Never use your carrier's international roaming plan. Here's what to do instead — eSIMs, local SIMs, and which US carriers are actually worth keeping.
Don't activate your carrier's international roaming plan — they are expensive and designed to extract money from travelers who don't know their options. A local Telcel SIM or an eSIM from Airalo or Holafly will give you better coverage for a fraction of the cost. The only exception: T-Mobile, which genuinely includes Mexico on most plans at no extra charge and works reliably across the country. Verizon, AT&T, and essentially every other US carrier should be bypassed in favor of a local or travel data plan.
Don’t activate your carrier’s international roaming plan. That’s the short version of this article. Those plans are priced to capture travelers who land without a plan and reach for the easiest option. There are better choices, and they take about five minutes to set up.
If you’re on T-Mobile, you’re already covered. T-Mobile includes Mexico on most current postpaid plans at no extra charge — full LTE on Magenta Max and similar tiers, and some slower data on basic plans. It has been this way since 2014 and it’s genuinely one of the best deals in US carrier coverage. T-Mobile is also the most reliable carrier across Mexico as a whole: good signal in the city, reliable in smaller towns, strong coverage in areas where other carriers thin out.
If you have T-Mobile, keep using it. You don’t need to do anything else.
For everyone else: skip your carrier’s international add-on and use one of the options below.
An eSIM is a digital SIM built directly into your phone — no physical card, no swap required. You buy a data plan from a travel provider, they give you a QR code, and you scan it in your phone’s settings. The plan activates in seconds. You can be set up with working Mexican data before your plane lands.
How to install an eSIM:
That’s it. You can do this on the flight or in the arrivals hall the moment you get off the plane.
Airalo sells data-only eSIMs by the gigabyte — good if you want to pay for exactly what you’ll use. Holafly offers unlimited data options for a fixed period — better if you’re streaming or working remotely and don’t want to track usage. Prices typically run $8–20 USD for a week.
Most iPhones from the XS (2018) onward support eSIM, as do most current Android flagships. If you have an older phone or a budget Android, check whether your specific model supports it.
The one limitation: eSIMs from travel providers are data only. Calls and texts route through your US number as usual, and WhatsApp (which runs over data) handles everything else.
If you want a Mexican phone number and the best possible local rates, a physical Telcel SIM is the way to go. Telcel has stronger coverage than any other carrier in Mexico — particularly outside the city, where the gap is significant.
Where to buy: The Telcel kiosk in the airport arrivals hall is the most convenient stop on arrival. Telcel stores are throughout the city, and OXXO convenience stores sell Telcel SIM cards and recarga (top-up) codes.
What you’ll need: Mexican law requires a government-issued ID to register a prepaid SIM. A passport works. It’s quick and done at the point of purchase.
Pricing: Plans start around 100–150 pesos for a few gigabytes over 30 days. Check telcel.com.mx for current rates since they change, or just ask at the kiosk. You can add a recarga at any OXXO when you run low.
A local SIM requires an unlocked phone. Most US phones purchased outright or fully paid off can be unlocked by the carrier on request. iPhones bought directly from Apple since 2019 are unlocked. A phone still on installment payments may be locked — check before the trip.
Verizon’s TravelPass costs $10/day and activates automatically the first time you use data in Mexico. It works, but it adds up fast on a week-long trip and gives you nothing you couldn’t get for a fraction of the cost with an eSIM. Skip it.
AT&T includes Mexico on most current postpaid plans, but confirm your specific plan — the terms vary by tier and older plans don’t always include it.
From personal experience: a US Verizon phone and a local Mexican phone perform with very little difference in Mexico City. The network quality is there either way. The only reason to prefer a local or travel SIM is cost, not performance.
Cell coverage throughout Mexico City is strong on all major carriers. You’ll have LTE or 5G in virtually every colonia, restaurant, and hotel. The main exception is the Metro underground, where signal drops significantly. Above-ground Metro lines and the Metrobús have coverage throughout.
WhatsApp is the dominant communication tool here. Businesses, drivers, restaurants, and hosts all communicate over WhatsApp. A working data connection is more important than having a Mexican voice number — most practical communication happens over data anyway.
Mexico City’s airport (AICM) has free WiFi available in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Connect to the “AICM_WiFi_Gratis” network — no password, just accept the terms on the splash page. It’s adequate for messaging, loading a map, or downloading an eSIM QR code if you didn’t do it before the flight. Don’t count on it for anything bandwidth-heavy.
Two emails a week — Thursday weekend events, Tuesday guide deep-dive.
Thursday: what's on this weekend in CDMX
Tuesday: one deep-dive from the site's latest guides