SIM card

[junvicencio]

Hi! Can anyone please suggest a SIM card that I can use in London, Paris, el Camino Frances, and Portuguese. I really don't think I'll be using a lot of calls and text, nor use a lot of data. Just want one just in case I need to use it, especially in navigating the streets of London and Paris.
Thanks!

 

[fraluchi]

It doesn't really matter where you get your SIM-card, since the roaming in Europe has been unified. What does matter money-wise is the type of contract you intend to sign up for (heavy data downloads for example). I myself got a very good contract from Vodafone in England last year, which I used (and could stock up) in Italy, Spain and Portugal. Suerte!

 

[junvicencio]

It doesn't really matter where you get your SIM-card, since the roaming in Europe has been unified. What does matter money-wise is the type of contract you intend to sign up for (heavy data downloads for example). I myself got a very good contract from Vodafone in England last year, which I used (and could stock up) in Italy, Spain and Portugal. Suerte!

Thanks, Fraluchi!

 

[Canuck]

Here's what I've been using for three or four years now. Good service and very flexible:

https://www.prepaidzero.com/

 

[junvicencio]

Here's what I've been using for three or four years now. Good service and very flexible:

https://www.prepaidzero.com/

Thanks!

 

[Bradypus]

If your first stop is in the UK then you will be able to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM at almost any supermarket or many corner shops, as well as in specialist phone shops. No registration or contract required. The advertised rates for data, calls and text messages should be the same in the UK, France, Spain or anywhere else within the EU. If you shop around the different networks you can choose from deals which simply charge per mb/minute from your remaining credit or you could buy a prepaid bundle of data upfront. I live in the UK and use the Three mobile network which I have found works well and cheaply on my occasional trips to other European countries. @fraluchi makes a good point above about making sure that it is possible for you to top-up your credit while abroad unless you are sure that your initial purchase of credit is enough to last for your whole trip.

 

[junvicencio]

If your first stop is in the UK then you will be able to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM at almost any supermarket or many corner shops, as well as in specialist phone shops. No registration or contract required. The advertised rates for data, calls and text messages should be the same in the UK, France, Spain or anywhere else within the EU. If you shop around the different networks you can choose from deals which simply charge per mb/minute from your remaining credit or you could buy a prepaid bundle of data upfront. I live in the UK and use the Three mobile network which I have found works well and cheaply on my occasional trips to other European countries. @fraluchi makes a good point above about making sure that it is possible for you to top-up your credit while abroad unless you are sure that your initial purchase of credit is enough to last for your whole trip.

Thanks, Bradypus!

 

[jmcarp]

Here's what I've been using for three or four years now. Good service and very flexible:

https://www.prepaidzero.com/

I used similar cards in the past when vacationing in Europe and traveling through three or four countries, but now that roaming charges have been discontinued in the EU, you'll probably save money by just buying a card from one of the established providers that serve multiple countries, such as Vodaphone, etc.

 

[owms2323]

It doesn't really matter where you get your SIM-card, since the roaming in Europe has been unified. What does matter money-wise is the type of contract you intend to sign up for (heavy data downloads for example). I myself got a very good contract from Vodafone in England last year, which I used (and could stock up) in Italy, Spain and Portugal. Suerte!

when did they unify? I was in Spain and Italy last fall and had to buy separate SIM cards

 

[Bradypus]

when did they unify? I was in Spain and Italy last fall and had to buy separate SIM cards

You were misinformed. EU roaming charges were abolished in June last year. You should have been able to use a Spanish SIM in Italy or vice versa at the standard national rates of whichever network issued the SIM card.

 

[Canuck]

I used similar cards in the past when vacationing in Europe and traveling through three or four countries, but now that roaming charges have been discontinued in the EU, you'll probably save money by just buying a card from one of the established providers that serve multiple countries, such as Vodaphone, etc.

Vodafone? No thanks!
Last May-June in Spain I purchased a vodafone prepaid SIM. Thirty days later, even after three visits to three different Vodafone stores it still wasn't working. A waste of money.
I had a similar experience with Orange.
With my PrepaidZero card, not only am I functional when the plane hits the ground, it's reliable to boot and has been for many years in a multitude of countries. Customer loyalty, even if supposedly a bit more expensive.
Thanks anyway.

 

[jmcarp]

Vodafone? No thanks!
Last May-June in Spain I purchased a vodafone prepaid SIM. Thirty days later, even after three visits to three different Vodafone stores it still wasn't working. A waste of money.
I had a similar experience with Orange.
With my PrepaidZero card, not only am I functional when the plane hits the ground, it's reliable to boot and has been for many years in a multitude of countries. Customer loyalty, even if supposedly a bit more expensive.
Thanks anyway.

I'm not sure why your Vodaphone card wasn't working. I assume your phone is unlocked because the PrepaidZero card works with your phone. So for you it may be a case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." However, FWIW, I've used both Orange and Vodaphone cards in Spain (before and after the EU roaming changes), and in both cases they have worked flawlessly in my phones.

 

[jmcarp]

You were misinformed. EU roaming charges were abolished in June last year. You should have been able to use a Spanish SIM in Italy or vice versa at the standard national rates of whichever network issued the SIM card.

I was in Portugal and Spain doing the Camino Portugués in May 2017 before the roaming rules were changed, and had to buy a separate SIM card (both Vodaphone) when I crossed the border. In the fall of 2017, after the change in roaming rules, I was again in Spain, plus Italy and France on a non-Camino trip. I was able to use the same Spanish SIM card, which I purchased in Barcelona, in all three countries. Note, however, that the card did not work during a stopover in Andorra because they're not members of the EU. I bought a Vodaphone card, but was careful to make sure the plan I purchased supported both roaming in the EU and calls back to the USA, because some of the plans they were selling at that time did not support roaming outside of Spain.