Guinea-Bissau: Best Tourist eSIMs Reviewed (2024)

Guinea-Bissau is certainly not the popular travel destination in (West) Africa.

But it still has a lot to offer.

So, what are your local or travel eSIM options for Guinea-Bissau?

You can get an eSIM for Guinea-Bissau for as little as 9 USD from Airalo (Spicetel).

I will also introduce you to a few global eSIMs that be used in Guinea-Bissau and 80+ other countries, including Guinea-Bissau's neighbors, for competitive rates.

Original publication: 18^th of December 2022. Last updated: 5^th of April 2024.

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Table of Contents

In a Hurry? A Quick Introduction

I will write about two eSIM options in Guinea-Bissau (and explain why they are included).

But if you want to quickly check out what the best eSIMs are for Guinea-Bissau without my analysis and explanations, here is an overview of the eSIMs covered in this guide:

• Airalo Guinea-Bissau Spicetel eSIM with tow choices between 1 GB and 2 GB (top pick)
• Airalo Hello Africa eSIM with two choices between 1 GB and 3 GB

The eSIM providers are in alphabetical order per grouping (Guinea-Bissau-only, regional & global) – not in order of preference (you would have to read the complete guide to find out which eSIMs I love the most for Guinea-Bissau 😜).

Let's truly get started, shall we?

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Airalo Spicetel eSIM for Guinea-Bissau

Airalo is the most popular eSIM platform, covering around 190 countries (more than any other eSIM platform out there).

That is because it is the largest and oldest eSIM platform worldwide.

Airalo has an eSIM that can be used in Guinea-Bissau: Spicetel.

Travel eSIM providers like Airalo set up roaming agreements with local mobile operators.

But do not get too worried about the term roaming – you will not get a 3000 USD roaming bill.

What Airalo does, and basically all mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.

In Guinea-Bissau, the Airalo Spicetel eSIM uses the MTN Guinea-Bissau network up to 4G/LTE (no 5G NR yet).

Be aware: most travel eSIMs, including Airalo's Guinea-Bissau Spicetel eSIM, are data-only eSIMs, so you cannot call or text with them (nor can you receive any calls or SMS).

1. Guinea-Bissau/Spicetel 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 8 USD
2. Guinea-Bissau/Spicetel 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 18 USD

Now, you may think this is a sad selection or that 1 GB of data is insufficient.

Both points are true… I agree – but you can make unlimited top-ups with the Spicetel eSIM through the Airalo website or apps.

So if you need 5 GB of data, you can purchase the Spicetel 1 GB eSIM and get four 1 GB top-ups.

Yes, it is a bit inconvenient for now; Airalo may offer 3 GB, 5 GB & 10 GB plans with a 30-day validity for the Guinea-Bissau soon, as it did for many other countries it supports.

What makes things even more pleasant is that you can top up your eSIM when it is expiring or when you are out of data without the need to purchase a new eSIM.

But you may think that a local SIM card or eSIM will (still) be cheaper than Airalo or any other travel eSIM.

And you are right – that is true in most cases.

However, you will have to deal with the Bissau-Guinean SIM card registration laws.

(Why does this matter? Because hackers can steal your (critical) personal data if the mobile operator does not secure your data properly, like what happened in Australia (10 million Optus customers were affected, where info, like passport numbers, were stolen (including mine – luckily not my passport number but my boyfriend was not as lucky) or Indonesia (1.3 billion SIM card-related data was hacked)).

Most mobile operators in Africa will only sell you (overpriced) tourist SIM cards (when available) or the most expensive plans because of “mandatory new plan requirements” (which are often lies to take more of your money).

So yes, you could get cheaper plans, but the question is if you can actually get them.

Oh, you should also be aware of the following, you can get up to 4G/LTE connections with the Airalo Guinea-Bissau Spicetel eSIM, your speeds will most likely not be faster than someone using a local SIM card.

That is because you are roaming on the MTN Guinea-Bissau network instead of being a native customers

But that does not mean you will have (extremely) slow speeds – just (slightly) slower than native customers.

Anyway, the Airalo Guinea-Bissau Spicetel eSIM is fantastic and is the eSIM I, and many Phone Travel Wiz readers, recommend the most.

The eSIMs are affordable, the data allowances can be tailored to your needs (1 GB only, but unlimited top-ups are available) & you will have a smooth network experience (in most cases).

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Local Bissau-Guinean eSIM for Prepaid Customers

If you want the best and full network experience, including being able to call and text, you want to get a local eSIM.

You have two mobile operators in Guinea-Bissau: Orange Guinea-Bissau and MTN Guinea-Bissau.

Currently, no Bissau-Guinean mobile operator offers eSIMs to prepaid customers.

For more information about the plans offered by the Bissau-Guinean mobile operators, check out my Guinea-Bissau SIM card buying guide.

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International eSIM for Guinea-Bissau & More Countries

Okay, I went over the Guinea-Bissau travel eSIM options offered by Airalo.

As expected, these eSIMs can only be used in Guinea-Bissau and not in neighboring Guinea or Senegal.

So what if you plan on visiting any of those countries, or you are on a world tour and wish to use one eSIM in multiple countries – do you have any other options?

Yes, you do. Airalo have regional, global & international eSIMs covering at least 80 countries; some include Guinea-Bissau too.

So let's see which multi-country eSIMs can be used in Guinea-Bissau and other countries, including Guinea-Bissau's neighbors.

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Overview of the Best eSIMs for Guinea-Bissau (Airalo)

I introduced you to various travel eSIMs that can be used in Guinea-Bissau.

So, which eSIM do I recommend the most? Here is my recommendation order:

• Airalo Guinea-Bissau Spicetel eSIM (top pick)
• Airalo Hello Africa eSIM

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Buying a SIM Card in Guinea-Bissau

Want to just use a SIM card but not your current one because roaming will be criminally expensive?

Consider getting a Bissau-Guinean SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.