Staying connected in Morocco.

All three networks sell visitor data packs and the counters at Marrakech, Casablanca and Fes airports handle tourists all day: roughly 5 to 10 dollars for a generous allowance over a couple of weeks, with your passport. Maroc Telecom generally has the widest rural reach, which matters if you are heading toward the Atlas or the south; Orange and inwi are competitive in the cities and often cheaper.

A week of AT&T or Verizon day passes is 70 to 84 dollars, so the local SIM is a fraction of it, and a travel eSIM at a few dollars per gigabyte costs several times the local pack for less data. We earn a commission on eSIMs and nothing on a Maroc Telecom SIM, and for a two-week Morocco trip the SIM is the cheaper answer.

The gaps here are not obscure corners, they are on plenty of itineraries. The Tizi n'Tichka and Tizi n'Test passes over the High Atlas drop in and out, the Todra and Dades gorges are patchy once you are off the main road, the Sahara south of Zagora and Merzouga is largely empty of signal, and the Rif back roads around Chefchaouen thin quickly. A desert camp will have no coverage and possibly satellite wifi.

None of that is fixed by which plan you buy. Download offline maps before a mountain drive or a desert night, save your riad address and booking so they open offline, and if you are driving the passes, note that a breakdown there is a wait rather than a phone call. In the medinas the opposite problem applies: the signal is fine and the navigation is the hard part, so offline maps earn their place there too.

AT&T and Verizon day passes are about 10 to 12 dollars a day, so a week is 70 to 84 dollars, and AT&T caps its Day Pass at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, about 120 dollars, and covers the rest of that bill period on land, so the daily arithmetic stops past day 10. T-Mobile's current tiers include roughly 5GB on Experience More, Magenta MAX and Go5G Plus, 15GB on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next and 30GB on Better Value, so check yours before buying anything.

The practical note in the eSIM's favour: Moroccan carriers have been slower than most to offer eSIM to visitors, so if your phone has no SIM tray, a local plan may mean a physical SIM you cannot use and the travel eSIM becomes the only workable option rather than merely the convenient one. Worth checking your handset before you count on the counter. This guide is written for US travelers departing the US. For more, see cash or card in Morocco, taxis and apps in Morocco, and the Morocco money guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Morocco

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Morocco, or can I use cards?Short answer: mostly cash. Cards work at hotels and upscale spots, but the souks, taxis and small vendors run on cash. And the dirham is a closed currency, so plan to get it on arrival. Here is how to handle it.
• Tipping in MoroccoMorocco runs on baksheesh: small tips for service, woven into daily life. About 10% at restaurants, plus small amounts for the many people who help you. Here is what you actually owe.
• Taxis in Morocco, and the app that actually worksMorocco runs on two kinds of taxi and a set of ride apps that sit in a legal gray area, which is not what most visitors expect. Here is how the petit and grand taxis work, how to handle the meter, and which app to actually install.
• Common money scams in Morocco, and what they cost youMorocco is a spectacular trip, and the medina hustle you have heard about is almost entirely about money, not danger: pressure, misdirection and manufactured goodwill aimed at your wallet. Once you know the pattern you see it coming, and a calm, firm no defuses nearly all of it.
• What does getting sick in Morocco cost a visitor?Morocco's medical money story is two sentences long. The private clinics where a visitor is treated expect payment up front. And the country's capable medicine lives in a handful of cities, which matters enormously if your trip is the Atlas, the desert or the long road between them.