Saudi Arabia
🇸🇦
eSIM for Mecca
Mecca is the city of the Grand Mosque, visited through the year for Umrah and once a year for Hajj. The phone holds the permits, the hotel details and the way back after prayer, and the networks around the Haram carry heavy crowds at peak times.
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1 GB
7 days
$2.99 $2.99/GB
3 GB
30 days −5%
$8.49 $2.79/GB
5 GB
30 days −16%
$12.49 $2.49/GB
10 GB
Popular30 days −38%
$18.49 $1.89/GB
20 GB
Best value30 days −51%
$29.49 $1.49/GB
50 GB
30 days −44%
$83.99 $1.69/GB
Mecca: what to know before you go
- Permits in the official app
- Nusuk is Saudi Arabia's official app for pilgrims, used for permits and bookings, and for Hajj it holds the digital Nusuk card. Install it and sign in at home on a calm connection, so it works from the moment you land in Jeddah or Medina.
- Around the Haram
- When the area is full, messages and voice notes go through, calls and video struggle, and uploads are the slowest. Walk a few hundred metres away from the crowd and the connection often returns.
- Finding the hotel after prayer
- Hotels, gates and meeting points are easy to lose after Fajr or at night. Save offline maps of the area around your hotel, agree a meeting point with your group each day, and share your live location when you go to pray.
- The Haramain train
- The Haramain high-speed railway links Mecca with Jeddah, including a station at the Jeddah airport, and with Medina. Tickets are booked online and shown as a QR code, and the Mecca station is in the Rusaifah district, a few kilometres from the Grand Mosque, so a taxi or hotel shuttle covers the last stretch.
- Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah
- During Hajj the rites move between Mina's tent city, Arafat and Muzdalifah. Extra towers and wifi points are added for the season and it still slows at peak moments, so save your camp number and offline maps of all three places beforehand.
How much data you need
A typical Umrah takes about 3 to 5 GB for messages, maps and the permit app. Daily video calls home push it to 10 GB or more over two weeks.
Written . Opening rules, fees, prices at attractions and event dates change, so check the official site before you rely on them.
Mecca: when people go
- Around 8 February to 9 March 2027: Ramadan (expected)
- Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr around 9 or 10 March, depending on the moon sighting. The last ten nights, from late February, bring the largest crowds of the year to the Haram and every network slows, so download maps and documents beforehand and send photos later from hotel wifi.
- Around 14 to 19 May 2027: Hajj (expected)
- Hajj is expected to begin around 14 May 2027, with the Day of Arafah around 15 May. The dates follow the moon and move 10 to 11 days earlier each year, and at the busiest moments, such as the afternoon of Arafah, text and voice notes go through when calls drop.
- June to August 2027: summer heat
- Normal daily highs in Mecca are about 43 degrees Celsius from June to August, so outdoor time shifts to early morning and after dark. A power bank matters more than usual, because a phone searching for signal in a crowd drains fast.
Saudi Arabia eSIM 2026: prices, network and coverage
10 plans, from $2.99 (1 GB, 7 days) to $83.99 (50 GB, 30 days). Network: STC 5G.
| Data | Validity | Price | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $8.49 | $2.83 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $12.49 | $2.50 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $18.49 | $1.85 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $29.49 | $1.47 |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $83.99 | $1.68 |
| Unlimited | 3 days | $14.37 | $4.79 per day |
| Unlimited | 7 days | $32.14 | $4.59 per day |
| Unlimited | 15 days | $66.62 | $4.44 per day |
| Unlimited | 30 days | $122.75 | $4.09 per day |
- Network
- STC 5G
- Top-up
- Yes, from the app, on the same eSIM
- Validity starts
- At the first connection at your destination
- Install by
- Shown on your order. An eSIM that is never installed expires
- Your number
- Stays active, plans are data only
- Hotspot
- Uses the same plan data, no separate charge
- After the daily allowance
- Day passes slow down to 512 Kbps
Questions about Mecca
- Is there signal at Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah during Hajj?
- Yes. Operators add towers, 5G and wifi points at the holy sites every year. At the busiest moments it is slow, so keep what matters offline.
- Does the plan also work in Jeddah, Medina and on the road between the cities?
- Yes, the plan covers the whole of Saudi Arabia. Coverage along the main roads is good, and it can be weaker in open desert stretches.
- How much does an eSIM for Mecca cost?
- Mecca uses the Saudi Arabia plans, because an eSIM belongs to a country and not to a city. Plans start at $2.99 for 1 GB, valid for 7 days. There are 10 plans, from 1 GB to 50 GB, plus unlimited day passes.
- Which is the best eSIM for Saudi Arabia?
- The one on the network that covers where you are going. In Makkah and Madinah that is STC, the largest network in the country, and it is the one this eSIM uses. Check first that your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to your carrier.
- Do I need a Saudi SIM card in Mecca?
- No. A Saudi SIM is sold at counters that register your passport and your fingerprints, usually with a queue after landing. The eSIM is a SIM card in digital form: you install it at home and it works when you land.
- How is it different from roaming in Mecca?
- With roaming, your own carrier bills the data you use abroad, usually by the day or by the megabyte, at the prices of your plan. The eSIM is prepaid: you know the cost before you leave and nothing is added later. Keep data roaming off on your usual line, so it cannot charge you.
- Which networks does the Mecca eSIM use?
- Wigoo connects to STC, with 5G where it is available. Each plan lists the operators it uses.
- Can I add more data?
- Yes. You top up the same eSIM from the app, without installing a new one.
- Do I keep my phone number?
- Yes. Plans are data only, so your usual line stays active for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps working as always.
- When do the validity days start?
- Not when you buy and not when you install: the days start counting when the eSIM connects to a network at your destination for the first time. A 30 day plan gives you 30 days from that first connection.
- How long do I have to install the eSIM?
- An eSIM that is never installed expires. The "Install by" date is shown on your order, on the site and in the app, so you can buy ahead of your trip. Install it before that date, on Wi-Fi.
- Can I use the eSIM as a hotspot?
- Data used through a personal hotspot comes out of the same plan, and Wigoo does not charge it separately. A laptop uses far more data than a phone, so for work a day pass or a bigger plan is safer.
- What happens when the data runs out?
- Plans are prepaid, so there are no extra charges: when the data is used up, the connection stops until you add more from the app. Day passes give a daily allowance at full speed, then continue at reduced speed (512 Kbps) until the next day.
- When should I install the eSIM?
- Before you leave, on Wi-Fi. When you land, set the Wigoo line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it.