Phones, Wi-Fi and Power

The short version

For a one-week resort trip, the simplest plan is to rely on resort Wi-Fi plus your US carrier's day pass on the days you leave the property, or to buy an eSIM before you fly. For two weeks or more, or if you are traveling around the country, a local Claro or Altice SIM or eSIM gives you the best price and a Dominican number that taxi drivers, guesthouses and tour operators can reach on WhatsApp.

US phone plans in the Dominican Republic

All three big US carriers work in the Dominican Republic through roaming deals with Claro and Altice. What changes is the price and the speed. Check your own plan in your carrier's app before you go, since plan names and allowances change often, and confirm that roaming is switched on.

Verizon

TravelPass costs $12 a day in more than 210 countries and destinations, and the Dominican Republic is on the list. You use your normal US talk, text and data allowance, and you are charged only on days when you use your phone abroad. On Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Welcome, TravelPass is added automatically, which means a single background data session can trigger the daily charge.

Unlimited Ultimate already includes international data, talk and text, so TravelPass does not apply. Check in the My Verizon app how much high-speed data your version gives you abroad.

For trips of nine days or longer, Verizon's $100 International Monthly Plan gives 20 GB of high-speed data, then slower 3G-speed data, unlimited texts and 250 minutes. For a 10-day trip that is cheaper than ten TravelPass days.

AT&T

International Day Pass is $12 a day in more than 210 destinations, including the Dominican Republic, and like TravelPass it uses your domestic plan and charges only on days you use the phone. On cruise ships the Day Pass costs $20 a day, which matters if you are arriving at Amber Cove, Taíno Bay or La Romana on a ship. Some AT&T plans include roaming in a group of Latin American countries; check in the myAT&T app if your plan covers the Dominican Republic before you pay for a Day Pass.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile's current plans include data in more than 215 countries at no extra charge. Experience Beyond includes 15 GB of high-speed data abroad, and Experience More includes 5 GB; after that, data continues at up to 256 kbps, which is enough for WhatsApp messages and maps and painful for anything else. Older plans such as Magenta and Go5G include unlimited slow data, and some higher tiers include a high-speed allowance. Voice calls are billed per minute, but Wi-Fi calling to the US, Mexico and Canada is free.

If you need more speed, T-Mobile sells International Pass add-ons in its app. The plans are meant for travel, so long stays abroad can trigger a warning or a slowdown.

Other carriers

Google Fi includes data in its covered destinations, and the Dominican Republic has long been one of them; check your plan tier. Many prepaid and discount carriers, including several that run on the big networks, include only Mexico and Canada or charge high pay-per-use rates. Look up your carrier's international page before you land, or switch off cellular data on arrival.

Travel eSIMs

An eSIM is a digital SIM you buy online and install on your phone before you leave, keeping your US number active on the physical SIM for texts and bank codes. Most iPhones from the XS onward and recent Pixel and Samsung phones support eSIMs, but the phone must be unlocked. If you bought it on a payment plan with a carrier, check that it is unlocked first.

Travel eSIM sellers such as Airalo, Holafly and Saily sell Dominican plans that ride on a local network. In October 2026, Airalo's Dominican Republic plans ran on Altice, with unlimited data from about $18.50 for 3 days, $37 for 7 days and $49 for 10 days. Fixed-data plans can be cheaper for light users.

1. Buy the plan a day or two before you fly, and install it at home on Wi-Fi by scanning the QR code or using the seller's app.
2. Label it something like "DR data" and leave it switched off until you land.
3. On arrival, turn on the eSIM line for cellular data and data roaming, and keep your US line on for calls and texts only, with its data roaming off.
4. Check that the phone shows Claro or Altice as the network and that the data counter on the eSIM is moving.

Local SIM cards: Claro and Altice

The two main networks are Claro, the largest, with the widest coverage in the countryside and mountains, and Altice, strong in cities and tourist areas. Viva is a smaller third carrier. A local prepaid line (prepago) gives you a Dominican number and local data prices, which add up to real savings over two weeks or more.

Where to buy

Go to a Claro or Altice company store (tienda), where staff register the line and set it up properly. Most big malls have both: Ágora Mall, Blue Mall, Galería 360 and Sambil in Santo Domingo; Downtown Punta Cana and Palma Real Shopping Village in Bávaro; Colinas Mall in Santiago. Small towns have branded dealers too. You will need your passport, since SIM cards are registered to an ID, and an unlocked phone. Staff can set up the line and the data package for you, and both carriers offer eSIMs in store for compatible phones.

Lines can be long on Saturdays and at the end of the month. A weekday morning is the quickest time.

Data packages and top-ups

Prepaid data comes in packages (paquetes or paquetitos) lasting a day, a week or a month. Prices change often, so ask in store what the current weekly and monthly offers are and what happens when the package runs out. Top-ups (recargas) are sold at colmados, pharmacies, supermarkets and gas stations across the country, and you can also top up and buy packages in the Mi Claro or Mi Altice app.

Coverage

4G LTE covers cities, highways and the main tourist areas, and both networks have 5G in parts of Santo Domingo, Santiago and Punta Cana. Expect gaps in the mountains around Constanza and on the Pico Duarte trails, in parts of the far southwest around Pedernales and Bahía de las Águilas, on stretches of the Samaná Peninsula and on boats far from shore. Claro is generally the safer choice for rural travel. Download offline maps before you head for the mountains or the southwest.

Phone numbers and dialing

The Dominican Republic is part of the North American numbering plan, so its numbers look just like American ones: country code 1, then a three-digit area code (809, 829 or 849) and a seven-digit number. Inside the country you dial all ten digits.

The national emergency number is 911. The safety page covers the tourist police (POLITUR) and the US Embassy.

WhatsApp runs the country

If you install one app, make it WhatsApp. Dominicans use it for everything: family chats, booking a table, ordering from the colmado, arranging a driver, confirming an excursion, talking to a guesthouse owner, even messaging doctors. Business cards, restaurant menus and beach shack signs list a WhatsApp number before anything else, and many small businesses never answer an ordinary phone call.

• Install it at home and verify your US number before you go. It keeps working on that number abroad over Wi-Fi or any data connection.
• Save useful contacts with the full number, starting +1 809, +1 829 or +1 849.
• Voice notes are normal here. Many drivers and hosts prefer a quick audio message to typing.
• Send your location to your driver or host with the share-location button. Street addresses are often vague, and a pin solves it.
• Get written confirmation of prices for transfers and tours in the chat, so there is no confusion later.

Useful apps

Food delivery apps operate in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Punta Cana, and many restaurants take orders on WhatsApp. Before you fly, fill in the e-Ticket on the official migration website; it is a web form, and the entry page explains it.

Wi-Fi at resorts, hotels and cafés

Almost every resort and hotel now includes Wi-Fi, but quality varies a lot. It is usually strong in the lobby and main restaurants and weaker in far-off buildings and on the beach. Some resorts sell a faster tier or reserve the best connection for club or VIP rooms. Evenings, when everyone is streaming, are the slowest time.

• Read recent reviews that mention Wi-Fi if you need to work, and ask the resort which buildings get the best signal.
• Ask for a room close to the main building, or bring a small travel router that plugs into an Ethernet port if your room has one.
• In cities, cafés and restaurants nearly all have free Wi-Fi: ask for "la clave del wifi" (the Wi-Fi password).
• Punta Cana airport offers free Wi-Fi, which helps when you need to call an Uber on arrival.
• Avoid banking on open networks unless you use a VPN.

Working remotely

Santo Domingo, Santiago, Cabarete and Las Terrenas have fiber internet in many apartments and a few coworking spaces, and long-stay visitors work from all four. In rural guesthouses and mountain lodges, speeds can be slow and power cuts more frequent, so keep a mobile data plan as a backup. The long stays page covers longer remote-work trips.

Plugs, voltage and power cuts

Dominican outlets take the same plugs as American ones, Type A (two flat pins) and Type B (two flat pins plus a round ground pin), at 110–120 volts and 60 Hz. Your phone charger, laptop, hair dryer and CPAP machine work without an adapter or converter.

Power cuts (apagones) still happen in parts of the country, especially in smaller towns and in hot months when demand peaks. Resorts and most hotels have generators (plantas) or battery inverters (inversores) that kick in within seconds, though air conditioning may pause briefly. Guesthouses may run only lights and fans on backup.

• Bring a power bank, especially for day trips and long bus rides.
• Plug expensive electronics into a surge-protected strip if you will be somewhere with frequent cuts.
• If you rely on a medical device, ask your hotel in writing how its backup power works.

Keeping your phone safe

Phone snatching, often by thieves on motorbikes, is the most common street crime visitors meet in Santo Domingo and other cities. Step into a shop or doorway to check a map, keep the phone away from the curb side of the sidewalk, and do not hold it out of a car window. On the beach, never leave a phone on your towel while you swim. Turn on Find My iPhone or Find My Device, and know how to lock the phone remotely. The safety page has more.

Checklist before you fly

• Check your US plan's international rules in your carrier's app and decide: day pass, included data, eSIM or local SIM.
• If you are using an eSIM or a local SIM, confirm that your phone is unlocked.
• Install WhatsApp, Uber, Google Maps offline areas, Google Translate offline Spanish and your airline app.
• Pack a power bank, a three-to-two-prong adapter and a short power strip.
• Save your hotel, driver and tour contacts with their full +1 numbers in WhatsApp.
• Read up on money and flights, and plan the rest of the trip with the planning guide and the packing list.