Should I get an eSIM or physical SIM card for Turkey?
From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 67 days ago
An M8 SIM cost 200 RUB for the card itself plus 300 RUB for a 2GB data package for city use; it activated without passport registration, and internet worked immediately on arrival.
M8 SIM: 200 RUB card + 300 RUB/2GB
A local phone shop in Turkey sold a SIM without requiring a phone number tied to it — a 20GB data plan cost 1500 lira.
Local phone shop: 20GB for 1500 lira
A street tour vendor offered an eSIM for $35 — overpriced, since the same eSIM typically costs around $12; better to shop around rather than buy from random street sellers.
Street vendor: eSIM for $35 (overpriced)
An unlimited eSIM plan activated immediately upon landing at the airport — fast speeds, shareable as a hotspot for the whole family. No need to buy hotel Wi-Fi.
MTS eSIM, unlimited plan
A physical M8 SIM card ordered in advance from Ozon worked great — you choose your own plan on activation, and the connection was stable and fast even when the hotel Wi-Fi kept dropping.
M8 SIM card, Ozon
If you run out of data on your last day, you can top up at the airport — it costs a fraction of what roaming charges from home carriers would be. An extra data package costs around 30 RUB.
~30 RUB for an extra data top-up