Copenhagen Airport (CPH): the SIM point is a machine, and it never closes

There is no counter — there is a machine

Copenhagen's arrivals SIM point is not a staffed desk. It is a 7-Eleven Go vending machine selling Lycamobile and Lebara SIMs, and it runs 24 hours a day.

That one fact makes CPH different from most European gateways. Vienna's carrier desks shut at 22:00 and Salzburg's single counter may not be staffed at all; a machine has no opening hours and no staff to be absent. The wait is about two minutes at peak and one off-peak, which is really just the time it takes the person in front of you to finish.

Two limits are worth knowing before you rely on it:

• Physical SIM only. The machine cannot sell you an eSIM. If your phone has no SIM tray, it is no use to you.
• Lycamobile and Lebara are the brands on offer. Neither is one of the four Danish network operators — TDC/YouSee, Telia, Telenor and 3 — and we hold no data on which of those networks either brand resells.

The original version of this page claimed a specific machine price and said no ID was needed. We are not repeating either. Our Denmark data says a passport or national ID is required to register a prepaid SIM, and we could not verify the price, so treat the machine as a convenience rather than a known quantity and expect to register.

Free WiFi covers the airport, which is enough to buy and install an eSIM standing in the arrivals hall if the machine is empty or your handset is eSIM-only.

Most people landing here should buy nothing

Denmark is in the European Union, so roam-like-at-home applies. An EU or EEA SIM works in Copenhagen on your domestic allowance, at domestic prices, from the moment your phone reconnects. Given how much of CPH's traffic is intra-European and Nordic — Norway is in the EEA, so Norwegian SIMs count too — the honest advice for most arrivals is to walk past the machine.

British travellers should check their own operator first, because UK networks took different positions on EU roaming after Brexit and several reintroduced charges. Arrivals from outside the EEA are the group with a real decision to make.

What data actually costs in Denmark

A prepaid starter pack at a Danish airport typically runs around $13. Against that:

The Airalo rows were read from Airalo's own site on 13 August 2026. Teledansk is Airalo's retail name for the Danish package, not a carrier.

Denmark's ladder is steep in the middle and cheap at the top. Ten gigabytes costs $17.50, which is dear; fifty costs $35, or $0.70 a gigabyte, which is not. If you are travelling for more than a few days, the large plan is close to the same money as two small ones. Nomad's 10 GB at $16 undercuts Airalo's $17.50, and its 20 GB at $20 undercuts Airalo's $27.50; both are now read off Nomad's own site. An earlier version of this page also put Nomad's 50 GB at $29, below Airalo's $35. That figure was never checked and was wrong — the real price is $45.

Unlimited is sold two ways here. Airalo's verified unlimited runs $11.50 for three days, $35 for ten and $71 for 30. Holafly's verified unlimited runs $36.50 for ten and $73.90 for 30 — cheaper on paper at most durations, but not a price we have confirmed. Holafly sells six windows and no others — 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days — so the 1-day plan this page used to list does not exist.

On networks: Holafly's own listing points to no carrier, and the TDC, Telia and Telenor trio this page used to carry came from our own data rather than from Holafly. Airalo, Saily and Nomad publish no host network for Denmark either. If you need to know whose signal you will be on in rural Jutland, no provider here will tell you before you buy.

The verdict

On an EU or EEA SIM, do nothing at all. Coming from further afield, install an eSIM before you fly — it is live before you reach the baggage belt, and cheaper per gigabyte than anything in the terminal at every size we can price.

The vending machine earns its place as a fallback: it is open when nothing else is, and a physical Danish SIM is the only option if your phone cannot take an eSIM. Just do not fly in counting on a price we could not verify.

Full comparison on the Denmark hub, and check your handset on our eSIM compatible phones list.