Buying a SIM Card in Poland

Last updated: 30 July 2023

Note:  Don’t have time to read the entire post? Just want to know what you have to do to activate your Polish SIM card data offer? No worries, here you go; straight to 2 steps to activate the data offer

Are you planning to visit Poland? If you are and you’re like us then you’ll want to remain connected to the internet during your visit and the best way to do that is by getting a local SIM card with a data allowance.

There’s are a few mobile carriers in Poland, all with different areas of coverage, tariffs, and internet allowances. After speaking to a few people, and the very good advice of my friend, Jacek, we decided to pick up a PLAY SIM card.

Play Prepaid SIM card

I was pretty sure that the process of getting a local SIM was going to be like most other European countries. However, to my surprise I did find Poland just a tad more complicated (and not being able to speak/read the language did made it all a bit more challenging). I needed to call in the big guns and ask for some help from Jacek to get it all activated. 

Buying & Activating the SIM Card

We stopped by one of the many local small convenience stores in Warsaw and picked up a PLAY SIM card for 5 zl (about £1). The activation of the SIM card couldn’t be easier, you simply open the package, take out the SIM card (both Micro and Nano in SIM card tray), and insert into your phone. Once you turn the phone on, it will automatically connect to the Play mobile network and send you the Internet settings. I found that the Internet settings were already enabled before the message came through so that made it even easier.

Which Data Tariff Should I Activate?

There are plenty of tariffs to choose from and they all have different inclusions, however the one which we were most interested in was the 20 zl option which included 6GB of data of 30 days. 6GB of data was perfect for a week long travel around Poland, but how to activate it?

Polish SIM Card Data Tariff

A few different ways to activate the data allowance;

Dial a number  – not a great choice because I don’t speak Polish

Internet – There was an option to top up with the amount but then I didn’t know which option to select next to activate the data tariff

Short Dial Code – the preferred option.

buying a SIM card in Poland

The Simplest Option

Step 1:  Top up with 20 zl

You can do this a variety of ways (online, ATM, stores) and we found that the easiest option was to stop by one of the many newsagent/convenience stores and purchase 2x 10 zl  voucher (denominations are only available in 5,10, 30, and 50 zl so if you want exactly 20 zl then get 2x 10 zl vouchers)

Step 2: Once topped up, activate your data tariff

Open your phone keypad and enter *111*533*1# and call to activate the data pack. Shortly afterwards you will receive a message advising that the request has been activated!

Polish SIM Card Activation Message

Thank you – the order adopted for implementation. The service pack 6GB (20.00 PLN will be switched on, we can take up to 24 hours. More on www.play.pl

Was It Worthwhile Buying It?

The SIM card and the 6GB data allowance was all we needed for the entire 8 days we were travelling throughout Poland! And for those of you who know us, we tend to rely heavily on our data connection so this SIM card had a workout during our travels and not once did it disappoint.

We used the SIM card for tethering, streaming, Google Maps, constant internet searches and our total use came in at 4.89GB!

The Play SIM card and 6GB data plan was the best investment we made during our Poland rail adventure and absolutely recommend getting a Polish SIM card on your travels.

Born and raised in Sydney Australia and currently based in London, I absolutely love exploring the UK and Europe at every opportunity. It still thrills me that all it takes is an hour flight to be in a new country with a completely different history, language, food, and culture that is just waiting to be experienced. We started our blog, Roaming Required, as a way to keep in contact with family and friends, and over the last 10 years, the blog has grown and evolved and it remains a real passion project. We've travelled a lot in the 10 years living in London and there's still plenty more to experience. So, why not join us for the adventure and come roam with us!

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Comments (7)

  1. Hi! Do you know if this will work for calls as well? Or do you know which card to purchase in Poland for internet and making phone calls? I should also note that I will want to be able to make calls to the US while in Poland. I will be traveling next week and want to make sure my phone is working! Thanks!

    1. Hi Ashley, first thing I’d do if I was you is to be sure your phone is unlocked. Do this before you leave the US. Making calls, I’d be inclined to use data to do this, it’s usually the cheapest option especially when it’s international calls you’re making. Skype, Viber, Google Hangouts, even What’s App will enable you to do this. Just be sure to get extra data to cover your usage, voice calls will use more data than internet browsing, video calls will use A LOT more data. Happy travels!

  2. Hello, I was using that sim card when I was in Poland. But then my Erasmus is over and I’m out of the country. and when I was leaving I haven’t cancelled that sim card. Does it make a problem for me? Is the sim card cancelling itself after a while without any using? I’m asking because.

    1. Hi Ozan, you should be fine to just destroy the SIM card (or keep it) for future travels. If it’s PAYG then there should be no additional charges, if it’s a contract/plan then that’s a different situation. Hope that helps your situation.

  3. Very useful information and just in time – we are planing to visit Poland and Lithuania in the beginning of September and we were doing research on prepaid SIM cards. I am actually very surprised regarding pricing, I was sure that prepaid services in Poland would be much more expensive. Do you know if you can get any mobile data with the initial package which you bought for 5 zl? Or is it completely empty and you are basically paying for the SIM card itself? I made small research myself regarding traveling in Lithuania and prepaid SIM card called Ezys seems to be pretty decent option. Pricing and process is very similar to Poland’s Play card. You buy initial card for 2.29 EUR (pretty much anywhere in the major shopping malls, kiosks, outlets, etc), with it you get 1GB of 4GB internet, 250mins calls and 6000 SMS. If that’s not enough you can buy extra – for example 6.39 EUR for 4 GB, valid one month http://www.ezys.lt/en/

    1. Thanks for the comment, Dan.

      Oh you’re travelling through Poland and Lithuania next month, you’re going to have an amazing time! I definitely thought that the prices would be more expensive too but Polish data was definitely affordable. So re your questions. The 5zl package we purchased was just the SIM card so you will need to purchase the top up vouchers. We purchased 2x 10zl recharge amounts (recharge no on the receipt) and once we topped up we then used the short dial code to activate the 6GB offer.

      The offer you’ve found for Lithuania looks good to me and it’ll be one I keep in mind when we (hopefully) return to Lithuania. It’s a beautiful country, you’re going to love it!

      1. Thanks for the info, Russell!

        Yes, very much looking forward for our trip!

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