Getting a SIM card in São Paulo, Brazil, turned out to be quite a challenge. I took the metro from Bras to City Mall to purchase a SIM card from Vivo, but when I arrived, the representative informed me that they were just a reseller and couldn’t sell to tourists. He directed me to the main branch at Paulista Loja Mall. I headed back to the metro and made my way there. Upon arrival, I asked a staff member for a SIM card with internet, but she requested my physical passport. I explained that I didn’t have it with me—only pictures of it, as I had been advised not to carry it around to avoid theft. She insisted she couldn’t proceed without the physical passport, even after I explained how far I had traveled to get there.
Frustrated, I asked where I could find Claro, another provider, and she politely directed me two floors up. At Claro, the representative told me they don’t sell to tourists and suggested I try TIM, a provider I hadn’t heard of before. I went back to the store facing Vivo, where TIM was located. Thankfully, they accepted the passport pictures on my phone and only required a credit card for payment, likely to verify my identity since my name matched the card. The staff filled out a form on her tablet, took my photo, and processed the plan, which cost around 130 reais (about $21) for 57GB of data. I didn’t inquire much about the details as I was in a hurry and just needed internet to navigate back home using GPS.
I paid 120 reais with my credit card and 10 reais in cash—I’m not entirely sure what the extra charge was for, but she mentioned she could charge the full amount to my card if I preferred. Since I had the cash, I opted to avoid a second transaction. The SIM card worked well in the city, though I occasionally lost signal. I’ve heard TIM isn’t the best provider, but I did get 5G coverage. However, I later read Google Maps reviews warning that some customers were automatically charged even after canceling their plans, and customer service was reportedly unhelpful, with some even advising customers to cancel their credit cards to stop the charges. This left me concerned that I might face similar issues when I return to the U.S., potentially needing to dispute charges or get a new card. Despite these concerns, TIM ultimately saved me by providing internet quickly when I needed it most.
