If you travel to Morocco and you don’t want to run out of internet, the smartest thing to do is to buy a local SIM card for Morocco, either from your country (recommended option) or when you get there. In this article we tell you which Morocco SIM card to buy with its advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s get started!
WHY BUY A DATA SIM FOR MOROCCO?
Roaming in Morocco can be very expensive, regardless of the operator and the rate you have contracted. Most likely you will come back with a very high roaming bill for normal internet use.
If you are from Vodafone, for example, you will pay at least 15 euros a day (a week is over 100 euros), with Orange the cheapest is 7 euros per 100MB (70 euros a GB) and Movistar 12 euros a MB (12,000 euros a GB, almost nothing).
As you can see, a full-blown roaming scam in Morocco.
MINIMUM ROAMING PRICES IN MOROCCO
| Operator | Minimum price | Maximum price |
| Movistar | 12 euros / MB | idem |
| Vodafone | 15 euros / day | 6 euros / MB |
| Orange | 7 euros / 100MB | 12 euros / MB |
Now that we know why you need a SIM card in Morocco, let’s look at the different options that exist. The goal is to avoid the dreaded return trip bill.
BUY YOUR MOROCCO DATA SIM CARD IN YOUR COUNTRY
This is probably the most comfortable option, because if you buy the SIM card from your country you take it with you before you leave on your trip and you insert it as soon as you land, so you have internet from the first moment.
FROM YOUR COUNTRY: HOLAFLY FOR MOROCCO
Holafly has SIMs for Morocco with three options depending on the days and data you need:
- 7 days 2GB, for 27.5 euros (with traveler’s discount).
- 10 days 3GB, 36.1 euros (with discount).
- 30 days 5GB, 40.1 euros (with discount).
Each GB is therefore about 8 euros maximum (no surprises later), which compared to roaming in Morocco is a very important saving, as we see in this table:
HOW MUCH DOES INTERNET COST IN MOROCCO WITH HOLAFLY, MOVISTAR, VODAFONE AND ORANGE
| Amount of data | Holafly | Movistar | Vodafone | Orange |
| 2GB / 7 days | 27,5 € | 24500 € | 105 € | 140 € |
| 5GB / 30 days | 40,1 € | 61400 € | 450 € | 350 € |
As you can see, the savings from buying a Holafly Morocco are simply very high.
HOLAFLY DISCOUNT COUPON FOR MOROCCO
To get these prices you need the discount coupon for Holafly Morocco from Travelistos, which is 5%. If you enter through the link the discount is automatically applied during the purchase.
WHAT IS THE COVERAGE OF THE SIM HOLAFLY IN MOROCCO
Holafly’s SIM cards for Morocco use the Orange mobile network, the second mobile operator in the country (after Marroc Telecom), so it has very good coverage except perhaps in some areas of the desert.
HOW LONG IT TAKES TO ARRIVE
You receive it at home before you leave on your trip and it’s easy to install and use: you don’t have to “load it with data”, the price you pay includes the card and its data pack and it can be adjusted to the size you consider, be it Mini, Macro or Nano Size.
ADVANTAGES OF THE HOLAFLY MOROCCAN SIM
- You have internet immediately you come to the country. No queues at the airport, you avoid looking for a place to buy the card. No need to look for free wifi everywhere, when you land you insert it and you have internet in Morocco.
- It’s sent to your home for free. Within 72 hours, the company covers the shipping of your card.
- You have 24 hour support via chat and email, in case you have any questions.
- You do not have to present any document for the purchase.
Disadvantage
- No one- or two-day coverage options, their cards offer you connection from seven days.
BUY THE SIM WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN MOROCCO
If you want to save some euros at the cost of having to look for the SIM card on your arrival, you may be interested in finding a shop or a stall that sells them in Morocco.
This option is the one of a lifetime and has the disadvantage that you have to invest time of your trip and you won’t have internet as soon as you land, but it is a perfectly valid alternative.
WHICH OPERATORS I CAN BUY A MOROCCO DATA SIM CARD FROM UPON ARRIVAL
1. Maroc Telecom
Being one of the main operators, it offers you connection in 2G, 3G and 4G. You can buy their cards in official stores, authorized resellers, credit (data packs), you can buy them in shops and supermarkets, even in gas stations.
- Advantage: it has a card type to work in tablets.
- Disadvantage: you have to activate the card by dialing a dial on your mobile, otherwise you will not be able to use it.
2. Inwi
It is the smallest operator in the country, so its connection quality and coverage is not always ideal, especially in remote areas or desert regions. It has three types of cards (Tic Tac, Koulchi and Zen).
- Advantage: it has cards you can choose from from one day to 30 days.
- Disadvantage: you have data package options that can last a long time, up to six months, but their quantity and quality of data is low, being insufficient for a traveler.
3. One Sim Card
This other company offers you a SIM card for Morocco at an attractive price and allows you to pay only for the data you have used. You will be able to use it in your mobile and devices that allow you to place this type of card.
- Advantage: you can send text messages to Morocco and the entire African continent.
- Disadvantage: only operates with unlocked mobiles and certain make and model types.
IN SHORT: WHICH SIM CARD TO BUY FOR MOROCCO
In our case for convenience we recommend the Holafly SIM card, for the following reasons
- You will keep your WhatsApp number. So you don’t lose your contacts to keep communicating with them. Forget about adding them back to your phone when you put in your data SIM.
- Attention 24/7. If you have any questions, you can write to them via email or chat at any time.
- Share data with other people or other mobiles or devices. Just like a MiFi or portable modem. You don’t have to buy several SIMs per device, just one.
- Free shipping. You will receive it within 72 working hours. If you want it to arrive faster, you can contract the Express or Urgent service, these will deliver the card in 48 hours and 16 hours, respectively.
- You will be able to receive calls from local numbers, this because the SIM will give you a phone number from Morocco of the Orange network.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
- Do I always have to pay for the card and its data package? Not always, some companies sell you, on the one hand the physical card, and on the other hand, the amount of data you want. Companies like Holafly charge you a one-time fee for both.
- What do I need to buy a SIM card in Morocco? Just your passport.
- Where do you buy them? Both the cards and the data packs can be bought in vending machines around the cities, shops and supermarkets.
OTHER TIPS ABOUT INTERNET IN MOROCCO
- The connection is low in areas far from the desert. So don’t be discouraged or frustrated, wait until you get to a less remote place to upload your photos. The same happens in the mountainous areas, or in some points of the Atlas Mountains.
- SIM or Chip. In Morocco they refer to SIM cards, or data SIM cards, as “chip”.
- Ask for help to have it installed. Some SIM cards need a configuration to operate in your mobile, this can be done by the person who sells you the card.
- Do not opt for roaming. If you think you will be charged the same as a European country because Morocco is close to other countries, you are wrong, this country is not within Europe and its roaming rate is high.
- Don’t trust your English. From buying a SIM, asking for prices, buying a coffee or asking for directions to your next destination, in Morocco only 14% of the population speaks English, the rest will communicate with you in Arabic and French.
- Use WiFi free carefully. Some SIM card companies offer you free WiFi, a benefit you should know how to use, especially if you make a delicate operation (payments or online purchases) while connecting to the Internet via this free network. Don’t let them want to steal your information or money.
Learn more travel tips to Morocco about accommodation, what to see and visit in Morocco, health insurance, currency exchange, among others.
