Does a Georgian SIM card (Magti/Silknet) work abroad for SMS and data when you travel to a neighboring country?
Based on 1 discussion with 5 participants · Last activity: 21 days ago
TL;DR
Georgian SIM cards (Magti, Silknet) often stop receiving SMS when roaming in Russia and can be unreliable in Armenia — for bank verification codes it's safer to use a local number in that country. For Georgia itself, you can buy a SIM right at Tbilisi airport or wait until you reach a phone shop downtown — the price difference is minor.
What the community said
A Georgian SIM that worked fine in Georgia stops receiving bank verification SMS once you're back in Russia — roaming for incoming bank messages is unreliable.
22 days ago
Driving from Armenia to Tbilisi, you don't need to buy a SIM right at the border — you can wait until you reach a phone shop in the city center, the price is almost the same, what matters is the data package size for your trip.
42 days ago Phone/SIM shop in downtown Tbilisi
With a Georgian Magti SIM, roaming does activate when driving from Tbilisi to Yerevan, but the connection can be unstable — some travelers recommend getting a separate local Armenian SIM instead of relying on the Georgian one.
42 days ago Magti SIM
Georgian SIM cards roaming in Russia have a known issue: incoming SMS simply don't arrive, even though calls and data may still work.
51 days ago
An Armenian SIM with roaming worked great inside Georgia: 1GB of data lasted 5 days for Yandex Taxi, local taxi apps, and a translator app, and mobile data usage in Georgia tends to be low overall.
54 days ago 1GB for 5 days