e-SIM phone number

[rgutena]

Hi there! I am looking to get an e-SIM (including calls and texts) for Portugal / Spain before arriving, and am wondering if I will see the phone number as soon as I purchased the e-SIM, or whether I will only see it after activation (ie after arriving in Spain). Does anyone know? Grateful for any tips, thanks!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I think it all depends on who you buy the eSIM from and it may also depend on whether your phone is Apple or Android.

A word of caution, in the EU your provider gives you a phone number that will work across the EU states (and perhaps also do this for texts) but your provider may, but does not have to, do this for cellular data. Check before you buy. There have been posts here by people on the Camino Portuguese losing data when they cross into Spain. [Edit: I'm going to make another post below quoting thesavvybackpacker.com]

eSIMs are typically used for a second provider. You could get a phone number with the plan but you don't have to. It can be for data only. However there are apps that run as virtual phones using this data. The one that must be used the most worldwide is Whatsapp. It connects you between Whatsapp users only but nearly 90% of mobile phones in Spain, Portugal and Italy have Whatsapp installed. They interconnect using the same phone number that you would connect with them as if you called from a landline (except you may need to add a country code) (I just got Whatsapp yesterday so I have to learn some of the finer details)). So calls from home can be made to your SIM number and calls in ES and PT can be made and gotten with the same number as on your SIM but through Whatsapp and your eSIM data.

 

[David Harper]

On my camino's I simply contacted my mobile provider in the US and added the countries that I will be travelling in. It provided coverage whenever I needed it and eliminated the issue of sim cards. I can't think of a time that I didn't have coverage when needed. Just remember when you get home to cancel the extended coverage.

 

[Dennis Pack]

On my camino's I simply contacted my mobile provider in the US and added the countries that I will be travelling in. It provided coverage whenever I needed it and eliminated the issue of sim cards. I can't think of a time that I didn't have coverage when needed. Just remember when you get home to cancel the extended coverage.

But they do charge an "arm and a leg" ... service by providers everywhere else in the world is better and much, much more affordable.

 

[lt56ny]

On my camino's I simply contacted my mobile provider in the US and added the countries that I will be travelling in. It provided coverage whenever I needed it and eliminated the issue of sim cards. I can't think of a time that I didn't have coverage when needed. Just remember when you get home to cancel the extended coverage.

But they do charge an "arm and a leg" ... service by providers everywhere else in the world is better and much, much more affordable.

I actually think it is irresponsible to suggest using your own provider in the states because as Dennis Pack says it is far more expensive. Doing it this way can be a strain on many people's budgetsI always get a sim card from Vodafone. As an example if you get a Esim from vodafone and (as I always stay in a hostel when I arrive to get over my jet lag) have it delivered to your hostel or hotel. You get 100 gigs of data, unlimited national minutes, 800 international minutes, (there is a comprehensive country list) and roaming includes UK, EU and USA, for 15Euros for 28 days. It is super easy to recharge. You get a link in English and it takes about 2 minutes to recharge for another 28 days. If you plan in the states to go international is only 15 Euros than for sure go for it.

 

[trecile]

I actually think it is irresponsible to suggest using your own provider in the states because as Dennis Pack says it is far more expensive.

It can be far more expensive - it depends on your carrier at home. One of my newbie friends on the Camino this year uses Consumer Cellular at home. They assured her that she was all set to use her phone for data in Spain, and the cost was 12¢. The problem was, that she didn't understand exactly what she was getting for 12¢. It turns out it was 12¢ per megabyte, or $120 per GB.

This is a carrier that specifically markets to seniors, and I felt that they were really obfuscating the cost of using her phone abroad. Worse still, was that her phone was locked to the carrier and she wasn't able to use a Spanish sim card. If she had been able to use a foreign sim she could have bought an e-sim with 5 GB of data from a company like Airalo for only $11.50 - an amount of data that would have cost her $600 if she used her home phone plan. This is a pretty extreme case, but it illustrates that it's important to know how much your home carrier charges you while you are abroad, and to check to see if you can use a foreign sim in your phone.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I posted above about how data might not be carried from one EU country to the next. Since then I came upon this at thesavvybackpacker.com and the author knows more about phones in Europe than I do.

As of 2017, the EU passed a “roam like home” policy that bans mobile carriers from charging mobile roaming fees for any EU member country. In short, any eSIM data plan bought in the EU can be used in any other EU country without extra fees or restrictions. This is great for travelers because you can use one plan everywhere.

Here are the countries/areas where there is no data roaming: Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg. Madeira, Malta. Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Sweden, Vatican

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The linked tag phones/apps/gps/maps now appears at the top of the thread. You can select it to get a list of threads giving you more information about these topics.

Thank you moderators.

 

[BobbyJ]

I actually think it is irresponsible to suggest using your own provider in the states because as Dennis Pack says it is far more expensive. Doing it this way can be a strain on many people's budgetsI always get a sim card from Vodafone. As an example if you get a Esim from vodafone and (as I always stay in a hostel when I arrive to get over my jet lag) have it delivered to your hostel or hotel. You get 100 gigs of data, unlimited national minutes, 800 international minutes, (there is a comprehensive country list) and roaming includes UK, EU and USA, for 15Euros for 28 days. It is super easy to recharge. You get a link in English and it takes about 2 minutes to recharge for another 28 days. If you plan in the states to go international is only 15 Euros than for sure go for it.

Hi, would you have the link to the carrier that provides this 100 gigs fo data etc so I can take advantage of it. I will be doing the camino in October and want to make sure I have the data I need. Thanks

 

[AidaYYC]

I think it all depends on who you buy the eSIM from and it may also depend on whether your phone is Apple or Android.

A word of caution, in the EU your provider gives you a phone number that will work across the EU states (and perhaps also do this for texts) but your provider may, but does not have to, do this for cellular data. Check before you buy. There have been posts here by people on the Camino Portuguese losing data when they cross into Spain. [Edit: I'm going to make another post below quoting thesavvybackpacker.com]

eSIMs are typically used for a second provider. You could get a phone number with the plan but you don't have to. It can be for data only. However there are apps that run as virtual phones using this data. The one that must be used the most worldwide is Whatsapp. It connects you between Whatsapp users only but nearly 90% of mobile phones in Spain, Portugal and Italy have Whatsapp installed. They interconnect using the same phone number that you would connect with them as if you called from a landline (except you may need to add a country code) (I just got Whatsapp yesterday so I have to learn some of the finer details)). So calls from home can be made to your SIM number and calls in ES and PT can be made and gotten with the same number as on your SIM but through Whatsapp and your eSIM data.

I read the same explanation on thesavvybackpacker.com about two hours ago.

 

[Janny]

Hi there! I am looking to get an e-SIM (including calls and texts) for Portugal / Spain before arriving, and am wondering if I will see the phone number as soon as I purchased the e-SIM, or whether I will only see it after activation (ie after arriving in Spain). Does anyone know? Grateful for any tips, thanks!

Just been reading all the replies. Looking forward to a world where our numbers could travel with us. Last time I travelled, I purchased a SIM card in Spain. Worked perfectly but was very nearly disastrous because I couldn’t readily remember my Apple ID My carrier here in Australia recommended I purchase an e-sim when I arrive in Europe. If I need my Australian number for anything while I’m away, I can easily switch over but will have to pay the international roaming fee of $10 per day. Hoping I won’t need it.

 

[trecile]

Just been reading all the replies. Looking forward to a world where our numbers could travel with us.

That's a good thing about WhatsApp. Your WhatsApp number stays the same even when you put in a foreign sim with a different phone number.

 

[lt56ny]

I posted above about how data might not be carried from one EU country to the next. Since then I came upon this at thesavvybackpacker.com and the author knows more about phones in Europe than I do.

As of 2017, the EU passed a “roam like home” policy that bans mobile carriers from charging mobile roaming fees for any EU member country. In short, any eSIM data plan bought in the EU can be used in any other EU country without extra fees or restrictions. This is great for travelers because you can use one plan everywhere.

Here are the countries/areas where there is no data roaming: Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg. Madeira, Malta. Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Sweden, Vatican

A few years ago I was contemplating starting in France and then going to Spain. I bought my sim card in Spain. When I began to ask the woman who was assisting me about coverage she immediately told me about what you have written and said do not worry at all. Your coverage will be exactly the same in any EU country.

 

[lt56ny]

Hi, would you have the link to the carrier that provides this 100 gigs fo data etc so I can take advantage of it. I will be doing the camino in October and want to make sure I have the data I need. Thanks

Here is the link to Vodafone:

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

I can tell you that after the summer, I believe starting in October the plans are not quite as good. Also you can always walk into any Vodafone store and they will take care of everything. The plans they have in the store are not as good either but last year I paid either 15 or 20 euros for 300 minutes of calls in Spain. It applied to the US and the EU also. I think I got 20 gigs of data also for 28 days. That was plenty for me. For another 5 euros I could of had more data. I did that the year before when I walked the VDLP. Again so easy to recharge after 28 days.

 

[David Tallan]

On my camino's I simply contacted my mobile provider in the US and added the countries that I will be travelling in. It provided coverage whenever I needed it and eliminated the issue of sim cards. I can't think of a time that I didn't have coverage when needed. Just remember when you get home to cancel the extended coverage.

I could do this, too. Or, I could buy a Spanish SIM with significantly more data and at 1/14 the price. It was worth the issue of SIM cards.

 

[David Tallan]

I posted above about how data might not be carried from one EU country to the next. Since then I came upon this at thesavvybackpacker.com and the author knows more about phones in Europe than I do.

As of 2017, the EU passed a “roam like home” policy that bans mobile carriers from charging mobile roaming fees for any EU member country. In short, any eSIM data plan bought in the EU can be used in any other EU country without extra fees or restrictions. This is great for travelers because you can use one plan everywhere.

Here are the countries/areas where there is no data roaming: Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg. Madeira, Malta. Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Sweden, Vatican

I notice that the UK is on the list. Are they still bound by it, post-Brexit?

 

[TravellingMan22]

I notice that the UK is on the list. Are they still bound by it, post-Brexit?

I don’t have huge knowledge on this but I don’t believe so. The majority of UK phone suppliers now charge for roaming in EU I believe. There seemed to be a ‘switchover’ last year or maybe year before. I am only aware of one that doesn’t charge for roaming on EU.

 

[dougfitz]

I notice that the UK is on the list. Are they still bound by it, post-Brexit?

Whether they are bound by it or have agreed to it is not clear. I was provided with a UK sim this year for use across Europe, and there were no extra roaming charges. This was on the 3 network.

 

[dougfitz]

That's a good thing about WhatsApp. Your WhatsApp number stays the same even when you put in a foreign sim with a different phone number.

All the VOIP services seem to have this in common, including Messenger, Signal as well as WhatsApp. The appeal of WhatsApp in Spain and Portugal is the extent to which it has been adopted across those countries.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Whether they are bound by it or have agreed to it is not clear. I was provided with a UK sim this year for use across Europe, and there were no extra roaming charges. This was on the 3 network.

You are fair more knowledgable on this subject than me, but here is a (longish) article re 3 from a credible UK source re UK phone charges.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/05/three-s-p2-day-roaming-charges-come-into-effect-today---here-s-a/

Of the major providers in the UK I think most have introduced roaming charges (speaking purely from a monthly contract viewpoint, no idea re sim only and PAYG). I think my provider, 02, is the only one that has not at this time.