European SIM - data-only or talk/text?

[dtoug]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find the right plan for my phone for the Portuguese Camino and although I have found lots of helpful information on the forums I can’t seem to figure out how important it is to have talk and text capability while in Europe.

I’ve seen several data-only eSIM plans (e.g., Airalo, AloSim) that seem significantly cheaper than the Bouygues or Orange travel packages that come with a phone number and with some European talk/text allowance or credits. I’m getting the sense that a Vodafone physical SIM purchased on arrival to Portugal will probably be relatively cheap and likely include talk/text so perhaps that is the best option.

Just curious if others would recommend definitely having some European minutes and SMS available or if going over data/WiFi calling with WhatsApp or the like would be sufficient?

For reference, I have a Canadian phone plan where the roaming “deal” is CAD 16 per day so I don’t plan to use my own plan unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I would definitely get a plan with some minutes. It really won't cost a lot when you're there in Portugal and it gives you the option to phone or text when needed.

 

[Tincatinker]

You could always leave the damn thing at home though that seems as unthinkable as that the earth might orbit the sun

You’ll need, possibly more than once, to phone or text someone for some reason. Capability is available at little cost

 

[C clearly]

Personally, I prefer to have phone minutes for talking, in case the reception is not so good - more important to me on some remote routes. I have never found satisfaction using SMS messaging in Spain. WhatsApp is what I use for text messages.

You could always leave the damn thing at home though that seems as unthinkable as that the earth might orbit the sun

I find it a lot more unthinkable, although I've had to think hard to get my brain past the logic of the un-positivity !

 

[isabeau]

We’re on the Camino Frances now and we got an eSim with talk , text and data. I’ve not used the texting at all as I too use what’s app. Even then we’ve only texted a few times to touch base with our house sitter and daughter. We’ve used the minutes just a few times to call our lodging or a taxi. Otherwise, the data has been most valuable for access to the Camino apps. Even though I could access more I’ve disabled or uninstalled pretty much all my normal apps on my phone to just focus on the Camino. For safety purposes I’m glad we picked the esim with all three (talk, text, data).

 

[mckrowdy]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find the right plan for my phone for the Portuguese Camino and although I have found lots of helpful information on the forums I can’t seem to figure out how important it is to have talk and text capability while in Europe.

I’ve seen several data-only eSIM plans (e.g., Airalo, AloSim) that seem significantly cheaper than the Bouygues or Orange travel packages that come with a phone number and with some European talk/text allowance or credits. I’m getting the sense that a Vodafone physical SIM purchased on arrival to Portugal will probably be relatively cheap and likely include talk/text so perhaps that is the best option.

Just curious if others would recommend definitely having some European minutes and SMS available or if going over data/WiFi calling with WhatsApp or the like would be sufficient?

For reference, I have a Canadian phone plan where the roaming “deal” is CAD 16 per day so I don’t plan to use my own plan unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

Hi.
My wife and I completed the CP from Porto last week. We got a 30€ Vodafone SIM in Lisbon. It was something like 30GB for 30 days. We weren't planning to, but ended up mainly booking accommodation a day or two ahead, using the good ol' Brierley (RIP) guide. The phone definitely came in handy for that.
Buen Camino

 

[gml]

Hi.
We got a 30€ Vodafone SIM in Lisbon. It was something like 30GB for 30 days.

I did the same thing last October -- got a 30-euro, 30-day talk-data-text SIM at Vodaphone in Lisbon with unlimited calls in Portugal and more data than I needed. When I crossed into Spain, I reinstalled my data-only SIM and had to rely on a somewhat unreliable phone app if I needed to make calls. Comparing the two experiences, I would recommend getting the Vodaphone SIM for your time in Portugal. I didn't make very many calls, but it was reassuring to know that the service was available to me.

 

[SusanWW]

I’m on the Camino Frances now with a 20 Euro SIM from Vodaphone that gives me a month of data in Europe with Spain-only talk and text. I was happy to be able to call a taxi driver over the last couple of days and it is great to have access to Wise Camino and Google Maps; we took the wrong Camino variant for our destination yesterday and it was nice to be able to get back on track. I bought the SIM in Madrid. Well worth the price. I’d definitely spring for one if I were in Portugal! Coming from North America, I find the European phone deals to be a great bargain.

And kudos to all who cast phones aside while on pilgrimage. Buen camino!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I recently spent 3 weeks in Ireland and for this I bought 4 weeks of 5 GB of eSIM data from Airalo. I only used half of that because wifi was so available. So I suggest getting getting a voice and data combination plan from a local network so you do have a number available if you need it.

By the way, I recently noticed a webpage that indicated that almost 90% of smartphones in each of Portugal, Spain and Italy have Whatsapp installed so a data only eSIM really isn't too bad a buy instead.

 

[Thyme_Is_Running_Out]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find the right plan for my phone for the Portuguese Camino and although I have found lots of helpful information on the forums I can’t seem to figure out how important it is to have talk and text capability while in Europe.

I’ve seen several data-only eSIM plans (e.g., Airalo, AloSim) that seem significantly cheaper than the Bouygues or Orange travel packages that come with a phone number and with some European talk/text allowance or credits. I’m getting the sense that a Vodafone physical SIM purchased on arrival to Portugal will probably be relatively cheap and likely include talk/text so perhaps that is the best option.

Just curious if others would recommend definitely having some European minutes and SMS available or if going over data/WiFi calling with WhatsApp or the like would be sufficient?

For reference, I have a Canadian phone plan where the roaming “deal” is CAD 16 per day so I don’t plan to use my own plan unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

I got data-only (Orange eSIM) and used WhatsApp for texting and FaceTime for calling.

 

[Jensjaunt]

Hi - as a fellow Canadian I know about the roaming fees! I purchased an orange travel holiday SIM to use - as I required the ability to phone Canada occasionally. It also allowed me to call my bank in Canada when needed related to changing the third party verification process! I had forgotten this nec step so my card could be used! I also had unlimited calls in Europe. So no problem when needed to call as I travelled. Most Albergues will have WIFi and what’s app is great but calling gets you an immediate response - so if you are making bookings on the fly or needing to respond quickly you may need a plan that gives you more. I ended up getting 2 eSIMs ( when one expired) as I was away longer than the active period and was easier than registering. I used sim options web site and a nice hotel in Astorga printed off the paperwork so I could easily scan a QRcode and activate a new SIM when in Spain.

 

[KiwiRon]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find the right plan for my phone for the Portuguese Camino and although I have found lots of helpful information on the forums I can’t seem to figure out how important it is to have talk and text capability while in Europe.

I’ve seen several data-only eSIM plans (e.g., Airalo, AloSim) that seem significantly cheaper than the Bouygues or Orange travel packages that come with a phone number and with some European talk/text allowance or credits. I’m getting the sense that a Vodafone physical SIM purchased on arrival to Portugal will probably be relatively cheap and likely include talk/text so perhaps that is the best option.

Just curious if others would recommend definitely having some European minutes and SMS available or if going over data/WiFi calling with WhatsApp or the like would be sufficient?

For reference, I have a Canadian phone plan where the roaming “deal” is CAD 16 per day so I don’t plan to use my own plan unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

My experience is Spain only, but worth recounting I think. I bought and had fitted an Orange sim card. It worked well, but I soon had a bill to pay! I found that my calls to outside Europe (I am from New Zealand) cost big time. (Calls inside Europe, free.) Now my NZ folk call me on WhatsApp, and I have incurred no further charges. I have not called them. I write quite a big WhatsApp post every day to them all, no charges seem to apply.

 

[jalluisi]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find the right plan for my phone for the Portuguese Camino and although I have found lots of helpful information on the forums I can’t seem to figure out how important it is to have talk and text capability while in Europe.

I’ve seen several data-only eSIM plans (e.g., Airalo, AloSim) that seem significantly cheaper than the Bouygues or Orange travel packages that come with a phone number and with some European talk/text allowance or credits. I’m getting the sense that a Vodafone physical SIM purchased on arrival to Portugal will probably be relatively cheap and likely include talk/text so perhaps that is the best option.

Just curious if others would recommend definitely having some European minutes and SMS available or if going over data/WiFi calling with WhatsApp or the like would be sufficient?

For reference, I have a Canadian phone plan where the roaming “deal” is CAD 16 per day so I don’t plan to use my own plan unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

My husband is currently using Airalo app on our Portuguese camino. It's a e-sims. You do have have to a phone that supports e-sims. He got 5 gig for all Europe for 20 dollars. We are from the US. We do use whatsapp on wifi as well. I have a German Sims card that we got from our son. I get 6 gig for 20 euros. It doesn't include cell service. It's data only. The e-sims does have plans that include cell service but we don't need it here as we email or use whatsapp.

Hope this helps.

 

[Charlie Davenport]

Do eecognize that an eSim and Sim cars are identical ... you will want to be able to have some data plan for WhatsApp with Albergues Gites etc . We are using Orange Holiday for 40€ a mobth, our Verizon plan is on hold ($10 a month) and all is cheaper with 12 gig a month of data, an hour plus of calls outside of the EU and unlimited calls and text in the EU ... I've been here since August and nownin my 2nd countey (France and now Romania and have yet to come near the gig usage... we dont do videos but I do post to FB and send stuff via WhatsApp to our kids in the US...

 

[Rita Flower]

I was an e-sim newbie last year and unknowingly just got data. I ended up using Skype calls if I needed to call to book ahead a couple of times. I already use Skype calls to join conference calls in the US (I’m in Oz)
Most accommodation responded promptly to email. WhatsApp is also very popular in Spain and I used that for texting in Spain.
To call home I used FaceTime as my people are all ‘dreaded’ iPhone users
A bit of a mish-mash but it worked.

 

[dtoug]

Thank you all for your feedback! Very helpful! Sounds like I could get by with data-only by emailing auberges or using Skype but having some minutes would be more convenient. Great suggestions on the Orange, Airalo and Vodafone plans.

I like the idea of having a few international minutes/texts as I think I have changed all my 2-factor authentications to email/apps but it's possible I missed a few!

 

[dtoug]

Update: I got a Portuguese Vodafone eSIM before leaving Canada as it was cheaper than Orange/Airalo/Holafly for minutes. Website is very easy to use and in English for buying the eSIM but on landing in Dublin I received texts in Portuguese about roaming fees and wound up having a conversation with a Portuguese chat bot on WhatsApp and feeding it through Google translate because all the help pages are in Portuguese. All is working fine now but just a note of caution for those planning to buy ahead and land somewhere other than Portugal (if I had flown direct I could have gone to the Vodafone kiosk)

 

[auburnfive]

go for the talk text, if you need to call a cab or your accommodation it’s helpful. 20 Euro for 4 weeks, with Vodaphone, included lots of data and 200 minutes for North America. I took an old cellphone, and the phone store set it up for me in Porto.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Thank you all for your feedback! Very helpful! Sounds like I could get by with data-only by emailing auberges or using Skype but having some minutes would be more convenient. Great suggestions on the Orange, Airalo and Vodafone plans.

I like the idea of having a few international minutes/texts as I think I have changed all my 2-factor authentications to email/apps but it's possible I missed a few!

Prepaid SIM card & Pay as you go bundles

Enjoy the best network in Spain with our pay-as-you-go bundles. Free delivery on your SIM card, and any unused data rolls into the next period.

www.vodafone.es

Vodafone Spain prepaid bundles, €10 for 28days, renewable:

50GB Data
300 minutes international phone call minutes
Includes roaming in EU, UK and EEUU

Sounds good to me. In June this year I got their €20 equivalent which at that time included 120GB (now 140GB) data and unlimited calling within Spain in addition to the 300 minutes international calling (includes Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada) and EU and UK roaming. I am a bit of a data hog and I don't like running out!

 

[KCP]

We’re on the Camino Frances now and we got an eSim with talk , text and data. I’ve not used the texting at all as I too use what’s app. Even then we’ve only texted a few times to touch base with our house sitter and daughter. We’ve used the minutes just a few times to call our lodging or a taxi. Otherwise, the data has been most valuable for access to the Camino apps. Even though I could access more I’ve disabled or uninstalled pretty much all my normal apps on my phone to just focus on the Camino. For safety purposes I’m glad we picked the esim with all three (talk, text, data).

curious what esim you are using that offers talk, text and data.

 

[isabeau]

curious what esim you are using that offers talk, text and data.

We bought them from Simcorner while in the US and were given French phone numbers to use while we were abroad. I only wished I had turned them on before I left even if it ate a day or two of time because it was a hassle that took many hours and a few days to iron out with our US and the temporary provider.

 

[NorthernLight]

You may want to confirm that your talk and data plan includes or excludes sms. My Orange plan in Spain did not include text messages and I struggled with Whatsapp for a while and accidentally sent text messages. Prep your loved ones at home to use Whatapp and you can phone them using your data.

 

[Rita Flower]

curious what esim you are using that offers talk, text and data.

I think most companies that offer esims offer a choice. Here is a link to Airalo (who I used) as an example. You can see tabs to help select what you want.

Global eSIMs for Travelers | Data, Calls, Texts | Airalo

Coverage across 130 countries. Data, calls, and texts. Instantly connect to a mobile network. Affordable eSIM plans. 100% digital installation. 24/7 support. World's largest eSIM marketplace. Download your global eSIM now.

www.airalo.com

 

[KCP]

I think most companies that offer esims offer a choice. Here is a link to Airalo (who I used) as an example. You can see tabs to help select what you want.

Global eSIMs for Travelers | Data, Calls, Texts | Airalo

Coverage across 130 countries. Data, calls, and texts. Instantly connect to a mobile network. Affordable eSIM plans. 100% digital installation. 24/7 support. World's largest eSIM marketplace. Download your global eSIM now.

www.airalo.com

THanks. I've used Airlo successfully a few times but didn't notice the text and call options. Will check it out.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

curious what esim you are using that offers talk, text and data.

Most providers will give you the choice of a physical or eSIM

 

[KCP]

Most providers will give you the choice of a physical or eSIM

will look into this. thanks.