Cell Phone Coverage in Aruba: A Guide to Using Your Phone

Staying connected while traveling is important for navigation, communication, and sharing your amazing travel experiences. Fortunately, you have several options for using your phone in Aruba, whether you prefer using your own carrier’s plan, a local cellular service, or Wi-Fi.

This guide covers everything you need to know about using your phone in Aruba, from how to set your everyday carrier up for us to buying a local SIM card or accessing apps offline. Let’s dive in.

1. Set Up Phone Coverage in Aruba with Your Carrier

Cell plans vary all over the place. To ensure you understand your coverage and charges, reach out to your phone provider before you board your flight to Aruba. You need to let them know you’re traveling to Aruba and ask them about your plan coverage and options. Ultimately, you want to understand the cost of texts, data, and phone calls per minute.

Some providers provide international texts or data in your normal plan. Others charge for these services. Some also offer international phone plans for Aruba that are a set amount per day, like $5 or $10/day no matter how much data you use. You need to understand what your options are up front to make sure you have the coverage you need at a cost you can afford.

What you don’t want is to get back from your amazing Aruba vacation to a hundreds or thousands of dollars phone bill because you didn’t realize you were racking up charges!

Using International Phone Plans in Aruba

In most cases, you’ll be better off using your home country’s international roaming plan. Major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and others often have roaming agreements in Aruba. You just need to get this settled before you get to Aruba.

Once your carrier’s plan is active, you can use your phone in Aruba as though you’re at home, without concerns of extraordinary costs. This means no keeping your phone on airplane mode. No need to turn off roaming or data. You’re just set to use your phone when you land.

In some cases, your carrier may have exceptions that if you don’t use your phone everyday you’re in Aruba, you will only be charged for the days you use it. Clarify all of these questions with your carrier!

What to Ask Your Carrier about Phone Use in Aruba

Here are some questions you may want to ask to ensure you fully understand what your phone plan covers while in Aruba.

• Does my current plan include international coverage in Aruba for texts, data, and phone calls?
• What are the international roaming rates in Aruba?
• Do you offer an international day pass or data package for Aruba?
• Will I be able to use 4G or 5G networks in Aruba?
• Is my phone unlocked and compatible with local SIM cards?
• Are there any specific settings I need to change before traveling to Aruba?
• How can I monitor my data usage while in Aruba?
• Are there any additional fees or taxes for using my phone in Aruba?
• What happens if I go over my data limit while in Aruba?

Pro Tip: If you’re using a local SIM card or an international data plan, keep an eye on your data usage to avoid unexpected charges.

2. Use One of the Cell Service Providers in Aruba

Another option is to go through a phone carrier in Aruba by getting a local Aruban SIM card. There are two main phone companies in Aruba to choose from, Setar and Digicel. Both help visitors to the island stay connected to their friends and family back home… at a price.

• Setar: Setar is the national telecom provider, offering a variety of prepaid and postpaid plans. Their network covers the island comprehensively.

• Digicel: Another popular choice, Digicel offers competitive rates and reliable service, with prepaid plans being a tourist favorite.

To leverage these services, you’ll need to buy an Aruba SIM card – a physical or electronic one, also known as an eSIM card for Aruba. Let’s talk more about this.

Purchase Prepaid Aruba SIM Cards

If you want to go the local SIM card route, upon arrival, you’ll purchase prepaid SIM cards in Aruba from Setar or Digicel. These are sold at the airport, local shops, and kiosks in tourist areas. This will give you a local Aruba phone number to use and keep all of your data costs on the island at a local cost.

Note, this is just your data costs. If you are calling internationally, you will still get hit with higher costs. International text messages may also be at a higher rate – unless you’re able to leverage iMessage on your iPhone, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or something similar.

Here’s what you need to know about buying local SIM cards.

• Compatibility: Make sure your phone is compatible with physical SIM cards or e-SIM cards. If your phone is not “unlocked” you may be unable to switch carriers.

• Costs & Data Plans: SIM cards in Aruba typically range from $10 to $25, depending on the data package you choose. Both Aruba phone companies offer a variety of data packages, from daily passes to multi-day bundles. Obviously, the more data, the higher the cost.

• Requirements: To purchase a SIM, you may need your passport. You may also need the provider to fix your Access Point Name (APN) to verify your data is connecting properly to their networks.

Pro Tip: Make sure your phone is unlocked before traveling so you can use a local SIM card.

3. Stay Connected Without Cellular Service in Aruba

Another option, which can be both refreshing and a bit frustrating, is to just disconnect! That’s right, you can travel without cell service! In this instance, you simply need to download what you need while you’re in Aruba and then connect to Wi-Fi when you need to get in touch with anyone.

Here is some additional information if you don’t want to pay for a cell phone plan in Aruba.

• Wi-Fi Availability: Aruba is well-connected with free Wi-Fi in the airport and in many tourist areas, hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Some beaches also have Wi-Fi hotspots. While many places in Aruba offer free Wi-Fi, some may require a password. Don’t hesitate to ask at cafes, hotels, and other establishments.

• Messaging Apps: WhatsApp, iMessage, Skype, and Facebook Messenger can be used with Wi-Fi for both texts and phone calls. This allows you to stay in touch with friends and family without needing a data plan.

• Offline Maps: Apps like Google Maps and Maps.me allow you to download maps for offline use. This means you can navigate around Aruba without cellular service. Make sure you download the maps while you’re on Wi-Fi!

• Travel Apps: Many travel apps, like TripIt, Google Translate, and XE Currency, also offer offline modes to help you manage itineraries, translations, and currency conversion, even without a data plan.

Pro Tip: If you’re not using a local SIM or international plan, make sure to disable roaming or turn your phone on Airplane mode to avoid unexpected charges.