Cell Phone Coverage in Chile: Best eSIMs for Travelers in 2025

eSIM Options (For Convenience)

We thought we could purcahse a local SIM card while in Chile, but after visiting a few different telecom stores in Santiago (such as Entel, Movistar) they told us that we could not activate the physical SIM card without a Chilean ID.

So we advise you to use a data plan from Revolut, Virgin, or Saily - their internet plans cover a large number of countries incuding Chile and Argentina. You need to purchase a separate plan for each country or buy a Regional plan (for South America) that covers multiple countries if you plan to visit more than one country.

Example Revolut data plan costs for Chile:

• 1GB for 7 days - GBP 3.50

• 3GB for 30 days - GBP 8

• 5GB for 30 days - GBP 11.50

Example Revolut data plan costs for Latin America:

• 1GB for 7 days - GBP 5.50

• 3GB for 30 days - GBP 14.50

• 5GB for 30 days - GBP 21.50

Overall Cell Coverage in Chile

• Cities & towns (Santiago, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas): generally strong 4G coverage.

• Highways & villages: decent coverage, though slower in rural areas.

• Patagonia & national parks: expect very limited to no signal inside Torres del Paine, Fitz Roy trails, or Carretera Austral stretches.

WiFi in Patagonia

• Most hotels, hostels, and refugios offer WiFi — but expect it to be slow and in some cases unreliable.

• Don’t rely on uploading big files or videos; plan to back up your photos in larger towns.

• Offline maps (Google Maps or Maps.me) are a must for hiking and road trips.

Quick Tips

• Download WhatsApp — it’s the main communication tool in Chile.

• Carry an offline translator app (Google Translate works well).

• Always have offline maps saved before entering remote areas.