eSIM for Medina

Medina: what to know before you go

Booking the Rawdah

Visiting the Rawdah inside the Prophet's Mosque needs a slot booked in the Nusuk app, where you choose a date and time. Slots are limited and the rules on how often you can book change, so check the app and keep the permit saved on your phone.

Arriving and the train

Pilgrims land in Jeddah or at Medina's own airport. The Haramain high-speed railway links Medina with Jeddah and Mecca, tickets are booked online and shown as a QR code, and the station is outside the centre, so plan a taxi or hotel shuttle for the last stretch.

Around the Prophet's Mosque

At the busiest hours the holy cities carry huge crowds and every network slows. Texts and voice notes get through, photos and videos can wait for hotel wifi, and offline maps of the streets around your hotel save a lot of searching.

Quba and Uhud

The Quba Mosque and the Uhud area are visits inside the city, a short ride from the Prophet's Mosque, so the city's coverage applies. Taxis and ride apps are the usual way, and a saved pin of your hotel makes the ride back simple.

How much data you need

The days in Medina use little data: messages, maps and the permit app take a few hundred megabytes a week. The 3 to 5 GB that covers a typical Umrah leaves room for video calls home.

Written 24 October 2026. Opening rules, fees, prices at attractions and event dates change, so check the official site before you rely on them.

Medina: 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 Prophet's Mosque and the streets around it hold far more people than usual and Rawdah slots are in short supply, so book early and save permits and maps offline.

Around 14 to 19 May 2027: Hajj (expected)

Many pilgrims spend days in Medina before or after the rites in Mecca, so the city is busy around the Hajj dates, which follow the moon and move 10 to 11 days earlier each year. Buy a plan that covers the Medina days too.

June to August 2027: summer heat

Normal daily highs in Medina are about 38 to 39 degrees Celsius from June to August. Visits to Quba and Uhud fit best in the early morning or after dark, and a power bank helps when the phone is out for maps.

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.

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

Updated October 29, 2026

Questions about Medina

Do I need data to book the Rawdah?

Yes. The slot is booked in the Nusuk app, so sign in and book while you have a steady connection, then keep the permit saved on your phone in case the network is slow near the mosque.

Does the same plan work in Mecca and Jeddah?

Yes, the plan covers the whole of Saudi Arabia, so the same eSIM works in Medina, Mecca and Jeddah and on the roads between them. Coverage can be weaker in open desert stretches.

How much does an eSIM for Medina cost?

Medina 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 Medina?

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 Medina?

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 Medina 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.