Best eSIM for Mexico

Prices in Mexico

Mexico is one of the few countries where the gap between Airalo and Saily is two dollars rather than a cent. How the three providers compare across all fifteen destinations is in our main eSIM comparison.

Which network you get

Telcel and Movistar between them carry all three:

• Airalo shows Movistar as its primary network with one other it does not name. No 5G or hotspot statement, and no identity check on the Mexico package.
• Holafly lists Movistar Mexico and Telcel, with 5G where available and hotspot sharing capped at 1 GB a day.
• Saily does not name its network; it states 5G depending on the local provider and limitless hotspot sharing.

Buying a local SIM instead

Mexico’s regulator published mobile-line registration rules in December 2025, and they apply to every SIM sold in the country, physical or eSIM.

• Under the rules (Article 20), a foreigner proves identity with a passport or a temporary CURP; the operator records name, country and passport number. Linking can be done in person or remotely through the regulator’s platform with a selfie “proof of life” (Articles 15 and 24). Until a line is linked it can reach only emergency and operator numbers (Article 12).
• Movistar’s prepaid SIM is activated with a first top-up of at least MX$60, which buys 2.4 GB for 30 days; MX$100 buys 10 GB. The page does not mention the registration step.
• Telcel’s and AT&T Mexico’s sites could not be loaded from outside Mexico when we checked, so we quote no prices for them.
• Mexico City airport’s own directory lists Telcel and Movistar counters on the upper floor of Terminal 1, open daily from 09:00.

Before you land

The registration rules address SIMs sold in Mexico. A transitional article leaves the treatment of foreign roaming lines to be defined after the 2026 World Cup, which is where a travel eSIM issued abroad currently sits; read that as “not yet covered”, not as an exemption.

• Install on Wi-Fi at home; Airalo allows 365 days from purchase to start, Saily 180.
• These are data-only plans. Keep your home SIM active for the text messages your bank and your airline send, with data roaming switched off on it.
• Carry your onward reservation in a form that opens without a connection: the check-in desk asks for it before the eSIM is on. Mexico’s onward-ticket rules are on their own page, and the free checker covers your passport.