eSIM card for iphone

[JamesQuast]

Hello, we have iPhone 12 Pro‘s with eSim. I have not used eSIM before. Can this be purchased before you go or is it still recommended to buy it in country? We plan to go first to Paris for three days, then to Spain to do the Camino, and then on to Lisbon for three days before returning to US. Does anybody have recommendations for those three countries? Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[evanlow]

Only experience in just one country at a time so I just get a local sim when I am there.

For esim I just Google it and this came up. Maybe you want to have a go at it.

Buy travel eSIMs for your next trip | MobiMatter

Get eSIM data packages for more than 200 destinations around the world, with a few clicks on MobiMatter eSIM Marketplace. Instant delivery.

mobimatter.com

 

[George Vancouver]

Hello, we have iPhone 12 Pro‘s with eSim. I have not used eSIM before. Can this be purchased before you go or is it still recommended to buy it in country? We plan to go first to Paris for three days, then to Spain to do the Camino, and then on to Lisbon for three days before returning to US. Does anybody have recommendations for those three countries? Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I just bought a local sim from Orange in Madrid. 10 Euros per month pay-as-you go (no contract) for 25 gb. Free roaming in the EU.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Since most of your time will be in Spain you will probably be better off with a Spanish number so it will be easier for the Spanish to call you. In France and Portugal they can still call you but will have to make an international call.

 

[Katia Taam]

Nowadays the sim card works in all EU, no roaming. I have a Vodaphone sim xard I've bought 5 years ago and use it all over Europe .

 

[philmickm]

I bought a sim in the Barcelona airport terminal on arrival. No problem, except the wait in the queue.
The only problem I did have was when I forgot to top it up half way across Spain and I needed my pin, which I’d lost sight of.
I had that going again that night with the aid of a wonderful lady in charge of Albergue Leo in Villafranca del Bierzo

 

[naplesdon]

I always found Orange to be the most reliable and best service in both countries. There should be a number of neighborhood shops in Paris to get you set up.

 

[naplesdon]

PS, make sure your phone is unlocked.

 

[trecile]

Hello, we have iPhone 12 Pro‘s with eSim. I have not used eSIM before. Can this be purchased before you go or is it still recommended to buy it in country?

Since you are specifically asking about an eSIM I think that you should change the title of this thread to reflect that, as the advice may be different.

 

[Jas04]

I am a US citizen - living in Spain - and an 8 time Camino pilgrim. I have an iPhone 12 Pro. For me - I have my US number as an eSim and my Spanish number as a physical sim. My US number is w T-Mobile and one simple phone call to them changed me from physical to eSim with no change of my mobile number. If I have problems w my eSim - I prefer to deal w my US company as my Spanish language skills are rudimentary. For me - it is easier to describe a problem w a physical sim to a Spanish phone company than an eSim. Also you can purchase a physical Spanish sim (Orange or Vodafone) through Amazon while in the US.

My two companies of choice on the Camino are either Vodafone or Orange. Last - register with the app “Ding” and you can top up monies in your phone account - using PayPal or a credit card - without hunting for a tobacco shop on the Camino.

 

[BombayBill]

I always found Orange to be the most reliable and best service in both countries. There should be a number of neighborhood shops in Paris to get you set up.

I have used Orange in France in the past but it was tricky. Don’t quote me but I think the rule is that a Holiday card is for 14 days max unless you register your passport. Then you are are able to top up past the 14 day limit. This must be done at an Orange store. Not a Tabac. However recently I’ve seen a web page on the Orange site that seems to enable registering your passport online and in English. https://topup.orange.com/ and https://topup.orange.com/register-an-orange-holiday-france-sim-card/

It’s my understanding that an Orange Sim purchased in Spain has less rules. It’s a bit like vax rules, complicated, confusing, many opinions.

 

[lt56ny]

I just bought a local sim from Orange in Madrid. 10 Euros per month pay-as-you go (no contract) for 25 gb. Free roaming in the EU.

Hi George. I will be starting in Sevilla in October. I have always gotten a sim card from Orange. How many minutes of calling does this 10E a month plan give you.(Do you remember the name of the plan as they have many). On my last camino in 2019 the best plan for me that was offered was a $20Euro plan that gave me 15 or 20 gb and 80 minutes of calls within Spain. Before Covid always looked for a plan with the most gb as I rarely called albergues until it got very late in the year just to make sure they were still open. This Covid Camino I figure I will be calling alot more to check on albergues to make sure they are open or closed. The VDLP needs more planning than the more popular routes especially in these trying times.
Thanks in advance. Buen Camino

 

[naplesdon]

Some very good comments here.
I was not talking about eSim, I don't even know how that works.
My most recent experience was in 2019 when I bought the Orange holiday package in Le Puy and had no issues until about a month later when I got to Hontanas and had to call Delta Airlines to make an emergency change to my ticket due to a family emergency. At 3am, Delta kept me on the line long enough to burn up my credits just about when I was about to give them my ticket and credit card details. All was going well for the remainder of the day and night until I arrived at Bilbao airport and there was no record of my reservation change and I needed to pay the 300 euro for the flight change fee. The real gut punch was that TAP's computer was down that morning so I had to walk arm-in-arm with a desk agent to withdraw 300 from an ATM.
Isn't technology great?

 

[U20C_Katherine]

I am a US citizen - living in Spain - and an 8 time Camino pilgrim. I have an iPhone 12 Pro. For me - I have my US number as an eSim and my Spanish number as a physical sim. My US number is w T-Mobile and one simple phone call to them changed me from physical to eSim with no change of my mobile number. If I have problems w my eSim - I prefer to deal w my US company as my Spanish language skills are rudimentary. For me - it is easier to describe a problem w a physical sim to a Spanish phone company than an eSim. Also you can purchase a physical Spanish sim (Orange or Vodafone) through Amazon while in the US.

My two companies of choice on the Camino are either Vodafone or Orange. Last - register with the app “Ding” and you can top up monies in your phone account - using PayPal or a credit card - without hunting for a tobacco shop on the Camino.

Please explain the ding app- what is it used for? Curious…

Otherwise…. I’m also with T-Mobile as primary and using esims when I travel! Love them and it’s so easy to use! I got the 60gb for 15days holiday card from orange - I guess ill find out how well it works once I get there… does vodafone offer prepaid esims as well? In case the one I got doesn’t perform?

 

[trecile]

Please explain the ding app- what is it used for? Curious…

Otherwise…. I’m also with T-Mobile as primary and using esims when I travel! Love them and it’s so easy to use! I got the 60gb for 15days holiday card from orange - I guess ill find out how well it works once I get there… does vodafone offer prepaid esims as well? In case the one I got doesn’t perform?

I also have T-mobile and when I travel I just use the free roaming data that I get with my account. It's worked for 5 Caminos and several other international trips.

 

[stsantia]

if you have an iPhone, the below link will list carriers globally that support esim

Find wireless carriers and worldwide service providers that offer eSIM service

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to activate a mobile data plan from your service provider without having to use a physical nano-SIM. Find out which wireless service providers in your country or region offer mobile plans on an eSIM, either activated by eSIM Carrier Activation, eSIM Quick...

support.apple.com

esim on the Orange network is delivered though the app "orange flex"

Odkryj Orange Flex, jedyną taką sieć w aplikacji.

Moja sieć w aplikacji. Bez wychodzenia z domu. 45 GB w ofercie za 35 zł. Wszystko zaczyna się w aplikacji. Nielimitowane minuty, SMSy i MMSy w Polsce i w roamingu UE. Sprawdź na flex.orange.pl!

flex.orange.pl

Hope the info helps.