eSIM or Claro SIM at Medellín airport for a 3 month stay? Claro is about half the price over 90 days, the eSIM is easier on day one

For a 3-month stay in Medellín, a Claro prepaid SIM is the cheaper choice for data: about COP 31,000 (around $9) per 9 GB month in town, against $17.99 for 10 GB a month on NomadGB. The eSIM is the easier choice on landing day. At José María Córdova Airport (MDE) the SIM sellers mostly carry Claro, you need your physical passport, and a phone whose IMEI is not registered may be cut off from Colombian networks after about 30 days, according to one 2026 guide.

Colombia has four mobile networks: Claro, Movistar, Tigo and WOM. Claro is the one most often sold at airports and gave the most consistent 4G in Medellín in one 2026 comparison (Colombia Move, Oct 2026). The prices below come from travel guides dated 2024 to 2026, not from Claro's own price list, which we could not open. Treat them as a range.

Airport Claro SIM vs eSIM for 90 days

	Claro SIM bought at MDE	Claro SIM bought in town	NomadGB eSIM
Where	Tech Port shop (1st and 2nd floor, outside the restricted area) and small shops upstairs	Official Claro stores in Medellín	Installed before you fly
Network	Claro	Claro	Movistar and Claro
ID needed	Physical passport	Physical passport	None
Price reported	COP 85,000 for 12 GB / 30 days (2024 report)	COP 31,000 for 9 GB / 30 days	$17.99 for 10 GB / 30 days
90 days, roughly 10 GB a month	About COP 255,000 if all three months cost the 2024 airport price	About COP 93,000 (around $27)	$53.97 (3 x 10 GB)
90 days, roughly 20 GB a month	Not reported	Claro "Top" bundles: COP 50,000 to 75,000 a month for 10 to 15 GB	$103.47 (3 x 20 GB)
IMEI registration	Official sellers usually do it, ask	Official stores usually do it during setup	Not part of the eSIM setup
Local number	Yes	Yes	No, data only

Airport sellers are reported to charge 10 to 20 percent more than city stores (Colombia Uncharted, updated Oct 2026). Guides disagree on whether there is a SIM desk in the arrivals hall itself. Two say the Claro seller is Tech Port, open 24/7, plus a small snack shop upstairs (Gigago, June 2024, Gamintraveler, Feb 2024). Another says carrier kiosks are in arrivals (Bento, July 2026). Plan for a short walk.

Passport registration and the IMEI risk

Every prepaid line in Colombia must be registered to a person. Bring the passport itself, not a photo. Street kiosks and corner shops often cannot complete the registration, so their SIMs may not work (Bento, July 2026).

The IMEI is your phone's serial number (dial *#06# to see it). Colombia checks it against a registry. Colombia Uncharted says an unregistered foreign phone with a Colombian SIM may be "blocked from Colombian networks after approximately 30 days", with warning texts first, and that official stores usually register the IMEI when they set up the SIM. It gives no official source for the 30-day figure, and we could not open an official CRC or MinTIC page to confirm it. For a 90-day stay this is the main reason to buy from an official Claro store, not a street seller, and to ask them to register the phone.

The reports we found describe the IMEI check for Colombian SIM lines. We found no report of a traveler eSIM user being blocked, and also no official statement either way.

What NomadGB uses here

NomadGB's Colombia eSIM runs on Movistar (5G) and Claro (4G). Claro is the network most guides recommend for Medellín, and Movistar is reported to work well in the city but get patchy in small towns like Jardín (Colombia Move).

Plan	Price (USD)
5 GB / 30 days	$10.99
10 GB / 30 days	$17.99
20 GB / 30 days	$34.49
1 GB per day then 512 kbps, 14 days	$35.99

There is no 90-day plan for Colombia, so a 3-month stay means three 30-day plans or top-ups. Prices checked 12 November 2026 on the Colombia eSIM page. Data only, no Colombian number.

To be fair: over 90 days a Claro SIM from an official store costs about half of NomadGB's 10 GB plan, and it gives you a local number for WhatsApp verification, deliveries and rideshare drivers. The eSIM makes sense for the first days, for not queueing at the airport, or if you would rather not deal with registration. You can also do both: eSIM on arrival, Claro SIM from an official store in your first week.

What to do on arrival

• Install the eSIM at home and turn it on when you land, so you can book a taxi or a ride from MDE.
• If you want a Claro SIM, bring your passport and buy it at an official Claro store in town. Ask them to register your IMEI.
• Check your phone is unlocked before you travel. A locked phone will not take a Claro SIM.
• Keep your eSIM installed when you add the Claro SIM. Dual SIM phones can switch between them if one has a bad day.
• For a city guide, see best eSIM for Medellín.

Sources: Colombia Uncharted (updated 19 Oct 2026), Colombia Move (14 Apr 2026, updated 15 Oct 2026), Bento (data checked July 2026), Gigago (June 2024), Gamintraveler (updated 28 Feb 2024). These are travel guides, not Claro's price list or the regulator. Checked 12 November 2026.