URL: https://esimgo.in/international-sim/greece/
Buy: https://esimgo.in/esim-greece/
Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.in)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.in/author/
Updated: 13 Oct 2026

# Greece SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM

Three routes give you mobile data in Greece: a Jio, Airtel or Vi roaming pack on your Indian SIM, a Greek SIM bought after landing, or a data eSIM installed in India before you fly. Our Greece eSIM starts at ≈ ₹286 (12 Oct rate) for 1 GB over 7 days, charged US$2.99 by card. It carries data only, with no calls or SMS.

## Greece eSIM or local SIM: what Indian travellers need

An Athens-and-islands trip runs on data: ferry tickets, maps, hotel chats. A Greek number rarely matters. A data eSIM set up in India covers you from the moment you land, and your Indian SIM stays in the phone for bank OTPs. A Greece tourist SIM is worth buying only when someone in Greece must call you locally. For the rest of a longer route, see our [international SIM guides by country](/international-sim/).

A physical Greece SIM card from a local operator takes the slot your Indian SIM uses on a single-slot phone, so OTPs to that number pause until you swap back. Identity is checked before a local line is issued. We quote no Greece SIM card price because we have not verified current rates, and no plan is the best eSIM for Greece on every trip.

Two host networks carry our Greece plans: Nova on 5G and the Greek Vodafone network on 4G. You choose from twelve sizes: 1 GB for 7 days, 2 GB for 15 days, 3, 5, 10 or 20 GB for 30 days, or unlimited data for 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 30 days. On the unlimited plans, speed falls to 1 Mbps once a day's use passes 3 GB. Hotspot / tethering use draws on the same data allowance; our plan details do not state a hotspot rule.

## Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in Greece vs this eSIM (checked 13 Oct 2026)

Jio, Airtel and Vi each sell roaming packs that list Greece, and the five in our table cost ₹951 to ₹3,495 as listed on 13 Oct 2026. Each one bundles minutes on your Indian number, which our data-only eSIM does not. Greece sits in Vi's unlimited zone, so Vi prints the data on its ₹3,495 Ultra pack as FREE. Cyprus is different: Vi's prepaid T&C list no pack for it, as the [Cyprus guide](/international-sim/cyprus/) explains.

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice.

| Pack | Price | Data · days | Calls · SMS | ≈ ₹ per GB | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jio IR Voice & Data (100 countries) | ₹951 | 4 GB · 10 days | 100 min out + 100 in · 25 SMS | about ₹238 | [Jio plan list](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) |
| Airtel prepaid IR, 5 days | ₹998 | 4 GB · 5 days | 150 min · 20 SMS | about ₹250 | [Airtel T&C PDF](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) |
| Airtel prepaid IR, 10 days | ₹1,298 | 6 GB · 10 days | 200 min · 20 SMS | about ₹216 | [Airtel T&C PDF](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf) |
| Vi prepaid Budget, Set 1 countries | ₹1,495 | 2 GB · 15 days | 200 min | about ₹748 | [Vi prepaid T&C PDF](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) |
| Vi prepaid Ultra, 7 days (UL zone) | ₹3,495 | data printed as FREE · 7 days | unlimited calls | not applicable | [Vi prepaid T&C PDF](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf) |

Source: operator documents linked in each row; Jio checked 13 Oct 2026, Airtel 13 Oct 2026, Vi 13 Oct 2026. The ≈ ₹ per GB column is our derivation (price ÷ GB). Airtel's T&C dated 24 Sep 2026 list ₹998 and ₹1,298; its FAQ page still shows older prices.

Vi's two rows differ for separate reasons. Ultra shows FREE data because Greece is in Vi's unlimited zone; the Budget pack has 2 GB because Budget packs are sized that way for Set 1 countries. Our 7-day unlimited plan costs ≈ ₹1,532 (12 Oct rate), charged US$15.99, and slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day; Vi's Ultra also covers calls on your Indian number.

On a 15-day island-hop, Vi's ₹1,495 Budget pack runs the full fortnight with 2 GB and 200 minutes. The same 2 GB over 15 days on our plan costs ≈ ₹478 (12 Oct rate), with no minutes, plus any [markup your card issuer applies](/how-to-pay/forex-markup/). Jio states: "Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data." Airtel counts a prepaid pack from when your phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage.

## Athens and the islands: what the Greece plan covers

Is there one SIM for all of Greece? Our Greece plan covers the mainland, Athens included, and names six islands: Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu and Kos, with more covered besides. If your island is not among those six, ask us before you rely on it there. We promise no signal on a ferry crossing or a remote beach.

On the islands, two host networks share the load: Nova (5G) and Vodafone (4G), a Greek network that has nothing to do with Vi. We cannot tell you which of the two serves a given village. For a month of island-hopping, 20 GB over 30 days costs ≈ ₹1,819 (12 Oct rate); the 30-day unlimited plan costs ≈ ₹4,405 (12 Oct rate) and keeps the 1 Mbps limit after 3 GB in a day.

## Greece plan or the Europe plan for Greece plus Italy or Türkiye

Pick the Greece plan when Greece is the whole trip and the Europe plan when the route crosses a border. The Europe plan lists 41 countries, among them Greece, [Italy](/international-sim/italy/) and [Türkiye](/international-sim/turkey/). For 10 GB over 30 days, the Greece plan costs ≈ ₹1,244 (12 Oct rate) and the Europe plan ≈ ₹1,819 (12 Oct rate), so the Europe plan costs more for the same data.

Vi lists Italy and Türkiye in the same unlimited zone as Greece, so its Ultra pack keeps FREE data along such a route. The wider route is covered in the [Europe SIM card guide](/international-sim/europe/), on the [Europe eSIM page](/esim-europe/) and in the [Europe roaming comparison](/roaming/europe/).

## Setting up the Greece eSIM before you fly (manual APN on Android)

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land in Greece. Scan its QR code over home Wi-Fi: data plan validity starts with the first connection to a Greek network, so the QR code install at home costs no days. On Android, the Greece plan needs its access point name typed in by hand; iPhone sets it automatically.

We print no access point name value here: it comes on your order page. The [APN settings guide](/help/apn-settings/) shows where it goes. When you land, switch data roaming on for the eSIM line. Confirm your model on the [eSIM phone list](/esim-compatible-phones/) before you buy; the plans are on the [Greece eSIM page](/esim-greece/).

Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

## Bank OTPs and your Indian number in Greece

Bank OTPs reach you as SMS on your Indian number. The Greece plan has no SMS, so it cannot take them. Leave the Indian SIM in the phone as a second line with mobile data off, and before you fly, ask your operator whether SMS gets through to you in Greece on your plan.

No page can promise that every OTP will reach you; the [OTP guide](/help/keep-indian-sim-for-otp/) covers the dual-SIM settings.

Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. [How card payments work](/how-to-pay/).

## Sources

Checked on 13 Oct 2026 (IST).

1. [Jio roaming plan list](https://www.jio.com/selfcare/plans/mobility/prepaid-plans-list/?category=International%20Roaming&categoryId=SW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbCBSb2FtaW5n) and [100-country list](https://myjiostatic.cdn.jio.com/jio/plan/ir-new-packs.pdf)
2. [Airtel prepaid IR terms, dated 24 Sep 2026](https://assets.airtel.in/static-assets/online-recharge-ui/assets/pdf/tnc.pdf)
3. [Vi prepaid IR terms (UL, non-UL and Budget country lists)](https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/ir/Vi_VF_Prepaid_TnC.pdf)

## FAQ

### Will my Indian SIM work in Greece?

Yes, once international roaming is on, but mobile data needs a roaming pack: with no pack, Airtel bars prepaid data abroad and Vi keeps mobile data off. Jio, Airtel and Vi all list Greece, and the five packs in our table cost ₹951 to ₹3,495 as listed on 13 Oct 2026.

### Do I need to buy a SIM card in Greece?

Only for a Greek number. An eSIM installed in India connects on landing, on Nova or the Greek Vodafone network. A Greece SIM card needs a free slot and an identity check, and on a single-slot phone it displaces your Indian SIM.

### Does the Greece eSIM work on the islands?

The plan names Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu and Kos as well as the mainland, and covers more islands besides. For an island outside those six, ask us before you rely on it there. We promise no signal on every ferry route or beach.

### Can I get OTPs and use WhatsApp with a Greece eSIM?

WhatsApp runs on the eSIM's data. Bank OTPs arrive by SMS on your Indian number, which the Greece plan cannot receive, so keep that SIM active as a second line with its data off. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you.

### Is one eSIM enough for Greece and Italy?

Not the Greece plan, which is for Greece only. The Europe plan lists 41 countries, Greece and Italy among them. On Vi, the ₹3,495 Ultra pack prints FREE data in both, since both sit in Vi's unlimited zone.

### Does my phone support eSIM?

Check your exact model on our eSIM phone list before buying. Your phone must run an eSIM next to a physical SIM, so the Indian SIM stays in for OTPs while the eSIM carries data.