Install our Global eSIM on your phone over home Wi-Fi before you fly, then pick the 3, 7, 14 or 30 day plan that fits your Costa Rica trip, from USD 9.99. The eSIM stays on your phone, so your next trip needs only a new plan.
Landing with no data means hunting for Wi-Fi and a SIM counter while your ride waits.
Install your Maya eSIM on home Wi-Fi before you fly to Costa Rica
Buy your plan, then scan the QR code with the phone you’ll travel with. Downloading Maya and scanning the QR code installs the eSIM in 2 minutes.
After purchase, the QR code usually lands in your email within 5 minutes. On iOS, choose the QR code method in the Maya Mobile app. It’s marked Recommended. Scan the code with the device you want the eSIM on, tap Add eSIM or Add Cellular Plan when the notification appears, and follow the prompts.
You can also do it straight from the code. On iPhone, tap and hold the QR code and select Add eSIM, or point the Camera app at it. Apple’s own instructions say the same: scan the code with the Camera app, then tap the Cellular Plan Detected notification (Apple Support, 2026).
Lost the email? Log in to your Maya Mobile account and go to the eSIM. Use the eSIM itself, the Settings icon > Manage eSIM, or Manage eSIM, then open the Installation tab. The QR code and the manual activation code both sit there.
Done. The trip chores are finished before you leave the couch.
What do you need ready before you set up a Costa Rica eSIM?
You need an unlocked, eSIM-capable phone, a stable Wi-Fi connection, the email or app where the install details arrive, and a few minutes at home. Have your Costa Rica trip dates in mind so you pick the right plan length.
The phone must be carrier unlocked to use the Maya eSIM. Check that before you buy.
Connect to home Wi-Fi first. Installing needs an internet connection, because the eSIM is verified and activated online, and a weak or missing signal is the wrong place to download the profile. Installing takes 2 minutes.
Nothing else goes in the bag. No SIM tool, no kiosk receipt.
Which phones can install a travel eSIM for Costa Rica?
Most current iPhones, Galaxy phones and Pixels can install the Maya eSIM, and the full list lives at maya.net/esim-compatible-devices. Your phone must also be carrier unlocked.
Supported devices, by maker:
- Apple: iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 series, iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, and the SE 2nd Gen. (2020) and 3rd Gen. (2022).
- Samsung Galaxy: S20, S21, S22, S23, S24 and S25 series, Z Flip and Z Fold models, A34, A54, A55 and A56 5G, Fold and Note20 models.
- Google Pixel: models from the Pixel 3 up to the Pixel 10 Pro, including the 3a, 4a, 6a, 7a, 8a and 9 Pro XL variants.
- Oppo: Find X8, Find X8 Pro, Find N2 Flip, Find X3 Pro, Find X5, Find X5 Pro, Reno 5 A, A55s 5G and Reno6 Pro 5G.
- Motorola: various Razr, Edge and Moto G models.
- Huawei: P40, P40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro.
- Nokia: G60 5G, X30 5G and XR21.
- Honor: Honor 90 and Magic 3, 3 Pro, 3 Pro+, 4 Pro and 5 Pro.
- Microsoft: Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2.
- Xiaomi: 12T Pro, 13, 13 Lite, 13 Pro, 14, 14 Pro and 14 Ultra.
To check an iPhone for a carrier lock, go to Settings > General > About and look under Carrier Lock. An unlocked phone shows “No SIM restrictions”.
Which phone settings stop your home carrier billing roaming in Costa Rica?
Set the Costa Rica eSIM as your Cellular Data line and turn data roaming off on your home SIM. Keep the home SIM on for calls and texts if you want them, and label the new line so you can tell the two apart.
Name the eSIM something obvious, like “Costa Rica”, so you never mix it up with your home carrier. Then set the Default Voice Line. Open Settings > Cellular (it may be called Mobile or Mobile Service), tap Default Voice Line, and select Primary, the line with your phone number.
On iPhone, set Primary as the line for Voice/SMS and iMessage, and leave mobile data to the Maya Mobile eSIM. Then turn off Data Roaming on the Primary line, your home SIM. Roaming data charges won’t be charged as long as the eSIM is installed and configured correctly and Data Roaming is off on your regular phone plan.
Two lines, one job each. Your home bill stays quiet while you’re on a beach.
When should you switch on your Maya eSIM so your days start in Costa Rica?
Switch on the Maya eSIM when you land and select it for Cellular Data. Your plan clock starts then, and the install you did at home stays a one-time job.
Some plans start counting days or data the moment roaming is enabled. So keep data roaming off for the eSIM until you touch down.
The end of the plan is simple too. When Auto Top-Up is off, the plan simply expires and nothing more is charged. Nothing recurs unless you turn Auto Top-Up on.
Land, flip one switch, and the first day of your trip is a travel day.
What do you do if your Maya eSIM won’t install or connect in Costa Rica?
If you’ve completed the steps and the eSIM still shows as not installed, Maya support will help. If activation hasn’t completed after several minutes, confirm the phone has a working internet connection and retry the installation, or contact support.
Can’t connect after 15 minutes? See the eSIM Connection Troubleshooting Guide.
Support has three channels. Submit a request via the help center, email [email protected], or use live chat on maya.net.
In a five-star Trustpilot review of Maya Mobile from March 2026, Sehr P. described one such visit: “Real quality shows just if something went wrong and you get perfect support. I bought eSims already several times for various countrys and it always worked totaly fine. But what I experienced this time was beyond every expectation. My eSim did not connect to Wifi so I wrote to the support. First answer with possible solution within 5 minutes. I had additional question again less than 5 Minutes reaction and perfect advice how to proceed. I will definitly never ever buy a eSim at a nother supplier.”
Sorted, and back to the trip.
Which travel eSIM should you install before a Costa Rica trip?
Travel eSIMs differ in how they charge: by country, by region, by the gigabyte or by one global plan. The table sets each company’s own published words side by side. Ours is one Global plan priced by trip length, from USD 9.99.
| Travel eSIM | How plans are sold | Unlimited plan allowance, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Mobile | One Global eSIM for 165+ countries, unlimited data at a flat price by trip length: USD 9.99 for 3 days, USD 19.99 for 7 days, USD 27.99 for 14 days, USD 49.99 for 30 days | A daily high-speed data allowance (the Daily Quota) at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it, reset every 24 hours; unlimited data at standard speed once the Daily Quota is used |
| Airalo | Per country, per region, or one global plan; priced in USD | Our unlimited data packages don’t have a fixed total data cap. However, to keep the network running fairly for everyone, when you use more than 3GB in a day, we’ll slow down (or “throttle”) your internet speed to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. Your full high-speed connection will automatically be restored when your daily allowance next resets. Your daily allowance resets every 24 hours, counted from the time you activated your eSIM. |
| Holafly | Per country, per region (Europe, Latin America, Cruise plans), and monthly global plans: Light, 25GB of data, $ 49.90USD/month; Unlimited, $ 64.90USD/month; Ultra, $ 90.95USD/month | Unlimited data plans are subject to a fair use policy, which may temporarily reduce speed in cases of unusually high usage to maintain network quality for all users. |
| Saily | Per country and per region, plus one global plan; by the gigabyte, unlimited, or both | The Unlimited plan gives you 5 GB per day at full 4G/5G speed, then keeps you online at 1 Mbps for the rest of the day — fast enough for navigation, messaging, and standard browsing. |
In the table, the rival columns quote each company’s own wording or briefly summarise it, while the Maya Mobile row comes from maya.net.
Airalo sells per country, per region or as one global plan, and slows unlimited users to 1 Mbps for the rest of the day past 3GB, according to its website. Holafly sells per country, per region and as monthly global plans, with a fair use policy on its unlimited plans. Saily sells per country, per region and as one global plan, with 5 GB a day at full speed on its Unlimited plan. Ours is one eSIM, one plan by trip length.
Installs go wrong at the worst moment elsewhere too. Osman D. left a one-star Trustpilot review of aloSIM in August 2026 that reads: “No Russian manuals available. I purchased aloSIM for my family while they were traveling, but none of them could set up the eSIM. As an experienced Windows and Android user, I could have probably figured it out by trial and error, but my family couldn’t. It’s way too complicated with English-only instructions. Plus, after my payment successfully processed, the app still asked me to buy the plan again. # update since you are planning to add Russian instructions, I’ll give aloSIM another try. My family is heading to Turkey at the end of August, and if everything goes well, I’ll update my review to 5 stars.”
Install at home on Wi-Fi and that scene never starts.
How Maya keeps one eSIM on your phone for every trip
Maya is installed once and stays on the phone permanently. It stays on the device after a plan expires, so the setup chore doesn’t repeat each trip.
Every plan, whether 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, includes unlimited data across 165+ countries. Need more days? Buy another plan from the Maya app. Next trip, pick your days and go.
FAQ
What does our refund policy cover if the eSIM can’t connect?
Yes, in set cases. When an eSIM can’t be installed because the device is incompatible or carrier-locked, you can get a full refund minus payment processing fees, provided no data was consumed and you ask within 30 days of purchase. The Money Back Guarantee also covers a cancelled trip, an extra or unneeded data plan, and an eSIM that is unused or consumed no data. Send requests within 30 days of the issue arising to [email protected] or through the in-app chat; our Terms set out the remaining cases.
How should you set your home SIM while the eSIM carries your data in Costa Rica?
Keep it on for calls and texts, with data roaming off. Maya runs alongside your existing SIM, so you don’t remove anything, and your home number and carrier plan stay unchanged. Turn off Data Roaming on the Primary line to prevent roaming charges, and route your data through the travel eSIM. An eSIM plan is designed as an add-on to your main phone plan.
What stays on your phone after the trip ends?
The Maya eSIM stays. You install it once, and there’s no need to delete or reinstall it between trips. We recommend keeping it installed so it’s ready for the next trip, which needs only a new plan.
What happens when your plan’s days run out?
It ends. Every plan is a one-time purchase, and with Auto Top-Up off, the plan just expires and nothing more is charged. Auto Top-Up is opt-in only and off by default; you can turn it off any time from My eSIM.
How does a daily high-speed allowance work with unlimited data?
You get unlimited data with a daily high-speed allowance, the Daily Quota, at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it. Once it is used up, data carries on at standard speed until the day ends. The allowance renews automatically every 24 hours, counted from the activation date. Some restrictions apply to very high usage, to assure service quality for everyone, and no speed is guaranteed.
How do you add days if your Costa Rica trip runs long?
Yes, buy another plan from the Maya app. Plans run for 3, 7, 14 or 30 days. If your plan shows as expired, you can buy a new one in the app in under a minute.
Why install a travel eSIM before you fly instead of on arrival?
Because the install needs a Wi-Fi connection, and home Wi-Fi is the easy place to get one. An eSIM is a digital SIM built into the phone, installed in minutes with no hardware or store visit. Do it before departure and there’s no SIM shopping on arrival; landing takes one switch.
What should you check on any travel eSIM before you buy it?
Check the plan length against your trip, the countries covered, and whether the plan is data-only, since most travel eSIMs are data-only. Ours offers unlimited data across 165+ countries as a prepaid, time-based data pass. Lengths are 3, 7, 14 and 30 days.
Maya is one eSIM you install once before your Costa Rica trip, with a 3, 7, 14 or 30 day plan and unlimited data across 165+ countries.
