Question about phones and SIM cards in Spain

[Burlington]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

 

[Molly Cassidy]

You should be able to get a sim card, on production of your passport and it will be registered. If you get a normal local sim it is easy to top up online. I got a Vodafone sim with 25GB of data for €10.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I do believe that only locals can get certain plans. I think the way it goes is that tourists are required to get non-automatically renewal plans. I think these are the prepaid plans. Locals probably can get plans where they are billed monthly. I'm not sure about the details but perhaps something else will be seen on this to verify.

What I am sure about is you need to show a passport and you can get plans that can be recharged but it will involve at least a little bit of effort on your part.

The plans will likely be for 28 days so you may need to recharge unless you are willing to use your home network with roaming for a few days.

 

[davejsy]

You can get PAYG no problem.

 

[K_Lynn]

In October my sister and I bought prepaid Orange SIM cards at a kiosk at Madrid airport (just by the Metro entrance) and the young woman helped us set up our phones, including removing the pesky PIN that Orange insists upon. 20 Euros for 28 days, 50gb data. On my previous Camino, I bought a prepaid SIM in Pamplona.

You should have no trouble finding a kiosk in an airport or a physical store in major cities to purchase a SIM card. Vodaphone and Orange seem to be the most common, but there are others.

 

[David Tallan]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

I got a Spanish SIM card that enabled me to make local calls when I was in Madrid airport earlier this year. I think it was pretty clear that they were selling it to a tourist rather than a local. I've never tried to get a burner phone. For what it's worth, I would suspect that a burner phone is much more amenable to misuse than a SIM card that is associated with my ID. If they are prohibiting the SIM card for security reasons, I can't see them permitting burner phones.

 

[OzAnnie]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

Hi @Burlington
No problems getting a SIM card for your phone which includes local calls . There are different providers. I use Vodafone.
-if you can find a Vodafone store - choose 15€ sim PlanM.
You’ll also get more data then you’ll need plus 800 minutes of international calls is included !! Plan is for 28 days. Screenshot below shows option M inclusions plus other options available.
You can renew online or in a store. I’ve had these put in for me in Madrid and Ávila.

They will put the sim in for you . You’ll need your passport .

 

[DeaconJohnny]

I got a Vodafone SIM card for September 2023 and it worked great for calls and Web data.

 

[nathanael]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

When I was in Madrid in early May to start my Camino I went to an internet store and I got a Spanish sim card. When I arrived in Santiago I got another since they are only for 28 days.

 

[Mormon]

I was able to get a Spanish sim card in 2018.

 

[AR1965]

How would this work for Apple phones? I don’t think there’s a place to put a SIM card.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

How would this work for Apple phones? I don’t think there’s a place to put a SIM card.

The newest US iPhones only have eSIMs. With eSIMs you can have at least two phone numbers on your phone. Use the forum search feature to seek for threads with eSIM as part of the title. I submitted a fair number of posts to this one:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/questions-about-esim-card.75197/

Apple support has a helpful video for you that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't work if you access it through the forum. If it doesn't work go to YouTube to view with video id 7lnEQLVOsH4

 

[LindaGRobert]

I had purchased a sim from Amazon for most European countries, Travsim- then decided to get one in Bilbao for Spain. The only problem was if I shut my phone, it was locked and I needed the PIN number to unlock it. Not good if you don’t know that ahead of time. I ended up carrying pin with me, after that. Card worked good.

 

[jrewins]

How would this work for Apple phones? I don’t think there’s a place to put a SIM card.

The new Apple phones have electronic SIMs. Mine is a 15 and I think that’s the first model that has electronic SIMs. Be aware that electronic SIMs are a new concept, and while they are very convenient, some of the Mobil phone retail store employees may not be familiar with them and it may take some time to find someone who knows how to load one. Be patient, and when a phone store employee says, “We can’t sell a tourist plan on an electronic SIM“, just ask to speak with the next level of management. Eventually, you find someone who knows how to do it.

I’ve used Orange in ‘22 & ‘23, and as stated, you can get a 28 day, non-renewable, SIM (physical or electronic) with data (25G - 50G), for ~€25. At the end of 28 days you will need to visit an Orange store and purchase another plan…yes, you will get another Spanish phone #, but it doesn’t impact pilgrims as a Spanish # is only needed to dial out locally.

CAUTION: Spain and Portugual tourist phone plans don’t play well together. If you buy a tourist plan in one country, you’ll have difficulty using it in the other. There are settings that can be adjusted when you cross borders, so plan to visit the retail store of the provider as soon as you can when you cross. If you do not do this, when you try to place an outgoing call in the country where the plan was not purchased, the system will see it as a call outside the local calling area, and since it is a tourist plan without a payment method, it will not allow the call.

Do your homework before you leave home and have a plan for phone use while on the camino. IMHO, dealing with phone issues while on the Camino is a huge waste of time. Like all other aspects of your Camino life, a little preparation goes a long way toward enhancing your experience.

Buen Camino!

 

[LindaGRobert]

I had purchased a sim from Amazon for most European countries, Travsim- then decided to get one in Bilbao for Spain. The only problem was if I shut my phone, it was locked and I needed the PIN number to unlock it. Not good if you don’t know that ahead of time. I ended up carrying pin with me, after that. Card worked good.

I should add I have a IPhone 14 and it has the SIM card.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

If any USA citizen is reading this thread... Look into the international plans offered by your carrier. I personally have an AT&T account. Whoa, it's $10 / day, but they only charge you for the first 10 days in any billing cycle... so basically that means $3 / day for a month. I've had friends met, many times on many caminos, who had difficulty with their new sims. I end up sharing my unlimited data via personal hotspot for those friends. Yes, it's more expensive, but it just works. YMMV.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Whoa, [AT&T's international plan is] $10 / day, but they only charge you for the first 10 days in any billing cycle... so basically that means $3 / day for a month.

Though I wouldn't, and haven't, gone this way I like the simplicity of it. But I feel I have to complicate it a bit. If you first use it for your month long trip halfway through AT&T's billing cycle then you would be getting the charge for 20 days. Techophobes may still prefer this method.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Though I wouldn't, and haven't, gone this way I like the simplicity of it. But I feel I have to complicate it a bit. If you first use it for your month long trip halfway through AT&T's billing cycle then you would be getting the charge for 20 days. Techophobes may still prefer this method.

I've never been disappointed.

 

[C.C.]

I’ve used Orange for my last 4 camino’s…buy a SIM card at the Madrid airport with no set time limit (as I’m in Spain for a couple of months) just a set amount. No problems at all

 

[Former member 112842]

How would this work for Apple phones? I don’t think there’s a place to put a SIM card.

As others have noted, iPhones have eSIM capability starting with, I believe, the iPhone 12. Based on what others are saying here, they cost more than a regular SIM but if that won't bother you, they are very convenient. You simply need to go to a site before you travel, purchase the eSIM and then load it on your phone, activating it only when you reach your destination. There are plans for entire regions, in this case you can get one for Europe that would include several countries including France, Spain and Portugal. I have used Holafly for previous Caminos and it works great and comes with unlimited data. It also comes with 60 free minutes of calling which comes in handy, but in truth, for the rare phone call I need to make I can usually use Whatsapp or Skype. I walked the Via de la Plata and never used up the entire 60 minutes. Instructions for installation of the eSIM will be provided when you purchase. Hope this helps.

 

[Simonvw1]

As others have noted, iPhones have eSIM capability starting with, I believe, the iPhone 12. Based on what others are saying here, they cost more than a regular SIM but if that won't bother you, they are very convenient. You simply need to go to a site before you travel, purchase the eSIM and then load it on your phone, activating it only when you reach your destination. There are plans for entire regions, in this case you can get one for Europe that would include several countries including France, Spain and Portugal. I have used Holafly for previous Caminos and it works great and comes with unlimited data. It also comes with 60 free minutes of calling which comes in handy, but in truth, for the rare phone call I need to make I can usually use Whatsapp or Skype. I walked the Via de la Plata and never used up the entire 60 minutes. Instructions for installation of the eSIM will be provided when you purchase. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that. I used Holafly recently in Bali. It was perfect and worked really well. I thought I'd do the same in Spain. Good to know it's a solution.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

At the end of 28 days you will need to visit an Orange store and purchase another plan…yes, you will get another Spanish phone #, but it doesn’t impact pilgrims as a Spanish # is only needed to dial out locally.

Four years ago I used an Orange SIM card (not eSIM). I bought it from a little electronics tienda. There was a mixup and I ran out of minutes quickly but at an Orange store I was able to switch plans and still keep the Spanish number. This meant that I didn't have to update people at home of the new number (during the day I had the phone set to use the Spanish number and at night my home number on the eSIM). Later I recharged the phone and again kept the number. Also, I remember (misremember?) that I could keep the number for three months after the 28 days payment ran out by recharging in that period. If no payment was made in those three months the number would go into a reuse pool.

 

[jrewins]

Rick
if you use WhatsApp, you will not need to do any switching back & forth between Spanish & US phone #s. I’m not sure why you would want to anyway…doesn’t that result in the caller incurring the charge for an international call?

WhatsApp only requires that BOTH parties have each other in their Contacts folder / app. If you do, you can call or text without restriction at any time of day. While you are in Spain you will connect to either wi-if or use your data plan to access WhatsApp.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Rick
if you use WhatsApp ...

When I was in Spain four years ago I was using Google's Pixel 2 phone, the first with an eSIM. Using the eSIM didn't work like it does now and I found the switching twice a day the most convenient way of doing things. Also I didn't want to use Whatapp (reasons). The reasons are no longer around and I installed the app this year and got some friends to install it also. It worked fine on an overseas trip we made a few months ago.

The switch to the eSIM during the day was made more to have data during the walk than to have phone communication.

My phone plan, Google Fi, allows 3 cent per minute international calls which is okay for short calls. The short call can be "I'll call you back once I'm on WiFi." My plan also allows free international calls to be made on WiFi with a simple process. My long calls home to Peg were made using the albergues' WiFi.

US plans allow calls to be made internationally for free as long as the number dialled is a US number.

 

[David37]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

I purchased a SIM from a Vodafone store in Madrid in August 2022. I got a 20 Euro plan. As I was staying in Spain for 2.5 months I set up auto renewal and it worked well. I returned to Spain in march 2023 and was able to reactivate it.

 

[easonm]

wait - will my US phone not work in Spain? I bought my carrier’s (t mobile) international plan.

 

[Gringazolana]

Hey US phone peeps! I bought a sweet new iPhone to take awesome pictures on Camino earlier this year, only to discover that my carrier (AT&T) has it LOCKED until I finish paying it off —in a couple years! My phone has only eSIM capability, and without unlocking it, I couldn’t purchase a pre-pay plan in Spain. I ended up bringing an older burner phone… it was not fun lugging around 2 phones, but I got awesome pictures on one and kept in touch with family with the other. If you are planning on buying a 28-day plan, please check to make sure your phone is unlocked before you go!

 

[CA_Pilgrim]

Greetings to all....

The last time I was on the Camino, I went into a phone store looking for a Spanish SIM card that would enable me to make local calls... However, the owner told me they were not allowed to sell those to tourists... I think this was related to the horrendous damage in Atocha in 2004...

Does anyone know: 1) Is such a policy still in effect? 2) If so, can you get a prepaid, disposable phone instead?

As always, thank you kindly for your insight and advice...

Cheers
B

No my experience in May 2022. I purchased a Spanish SIM card for a local phone number in Pamplona from the Vodaphone store. I actually went to the Orange store (across the street) first, but they were out of the 3-month card I wanted. I ended up getting a 1-month Vodaphone SIM and recharging at a Vodaphone store in Leon. Worked great and had good reception and data speed the whole way.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

wait - will my US phone not work in Spain? I bought my carrier’s (t mobile) international plan.

I believe that's the plan that @trecile uses. It should work fine.

 

[David Tallan]

wait - will my US phone not work in Spain? I bought my carrier’s (t mobile) international plan.

I suspect it will work. It just may not be cost effective. I know that for my Canadian carrier, 28 days of Vodafone coverage costs the same as 2 or 3 days of international coverage from my carrier.

 

[trecile]

wait - will my US phone not work in Spain? I bought my carrier’s (t mobile) international plan.

I have used the free international data that my T-Mobile plan provides on 6 Caminos. I was able to use my maps, Camino apps, text to/from US numbers,etc. but phone calls cost extra so I use WhatsApp and Viber apps to make free or very inexpensive phone calls both within Spain and back home.

This year on my 7th Camino I had upgraded my phone plan when I purchased a new phone. The upgraded plan gave me 5 GB of international high speed data, plus the ability to make phone calls. When I used up that 5 GB the lower speed free data kicked in. But of course I had grown used to the high speed data so I decided to go ahead and purchase another 15 GB of data for a reasonable price - more expensive than if I got a Spanish eSim, but since my phone was new and locked to T-Mobile I wasn't able to use another eSim.

I do have a warning for those in the US who use Consumer Cellular. My friend who isn't very tech savvy had a new iPhone that she purchased with a Consumer Cellular plan. She called them to set up the phone to use while she was in Europe. I asked her how much the international plan was going to cost, and she told me that they said 12¢. I asked her "12¢ per what?" It was 12¢ per megabyte - or $120 per GB! An outrageous amount! Since her phone was locked to her carrier she couldn't use another eSim and ended up keeping it in airplane mode and used free WiFi. Consumer Cellular is a company that markets heavily to seniors, and I felt that by quoting a low price per megabyte that they were preying on less tech savvy people.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Same deal here. I've used my USA AT&T international plan with my "locked" Iphone for like a bunch of walks. It is more expensive. But it is also just works with unlimited data. I've had to share my hotspot so many times on cellular with friends met who tried to switch sims and ran into various difficulties (PINS and recharging). Works out to around $3/day on top of your usual monthly cost.

Convenience vs price... that is the question.

 

[jashby1953]

You should be able to get a sim card, on production of your passport and it will be registered. If you get a normal local sim it is easy to top up online. I got a Vodafone sim with 25GB of data for €10.

We are in Spain for the winter...on producing your passport, your SIM will be registered. Lycamobile gives you 100 international minutes every 28 days..easy to purchase, loads of outlets...

 

[auburnfive]

I will be on the Camino Portuguese so will be passing from Portugal into Spain. Is there a way to have coverage in both countries with the same SIM card? I have an older iPhone.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I will be on the Camino Portuguese so will be passing from Portugal into Spain. Is there a way to have coverage in both countries with the same SIM card? I have an older iPhone.

Yes.

Will you be using your existing SIM card or will you obtain one in Europe?

Do you want phone coverage, data coverage or both?

The age of your phone doesn't make much difference to IF you can get coverage but does matter for HOW you get coverage.

With some exceptions for the UK and understanding that the rules are changing but in general, within the European Community all phone plans will allow for phone coverage to roam across countries. This does not necessarily apply to data coverage.

Many mobile phone companies within the EC will have plans that do allow for both phone and data roaming at little or no extra cost.

Be careful in Portugal though because some of the phone plans aimed at short stay tourists do not permit data roaming and so if you purchase one of these plans in Portugal then you won't have data service in Spain. These plans are otherwise quite attractive because they are very cheap compared with normal prepay plans.

For more specific advice you will need to either search this forum or provide more details of exactly what you want to do with reference to your existing phone service, your telephone voice requirements and your data requirements.

Buen Camino

 

[auburnfive]

I’m hoping to have both data and phone coverage, although with data only I could use What’s app- correct?
I will purchase a SIM card in Europe, probably in Portugal. In the past I have gone into a shop and got them to set it up, which worked well. ( I will be in Malta before Portugal, but a SIM cards that works for all 3 countries might be too complex to sort out)
Thank you, I appreciate the advice.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I’m hoping to have both data and phone coverage, although with data only I could use What’s app- correct?

Yes, with data only you could use WhatsApp as long as the other party also uses WhatsApp and sometimes provided that you have put the other party's details into your contacts BEFORE you try to call or message them.

I will purchase a SIM card in Europe, probably in Portugal. In the past I have gone into a shop and got them to set it up, which worked well. ( I will be in Malta before Portugal, but a SIM cards that works for all 3 countries might be too complex to sort out)

Malta should be no different to any other EC country/territory and so you SHOULD be able to get a SIM card in Malta that will work in all three countries.

There are two specific pieces of advice that I would give and another two recommendations.

Advice:
1 Be very specific when you go in to get the SIM card and plan. It is the Plan that is key rather than the SIM card. Ask "will the plan allow me to use data in Malta, Portugal and Spain without further cost?" Only choose a plan that does.

2 How long will you be in Europe for? Each plan will need to be renewed every 28 days. If you are in Europe for more than 28 days then decide how to renew the plan when renewal is required. You can pre-pay or renew over the internet with a credit card if you are comfortable doing that.

One thing that catches people out if they plan to buy a renewal credit in a local convenience store is that although the larger telephone companies have sister companies with similar names in each country (e.g. Vodafone Malta, Vodafone Portugal and Vodafone Spain) they are separate companies and you can't recharge/renew your Vodafone Malta plan via Vodafone Spain (for example).

What I do when I buy a European SIM card and pre-pay plan that (say) costs €20 per 28 days then at the same time I tell the store that I want to put another €25 credit against my account.

This means that if for some reason (too far away from an internet connection/in hospital/lying in a ditch somewhere) I can't get to somewhere that I can manually renew my plan then it will renew automatically because there is enough credit in my account.

The extra €5 is because occasionally I get an unexpected charge (e.g. for a picture text or accessing the voicemail service) that isn't included in my plan.

So, if you know how many days that you will be in Europe then divide that by 28, round up and pay for all (usually max 3) plan periods to cover your stay.

If you are confident using the internet in another language then you can just top up your account balance just before your plan renews with your credit card. The phone company will always send you a reminder txt the day before.

Recommendations:
1 Choose a phone company with a sister company in each country like Vodafone. If you find that you need help along the way then the sister company MIGHT help you but no one else will.

2 Get your phone set up for the new SIM and roaming when you are in the store and test it before you leave. In particular make sure that your European SIM is the default or only choice for Phone AND Data and make sure that your phone is set up to allow Data roaming. Most phones are not set up to allow Data roaming by default.

To get Data in other countries you need three things
1 a plan that allows Data roaming
2 settings in your phone to allow Data roaming
3 some sort of Data service in the new country (almost always a given)

Thank you, I appreciate the advice.

No problemo, I enjoy helping other pilgrims

 

[trecile]

Yes, with data only you could use WhatsApp as long as the other party also uses WhatsApp and sometimes provided that you have put the other party's details into your contacts BEFORE you try to call or message them.

When I need to call non WhatsApp numbers I use the Viber app. I buy $5 in credits, and it lasts through several Caminos since calls are only around 2¢ a munute.

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