Cell phone/SIM card

[Jersey]

I take back everything I ever posted about putting a Spanish SIM in my extra unlocked phone.
I'm now going to take 1 phone. My regular USA phone along with my normal plan.
For emergencies I'll pay the $1.79 per minute, $0.50 per text rate.
( 0.05 to receive texts )
For everyone else I need to talk or text with I will wait till I have a wi-fi connection and use Whatapp

 

[Jenyat53]

I take back everything I ever posted about putting a Spanish SIM in my extra unlocked phone.
I'm now going to take 1 phone. My regular USA phone along with my normal plan.
For emergencies I'll pay the $1.79 per minute, $0.50 per text rate.
( 0.05 to receive texts )
For everyone else I need to talk or text with I will wait till I have a wi-fi connection and use Whatapp

What changed your mind?

 

[hotelmedicis]

I put a Spanish Orange SIM card in my phone. 10 euros for 1 GB of data which was all I needed for email and Whatsapp. It was wonderful having it and I supplemented it with wifi in bars and albergues. Perfect.

 

[Jersey]

What changed your mind?

The main thing was realizing WhatsApp should take care of 90% of my needs (when I have access to Wi Fi )

 

[obi wan]

I have t-mobile and it works great. Unlimited text and data with 20 cents a min for a call. This is the same for all of Europe and Mexico. Haven't tried any other countries yet. Having a wi-fi phone helps also.

 

[cher99840]

I loved having my SIM card so I could check weather and booking.com on the trail. Also used google maps to find where I was staying at the end of the day. Now would I have done that if I'd had to carry a second phone? Maybe not. That's why I don't do locked phones.

 

[Jersey]

I loved having my SIM card so I could check weather and booking.com on the trail. Also used google maps to find where I was staying at the end of the day. Now would I have done that if I'd had to carry a second phone? Maybe not. That's why I don't do locked phones.

OK so you brought 1 one phone & switched to a Spanish SIM card?
Did that change your phone number? Did you lose any of your Apps?
Actually I will be bringing two phones to Spain & leaving the extra one at my friends place in Madrid. I do plan on putting a Spainish SIM card in it when I finish my Camino. ( I'll be in Spain another month after my Camino )

 

[Jersey]

I have t-mobile and it works great. Unlimited text and data with 20 cents a min for a call. This is the same for all of Europe and Mexico. Haven't tried any other countries yet. Having a wi-fi phone helps also.

That's a great plan. I wish Verizon offered it.
Unfortunately I've had some friends who have had too many bad experiences ( dropped & lost calls ) with T-Mobile in my part of the USA ( North New Jersey )

 

[cher99840]

OK so you brought 1 one phone & switched to a Spanish SIM card?
Did that change your phone number? Did you lose any of your Apps?
Actually I will be bringing two phones to Spain & leaving the extra one at my friends place in Madrid. I do plan on putting a Spainish SIM card in it when I finish my Camino. ( I'll be in Spain another month after my Camino )

With the Spanish SIM came a Spanish phone number which I did not use except for the people I knew or met on the Camino to whom I gave the number. My US number no longer worked because the ATT SIM was put away with my few American $ not to resurface until I was on the plane traveling home.

My apps were fine All useable. Totally unaffected. My text messages came through from friends at home because I have iMessage linked to my email as well as to my US phone number. The only difference in my data usage and that of my friends who did not get a SIM card was that I could use my phone normally at any time and they had to wait for wifi.

 

[KinkyOne]

OK so you brought 1 one phone & switched to a Spanish SIM card?
Did that change your phone number? Did you lose any of your Apps?
Actually I will be bringing two phones to Spain & leaving the extra one at my friends place in Madrid. I do plan on putting a Spainish SIM card in it when I finish my Camino. ( I'll be in Spain another month after my Camino )

When you put another SIM card in your phone then you have the number that is of this new SIM card. But the apps are stored in your internal phone memory/external data (SD) card of your phone and you can use them regardless of the SIM card in your phone. So you can change the SIM cards as many times as you wish for different purposes.

The other option is if you have Dual SIM smart phone. That's really easy, don't have to change them just switch between them

 

[J Willhaus]

We also used T-Mobile. We live in Idaho so coverage is sketchy everywhere outside a population center for almost all mobile coverage. Our phone makes WiFi calls and we got free data/texts. Spent very little on calls because we could make WiFi calls. We paid less than $5 total for calls the entire Camino as we did not need to make many calls between stops for Cafe con Leche, etc.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

I take back everything I ever posted about putting a Spanish SIM in my extra unlocked phone.
I'm now going to take 1 phone. My regular USA phone along with my normal plan.
For emergencies I'll pay the $1.79 per minute, $0.50 per text rate.
( 0.05 to receive texts )
For everyone else I need to talk or text with I will wait till I have a wi-fi connection and use Whatapp

Best thing I put in my phone was a Spanish sim it was brilliant 20 euros lasted three months I still have it in while in Spain and a good contact for local services you made need. It takes about 30 seconds to fit your normal one if needed or just get a dual sim phone.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

OK so you brought 1 one phone & switched to a Spanish SIM card?
Did that change your phone number? Did you lose any of your Apps?
Actually I will be bringing two phones to Spain & leaving the extra one at my friends place in Madrid. I do plan on putting a Spainish SIM card in it when I finish my Camino. ( I'll be in Spain another month after my Camino )

Nailed it perfect I did the same Jersey and am still in Madrid using it

 

[DaveC]

How does one unlock an ATT phone si that it can use a Spanish SIM?

 

[Jersey]

How does one unlock an ATT phone si that it can use a Spanish SIM?

https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1008728

Give this a shot. I have a Verizon account so I can't say for sure this will work

 

[Bajaracer]

OK so you brought 1 one phone & switched to a Spanish SIM card?
Did that change your phone number? Did you lose any of your Apps?
Actually I will be bringing two phones to Spain & leaving the extra one at my friends place in Madrid. I do plan on putting a Spainish SIM card in it when I finish my Camino. ( I'll be in Spain another month after my Camino )

Switching SIM cards is like switching license plates on your car, you get a new Spanish number, all your apps, contacts are stored on the phone itself, I tape my US SIM card and SIM removal tool (paper clip for iPhone) to the back of an id card so I don't lose it. I switch back to my US SIM on the way home.
All of Verizon's LTE smartphones are unlocked for use with foreign SIM cards.
http://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy

 

[Bajaracer]

How does one unlock an ATT phone si that it can use a Spanish SIM?

With AT&T, the phone has to be paid off in full before they will grant your unlock request.

 

[Bajaracer]

That's why I don't do locked phones.

I don't do locked phones either, I refuse to pay an activation fees when getting a new phone, and any way you slice it, you're paying full price of the phone.
I figured out in 2009 how unlocked phones worked and how the American public has been getting ripped off for years.

 

[Jersey]

I don't do locked phones either, I refuse to pay an activation fees when getting a new phone, and any way you slice it, you're paying full price of the phone.
I figured out in 2009 how unlocked phones worked and how the American public has been getting ripped off for years.

I get the gist of what you are saying but to say we are getting ripped of is going a little overboard. We have more technology in these phones than the American astronauts had going to the moon. Where we might agree is what these companies offer us on trade ins. They are robbing us.
At the ripe old age of 56 I'm the patriarch of the family. By my rules no one trades in there old phone when there contract is up & they get a new phone. It is put on the side in case anyone in the family loses or damages there phone and needs a replacement phone. So far my 16 year old granddaughter has been bailed out twice and my son once.
With all that I still have two extra iPhones 5's sitting in the closet lol

 

[Juspassinthru]

You can also purchase an inexpensive unlocked, dual SIM phone on Amazon. I got a BLU phone for around $50. I had access to my US number and my Spanish number. You may not have access to all your apps. Whatever you do, add +1 to all your US numbers (no impact on dialing here) and +34 for Spanish numbers. Obviously add the correct country code after the +. Good luck, having a local number is very helpful I found.

 

[kinnear]

Just to clarity about local SIM cards, please. I am bringing my Samsung 6 from New Zealand. I fly in and out from Paris and will be there for about a week in total needing to confirm accommodation etc. Presumably, I need a different SIM for France and Spain? Any recommendations where to get these and other advice? I don't want an unexpected bills from Spark in NZ. Thanks

 

[Bradypus]

Just to clarity about local SIM cards, please. I am bringing my Samsung 6 from New Zealand. I fly in and out from Paris and will be there for about a week in total needing to confirm accommodation etc. Presumably, I need a different SIM for France and Spain? Any recommendations where to get these and other advice? I don't want an unexpected bills from Spark in NZ. Thanks

Changes in EU rules about roaming charges came into effect earlier this year. If you buy a SIM from a French company you can use it in Spain at exactly the same rates as you would pay to use it in France - and vice versa. No additional fees. There are some "fair use" limits on the amount of data you can use while roaming in another country but the cap limit is generally pretty generous and unlikely to affect someone who makes average use of their phone and does most of their heavy data traffic through the wifi which is widely available along the caminos.

 

[kinnear]

Changes in EU rules about roaming charges came into effect earlier this year. If you buy a SIM from a French company you can use it in Spain at exactly the same rates as you would pay to use it in France - and vice versa. No additional fees. There are some "fair use" limits on the amount of data you can use while roaming in another country but the cap limit is generally pretty generous and unlikely to affect someone who makes average use of their phone and does most of their heavy data traffic through the wifi which is widely available along the caminos.

Changes in EU rules about roaming charges came into effect earlier this year. If you buy a SIM from a French company you can use it in Spain at exactly the same rates as you would pay to use it in France - and vice versa. No additional fees. There are some "fair use" limits on the amount of data you can use while roaming in another country but the cap limit is generally pretty generous and unlikely to affect someone who makes average use of their phone and does most of their heavy data traffic through the wifi which is widely available along the caminos.

Thank you for that clarification. That makes it easier. Would I pick up a prepaid SIM at CdG airport somewhere?

 

[Bradypus]

Thank you for that clarification. That makes it easier. Would I pick up a prepaid SIM at CdG airport somewhere?

I do not know the answer but I'm sure someone else will. Buying a prepaid SIM in France is not as straightforward as in the UK though. The last time I did so you had to provide ID and register it in your name. As you are arriving at an international airport you will presumably have the documents to hand though

 

[mspath]

FNAC shops throughout CDG terminals 1 and 2 offer many electronic gadgets as well as sim cards.

For example at -
CDG Terminal 2A
Porte 3795716

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