Unlimited
3 days · Burj Unlimited
$24.72
Travel eSIM
United Arab Emirates eSIM
Local mobile data · Tier-1 carriers · Your home SIM stays active
United Arab Emirates eSIM plans
12 of 12 plans
All plans
3 days
1 planUnlimited
3 days · Burj Unlimited
$24.72
5 days
1 planUnlimited
5 days · Burj Unlimited
$35.76
7 days
2 plans1 GB
7 days · Burj
$6.48
$6.48/GB+200% per GBUnlimited
7 days · Burj Unlimited
$45.84
10 days
1 planUnlimited
10 days · Burj Unlimited
$58.80
15 days
2 plans2 GB
15 days · Burj
$9.60
$4.80/GB+122% per GBUnlimited
15 days · Burj Unlimited
$110.16
30 days
5 plans3 GB
30 days · Burj
$11.28
$3.76/GB+74% per GB5 GB
30 days · Burj
$21.60
$4.32/GB+100% per GB10 GB
30 days · Burj
$27.36
$2.74/GB+27% per GB20 GB
30 days · Burj
$43.20
$2.16/GBBest rate hereBest value50 GB
30 days · Burj
$144.60
$2.89/GB+34% per GB
Local know-how
What to know before you land in United Arab Emirates
Coverage and networks
There is no third option here: e&, which everyone still calls Etisalat, and du, which also runs Virgin Mobile UAE on its towers. Speed is not your problem. Ookla's Speedtest Global Index put the UAE first in the world for mobile in mid-2026, with a median download above 600 Mbps, and du puts its own 5G population coverage at 98.5 percent. Your problem is the calling rule. Internet voice is a licensed activity here, so WhatsApp and FaceTime calls are filtered on UAE networks while messaging, Zoom, Teams and Botim pass. How a provider routes your data decides whether the filter reaches you, so do not plan around it. Where people stop, so does the signal: the mountain roads above Hatta and Jebel Jais, the desert past Liwa.
Landing and activation
Both operators give arriving visitors a free eSIM carrying 10 GB that expires after 24 hours, self-activated by scanning your passport in their own flow rather than queueing at a counter. Airport Wi-Fi is not uniform. Sharjah's Fly-Fi lets you straight on with no registration, while the portals at DXB and Zayed International ask for a name, phone number and email first. A paid local line means an operator shop with passport and visa, and e& ties a Visitor Line's life to your visa, selling packs in 28-day blocks. The trap is in town: du's WiFi UAE, in malls, on the Metro and in RTA taxis, texts its code to a UAE number, and a foreign number gets diverted into a passport form.
What connectivity costs here
du publishes its tourist prices, so you can check the arithmetic. The 28-day bundles run AED 49, about $13, for 4 GB, AED 99 for 10 GB and AED 189 for 20 GB, each with a few minutes attached. The unlimited tier sells time rather than data: AED 199 for seven days, AED 499, roughly $136, for twenty-eight. e&'s 48-hour transit pack is AED 50 for 1 GB, and its emergency out-of-bundle data runs AED 1.05 per 20 MB, near AED 52 a gigabyte. Hotels and malls hand out Wi-Fi anyway, so that unlimited tier only earns its price if you are outdoors in it. Vodafone UK files the UAE in Zone D, outside the 84 destinations its Global Roam tier covers.
Which plan fits your trip
Dubai addresses are Makani codes, ten digits for each building entrance, so you look one up and send it to a driver constantly and the map app never really closes. Heat pushes you into Careem and Hala rather than walking, and into Talabat rather than going out for dinner. A two-night stopover fits in 2 to 3 GB, more easily if the free 24-hour visitor eSIM covers day one. A week across Dubai and Abu Dhabi wants 5 to 10 GB. Since calling home means Botim or Zoom video instead of a WhatsApp call, a fortnight with family belongs on 20 GB or unlimited. The Musandam headland people drive to from Dubai is Omani territory on Omani networks, which is worth knowing before you set off.
Install in three steps
Set up your United Arab Emirates eSIM in under a minute
0
Check your phone takes an eSIM
Almost every phone sold since 2018 does. Type your model, or dial *#06# and look for an EID.
- 1
Buy the plan and get your QR code
Pay once with card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or crypto. The activation QR arrives in your dashboard and email within seconds.
- 2
Scan the QR from your phone settings
On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. On Android: Settings → Network → SIMs → + → Use QR code. Or open the GetSim app and tap install, no QR scanning needed.
- 3
Land, switch it on
Set the GetSim eSIM as your default for cellular data. Your home SIM keeps handling calls and 2FA SMS in the background.
Your real number stays online. The eSIM only handles data. Calls, SMS, banking 2FA all keep arriving on your home SIM.
Crossing borders?
Going to more than just United Arab Emirates?
A regional bundle covers United Arab Emirates and 195+ other countries on a single eSIM, often cheaper than buying separate single-country plans for a multi-stop trip.
Frequently asked about United Arab Emirates eSIMs
Yes. The GetSim eSIM installs as a second profile on your phone. Your home SIM and number stay active for calls and SMS. Set the GetSim eSIM as the default for cellular data only.
Plans run on tier-1 mobile networks in United Arab Emirates. The exact carrier depends on the plan; you'll see the network name on each plan card before you pay.
Typical activation is 1–3 minutes after switching the eSIM on. Many travelers install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and toggle it on the moment the plane lands.
GetSim eSIMs are data-only. For voice and SMS, use apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal or Telegram. They all work seamlessly over the eSIM data. If you need a real phone number for verifications, pair the eSIM with a GetSim virtual number from the same wallet.
Top up the eSIM directly from your dashboard or the GetSim app, no need to install a new profile. Top-ups are billed per-GB at the same rate as the original plan.