What's the best SIM card or eSIM to buy for a trip to Bodrum, Turkey?

Alternatives mentioned in August 2026: roaming on a home SIM was described as costly (a participant cited a daily roaming fee with their home operator). A cheaper route is an eSIM bought through Trip.com, if your phone supports eSIM; if not, a physical M8 SIM ordered from an online marketplace.

Another participant wrote in July 2026 that he had been travelling to Bodrum regularly for six months and only ever used MTS.Merhaba: good-value plans and a consistently stable connection.

At the airport, according to a participant in July 2026, there are machines where you scan your passport and get free Wi-Fi, but it does not work for everyone. As a more reliable option he named the same MTS Merhaba eSIM plan — convenient and inexpensive.

In July 2026 a traveler said she had been buying the MTS Merhaba eSIM for six months and was happy with it: there are genuinely unlimited plans with no gigabyte caps, prices are reasonable and the connection never let her down. After landing in Turkey the phone picked up 5G straight away.

In the same traveler's experience, the eSIM installs easily on an iPhone and is simple to use; in May she shared mobile data from her phone to a laptop for work, and it worked without problems.

The key point she stresses: buy the eSIM before the trip, while you are still at home. In August 2026 another participant likewise reminded travelers to activate the chosen eSIM before flying to Turkey.

It is easier to buy from a laptop: the mobile version of the MTS.Merhaba website keeps trying to redirect you to the MTS app, which requires an MTS ID login — and you will not have one without an MTS SIM. Buying from a computer avoided the problem.