AlUla
Hegra & the desert
Nabataean tombs cut into sandstone, the same civilisation that built Petra, with a fraction of the visitors. Entry is by timed, pre-booked permit only.
Saudi Arabia eSIM
Land in Saudi Arabia already connected
Tourist visas opened the country up, and the practical side is catching up fast. Scan the QR code before you fly and your phone finds a Saudi network the moment you land at Riyadh or Jeddah.
A new destination, sorted before you go
Saudi Arabia has only recently opened to leisure visitors, and buying a local SIM as a tourist is still more involved than it needs to be. An eSIM sidesteps it — install at home, land connected on Mobily. Be aware the wholesale cost into this market is high, so these plans sit above most of our range; we'd rather show the real price than hide it.
Saudi ArabiaMobily
Saudi Arabia plans
Pick the length of your trip
Every plan below covers Saudi Arabia. Choose the number of days you're away — the price is fixed, you pay once, and nothing renews afterwards.
Where to go
Bigger than western Europe
Desert in the middle, mountains in the south west, and two coasts. The distances are genuinely large.
Riyadh
The capital
Diriyah's mud-brick old town, the National Museum, and the Edge of the World escarpment a couple of hours out over unmarked desert track.
Jeddah
Al-Balad & the Red Sea
Coral-stone merchant houses in the old town, and diving off the coast that rivals Egypt's without the crowds.
Asir
The mountains
Abha and the southern highlands — green, cool and nothing like the desert most people picture. Cloud forest at 2,000m.
Red Sea coast
The new resorts
A large-scale tourism development along the north west coast, opening in stages and still very much a building site in places.
Note
Mecca & Medina
Both are closed to non-Muslims, and Hajj and Umrah travel is arranged through licensed operators with their own requirements and their own connectivity advice.
On the ground
What you'll actually use it for
Getting around
Uber and Careem both operate in the cities, and the drives between regions are long and empty. A live map matters more here than in most places.
Booking as you go
AlUla in particular runs almost entirely on timed, pre-booked permits, and the experiences sell out. Very little can be arranged at the gate.
Staying in touch
WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal all run over data, so calls home cost nothing beyond the plan you've already paid for.
Backing up photos
Let a fortnight of pictures sync as you travel rather than praying your phone survives the trip home. This is the one that eats data, so save it for the evening.
When plans go wrong
A cancelled train, a closed road or a hotel that can't find your booking. All of it is easier to fix with a working connection than without one.
How it works
Set it up before you leave home
The whole thing takes about as long as printing a boarding pass, and it's far easier done on your own Wi-Fi than in an airport queue.
1
Choose your dates
Pick the plan that matches how long you're in Saudi Arabia.
2
Scan the QR code
It arrives by email as soon as you pay. Open your phone's mobile settings, add an eSIM, scan — done in under a minute, over Wi-Fi at home.
3
Switch it on in Saudi Arabia
Your plan starts when the eSIM first finds a network in Saudi Arabia, not when you bought it. Turn roaming off on your UK line and you're set.
FAQs
Before you book
Which network does a Saudi Arabia eSIM use?
Our Saudi plans roam onto Mobily, one of the Kingdom's main operators. Coverage is strong across Riyadh, Jeddah, the main highways and the developed tourist sites, and thinner in the deep desert.
Do I need to register it like a local SIM?
No. Saudi prepaid lines involve identity checks that are awkward for a short-stay visitor. An eSIM needs none of that — install it before you fly and it works on arrival.
What does “unlimited” actually mean?
You get 1GB of full-speed data every day. After that the connection carries on at a reduced 384kbps for the rest of that day, then resets the next morning. There's no hard cut-off and no overage charge, so you can't run up a bill.
Why is this more expensive than your other plans?
Because wholesale roaming into Saudi Arabia costs considerably more than most markets, and we pass on the real price rather than burying it. It's still usually well below UK network roaming rates for the Gulf — worth checking your own tariff to compare.
Will WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work?
Data works normally, but the Kingdom has at various times restricted voice and video calling over some apps, and what's permitted has changed more than once. Messaging is generally fine. Don't build your plans around VoIP calls home being reliable, whichever SIM or eSIM you use.
Isn't roaming with my UK network easier?
Easier, sometimes. Cheaper, almost never. Saudi Arabia sits outside most UK networks' inclusive roaming zones, so you're usually looking at a daily charge or per-megabyte rates that add up fast. Check your provider's rate for Saudi Arabia before you travel and compare it with a fixed one-off price.
Can I keep my UK number?
Yes. The eSIM runs alongside your existing SIM, so calls and texts still arrive on your UK number while your data goes over the local networks. Turn data roaming off on your UK line so nothing lands on your normal bill.
Do I get a Saudi phone number?
No, these are data-only plans. That covers maps, email, messaging and calls through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal. If you need a number that takes ordinary calls and texts, keep your UK SIM active alongside the eSIM.
Will my phone take an eSIM?
Most handsets released since 2018 will, including iPhone XR/XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer — as long as it isn't network locked. Look for “Add eSIM” or “Add data plan” in your mobile settings to check.
More destinations
Where else are you going?
Other destinations travellers pair with this one.
Rihlah sa'idah
Sort your connection tonight and forget about it. One scan now, and the Kingdom is just somewhere your phone already works.