eSIM Colombia: prepaid data on Telefónica Móviles Colombia and Tigo, from Bogotá to Cartagena
Colombia trips rarely stay in one place. You land in Bogotá at altitude, fly on to Medellín for the cable cars and the coffee region, and finish in the walled city of Cartagena or on the Caribbean coast near Santa Marta. Buying a physical SIM at each stop wastes time, and home roaming passes get expensive over two or three weeks. A Colombia eSIM from GlobaleSIM is bought online, installed before you fly and connects automatically when you land, while your own number and WhatsApp stay live on your primary SIM.
Networks and coverage in Colombia
The eSIM Colombia plan uses two partner networks, Telefónica Móviles Colombia and Tigo. Since it is not locked to a single operator, your phone attaches to whichever partner is available where you are, and you can pick one manually if a hostel in Salento or a beach hotel near Tayrona clearly gets better reception on the other. Coverage is strong in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena and Barranquilla, and along the main intercity highways. In the mountains, on the Pacific coast, in the Amazon around Leticia and in remote parts of the coffee region, coverage is thinner on every network, so download maps before long bus rides.
Plans, prices and validity
The Colombia prepaid data plan starts from $5.5 for 1GB, and is offered in 2GB, 3GB, 5GB, 10GB, 15GB and 20GB. Validity follows the size: 1GB for 7 days, 2GB for 10 days, 3GB for 14 days, 5GB for 21 days, and 10GB, 15GB and 20GB for 30 days. A one-week city break is comfortable on 3GB to 5GB. For a two- or three-week loop through the country with ride-hailing, translation, photo backups and calls home, 10GB is the practical choice; digital nomads settling into Medellín for a month, or families sharing a hotspot, should choose 15GB or 20GB. Validity starts only when the eSIM first connects in Colombia.
Llamadas y un número de teléfono
Messaging apps handle most contact in Colombia, and they run fine on data alone. If you want a real line, add a voice-minutes bundle (+100, +200 or +300 minutes) and the eSIM comes with a dedicated international phone number, US +1 or UK +44, for calls and SMS. That is useful for confirming a finca stay in the coffee region, calling a tour operator in Cartagena, reaching a driver or receiving verification codes from your bank. A data-only plan does not include calling.
Tips for mobile data in Colombia
Ride-hailing and delivery apps are widely used in the big cities and are the most comfortable way to get around Bogotá and Medellín at night. Domestic flights are common, so keep airline apps and digital boarding passes at hand. Cafés and hostels usually offer Wi-Fi, but in the countryside it is often slow, and long bus journeys through the Andes have stretches with no signal at all. Translation apps help outside the tourist hubs, and contactless payments are common in cities while small towns lean on cash.
Installing your eSIM for Colombia
- Purchase online and receive the QR code by email within minutes.
- Install over Wi-Fi at home: Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM on iPhone, or the matching menu on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel.
- On arrival, enable data roaming on the eSIM line and set it as your data line; your primary SIM stays active.
- Tethering and hotspot are supported for laptops and travel companions.
- Top up through the GlobaleSIM dashboard or app, with 24/7 human support on WhatsApp.
Why GlobaleSIM for Colombia
Two partner networks, a prepaid data plan with one transparent price, instant delivery, hotspot support and an optional phone number make the GlobaleSIM Colombia eSIM a straightforward companion for a country worth exploring end to end. It works with any carrier-unlocked eSIM device, including iPhone 11 and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, and Google Pixel.