Saint Barthélemy: Buy the Best eSIMs | 2024 Guide

Saint Barthélemy (St Barts) – known for its luxury resorts, world-class restaurants & beaches.

The island is so popular that it is the home to many celebrities.

Or they have their second, third, or 25th (summer) home in Saint Barthélemy – they have too much money anyway🥲.

Unlike the rich, one thing you should be wary of is the international roaming rates mobile operators can charge you – international roaming can be expensive.

That is why you can be better off with a travel eSIM to save on data costs abroad.

How much will you pay for a travel eSIM for Saint Barthélemy?

You can get an eSIM for Saint Barthélemy for 9.50 USD Airalo (Barnet).

I will also introduce you to a few global eSIMs that can be used in Saint Barthélemy and 110+ other countries, including Saint Barthélemy's (indirect) neighbors, for competitive rates.

Original publication: 20th of January 2023. Last updated: 18th of October 2023.

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Table of Contents

Airalo Barnet eSIM for Saint Barthélemy

If you have looked for travel eSIMs before, you have undoubtedly read or heard of Airalo – the largest, oldest & most popular eSIM platform out there, covering around 190 countries (more than any other eSIM platform out there).

Airalo is so popular and loved, even by myself, because Airalo's eSIMs are often the most affordable while using (one of) the best local networks while also offering plenty of data options so that you can pick the one that suits your needs.

The latter does not really apply to Saint Barthélemy or the Caribbean in general, but let's not get ahead of ourselves 😏.

Anyway, the Airalo eSIM for Saint Barthélemy is called Barnet and uses the Dauphin Telecom Saint Barthélemy network (on 4G/LTE – no 5G NR because there is no 5G NR in Saint Barthélemy yet 🗿).

Wait… why does the Barnet eSIM use the Dauphin Telecom Saint Barthélemy network?

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

And that is not an Airalo-specific thing – basically all mobile operators do, allowing their customers can still stay connected when abroad (at high prices).

Otherwise, they would need to build their own networks in 190 countries, which is $$$.

For example, 2degrees in New Zealand claims it spent more than a billion (New Zealand) dollars on its network, and New Zealand is not even that big.

Imagine how much it would cost to build your own network in every country out there 😳.

Anyway, you may have been distracted by the term roaming because you may have read stories of travelers going back home facing a 7000 USD roaming bill or something.

Worry not; that will not happen when you use the Barnet eSIM (or any other travel eSIM mentioned in this guide), as long as you make sure to turn data roaming off on your main SIM card.

Okay, that is enough background information – let's check what Airalo's options are in Saint Barthélemy.

1. Saint Barthélemy/Barnet 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9.50 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 Barnet eSIM through the Airalo website or apps.

So if you need 5 GB of data, you can purchase the Barnet 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 Saint Barthélemy soon, as it did for many other countries it supports.

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

Hopefully, that is not a dealbreaker because the Barnet eSIM is the cheapest eSIM mentioned in this guide.

The main issue with the Barnet eSIM is that it has only one option: 1 GB for 7 days.

But you can make unlimited top-ups with the Barnet eSIM through the Airalo website or apps.

So if you need 5 GB of data, you can purchase the Barnet 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 Saint Barthélemy soon, but we have to be patient now.

And you know that I would purchase multiple top-ups because I use a lot of data when traveling and testing eSIMs 🤪.

But… do I not often say that local SIM cards or eSIMs are cheaper than any other option, including travel eSIMs?

Yep, that is true (and you have a good memory!) – but you will have to deal with Barthélemois 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)).

Anyway, the Airalo Saint Barthélemy Barnet eSIM is an affordable option to stay connected in the country.

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International eSIM for Saint Barthélemy & More Caribbean Countries

Okay, I went over the Saint Barthélemy travel eSIM options offered by Airalo.

As expected, these eSIMs can only be used in Saint Barthélemy and not in neighboring Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Saba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, or Sint Maarten.

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, Holafly, Nomad, SimCorner & Simify have regional, global & international eSIMs covering at least 80 countries; some include Saint Barthélemy too.

If you see names that you do not recognize because they have not been mentioned in this guide, it is because they either do not cover Saint Barthélemy or the prices are criminal – I want you to save money, not get robbed 🗿.

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

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Airalo Island Hopper eSIM for Saint Barthélemy

Airalo also has the Island Hopper eSIM covering 24 countries with 1 GB of data for 7 days, costing 15 USD.

Like the Barnet eSIM, top-ups are available if you need more data.

The Island Hopper eSIM is not as valuable as other Airalo regional eSIMs (like Asialink for Asia, Eurolink for Europe, Latamlink for Latin America & Menalink for the Middle East).

This is why I recommend the Holafly Caribbean eSIM over the Island Hopper one because you get much more data for the same money.

However, the Holafly eSIM does not cover as many countries as the Island Hopper eSIM.

I am working with Airalo to turn the Island Hopper into a -link eSIM so that it offers you better value (the -link eSIMs have at least four variants, up to 100 GB of data for 180 days, making top-ups often unnecessary).

But do not get the Island Hopper eSIM just for Saint Barthélemy because the Barnet eSIM is more than half the price of Island Hopper.

For now, you still have an eSIM covering almost all of the Caribbean, which is neat :).

As you can see, the Island Hopper eSIM cannot be used in Saint Barthélemy (yet).

However, as many who visit – do not just stay in – (they often go to (two nearby countries there the eSIM can be used) as well), you can consider it.

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Overview of the Best eSIMs for Saint Barthélemy (Airalo)

In this guide, I went over Airalo's Barnet as the only (reasonably priced) eSIM for Saint Barthélemy.

I recognize that there are other eSIM providers that do offer services for Saint Barthélemy.

But they are either crazy expensive or the quality of service is whack (based on my experience or the experiences of other Phone Travel Wiz readers).

But you are free to try them out and let me know if they were any good 😀.

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Buying a SIM Card in Saint Barthélemy

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

Consider getting a Saint Barthélemy SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.