Angkor Wat
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Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Cambodia

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For travelers, there’s a lot to like about Cambodia. Laid-back islands and great seafood on the south coast, beautiful colonial architecture in Phnom Penh, the jaw-dropping temple complexes of Angkor Wat, and much more.

It’s often overlooked by visitors to the region, especially anywhere outside Siem Reap and Angkor, but the country deserves far more time and attention than that.

If you’re planning to stay connected while you’re there, the news is good. It wasn’t so long ago that tourists couldn’t even buy a local SIM, but that’s all changed in recent years.

Prices are extremely reasonable, the process is very straightforward, and speeds and coverage are more than acceptable. Travel eSIMs don’t offer the same kind of value, but as I found on my last trip, there’s still a reason to use them, at least for a while.

Here’s what you need to know.

Companies

  • I recommend Cellcard or Smart for most travelers who want a physical SIM
  • I used an eSIM from Airalo on my last trip to be connected on arrival

There are four cell networks in Cambodia, and all of the major players have similar coverage. Service with both Cellcard and Smart is generally good in the towns and cities, and reasonable outside them. 4G/LTE is available with all providers.

I’ve used both Smart and Cellcard in the past, and have found little practical difference between them. I typically end up going for Cellcard, since coverage has always been reasonable wherever I am, official stores are easy to find, and prices are low.

Travel eSIM for Cambodia

While SIM cards and data bundles are cheap in Cambodia, I’ve still chosen to use a travel eSIM there on recent trips. That’s mainly because buying SIMs at the airport in Phnom Penh is rife with scams, so I’ve waited until I’m in the city to do it.

Because I wanted to be connected as soon as I arrived, I just bought a small data pack with Airalo, and used it from when I landed until a couple of days later when I walked past a phone store and popped into buy a local SIM.

You could also use it for your entire stay, of course, and if you don’t need a local number, it might not be a bad option. It’s definitely more convenient, and while you might pay a bit more, it still won’t be expensive if you don’t need a lot of data.

Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

If you’re planning to travel to several Asian countries within a few weeks, it might be worth looking at some of the regional eSIM packages on offer instead.

There are too many options to list each one separately (and they change all the time), but as a starting point, here are a couple of Asia eSIM options that include Cambodia from companies I’d actually consider using:

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

How to Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in Cambodia

Arriving into Phnom Penh airport in the past, there were several booths in the terminal as you left baggage reclaim. I bought SIM cards there a couple of times, and never had any issues.

Recent reviews of the airport experience, however, suggest that scams are now, shall we say, pretty common. As a result, I’d suggest waiting until you get into the city to purchase. It was enough to put me off, at least, as I mentioned above.

When and if you do come to buy a physical SIM, it’s not a complicated process. You’ll see Cellcard signs everywhere, but while any tiny store can likely sell you a SIM card, you’ll get better service (and the correct pricing) at official stores.

I’ve bought mine in both Phnom Penh and Kampot, and the process was straightforward in both cases. After checking what kind of call/text/data package I needed, setup was handled by the salesperson.

All I needed was my passport, ten minutes, and a few dollars.

Prepaid SIM and eSIM Costs

Both the card and data packages were very inexpensive. You’ll pay all of $1 for the card itself (Cambodia operates a dual currency system, but all prices were quoted in USD).

In the past, I was asked to pick one of around a dozen different data packages from a poster on the wall. This time, when I said I’d be in the country for about a month, the salesperson offered two choices from the Serey+ packages: 25GB for $4 (28 days) or 60GB for $6 (30 days).

They both include a number of domestic calls and texts to other Cellcard numbers. I went for the first option, which meant I paid a grand total of $5 to be connected for a month, with more data, calls, and texts than I’m ever likely to use.

If you think you’ll need to call or text other Cambodian numbers that aren’t with Cellcard, it might be worth loading another dollar or two of credit onto your prepaid balance at the same time (or just use WhatsApp like everyone else does). If you have enough credit on your account when a package runs out, it’ll automatically renew.

A tourist SIM option is also available in some stores, although not the one I went into. There are a few options there, including a 30GB version that lasts for a week for $3, and 50-100GB packs that last for a month ($5-10).

They also include calls and texts to other Cellcard numbers. If they happen to be offering it at the store you go to, it’s not a bad deal.

Airalo

Compared to the local companies, the offerings from travel eSIM companies look pretty feeble. Still, as I mentioned earlier, they do have their uses, even if it’s mostly just to tide you over until you can buy a local SIM without being scammed.

I used Airalo on my last trip, and was more than happy with it. aloSIM typically has the same pricing and slightly more options, though, while Nomad has plenty of large data packs that the others don’t offer. Here’s the current pricing for all of them.

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $8

  • $9

  • $13.50

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $7

  • $9.50

  • $13

  • $21

  • $32

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 45 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 15 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $6

  • $12

  • $15

  • $24

  • $28

  • $36

Topping Up

It’s almost impossible to walk a hundred meters in any Cambodian town without seeing the logo for a cell company. You’ll be able to top up pretty much anywhere you’re ever likely to be as a tourist.

Airalo

Topping up with Airalo (or any of the other travel eSIM companies) is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Cambodia eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

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Coverage and Data Speeds

Coverage was good with both Smart and Cellcard in the major towns and cities I visited, but less so outside them.

I had full LTE signal in Phnom Penh, Kampot, Siem Reap, Battambang, and in and around Sihanoukville. Coverage in Kep was more variable, though, and there was only limited (or no) service in much of the Angkor Wat complex and on the roads between towns.

Even with LTE service, data speeds were variable, and I found Cellcard to be noticeably slower in Phnom Penh than elsewhere. That said, it was always fast enough for anything I wanted to do, whether that was web browsing, emails, using maps, or making video calls.

When it comes to the eSIM companies, Airalo can use both the Smart and Metfone networks, so you’ve got a pretty good chance of being connected in most places. Nomad and aloSIM both only use Metfone.

Cellcard LTE speeds in Phnom Penh
Cellcard LTE speeds in Kampot

Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 75+ other countries here.

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10 Comments

  1. Simple and handy tips! Thanks for the heads up!

  2. Avatar Edgar Berber says:

    Thanks for the tips?

  3. Hi Dave,
    Thanks for this article. We are going to be on Koh Rong, would that be considered remote?
    Also the Thai Embassy are still holding our passports but we have copies…do you think that would be likely to cause issues.
    Thanks
    Kathryn x

    1. Islands can be tricky, because it all depends on whether a particular cell company has decided it’s worthwhile to install a tower there. I don’t know specifically for Koh Rong, sorry.

      Regarding the passport copies, I’d be surprised if you had a problem.

  4. Was wondering if Metfone has a kiosk at the Siem Reap airport?

    1. I don’t know, I’m afraid. I’ve transited through Siem Reap airport, but didn’t go out of the baggage hall/immigration area.

  5. Avatar Vicki OBrien says:

    looking everywhere in Kampot for official Cellcard dealer ….you said across from your hotel….can you give an address or name of hotel? Thanks.

    1. My hotel was on the river, but as I mentioned, the store was a few hundred yards away. Put “cellcard” into Google Maps – the store wasn’t exactly where it’s shown, but from memory it wasn’t far away. Unfortunately I can’t be more precise than that – it was quite a while ago!

  6. We travelled Cambodia in July 2019 and picked up SIM cards straight away in Phnom Penh at an official Cellcard store. The price was $1.50 for sim with 5GB data that lasted 14 days.

    Later in the trip we topped up my partners with an extra 5GB for $2.

    Personal hotspot wasn’t enabled by default but a quick Google shows instructions for how to configure it (for free).

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