While traveling in Peru, I wanted to have a way to keep in touch with my family and friends back home. I picked up a prepaid Peruvian SIM card with no contract for my mobile phone. Prepaid SIMs allow me to both make and receive local calls.
The phone has to be unlocked order to use the Peruvian SIM card and that it works on the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) network. Most countries in South America (including Peru) use the GSM network for mobile service. The two market leaders for communication providers and Peruvian SIM cards are Claro and Movistar. They provide the largest coverage areas and their stores can be found throughout Peru.
I found a Claro store in Miraflores that was approximately 10 minutes walk from JW Marriott Lima hotel where I was staying. Before the trip, I downloaded Spanish language in the Google Translator app to use it offline. This allowed me to translate without an Internet connection. After entering the store, I went to the receptionist to get a ticket with a number on it. Each ticket was assigned to a specific counter. I used Google Translator and told the store clerk in Spanish “Quiero comprar una tarjeta SIM prepaga”, which meant I want to buy a prepaid SIM card. The store clerk asked for my passport in order to get started and gave me the order form to go pay at the cashier. Once I paid for the SIM card, I returned to the window where the store clerk helped me to setup the SIM card on my phone. Overall, it was an easy process and it took about 15 minutes to complete.
I bought a Claro prepaid SIM card for S/.5 (around $1.50 USD) and 1.8 GB of data and unlimited social media package for S/.20 (around $6 USD). Social media includes Messenger, Facebook, Whatsapp, Waze, Twitter, Snapchat and Claro Video. I used less than 1 GB for the 10 days that I was in Peru. Overall, the coverage was great for the major cities that I visited. The only place that did not have coverage was the Amazon Rainforest.