- Time of past OR future Camino
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I looked up Rogers' international roaming plan. $14/day. You will want to get a Spanish SIM. Here is some good news though, your phone allows you to have two numbers. It is a dual-sim phone. There is a slot for a physical sim card for use by one provider and and esim for another provider. An esim is an electronic virtual sim without a card. This also means that you don't have to worry about an unlocked phone as you will still be using (and paying for) Rogers' service.I have an iPhone SE, and my local provider here in Canada is Rogers.
It occurred to me overnight that I should mention why you should do this with your current number. Two years ago none of the Spanish networks was able to support esims so I definitely needed a card. Possibly they can now but anyway you would feel better talking about this new procedure in advance at home with someone who natively speaks your language.What I think you should do is to go to your provider and ask them to switch your sim for an esim with the same number.
@trecile, I just now saw this thread on SIM cards and as soon as I read the OP's question I thought of you, knowing you would offer a good reply and yep, you were the first responder, followed by several other forum techies who gave good additional input.Only your phone number changes. Your email, apps, files stored on your phone all remain the same.
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Hi, I just wanted to add a couple of things. I almost always buy a sim card at Orange. Their plans work the best for me. I would say from what I have heard from Spaniards is that Vodafone and Orange are the two best carriers in terms of number of locations and coverage. Vodafone is the biggest. I would recommend going to one of these stores. Not a comment on the other carriers just that I have experience only with these two. If you go on their webpages (I know that Orange webpage has a tab for English) you can check out their monthly plans. There are some excellent plans this year that have large amounts of data and calls. More than you would need for 20Euros and some even less. They will set the phone up for you and everything that is on your phone will still be completely functional. My plan does not allow me to call the United States but I can receive calls from the United States and Mexico. My wife calls me on our internet home phone. She also calls as well as my daughters on WhatsApp. I would highly recommend downloading this free app if you do not have it. Most everyone in Europe texts with this app. Your new telephone number will change automatically to this app. I call my wife and kids on WhatsApp. I Your new number will appear to all your contacts on Whatsapp also. As I am also technologically challenged I leave it all to the experts.Hello Everyone:
There have been quite a number of threads about SIM cards (which networks to use, where to buy them, cost, etc.), but for those like me that are not technologically savvy, I have not seen anything that explains what actually happens when you purchase and install a local SIM card. For example, I understand that you will now have a local phone number, so assuming you are in Spain, you would have a Spanish number. This has obvious implications for making/receiving telephone calls. The implications for text messages are presumably the same. I also understand that you receive a data package that makes browsing the web much more affordable than many domestic networks would charge for roaming. However, I hope that someone could help explain the following:
1. What happens with e-mails? Can you send/receive messages using your regular e-mail address? Is it a seamless process, or do you need to somehow install your e-mail address on the new SIM card?
2. Same question with apps: Are any apps that you already have on your phone (MAPS.ME, Booking.com, Kindle, etc.) still on your phone, or do you need to somehow download them again?
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Thanks but not really true. I know the theory of SIMs but when it comes to actually buying a plan and using it I'm still learning.I have also gotten tons of good info from @trecile and @Rick of Rick and Peg and now confidently get a Spanish sim card when I walk a camino.
While still at home purchase the cheapest sim card you can buy. I found one for around $10 at my local drug store. Try it on your phone. See what happens, how do you load it, is your phone unlocked, what questions should you be prepared if you have a problem? Now you should be better prepared on the Camino. The recommendations and instructions in these thread will make more sense.Hello Everyone:
There have been quite a number of threads about SIM cards (which networks to use, where to buy them, cost, etc.), but for those like me that are not technologically savvy, I have not seen anything that explains what actually happens when you purchase and install a local SIM card. For example, I understand that you will now have a local phone number, so assuming you are in Spain, you would have a Spanish number. This has obvious implications for making/receiving telephone calls. The implications for text messages are presumably the same. I also understand that you receive a data package that makes browsing the web much more affordable than many domestic networks would charge for roaming. However, I hope that someone could help explain the following:
1. What happens with e-mails? Can you send/receive messages using your regular e-mail address? Is it a seamless process, or do you need to somehow install your e-mail address on the new SIM card?
2. Same question with apps: Are any apps that you already have on your phone (MAPS.ME, Booking.com, Kindle, etc.) still on your phone, or do you need to somehow download them again?
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Everywhere I travel I bring an older light cell phone with me and only change that SIM card. In this way, I do not risk screwing up my own good phone. I use my good one when I have free wifi but I leave the data roaming off.Hello Everyone:
There have been quite a number of threads about SIM cards (which networks to use, where to buy them, cost, etc.), but for those like me that are not technologically savvy, I have not seen anything that explains what actually happens when you purchase and install a local SIM card. For example, I understand that you will now have a local phone number, so assuming you are in Spain, you would have a Spanish number. This has obvious implications for making/receiving telephone calls. The implications for text messages are presumably the same. I also understand that you receive a data package that makes browsing the web much more affordable than many domestic networks would charge for roaming. However, I hope that someone could help explain the following:
1. What happens with e-mails? Can you send/receive messages using your regular e-mail address? Is it a seamless process, or do you need to somehow install your e-mail address on the new SIM card?
2. Same question with apps: Are any apps that you already have on your phone (MAPS.ME, Booking.com, Kindle, etc.) still on your phone, or do you need to somehow download them again?
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Yes. I do this when I know that I will be in Spain for longer than the initial period. I buy the SIM and pay enough extra to cover a renewal or two.Does anyone know if one of the major service providers (Vodaphone, Orange etc.) will accept payment for three months rather than just for one?
I had a problem recharging my service in Ponferrada when heading for the Invierno, and there were major challenges beginning the route as a result. I should prefer to pay upfront.
My wife calls me on our internet home phone. She also calls as well as my daughters on WhatsApp.
I regularly see people recommending Whatsapp on this forum. It is probably also factual that many Spanish people and businesses use WhatsApp.I would highly recommend downloading this free app if you do not have it. Most everyone in Europe texts with this app. Your new telephone number will change automatically to this app. I call my wife and kids on WhatsApp. I Your new number will appear to all your contacts on Whatsapp also.
You need to turn on roaming.Are you walking to Spain? If so then here's a surprise. Most Portuguese sim card won't work in Spain despite the fact that there are supposed to work in all EU countries. On a flip side they cost about half what you pay in Spain.
I got to the first town in Spain after the border crossing and the sim stopped working. Have to get another sim in Spain.
Roaming doesn't work for most Portuguese sim. But a Spanish sim can work in Portugal. It explains the price difference..You need to turn on roaming.
Most phones from countries outside of Europe have roaming turned off by default as roaming charges outside of Europe can be very expensive. Within Europe they were sensible enough to outlaw excessive roaming charges.
What that means is that if you bring a phone into Europe you should check to see that you have roaming set on for the European SIM card.
You will be glad you have the sim for email/ internet browsing. The wifi in many places was extremely slow.Thanks to all that have responded. I have an iPhone SE, and my local provider here in Canada is Rogers. It would likely cost me $400-$500 Canadian to simply use their roaming for my planned trip. Unless there is some way by looking at the phone (Settings?), I'll have to call them to ensure that the phone is unlocked.
I don't plan on making a lot of calls home. I could probably get by just using wifi along the route; however, I like the freedom to use the phone/internet when I want to or need to, at a reasonable price. I like to book accommodation a day or two in advance, so that is one use. I plan to walk the Levante (Valencia to Toledo) in October. Thanks again!
@evanlow has raised a good point that hasn't been covered. Most of the mobile network providers in Portugal and Spain offer special, short-term deals aimed at package tourists. Typically these are 15-30 day deals that can not be renewed, often have high data volumes (to appeal to younger tourists) and appear to offer very cheap costs.Roaming doesn't work for most Portuguese sim. But a Spanish sim can work in Portugal. It explains the price difference..
No worries. We all do what we think is best. My experience in Spain is that yes WhatsApp is widely used. I live in Mexico and I can tell you that in Mexico as well as all of Latin America it is by far the number 1 means of communication. Everyone texts on WhatsApp very few people communicate by telephone. 90% of the time even my wife contacts me this way.I regularly see people recommending Whatsapp on this forum. It is probably also factual that many Spanish people and businesses use WhatsApp.
I don't use WhatsApp, nor do I use Facebook. I am concerned about my loss of privacy and the insecurity of both these applications.
I use Signal as an alternative to WhatsApp. I don't use any alternative to Facebook.
I do use other applications that have negative privacy implications such as Google search (signed in) and other Google products such as Maps and Chrome. In the case of my use of these products I have assessed that the value of using them is greater than the negative privacy implications.
If you are personally not concerned about these issues then WhatsApp is something you could consider using.
PS @lt56ny this is not meant as a criticism of you or your use of WhatsApp. You post was simply a convenient reminder for me to comment on this subject.
What changes:Hello Everyone:
There have been quite a number of threads about SIM cards (which networks to use, where to buy them, cost, etc.), but for those like me that are not technologically savvy, I have not seen anything that explains what actually happens when you purchase and install a local SIM card. For example, I understand that you will now have a local phone number, so assuming you are in Spain, you would have a Spanish number. This has obvious implications for making/receiving telephone calls. The implications for text messages are presumably the same. I also understand that you receive a data package that makes browsing the web much more affordable than many domestic networks would charge for roaming. However, I hope that someone could help explain the following:
1. What happens with e-mails? Can you send/receive messages using your regular e-mail address? Is it a seamless process, or do you need to somehow install your e-mail address on the new SIM card?
2. Same question with apps: Are any apps that you already have on your phone (MAPS.ME, Booking.com, Kindle, etc.) still on your phone, or do you need to somehow download them again?
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Not quite correct but a decent attempt.What changes:
What does not change:
- Your cellular service provider. While the new SIM is in place, your phone will effectively cease to be found by your old cellular provider. You won't be using their minutes or messaging or data. You will have a new provider (Vodaphone or Orange or whichever provided the SIM card)
- Your phone plan. With the new provider comes a new plan that your usage will be counted against. Your usage counts against this new plan while the SIM is in your phone. When you take it out and replace it with your old SIM, your usage counts against your old plan.
- Your phone number. With your new provider comes a new phone number. This will likely be local to wherever you bought the new SIM card.
- Anything stored on your phone. This includes apps (and associated info, like downloaded maps for offline use of Camino apps or downloaded dictionaries for offline use of Google Translate), music, e-books, photos, etc.
- Anything you access on the Internet. This includes websites, and information you store on them: Gmail, Google Maps, Google Translate, YouTube, Facebook, this forum, etc.
- Anything stored on SD cards in your phone
- In my experience, your text messaging apps will not change. You will not lose your conversations. Apps and stored data are persistent. But while the new SIM is in the phone, people will need to use the new phone number to send a text message to you.
Thats weird. I installed WhatsApp on my Camino Portugues when I had the Portuguese SIM in the phone and haven't had issues using it to continue conversations after I restored my Canadian SIM upon my return home.Not quite correct but a decent attempt.
The last point needs more information. Some apps, in my case Signal, but for others probably WhatsApp that encrypt messages and phone calls use information on the SIM card to identify you. When you take your old SIM out of a single SIM card phone and put a different SIM in these apps can no longer identify you and your contacts can no longer contact you using these apps.
Things are different again with a dual SIM phone.
The same thing has happened to me. I installed whatsapp on my phone when I was in Spain with a Spanish Sim. Three or four switches back and forth to different Spanish Sim cards and my WhatsApp continues to work. I never could figure out how this could possibly work, but I am very happy that it does.Thats weird. I installed WhatsApp on my Camino Portugues when I had the Portuguese SIM in the phone and haven't had issues using it to continue conversations after I restored my Canadian SIM upon my return home.
I don't use WhatsApp and so I bow to both of you's greater expertise on this. In my case, Signal refused to work with a new SIM unless I revalidated it. I couldn't be bothered revalidating it and so I left it as is and on my return home and with my usual SIM it restarted working.The same thing has happened to me. I installed whatsapp on my phone when I was in Spain with a Spanish Sim. Three or four switches back and forth to different Spanish Sim cards and my WhatsApp continues to work. I never could figure out how this could possibly work, but I am very happy that it does.
I've updated the post to reflect this wrinkle.I don't use WhatsApp and so I bow to both of you's greater expertise on this. In my case, Signal refused to work with a new SIM unless I revalidated it. I couldn't be bothered revalidating it and so I left it as is and on my return home and with my usual SIM it restarted working.
While WhatsApp originally used the open source Signal technology for its encrypted communications it has, since Facebook purchased it, moved away from the open source code with its own modifications.
The other possibility is that you are not using WhatsApp's encryption. As I say, I don't use WhatsApp and so I don't know if you can turn this on/off or if it is permanently on.
It is possible that WhatsApp uses your phone IMEI for its encryption. This code stays with your physical phone handset and so would not change for a different SIM but would need revalidating if you moved to a new handset.
Regardless, some app functionality for some apps IS affected when you change SIM cards.
I've used WhatsApp and changed to a SIM card with a different number. All my existing contacts could still contact me, just like before. I can't remember what happened to new contacts. The only issue I know about is if you had to reinstall WhatsApp and wanted it to use your old number you would have to put your old sim back in just to register the app.Not quite correct but a decent attempt.
The last point needs more information. Some apps, in my case Signal, but for others probably WhatsApp that encrypt messages and phone calls use information on the SIM card to identify you. When you take your old SIM out of a single SIM card phone and put a different SIM in these apps can no longer identify you and your contacts can no longer contact you using these apps.
Things are different again with a dual SIM phone.
Here's what the help center has to say:I've used WhatsApp and changed to a SIM card with a different number. All my existing contacts could still contact me, just like before. I can't remember what happened to new contacts. The only issue I know about is if you had to reinstall WhatsApp and wanted it to use your old number you would have to put your old sim back in just to register the app.
Do not, under any circumstances, change the phone number on Whatsapp. Leave it as is or you will lose messages.Hello Everyone:
There have been quite a number of threads about SIM cards (which networks to use, where to buy them, cost, etc.), but for those like me that are not technologically savvy, I have not seen anything that explains what actually happens when you purchase and install a local SIM card. For example, I understand that you will now have a local phone number, so assuming you are in Spain, you would have a Spanish number. This has obvious implications for making/receiving telephone calls. The implications for text messages are presumably the same. I also understand that you receive a data package that makes browsing the web much more affordable than many domestic networks would charge for roaming. However, I hope that someone could help explain the following:
1. What happens with e-mails? Can you send/receive messages using your regular e-mail address? Is it a seamless process, or do you need to somehow install your e-mail address on the new SIM card?
2. Same question with apps: Are any apps that you already have on your phone (MAPS.ME, Booking.com, Kindle, etc.) still on your phone, or do you need to somehow download them again?
3. Is there anything else important to know?
Thanks in advance for any help!
I installed whatsapp on my phone when I was in Spain with a Spanish Sim. Three or four switches back and forth to different Spanish Sim cards and my WhatsApp continues to work. I never could figure out how this could possibly work, but I am very happy that it does.
I don't understand the details, but the way I describe it is that the phone number that was used to set up your WhatsApp account in the first place, is now your username forever. So you continue to use that user name on WhatsApp, even from a new phone, Sim card, or computer.Do not, under any circumstances, change the phone number on Whatsapp. Leave it as is or you will lose messages.
Important!In one of my early vodafone years, I remembet getting a message after 8 days telling me my data was almost gone. I had not used data for much of anything (and I don’t remember which plan I had). People on the forum told me that it was probably the case that some of my apps were syncing or updating or downloading or doing something without my knowledge when I had the data on. Easy solution — I make sure to keep the data turned off except when I actually need to use it.
Ditto.use Signal as an alternative to WhatsApp. I don't use any alternative to Facebook.
Oh! Good to know!!Some apps, in my case Signal, but for others probably WhatsApp that encrypt messages and phone calls use information on the SIM card to identify you. When you take your old SIM out of a single SIM card phone and put a different SIM in these apps can no longer identify you
My memory is fading, sorry. My set up is slightly complex as I use both SIMs in ANZ as part of my normal set-up and so in Spain I take out my "business" SIM and replace it with a Spanish SIM while leaving my "personal" SIM in.Signal!
......
So with a dual SIM, do you just leave both on? And if so, does Signal exclusively use the original SIM? My profound ignorance is showing, but would that not be massively expensive?
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