Cell Phone Options.

[JP]

Cell Phones on the Camino Portuguese, buy one or Get a SIM card?

 

[amorfati1]

Cell Phones on the Camino Portuguese, buy one or Get a SIM card?

in May 2014 I used my unlocked NOKIA phone in europe and bought a SIM card in Lisboa - that i recharged once or twice. Was a good solution for me - texted mainly to friends in europe. sometimes used to call ahead to inqurie about accommodation.

 

[Bradypus]

If you already have an unlocked phone and do not need to keep your existing phone number in constant use during your camino then I would just buy a SIM. Cheaper and very straightforward.

 

[Bradypus]

A thread I created a few days ago about SIMS in Portugal. May be helpful.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/mobile-internet-in-portugal.38482/

 

[Lemko]

Does anyone have an opinion about just taking an iPad (mini in my case) and using FaceTime and Skype to make calls home? Other than losing the ability to call ahead for reservations, I would still have wifi when I get to towns and have GPS for any mapping.

 

[Kurt5280]

I always use One SimCard (http://www.onesimcard.com/) One Simcard will rent or sell you a cellphone of choice with an international sim card...and then sell you a calling, texting, and data plan of choice...I bought the 900-minute international call plan for $90 USD...and the reduced rate texting plan...$100 USD total for the month.

 

[amorfati1]

Does anyone have an opinion about just taking an iPad (mini in my case) and using FaceTime and Skype to make calls home? Other than losing the ability to call ahead for reservations, I would still have wifi when I get to towns and have GPS for any mapping.

I took my mini iPad mainly for sending / receiving emails and taking photos and on occassion call via skype - which always worked fine.
skype though i only used in private settings in a hotel/pensao room - but never had any connectivity issues.
later this year i'll be travelling in Europe again and will take the unlocked phone / buying a SIM card - and the mini iPad for everything else.
Bom Caminho!

 

[amorfati1]

I always use One SimCard (http://www.onesimcard.com/)...One Simcard will rent or sell you a cellphone of choice with an international sim card...and then sell you a calling, texting, and data plan of choice...I bought the 900-minute international call plan for $90 USD...and the reduced rate texting plan...$100 USD total for the month.

http://www.onesimcard.com/

the link inserted into you message did not work properly - but i figured it out anyway. thanks so much for sharing this. will explore this option . Cheers!!

 

[tominrm]

If you need to make many voice calls, I guess you will need to buy a$99 package. But when I was in Spain in May, 2015, I bought a data package of 2 GB for a month for either 20 or 30 Euros. It does not come with voice minutes, but I should be able to make calls using Skype. I suppose you can buy a similar data package in Portugal.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I appologise for being so inapt when it comes to Sim cards, etc. I plan on taking my unlocked Iphone for pictures, local calls to book ahead or call the hospitalero to come open the door and make the occasional call home. Web stuff will be done on Ipad through WIFI where and when available.

A few weeks ago someone mentioned www.simcardsspain.es or something like that.

Question 1: could I use a Spanish Sim in Portugal at decent rates? (If I bought from simcardsspain)

Question 2: is there a way to buy a Sim that will only allow voice, so that my phone cannont inadvertantly eat up all my credit like it did last spring?

Thank you.

 

[Bradypus]

Question 2: is there a way to buy a Sim that will moly allow voice, so that my phone cannont inadvertantly eat up all my credit like it did last spring?

You may find it very difficult to find a SIM and tariff that positively bars data these days. I use an Android phone rather than an iPhone. Mine allows me to turn off mobile data while still allowing voice and sms text messages. That way if I do not have a data allowance with my SIM my credit is not leeched away by stealth. Is that possible with the iPhone - a gadget I must confess I have never used?

Using a Spanish SIM in Portugal would probably mean paying a premium rate all the time for international roaming. Can I suggest that you do things the other way around? It might be cheaper and just as straightforward to buy a local SIM on arrival. I bought a Portuguese SIM from MEO in Porto last month. It cost 10€ and came with 10€ of voice/sms credit and an initial allowance of 2GB of data. Valid for 1 month. I bought it mainly for data, not calls. Unless you download large files or use streaming apps that is a fairly generous allowance. I only made one brief voice call to a hospitalero. So when I crossed the border into Spain I could use the remaining credit to buy more data on a roaming tariff. You could also use any remaining credit in Spain for voice or sms texts - though again paying a higher international rate.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Thankyou Bradypus, I travelled across the border to the US for a few days in December and only turned on the non flight mode twice, when googling something specific. It cost me 20$! Because I assume it downloaded all that was waiting to get into my phone. Just imagine if I used this thing for more than work emails! I understand now that wether I keep the phone on flight more or not, the second I want to use it even for a second it will be the same as not having it on flight mode. What a ripoff.

 

[Bradypus]

I understand now that wether I keep the phone on flight more or not, the second I want to use it even for a second it will be the same as not having it on flight mode. What a ripoff.

My Android phone can be set for at least four different options: flight mode (no connections at all), voice and sms only, wifi only, and the full package including mobile data. You said in your first post that you are not too confident on the tech side. Do you have any knowledgeable friends who could help you explore the murky depths of the system settings of your iPhone? It is hard to believe that a gadget so sophisticated and expensive does not give you similar flexibility. But then Apple are not noted for making their gear very easy for end users to tweak

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Bradypus , where does

My Android phone can be set for at least four different options: flight mode (no connections at all), voice and sms only, wifi only, and the full package including mobile data. You said in your first post that you are not too confident on the tech side. Do you have any knowledgeable friends who could help you explore the murky depths of the system settings of your iPhone? It is hard to believe that a gadget so sophisticated and expensive does not give you similar flexibility. But then Apple are not noted for making their gear very easy for end users to tweak

Well... As luck would have it Iphone is acting up and I need to go to Istore to have them check it so I will enquire about this at the same time.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

When wanting to find out how to use tech ask a Millenium! Kid fixed my phone in under 2 seconds (I was ready to go queue at the Istore) and also explained how to separate Date from Phone usage on the Iphone. My phone speaks French, so my translation of the things to click on will be a rough translation to English:

In Setttings, go to Cell Network (Réseau cellulaire), under Bluetooth icon. That is where you want to disactivate the first two buttons: Cell data and Activate 3G. This will automatically turn off Data Abroad (Données à l'étranger). Doing this you will not have to be in Airplane mode to stop roaming and running data costs.

 

[Bradypus]

Congratulations!

Read your post and couldn't help thinking of the old Groucho Marx gag:
"A child of five could understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five."

 

[Markva79]

I appologise for being so inapt when it comes to Sim cards, etc. I plan on taking my unlocked Iphone for pictures, local calls to book ahead or call the hospitalero to come open the door and make the occasional call home. Web stuff will be done on Ipad through WIFI where and when available.

A few weeks ago someone mentioned www.simcardsspain.es or something like that.

Question 1: could I use a Spanish Sim in Portugal at decent rates? (If I bought from simcardsspain)

Question 2: is there a way to buy a Sim that will only allow voice, so that my phone cannont inadvertantly eat up all my credit like it did last spring?

Thank you.

Cell Phones on the Camino Portuguese, buy one or Get a SIM card?

Verizon now offers a Travel Pass addition to your plan - for $10 a day you can access your stateside plan. The $10 a day only kicks in when you actually use your phone. My son is in Madrid now, and he is able to call, text, and use data just like if he were at home.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Verizon now offers a Travel Pass addition to your plan - for $10 a day you can access your stateside plan. The $10 a day only kicks in when you actually use your phone. My son is in Madrid now, and he is able to call, text, and use data just like if he were at home.

10$ a day?! That's over 300$, US$!, for a month on the trail. Or 400$ measly C$! Even if Verizon was in business in Canada I would pass.

 

[Markva79]

10$ a day?! That's over 300$, US$!, for a month on the trail. Or 400$ measly C$! Even if Verizon was in business in Canada I would pass.

I understand that if you use your plan everyday that the cost would be prohibitive. However, using only occasionally, or in emergencies in my thinking - and of course tapping into WiFi wherever possible.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I understand that if you use your plan everyday that the cost would be prohibitive. However, using only occasionally, or in emergencies in my thinking - and of course tapping into WiFi wherever possible.

I understand, but I want it to call hospitaleros when I arrive, to book ahead, or call thrm if I'm going to be arriving later than planned. Thank you for the heads up!

 

[Simon Thompson]

If you're from the UK, you ought to look at this http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/home/en
Put simply, you can use your phone for calls & texts in various countries as if you were at home. Data bundles are reasonable as well, if you insist on farting about with facebook/twitter all day....

 

[Missing Mike]

Ok, so I have an unlocked phone with AT&T which I don't want to use their plan. However, I want to use the phone for pictures mainly and sending text messages to the states, maybe Facebook but not necessary. So if I understand correctly, the best way to go is get a new sim card (which hopefully last me the whole way of the camino) so I can send the text messages to the states. Will I also have any problem having to recharge my phone (for pics) as I am going along. Please help.

 

[mspath]

Missing Mike,

There will be no problem with charging your phone as longer as you bring your charger and an adapter. For more re adapters se this recent Forum thread.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...chies-re-travel-adapter-with-usb-ports.38587/

Buen camono!

 

[alipilgrim]

MissingMike, you can not worry about getting a SIM card if you only use WiFi. Download WhatsApp, it allows you to send texts over wifi. Getting on Facebook would require a LOT of data and so would probably eat up your SIM allowance very quickly. Best to only use FB on wifi as well. As an example: on a flight home from London we were upgraded to 1st Class and we wanted to post a picture of us on Facebook with our champagne right away. I turned on my cell phone to post the pic, but FB insisted on downloading every new post before I could upload my pic. And it was very slow uploading the pic. It ending up costing me $60. (Have to mention I was roaming on my American AT&T plan but you get the idea....)

 

[JP]

Got my phone unlocked and ordered a onesimcard, now good to go in Portugal and Spain.

 

[JP]

http://www.onesimcard.com/

We are pressed for time, so I preferred to get it before I left. No time to run around and deal with language problems once we get to Portugal.

 

[micamino73]

I understand that if you use your plan everyday that the cost would be prohibitive. However, using only occasionally, or in emergencies in my thinking - and of course tapping into WiFi wherever possible.

Hi, just buy a sim card in Spain with data, It should not cost more than 30 euros and you can be in contact with family over Skype. Just make sure your phone is not sim locked.

 

[trecile]

For those in the US I highly recommend T-Mobile, with their unlimited world wide data, which I used last year in Prague, Germany, France, Basel, Barcelona and Madrid. It worked perfectly everywhere. I was able to make free or very inexpensive phone calls using different apps. When I had to call a business phone, or my mother who doesn't have a smart phone I used the Viber app, and bought $4.99 in Viber credit, of which I still have almost $2.50 after making numerous calls. The cost per minute ends up being 2 cents.
I was able to use the maps and navigation everywhere that I went.

 

[Simon Thompson]

If you live, and have a phone+SIM, from anywhere in the European Union, you will be pleased to hear that roaming charges are being drastically reduced from 30 April 2016, and abolished entirely in 2017 (applies to data roaming as well)
Read the article below...there's an interesting timetable about halfway down
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_roaming_regulations

Perfect for the wife and I, we start our first pilgrimage at Hendaye in August