Many travelers end up paying for services they never use
As 120,000 Colombian fans prepare to cross borders this summer in pursuit of a World Cup dream, they carry with them not only jerseys and hope, but a quiet digital dependency — the phone number that unlocks their bank, their identity, their daily life. The major Colombian carriers, Claro, Tigo, and Movistar, have responded with roaming packages designed to keep that lifeline intact across Mexico, the United States, and Canada, at daily rates beginning around $8,900 pesos. In an age where a verification code can stand between a traveler and their own money, connectivity abroad has become less a luxury than a quiet form of security.
- 120,000 Colombian fans are expected to travel across three countries this summer, creating an urgent and widespread need for affordable, reliable mobile connectivity far from home.
- The stakes go beyond convenience — banking apps, two-factor authentication, and work systems all depend on a Colombian phone number remaining active, meaning a dropped connection can freeze access to funds mid-trip.
- Claro, Tigo, and Movistar are competing for these travelers with daily and weekly roaming packages, ranging from $8,900 per day to multi-week bundles, each with different balances of data, minutes, and price.
- Local SIM cards and eSIMs offer cheaper alternatives for heavy data users, but require setup before departure and sacrifice the Colombian number that many travelers cannot afford to lose.
- Carriers are urging fans to activate roaming before boarding, warning that last-minute decisions abroad can trigger unexpected charges and leave travelers navigating foreign cities without a safety net.
Tens of thousands of Colombian families are preparing to travel to Mexico, the United States, and Canada this summer to watch their national team at the 2026 World Cup — roughly 120,000 fans in total, according to the travel industry. Alongside plane tickets, hotels, and match passes, there is a quieter logistical challenge waiting for them: staying connected to their phones in countries where their home network does not automatically follow.
The issue runs deeper than social media or navigation. Colombian banking apps, workplace systems, and two-factor authentication all route verification codes to a local phone number. Without that number active, many everyday transactions simply stop working. This makes roaming — using your home carrier's service abroad without changing SIM cards — less of a travel perk and more of a practical necessity for many fans.
Claro's Pasaporte América package covers all three host nations and 19 countries across the continent. Personal plans cost $8,900 per day with taxes included, while business plans run $6,900. Both grant access to the data included in a subscriber's home plan, up to 40 gigabytes per cycle, plus hundreds of calling minutes. For fans staying a week or more, weekly packages range from $41,900 to $47,900 and can be activated through the Claro app or WhatsApp without visiting a store.
Tigo and Movistar offer comparable structures. Tigo's daily packages start around $9,500 and include between 700 megabytes and 1.5 gigabytes, with a 15-day option at $35,000 for roughly 10 gigabytes. Movistar integrates roaming into select plans or sells day and multi-day packages separately, with monthly options covering more than 60 countries.
Local SIM cards and eSIMs remain valid alternatives — potentially cheaper for fans staying weeks and consuming heavy data — but both require advance setup and mean giving up the Colombian number. Claro's mobile product director puts the choice plainly: the best solution is the one that actually fits the trip, not the most technologically fashionable one. For most fans heading to the World Cup, that likely means paying the roaming premium to keep their identity, their banking, and their connections to home intact.
Tens of thousands of Colombian families are planning to travel to Mexico, the United States, and Canada this summer to watch their national team compete in the 2026 World Cup. The travel industry association estimates around 120,000 fans will make the journey during June and July. They'll need to buy plane tickets, book hotels, secure match tickets—and then there's the cost nobody wants to think about until the last minute: staying connected to their phones while abroad.
Once they arrive in host cities, these supporters will need mobile data to navigate unfamiliar streets, send money home, post goals to social media, and coordinate meetups with friends. The connectivity question matters more than it might seem. Banking apps, work emails, and two-factor authentication systems all send verification codes to a Colombian phone number. Without that number active, many transactions simply won't go through. This is where roaming—the service that lets you use your phone in another country without swapping SIM cards—becomes more than a convenience. It becomes a necessity.
Claro, one of Colombia's major carriers, offers what it calls the Pasaporte América package, covering 19 countries across the continent including all three World Cup hosts. For personal plans, daily roaming costs $8,900 with tax included. Business plans run $6,900 per day. These daily packages let users access whatever data their home plan includes—up to 40 gigabytes per billing cycle for unlimited subscribers—plus 400 minutes for personal accounts or 500 for business accounts. Those minutes cover local calls, calls back to Colombia, and incoming calls.
For fans staying a week or longer, the math shifts. A seven-day package for the three host nations costs $47,900 for personal plans or $41,900 for business plans, both including 103 minutes. Activation happens through the Claro app or WhatsApp, no visit to a store required. Tigo offers similar flexibility with daily packages around $9,500 that include 700 megabytes to 1.5 gigabytes daily, plus calls at $1,500 per minute and text messages at $500 each. For longer stays, Tigo has a 15-day plan at $35,000 with roughly 10 gigabytes. Movistar integrates roaming into certain plans or sells it separately, with monthly plans ranging from $99,990 to $109,900 that work in more than 60 countries, and day-by-day options like 1.5 gigabytes daily or 10 gigabytes over 15 days.
The carriers all recommend activating roaming before departure to avoid surprise charges. They also emphasize that roaming makes sense for first-time international travelers, anyone who needs their Colombian number to stay active for banking or work reasons, and anyone traveling to multiple countries without wanting to juggle different SIM cards. Claro's broader packages extend to 93 countries across multiple continents, or 31 additional destinations beyond the Americas.
Local SIM cards and eSIM technology offer alternatives, but with trade-offs. A local SIM in the host country might be cheaper for someone staying weeks and burning through heavy data, someone who doesn't need their Colombian number active, and someone willing to handle the setup beforehand. eSIM is technologically cleaner—no physical card to manage—but not every phone supports it, and configuration must happen before leaving home. Andrés Carlesimo, Claro's mobile product director, frames the choice simply: the goal isn't to pick the trendiest technology, but the solution that actually fits your trip. He notes that many travelers end up paying for services they never use, when they already have options that cover everything they need. For Colombian World Cup fans, that likely means keeping their home number alive and paying the roaming premium to do it.
Citações Notáveis
It's like carrying your line with you. You travel connected from the first moment, with the same comfort as at home.— Andrés Carlesimo, Claro Colombia mobile product director
The important thing is not to choose trendy technology, but the solution that best fits the needs of each trip.— Andrés Carlesimo, Claro Colombia
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does keeping a Colombian phone number matter so much during a trip?
Because your bank, your employer, your email provider—they all send security codes to that number. If it's not active, you can't access your money or your work accounts. You're essentially locked out.
So roaming is expensive partly because it solves a problem the carriers created?
Not exactly. It's more that the infrastructure wasn't designed for people to switch numbers easily. Roaming is the path of least resistance, and the carriers price it accordingly.
What about someone who doesn't care about their Colombian number? Could they save real money?
Yes. A local SIM in Mexico or the US would be much cheaper for a two-week stay with heavy data use. But you'd need to set it up before you leave, and you'd lose access to anything tied to your home number.
Is there a middle ground?
eSIM could be it—same benefits as a local SIM, but no physical card to manage. The problem is not every phone supports it yet, and you still have to configure it beforehand.
So for most fans, roaming is the practical choice?
For most, yes. Especially if they're traveling for the first time, or if they're moving between multiple countries during the tournament. The convenience is worth the cost.