Kornelijus
Affordable and reliable. Traveled to the US for a trip and used blikst. It was much more affordable than other companies and was very
Bulgaria
Trust score 4.5
Features
- Coverage: Bulgaria
- Network Provider: Telenor
- Speed: 3G / 4G
- Tethering / Hotspot: Yes
Plan Details
Device Compatibility: Most modern smartphones are fully compatible with Blikst eSIMs. However, a few exceptions exist. Check our detailed compatibility list to confirm your device works flawlessly with our service..
Activation Policy: Enjoy automatic activation by simply scanning the QR code provided after purchase. Your eSIM will instantly activate upon your arrival at Bulgaria, ensuring immediate connectivity.
Delivery Time: Receive a confirmation email with your eSIM details right after completing your purchase. Quick and seamless delivery ensures you’re ready to go in minutes.
Description
Bulgaria is where Black Sea beach towns, the Rila and Pirin mountains, and Sofia's Soviet-era grandeur sit within a four-hour drive of each other. It's also an EU country where non-EU travellers — Americans, Brits post-Brexit, and anyone from outside the EEA roam-like-home bubble — still pay full international rates. A Blikst Bulgaria eSIM runs on Telenor Bulgaria (now rebranded as Yettel Bulgaria under its Czech parent) with 3G / 4G coverage across Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo and the main transit corridors.
Where Yettel / Telenor's network holds up
Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and the Sunny Beach / Golden Sands coastal strip all sit on solid 4G. The A1 and A2 motorways between Sofia and the coast are well covered. Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope mountain areas drop to 3G and have dead patches in deeper valleys — Seven Rila Lakes, the ridge above Bansko, and the road to Trigrad Gorge all have offline stretches. Coverage in the Danube bend north of Vidin thins out but stays workable.
What this saves vs. roaming or a local SIM
EU travellers already have "roam like home" and probably don't need an eSIM at all — worth checking your existing plan first. UK and US carriers, though, bill Bulgaria at $10–$12 per day. A1, Yettel, and Vivacom all sell prepaid SIMs in Sofia but ID registration is required. A Blikst plan runs on the same Yettel infrastructure without the shop visit. For a week of Black Sea beach time or a multi-city Balkan loop, it pays back within the first two days compared with home-carrier roaming.
Arriving at SOF, VAR or BOJ
Install the profile at home before you fly. When you land at Sofia (SOF), Varna (VAR) or Burgas (BOJ), switch off airplane mode and the Yettel line registers automatically. Plovdiv (PDV) works the same way. Overland arrivals from Romania (via the Ruse–Giurgiu bridge) or Greece (Kulata–Promachonas border) activate as soon as the eSIM sees a Bulgarian tower.
Apps that matter in Bulgaria
- Google Maps: Cyrillic street signs are the norm outside central Sofia and resort areas — map-based navigation beats squinting at transliterations.
- Yellow Taxi, TaxiMe, Maxim: Uber isn't in Bulgaria; local apps dominate. TaxiMe is the most widely used in Sofia and Varna. Cash or card, app-summoned, fixed price.
- BDZ (national rail): The Bulgarian State Railways app handles Sofia–Plovdiv–Varna–Burgas tickets. Their paper-ticket system still exists but apps are faster.
- WhatsApp and Viber: Viber has unusual market share in Bulgaria compared with Western Europe. Many small businesses message via Viber rather than WhatsApp.
- Revolut and local banking: Bulgaria is cash-friendlier than Western Europe, but contactless is common in cities. Your bank app needs data for instant transfers to rental hosts.
Cyrillic, currency, and the Schengen question
Bulgaria joined Schengen for air and sea travel in March 2024 and for land borders in January 2025, so passport checks have eased. The lev (BGN) is pegged to the euro at ~1.96. Expect Cyrillic on everything outside tourist menus — Google Translate's camera mode handles restaurant menus and road signs cleanly once your eSIM is live.
Plan sizing for Bulgaria trips
A 3-day Sofia city break: 1–3 GB. A week covering Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo: 5 GB. Two-week Black Sea beach holidays based in Sunny Beach, Nessebar or Sozopol: 10 GB, especially if multiple phones tether. Ski season in Bansko or Borovets: 10–20 GB given video calls back home and weather-check apps. Month-long remote-work stays in Sofia: 20 GB or higher.
Install before you fly, land connected, and skip the A1 / Yettel storefront detour. Sofia's first coffee is better with maps already open.
Important Information
- This eSIM plan is only compatible with iPhone, Samsung and Google devices.
- To activate this plan, you will need to provide your IMEI, EID/ICCID and preferred eSim Activation Date.
- On the specified date your eSim will be activated automatically in the USA no QR code needed.
- The plan must be purchased at least 2 days before the activation date to allow time for processing.
Our plans
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How to get your Bliskt eSIM data?
Check Device Compatibility
Confirm that your smartphone or device supports our Blikst eSIM functionality.
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Follow Installation Instructions
Use the provided step-by-step guide to set up and activate your eSIM in few minutes. Then enjoy your trip.
Learn MoreBlikst eSIM Reviews
Marius
Smooth, simple, just works. Use it again.
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Quick activation and stable connection. Super handy 🌟 Used it during my trip in Madeira.
James
Lovely support, got an esim for UK. Had no issues.
Capone
I used to have 3 mobile but the internet connection was not the best, that’s why I started to use Blikst and I find it very useful
eSIM FAQ
The Blikst Bulgaria eSIM runs on Telenor Bulgaria, now rebranded as Yettel Bulgaria under its Czech parent. You get 3G and 4G speeds, with solid 4G across the main cities and motorways and a drop to 3G in the mountains. It's the same Yettel infrastructure a local prepaid SIM would use, just without the shop visit or ID registration.
You'll find solid 4G across Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and the Sunny Beach and Golden Sands coastal strip, plus good coverage on the A1 and A2 motorways between Sofia and the coast. Veliko Tarnovo and the main transit corridors are covered too. Be honest with yourself about the mountains, though: Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes drop to 3G with dead patches in deeper valleys, including the Seven Rila Lakes, the ridge above Bansko and the road to Trigrad Gorge. The Danube bend north of Vidin thins out but stays workable.
Right after you buy, you'll get a confirmation email with your eSIM details, usually within minutes. Scan the QR code to install the profile, ideally at home before you fly. Activation is automatic: when you land at Sofia, Varna, Burgas or Plovdiv, switch off airplane mode and the Yettel line registers itself. Overland arrivals from Romania via the Ruse-Giurgiu bridge or Greece at the Kulata border activate as soon as the eSIM sees a Bulgarian tower.
Most modern smartphones work fully with Blikst eSIMs, though a few exceptions exist, so it's worth checking our detailed compatibility list to be sure. Your phone also needs to be carrier-unlocked. On an iPhone you can confirm eSIM support under Settings, General, About by looking for an EID number; on Android you'll find it in the network or SIM settings. If you can see an EID, you're almost certainly good to go.
It depends on your trip. A three-day Sofia city break is comfortable on 1 to 3 GB. A week covering Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo suits about 5 GB. A two-week Black Sea beach holiday based in Sunny Beach, Nessebar or Sozopol is better on 10 GB, especially if several phones tether. A Bansko or Borovets ski season runs 10 to 20 GB with video calls home and weather apps, and a month-long remote-work stay in Sofia wants 20 GB or more.
Yes, tethering and hotspot use are supported, so you can share your connection with a laptop, a tablet or a travelling companion's phone. This is genuinely useful on a Black Sea beach holiday where multiple phones lean on one plan, so size your data accordingly. Bear in mind hotspot use eats data faster, and in the mountain areas where the network drops to 3G your shared speeds will dip too.
This is a data plan, so it doesn't come with a Bulgarian phone number for traditional calls or SMS. In practice that's rarely a problem: you can call and message over the internet using apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime or Viber, which has unusually high market share in Bulgaria and is how many small businesses prefer to chat. Because the eSIM is a separate digital line, your physical home SIM and number can stay in the phone the whole time.
For most non-EU travellers, yes. UK and US carriers typically bill Bulgaria at around 10 to 12 dollars a day, so a Blikst plan pays for itself within the first two days. A1, Yettel and Vivacom sell prepaid SIMs in Sofia, but they require ID registration in a shop, whereas Blikst runs on the same Yettel network with no storefront detour. One honest note: EU travellers already have roam-like-home, so check your existing plan first, as you may not need an eSIM at all.