Chile
Use Uber, learn the local transit payment, and prepare for long distances
Check Chile's official entry rules for the passport you will use, since visa requirements depend on nationality.
The essentials
What to know before you go to Chile
If your trip includes Rapa Nui, complete its separate FUI before departure, hold a return ticket and a booking at a SERNATUR-authorized accommodation, and respect the 30-day maximum stay. Cards are widely used in cities, but carry some Chilean pesos for markets, smaller businesses, regional buses and places with weak connectivity. In Santiago, contactless Visa and Mastercard work directly on Metro and MetroTren Nos, but not yet on Red buses; a physical Bip card remains the simplest visitor option when buses are involved. App-based rides operate widely, although Chile's new transport-app law was still awaiting its completed regulation at this review date.
At Santiago airport, use a transport desk inside the terminal, an official airport transfer or the pickup instructions shown in your app, and ignore unsolicited drivers. Phone and bag theft is a real risk in crowded transport, restaurants and tourist areas. Keep the phone out of sight near the street, watch your luggage, and call 133 for police, 131 for an ambulance or 132 for fire services. Follow SENAPRED alerts and local evacuation instructions during earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires or volcanic activity.
Ride Hailing
UberEssential
The simplest first ride app for most visitors, with service across Santiago and many regional Chilean cities.
Cabify
A useful second option in four major urban areas, with certified airport van services in Santiago.
DiDi
A broad regional alternative to Uber with card payments and cash in some Chilean cities.
Food Delivery
Messaging
WhatsAppEssential
The most useful messaging channel for Chilean accommodations, guides, businesses and local contacts.
Navigation
Google MapsEssential
The best general map for Chilean addresses, driving, businesses and much urban public transport.
Transit
Red MovilidadEssential
Santiago's official app for Red buses, Metro and MetroTren Nos routes, live arrivals and service alerts.
Red Regional
Chile's official live bus and route planner for participating public transport in more than 20 regional cities.
Language
Google TranslateEssential
Useful for Spanish text, signs, menus and downloaded language files when mobile data is unavailable.
Intercity Transport
BusbudEssential
The clearest international-facing search and booking starting point for many Chilean intercity buses.
Recorrido
A Chile-focused bus marketplace useful for comparing local operators and routes not obvious in global planners.
Also covered
Internet in Chile
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card ID registration required
- Every prepaid SIM must be registered with a valid passport, and in practice you also provide a photo of the passport plus a selfie so staff can match your face to it. At a proper carrier shop the whole thing takes around 10 to 20 minutes, and no Chilean ID or bank account is needed. Separately, if you use a Chilean SIM for more than 30 days you are supposed to register your foreign phone's IMEI at registratuimei.cl; roaming or WiFi-only use is exempt.
- In Santiago, head for carrier shops in the big malls (Costanera Center, Parque Arauco, Mall Plaza) or downtown on Huerfanos and Ahumada; Cruz Verde and Salcobrand pharmacies sell Entel and Claro, and Lider supermarkets sell Entel. Do not count on the airport: recent reports disagree on whether any official carrier shop operates at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benitez airport, so sort your connectivity out in the city or before you land.
- Chilean carriers do offer eSIM, but a local eSIM needs the same passport-and-selfie registration and likely faces the same store reluctance. A travel eSIM installed before arrival sidesteps the refusals entirely, which is why even travelers who tried the local route recommend having one; a local plan is far cheaper if you manage to get it.
Chilean stores may simply refuse to sell a prepaid SIM on a foreign passport, and this is common enough to plan around: recent travelers report Entel shops declining outright and needing several Movistar branches before one agreed, after which the sale itself took minutes. Try Movistar first, expect refusals, and carry a travel eSIM as a fallback. Also note that 2G and 3G are being shut down across all four carriers, so an older handset may fail, and if an online form demands a RUT (Chilean tax number), entering nine 9s is the standard workaround.
Local carriers
Entel
The widest geographic coverage and the local pick for the Atacama in the north and Patagonia in the south. Its stores are, however, the most likely to turn tourists away.
Movistar
The fastest network in recent rankings, strong in Santiago and along the central coast around Valparaiso. In practice the carrier most likely to actually sell a tourist a SIM.
WOM
Aggressive on price and first with 5G in Santiago, but rural coverage lags. Fine for a city trip only.
Claro
The smallest of the four networks. Workable in Santiago, but not the pick for travelling around the country.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have apps for traveling in Chile?
The essential apps for Chile are Uber, Uber Eats, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Red Movilidad.
How many travel apps does Chile have?
We've curated 12 apps across 8 categories for traveling in Chile, including 7 essential apps.
What is the best ride hailing app in Chile?
Uber. The simplest first ride app for most visitors, with service across Santiago and many regional Chilean cities.
Keep exploring
Also traveling in Latin America?
Colombia
Use dispatched rides, carry small pesos, and learn each city's transit system
Costa Rica
The right apps, plus the official and offline backups Costa Rica still requires
Ecuador
Dollar cash, exact map pins and city-specific transport tools matter in Ecuador
Guatemala
Cash, exact pins, verified transport and official alerts matter more than app overload in Guatemala
Mexico
Optional city rides, pesos for the gaps, route-specific transport and official road assistance
Panama
Use Uber in supported cities, tap the Metro directly, and keep small US dollar notes