Which carriers matter, what buying a SIM involves, and when an eSIM is the smarter move.
Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
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.
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.
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.
Aggressive on price and first with 5G in Santiago, but rural coverage lags. Fine for a city trip only.
The smallest of the four networks. Workable in Santiago, but not the pick for travelling around the country.
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.
Guac eSIM covers Chile with data plans starting from $1.50 per GB and instant activation, so your phone is online the moment you land. Airalo and Holafly are popular alternatives.
SIM cards and eSIM in Chile