making travel plans, finding good restaurants, booking things, and lots more also happens from your phone.
Now, you could try to live on free WiFi connections alone and this may be possible in places like Rio De Janeiro but not when you are in the countryside. Also, you might not even get a free WiFi connection in the city, it is never guaranteed.
Safety is another concern. I personally feel a lot safer walking down the street with a phone that will work when I want it to.
Also, when you throw in that you can be connected with a prepaid sim for a month for around $10, it is surely worth it.
Things to Know Before Buying A Sim Card in Brazil
Is Your Phone Unlocked?
For any mobile phone to work with a sim card you buy in a new country it has to be unlocked. Chances are your phone is unlocked but it is worth checking before you get to Brazil.
If you bought your phone outright, it will be unlocked. If you got your phone for free with a contract, it could be locked to a provider, especially if you live in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.
To unlock your phone, simply call your provider and ask them to unlock it, the process should only take a few minutes.
Are You Using A GSM Phone?
There are two types of mobile networks in the world, GSM and CDMA. Brazil uses a GSM network like most countries in the world, and to use a GSM network you will require a GSM phone for the GSM sim.
Luckily, most mobile phones are GSM, so chances are you are ok. But, if you live in the US or Canada and have a contract with Verizon or Sprint, you might have a CDMA phone which will not work in Brazil.
The only option is to buy an unlocked GSM phone to use in Brazil.
How to Buy A Sim Card in Brazil
Buying A Sim Card Before Traveling to Brazil
You can’t buy any of the local sims featured in the article before you get to Brazil as you need to be in the country to buy them.
You can, however, order an eSim for international travel or an international sim card before your trip. The main advantage of this is that you can get it all ready and be connected as soon as you land in Brazil, avoiding the buying process on the ground.
But, both eSim and international sims are way more expensive than local sims.
Buying A Sim Card in Brazil
You can buy a sim card in Brazil quite easily if you are lucky. There are shops at international airports that sell sims as well as mobile provider shops in shopping malls. Some bookshops, pharmacies, and all post offices sell them too.
When buying a sim card in Brazil, you have to give a CPF number, which only Brazilians have. So you need to beg/borrow/plead with someone to use their CPF number so you can get a sim. If you have a buddy in Brazil, ask them to send a photo of their ID.
How Much Does A Sim Card in Brazil Cost?
Sim cards in Brazil cost about $2 and this is just for the registration process, you then add your data package on top of it.
How to Activate & Top Up Your Brazil Sim Card
Your sim card will be activated during the registration process and your first top-up will also be applied. To top up go online, into a store, or call the service number of the mobile provider.
Internet Speed & Coverage in Brazil
Brazil has excellent mobile coverage, as you can see on this map. Most of the country has a 4G data connection and some of the larger cities also have 5G for faster speeds.
Managing Your Mobile Data in Brazil
If you have a Brazilian prepaid sim, you do not really need to manage your data as it is so cheap. But, there are some great ways to reduce your data consumption.
- Keep your phone in airplane mode to stop it from using data in the background
- Download Google Maps for offline use so you can navigate without using data
- Use free WiFi whenever you can
- Do not use heavy data apps like Instagram and Facebook on your data
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreigners buy a sim card in Brazil?
Yes, foreigners can buy a sim card in Brazil. However, everyone needs a CPF number to get a sim card, which only comes with a Brazilian ID, so it is a bit of a catch-22.
Basically, you will need a kind local to let you use their CPF number in order to get a local sim card.
Can you get a SIM card at Rio airport?
Yes, you can buy a sim at Rio Airport. There is only one place in the airport to get local prepaid sim cards and this is at the Pharmacy in the arrivals hall called Drogerias Farmais.
When you come out of baggage claim, walk out into the arrivals hall and towards domestic arrivals and you will see the shop.
You can only buy a prepaid sim card from Correios Celular network though, which is not so bad. But, you will still need a CPF number in order to get the prepaid sim card, even at the airport.
Which sim card is most used in Brazil?
Claro is the largest mobile operator in Brazil and they are the most popular prepaid sim card provider too. This is mainly due to their affordable packages and that it has some of the best coverage and speeds all over Brazil.
