What is the best SIM to use

[Gimoz]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

 

[Tincatinker]

Buy one when you get there. Spain is in Europe and in the EC. There are no roaming charges in the EC so you're good to go for most of Europe. Some places that are in Europe but not in the EC may or may not have a reciprocal agreement with the EC over roaming charges but your provider will be able to advise. Or just use wifi to send messages and Skype to explain that you might be later than you thought for dinner...

"Global" sims are about the one possible sale that'll bring a smile to the face of that poor sod in the call-centre / airport kiosk.

 

[John Sikora]

I just purchased a SIM with 12GB of data that is good for 1 year anywhere in Europe (for about $60). You probably can pick that up in Spain. I mention it more as a type of service that is available. In my case, I like to have the SIM card ready to go when I get off the plane in Europe so I may end up paying a bit more for the convenience.

 

[jmcarp]

If you're just seeking advice on which carrier's SIM to purchase, I've been happy with both Orange and Vodaphone.

 

[MichaelF4]

I just purchased a SIM with 12GB of data that is good for 1 year anywhere in Europe (for about $60). You probably can pick that up in Spain. I mention it more as a type of service that is available. In my case, I like to have the SIM card ready to go when I get off the plane in Europe so I may end up paying a bit more for the convenience.

Can you elaborate on where you bought this SIM card please?

 

[Deleted member 59555]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

Hi Gimoz I live in NZ am going back for my third trip in ten days time. The first and second times 2017 and 2018 I had a pre paid phone. We used viber (free phone connection) not sure if it is as good as it was to start. But also my wife and family are on facebook which means we are on messenger and I just used the messenger phone to ring my wife at night our morning. But with my pre paid you have to turn data off cost a flammin fortune, and just use wi fi as you find it all cafe,s an Albergues have wi fi.. Using either Viber or messenger I always got through. Good luck and God bless.

 

[MichaelF4]

Hi Gimoz I live in NZ am going back for my third trip in ten days time. The first and second times 2017 and 2018 I had a pre paid phone. We used viber (free phone connection) not sure if it is as good as it was to start. But also my wife and family are on facebook which means we are on messenger and I just used the messenger phone to ring my wife at night our morning. But with my pre paid you have to turn data off cost a flammin fortune, and just use wi fi as you find it all cafe,s an Albergues have wi fi.. Using either Viber or messenger I always got through. Good luck and God bless.

I'd be weary of wifi in cafes and albergues. Most of the places I stayed at had limited internet connections and they were overwhelmed with people hogging bandwidth. I'll be looking for a SIM with data to use with an old phone in Europe and use it as a wifi hotspot.

 

[Gimoz]

I just purchased a SIM with 12GB of data that is good for 1 year anywhere in Europe (for about $60). You probably can pick that up in Spain. I mention it more as a type of service that is available. In my case, I like to have the SIM card ready to go when I get off the plane in Europe so I may end up paying a bit more for the convenience.

I am flying into London first and will be there a few days before taking a flight to Biarritz. Like you I would prefer to get a SIM ready to go. I can pay for global roaming on my AU SIM and then buy one which I can use for my time in UK and Europe. Can you tell me what is the one you bought? Thank you

 

[naplesdon]

Buy a card from Orange in Pamplona.

 

[Gimoz]

Buy a card from Orange in Pamplona.

I am starting from Biarritz so I will pick one up there. I will look into Orange.

 

[naplesdon]

The Orange Bureau is at the BAB Shopping Center, not that convenient to get to.

 

[trecile]

We used viber (free phone connection)

I use Viber on the Camino and other travel abroad. It always works great. It's free to call other Viber users, and you can buy Viber credit to call landlinesaand other phones. Especially useful if you need to call albergues or make calls back home. I usually buy US$5 worth of credit, and it lasts much longer than my time on the Camino. Calls with Viber credit are only US2¢ a minute.

Home | Viber

www.viber.com

 

[naplesdon]

It also looks like there is new cellphone shop, Enzo, in town, that's news to me.

 

[KerrieG]

I use Viber on the Camino and other travel abroad. It always works great. It's free to call other Viber users, and you can buy Viber credit to call landlinesaand other phones. Especially useful if you need to call albergues or make calls back home. I usually buy US$5 worth of credit, and it lasts much longer than my time on the Camino. Calls with Viber credit are only US2¢ a minute.

Home | Viber

www.viber.com

Sorry, I'm clueless about all this.....to make a call to another Viber user, do you need wifi? Will it work if you have the data turned off on your phone?

 

[trecile]

Sorry, I'm clueless about all this.....to make a call to another Viber user, do you need wifi? Will it work if you have the data turned off on your phone?

You need to have wifi or cellular data. Yes, it will work on wifi with data turned off.

 

[VNwalking]

Echoing @trecile 's endorsement of Viber. It's used a lot in Asia, less other places, but I like it a lot. I do not have Facebook ( ) so use it in the same way as people use messenger - with the added perk that you can call, too. Both parties have to have Viber, as well as an internet connection - either from a data package or via WiFi.

 

[KerrieG]

Thanks @trecile and @VNwalking

 

[trecile]

Both parties have to have Viber

You can call any phone using Viber Out by buying Viber credits. Making calls this way is only 2¢/minute

 

[David from Freo]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

Dear Gimoz, Like you I am an Aussie. On my early Caminos I used to buy a local (Spanish/Portuguese) SIM (trying various companies over time) and go through the process of shifting to that when I arrived in Europe. This worked ok, but was quite a hassle -- and not particularly cheap. On my last couple of caminos I have taken a different strategy. I obtained a simple 'pay-by-use' Lycamobile SIM in Australia (they'll send it to you free) and set it up to deduct $10 from my credit card whenever my balance dropped below $2. There are local Lyca companies operating in Portugal, Spain, France and various other European countries. On arriving in either Portugal, Spain or France (and I suspect also the UK), an Aussie Lyca customer gets an sms saying that as an existing Lyca customer, the local Lyca (Spanish, Portuguese, French) company will only charge you the local rate when using your Australian Lyca card in that country. Lyca is pretty cheap for calls. I found I only used about $10 a week (approx 6 Euro), and as it auto-filled from my credit card I did not need to worry about topping it up in a foreign language/currency! I used 'free' internet calls (skype etc) mainly, and free internet in albergues/cafes etc where available. But I had an easy, relatively cheap SIM set-up to use when I needed it for calls. On the basis of past experience, I won't be bothering to get a local SIM card for future caminos. I was happy just using my Australian Lyca card.

 

[Robyn Scott]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

 

[Robyn Scott]

Buy one when you get there. Spain is in Europe and in the EC. There are no roaming charges in the EC so you're good to go for most of Europe. Some places that are in Europe but not in the EC may or may not have a reciprocal agreement with the EC over roaming charges but your provider will be able to advise. Or just use wifi to send messages and Skype to explain that you might be later than you thought for dinner...

"Global" sims are about the one possible sale that'll bring a smile to the face of that poor sod in the call-centre / airport kiosk.

We bought Sim s from Orange in Pamplona. They were very helpful and the product worked well.

 

[Maxcheese]

After a lot of searching, i opted for these guys. Data packages, cheap calling, credit doesn't expire and works almost worldwide.

Traveller SIM - Stay Connected Abroad | Tellink Traveller SIM

Affordable traveller sim. Call, text and stay connected using the best available networks in more than 200 countries.

www.tellinkroaming.com

 

[trecile]

After a lot of searching, i opted for these guys. Data packages, cheap calling, credit doesn't expire and works almost worldwide.

Traveller SIM - Stay Connected Abroad | Tellink Traveller SIM

Affordable traveller sim. Call, text and stay connected using the best available networks in more than 200 countries.

www.tellinkroaming.com

Have you used it yet? If not please report back with your experience.

 

[Maxcheese]

I tried it from home (Canada) as soon as i received it. Just swapped my sim and configured the data provider (very easy and explained clearly) and within 2 minutes, i had data access and could call local numbers. I monitored my activity on their website and it was updated right away. They're from Belgium so no worries for reliability in Europe as well.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

If you're just seeking advice on which carrier's SIM to purchase, I've been happy with both Orange and Vodaphone.

Same here mate started with Vodaphone and got an orange sim, it cost 35euro for the Voda and did not use all the voice and data in 6 weeks so binned ole orange

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've never had any issues with Vodafone and it is the SIM I use each year.

 

[audiohio]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

My experience with obtaining a local SIM card for use on Camino Primitivo, was a huge hassle. I went to a shop in Oviedo and got a card for the Tuenti network which someone recommended to me. All business was conducted in Spanish which I do not speak. Ended up in the shop for a couple of hours due to not enough staff, had to fill out lots of paperwork, show passport, and then was handed many pages of documentation to keep, all written in Spanish. When it was done, I wasn't sure what I had agreed to! This was on the morning I would leave town to begin the Camino so I and my partner were there with our boots on and packs, ready to go, and had not expected the long delay. We would have done this the day before starting the Camino, but that was Sunday and all shops like this are closed on Sunday, so beware of that. The pre-paid SIM card included data and was more costly than I had expected (don't recall details of cost). It worked fine and signal was often available. I had assumed that I would be able to turn on the hotspot feature and share my signal and data with my travel partner, but for some unknown reason the hotspot feature was not activated on my plan, no idea why, but this was a huge disappointment to us.

This experience was agony compared to a recent experience in the UK, which was relatively simple and less expensive. It seemed to me that in Spain non-EU people (me) had to deal with lots more grief than EU people... I think they would not have to fill out so much paperwork and it would not be so expensive. In the UK a traveller can buy a prepaid SIM card from a vending machine at Heathrow airport. I thought it would be similarly simple in Spain, but not in my experience.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I unexpectedly needed a sim card in Sanguesa last year (long story). The friendly clerk at a shop on the Calle Mayor said "Try Llamaya", a brand I'd never heard of before.... I did. It met all my simple needs perfectly.

https://www.llamaya.com/tarifas-prepago/

 

[Just 2K]

Beware the small shops selling SIM cards. I got a pair of them for my family, and as we walked out of the region, service stopped. Turns out the small local shops sell service within their region only.
Got an Vodafone card in the next large town and it worked for the rest of the trip.
I get a Mundo card in Madrid each time I walk now. Theres a shop near town center just off the lite rail on the way to the train station from the airport.
Now I see you can buy the same Mundo cards online before traveling. I’m giving that a try this year. Hopefully it will activate when I land and save me a trip to the store in Madrid.

 

[Nev Sheather]

I am coming from Australia so am not familiar with the different mobile networks in Spain. It would be good if I can get a SIM which will work in Europe as well as in Spain as I plan to be in several countries in Europe. Do I wait until I get there to buy one or just get a global SIM?

I used Vodaphone, finding a shop when I got there. I guess you can Google where they are. The advantage was that the salespeople all spoke English!

 

[Celi Anatrella]

Have you used it yet? If not please report back with your experience.

Please do share your experience.

 

[Celi Anatrella]

Where can you buy it if starting in SJPdP? I’m actually starting in Lourdes flying thru Paris. What’s the earliest point we can buy it at? Hubby wants to make sure I report my whereabout everyday. I’m going solo.

 

[trecile]

Where can you buy it if starting in SJPdP? I’m actually starting in Lourdes flying thru Paris. What’s the earliest point we can buy it at? Hubby wants to make sure I report my whereabout everyday. I’m going solo.

You can buy a SIM card in France, and it will work in Spain too, as they have eliminated roaming charges in the EU (at least that's my understanding)

 

[Old Kiwi]

Last time on the Camino I used a smartphone and was set up for a Sim with phone and data by Orange in Pamplona and they were very helpful. This time I am hoping to just buy the cheapest phone (not smartphone) that will allow me phone calls and texts on a pre-paid sim. I do not need the facilities of a smart phone, just to be able to phone my companion if we are separated or to book a hostel. I would also like to send a text or two to my wife in New Zealand. Does anyone know if this is possible?

 

[VNwalking]

After a lot of searching, i opted for these guys. Data packages, cheap calling, credit doesn't expire and works almost worldwide.

@Maxcheese, do you know if there is flexibility of which providers this SIM uses? If it's cheap and can piggyback off any available signal, that could be the way around the 'dead zones' on some caminos, where one local provider works but another one might not.

If you have a card from Orange or Movistar or Vodafone (or whatever), you're stuck with their coverage. But if this travel SIM isn't married to any particular provider, that could be a wonderful solution to problems people who walk long and/or remote caminos sometimes experience with a dedicated SIM.

 

[Mark Lampe]

I am using orange €20 got me 10 g of data and €5 of calls for 28 days.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I unexpectedly needed a sim card in Sanguesa last year (long story). The friendly clerk at a shop on the Calle Mayor said "Try Llamaya", a brand I'd never heard of before.... I did. It met all my simple needs perfectly.

https://www.llamaya.com/tarifas-prepago/

Bought a 5 Euros LLAMAYA sim card in Logrono at the beginning of my latest walk.... Gave me absolutely everything I needed for a full three weeks. Very satisfied customer.

Can't beat 5 Euros!!!!!

 

[FrenchWay]

What is the best network for reception on French Way and cheapest mobile data?

 

[MichaelF4]

I used a sim card from Orange in France and it worked very well.

 

[Dani7]

I just purchased a SIM with 12GB of data that is good for 1 year anywhere in Europe (for about $60). You probably can pick that up in Spain. I mention it more as a type of service that is available. In my case, I like to have the SIM card ready to go when I get off the plane in Europe so I may end up paying a bit more for the convenience.

And what kind of SIM card is that and where did you purchase? Thanks

 

[auburnfive]

Can anyone advise of their experience buying and using a SIM card in Portugal?

 

[FrenchWay]

]On arriving in either Portugal, Spain or France (and I suspect also the UK), an Aussie Lyca customer gets an sms saying that as an existing Lyca customer, the local Lyca (Spanish, Portuguese, French) company will only charge you the local rate when using your Australian Lyca card in that country.

Does that include mobile data local rates etc?

 

[John Sikora]

And what kind of SIM card is that and where did you purchase? Thanks

I bought the SIM card for my iphone ten from www.cellularabroad.com

 

[David from Freo]

Does that include mobile data local rates etc?

Hmm, my memory is not 100% on this, so this information on data may not be correct. But if I recall correctly I did have some problems with data downloads. It worked most of the time, but I did have to reconfigure my phone several times over the course of the months I walked as it seemed somehow to 'forget' the settings required for data download. I was not sure whether this was due to my phone, or the use of the (Australian) Lyca SIM in Europe (on local European Lyca networks). I use an android Xiaomi-brand phone. My wife, who uses an Iphone, didn't seem to have these problems with her data downloads. Generally speaking, though, I used 'free' Wifi in cafes, albergues etc so avoided using my SIM to download.

 

[FrenchWay]

I need a fair bit of data I think, so I might get a SIM card in Barcelona Airport when I arrive. Any good deals for Spainish prepaid sims with data at the moment?