Why the pickup runs on WhatsApp
Every booking we confirm comes with the same routine: we track your flight, and when it lands the driver sends you a WhatsApp message — his name, the car, and exactly where he is standing outside arrivals. It works the same at 2pm and at 2am, and it is why a working phone matters more at STI than at most airports.
The backup is low-tech and always works: a printed sign with your name, held just outside the arrivals exit. If your phone is dead, broken, or still in airplane mode, you will find the driver the old way.
One practical move before you leave home: save our number, +1 849 377 5889, in your contacts and send us a first message while you still have home WiFi. That opens the chat on your phone, so at STI you are replying, not typing a new number with bags on your shoulder.
eSIM before you fly — the easy version
If your phone supports eSIM, this is the option we see work best. You buy a data plan online a day or two before the flight, install it at home on your own WiFi, and switch it on when the plane doors open. There is nothing to find, no queue, no passport photocopy — the phone is simply online when you stand up.
Your home number stays on the physical SIM for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps working on your usual number regardless of which SIM carries the data.
Compare a few providers before buying rather than grabbing the first search result — packages and validity periods differ, and we cannot recommend one over another from the dispatch desk. For a one- to two-week stay in the Cibao, a modest data package is plenty, since most hotels have WiFi on top.
Local SIM at STI — the counter past customs
There is a SIM counter in the small arrivals hall at STI, past customs, where you can buy a local tourist SIM. Bring your passport — registration requires it — and expect the setup to take a few minutes.
This makes sense for longer stays, for travellers whose phones do not support eSIM, and for anyone planning days out around Santiago, Jarabacoa or Puerto Plata where a local number and generous data help.
If there is a queue at the counter, skip it. Our driver will not leave without you, and your hotel has working WiFi at check-in — a SIM bought in Santiago city the next morning does the same job without the line.
Free airport WiFi — what it is good for
STI has free WiFi in the terminal, and it is genuinely useful in two moments: pulling up the e-ticket QR code if you did not screenshot it, and answering the driver's WhatsApp message before you have any SIM at all.
Treat it as a bridge, not a plan. It covers the arrivals hall well enough for messages and forms, but you lose it the moment you walk to the car, and it is not what you want to rely on for a trip of maps and restaurant bookings.
Roaming on your home plan
Some home carriers include the Dominican Republic in their roaming packages and some charge heavily for it — that answer lives with your carrier, not with us. Check the exact rate before you board.
If your plan includes roaming at a fair price, it is the zero-effort option: the phone just works on landing. If it does not, switch data roaming off before touchdown and use one of the other three options.
Once you are connected — your pickup
From the moment you answer the driver's message, the rest is the short part. Walk out through customs, look for the printed name sign just outside the arrivals exit, and you are in the car. STI's single terminal makes this a short walk compared with a large hub.
We track the flight, so a late landing changes nothing — the message arrives when you land, not when you were supposed to. If bags take an hour, the car waits; airline delay wait is included.
Fixed destination price per vehicle, nothing prepaid: you pay the driver at the end of the ride in US dollars or pesos. Send the flight number when you book on WhatsApp and the meeting point stays the same every time.
Send the flight, get the price in writing
Hotel name, flight number, date and party size. We reply with the fixed rate, track the flight and meet you inside arrivals with a name sign. Pay the driver on arrival.
Book on WhatsAppQuestions we get on this
- Does Cibao Airport have free WiFi?
- Yes — free WiFi covers the small terminal and is fine for WhatsApp messages and pulling up your e-ticket QR code. It drops once you walk out to the car, so treat it as a bridge until your eSIM or local SIM is working.
- Do I need a working SIM before I land at STI?
- No. Your driver holds a printed name sign outside arrivals whether or not your phone works. A connection just makes the handover faster — the driver messages you on WhatsApp when your flight lands.
- What if my phone is dead when I land?
- You will still find the driver: look for the printed name sign just outside the arrivals exit. The car is pre-booked and the flight is tracked, so nothing depends on your phone working.
- eSIM or a local SIM for a two-week stay?
- For most travellers an eSIM installed before the flight is the easier answer — no queue and no passport registration at the airport. A local SIM from the counter past customs makes sense for longer stays or phones without eSIM support.
- Does WhatsApp work in the Dominican Republic on my home number?
- Yes. WhatsApp is tied to your number, not to which SIM carries the data. With an eSIM or local SIM providing data, WhatsApp keeps working on your usual number — including the chat with your driver.
- Can I reach the driver without mobile data?
- Yes, on the free airport WiFi in the arrivals hall — it is enough for WhatsApp. And if nothing connects at all, the printed name sign outside the arrivals exit is the backup that always works.