SIM or AT&T Passport

[Jeff Johnston]

Currently utilize an unlocked iPhone here at home. Will desire it on my Camino (primarily for texting, an occasional call home, possible receiving an emergency call from home and taking and posting an occasional picture). My quality photos will be taken with my SONY (small and light) camera. These can be saved on numerous SD cards and will be for back home memories only.

So, even though AT&T has their Passport plans, from what I am reading here it looks like buying a SIM on the Camino would be the most pragmatic and least expensive option. I am planning a 6-7 week total time on the Camino and other traveling.

Am I missing something here that would alter my thinking?

Buen Camino!

 

[lonestarmatt]

When I walked Camino Frances in 2014, there were 5 in our group and we all purchased a Spanish SIM card to allow us to text to each other. It worked fairly well except the package we purchased (240 minutes voice and unlimited texting) expired a the end of the month and required renewal. Because we didn't have a Spanish Credit Card, we could not renew automatically. We went to a gas station and paid the owner cash for him to put the charge on his credit card - somewhat of a hassle.

When I walked Camino Portugues solo in 2015, I purchased the AT&T International plan. The voice cost per minute was comparable and I could text and call home whenever I liked. I had no issues.

Wi-Fi is readily available and there are texting apps available. I turned my data and gps functions off and would only upload pics with a Wi-Fi connection. This worked well for me.

 

[Bajaracer]

Currently utilize an unlocked iPhone here at home. Will desire it on my Camino (primarily for texting, an occasional call home, possible receiving an emergency call from home and taking and posting an occasional picture). My quality photos will be taken with my SONY (small and light) camera. These can be saved on numerous SD cards and will be for back home memories only.

So, even though AT&T has their Passport plans, from what I am reading here it looks like buying a SIM on the Camino would be the most pragmatic and least expensive option. I am planning a 6-7 week total time on the Camino and other traveling.

Am I missing something here that would alter my thinking?

Buen Camino!

No, not at all, why give AT&T so much money for so little in return? For the price of a bad pilgrim meal you can have full functionality of your iPhone and not have to wait till you get to wifi.
Lots of good deals on prepaid Spanish SIM cards with data, the Vodafone Tourist SIM is a great deal and automatically renews the next month provided you add credit to the phone.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Spain

 

[Rajy62]

You are thinking right. There is wifi almost everywhere in Spain. So you can do all the texting, sharing etc via free wifi, either at the alberque/hostels or coffee stops. I would get a simple talk/text local sim (dirt cheap) if you want to talk while walking (away from a wifi hotspot). Buen camino.

 

[t2andreo]

Just as a FYI for all US located folks with smart phones, I use t-Mobile as my service provider. They allow you to use your full US data plan in 140 foreign countries including France, Portugal and Spain for FREE. Voice calls anywhere are 20 Euro cents per minute.

So, I was able to use my 5 Gb monthly data for free messaging / texting and data all over Spain. Their Spanish roaming partner is Movistar. I had excellent signal strength from Madrid to Santiago this past April. In fact, I get stronger cellular and data signals anywhere in Europe than I d o here in the US. It is embarrassing actually. As soon as I powered up on landing at Madrid, I had five dots of signal.

I earlier traveled to Belgium, during March, to visit friends there. It worked great in Belgium as well.

I used my iPhone for GPS navigation and Google Maps in town, as well as frequent internet searches. I used texting easily throughout my travels. When placing overseas voice calls, I used the available, free, Wi-Fi in cafes or hotels, hostals or wherever I was to place "voice only" calls over Face Time.

I imagine the same protocols would work using Skype or whatever app the Android folks use...

My most used apps on this last Camino were:

• Maps.me - Worked better than the Wikiloc app, IMHO. It is a free download for Android or iPhone.
• Google Maps - Maps.me easily gets you to the edge of town, but Google Maps literally tells you, in English, how to arrive at an urban address, like a hotel, bus station, or shop. This is key if you have never been to a place before. When you are cold, wet, tired and in pain, it is a lifesaver!
• Eltiempo.es - The most comprehensive weather source I found for small Spanish villages and hamlets, along the Camino Madrid and Frances.
• Misas.org - Locates Catholic Masses anywhere in Spain, using the province and town. It links to the maps apps on your phone as well.
• ALSA - the national bus carrier who provides most inter-city bus support
• Rome2Rio - a hugely powerful app. Tell it any places on earth you want to travel from and to, and it will come back with car, bus, taxi, train, and plane solutions, including hybrid solutions involving multiple types of travel. I was amazed, it worked even along the Camino in Spain.
• Messages - the native Apple iOS text application

I hope this all helps someone...

 

[ktchnofdngr]

Is there somewhere near either the train station or the airport in Madrid where you can buy a sim card? Thanks!

 

[ktchnofdngr]

Just as a FYI for all US located folks with smart phones, I use t-Mobile as my service provider. They allow you to use your full US data plan in 140 foreign countries including France, Portugal and Spain for FREE. Voice calls anywhere are 20 Euro cents per minute.

So, I was able to use my 5 Gb monthly data for free messaging / texting and data all over Spain. Their Spanish roaming partner is Movistar. I had excellent signal strength from Madrid to Santiago this past April. In fact, I get stronger cellular and data signals anywhere in Europe than I d o here in the US. It is embarrassing actually. As soon as I powered up on landing at Madrid, I had five dots of signal.

I earlier traveled to Belgium, during March, to visit friends there. It worked great in Belgium as well.

I used my iPhone for GPS navigation and Google Maps in town, as well as frequent internet searches. I used texting easily throughout my travels. When placing overseas voice calls, I used the available, free, Wi-Fi in cafes or hotels, hostals or wherever I was to place "voice only" calls over Face Time.

I imagine the same protocols would work using Skype or whatever app the Android folks use...

My most used apps on this last Camino were:

• Maps.me - Worked better than the Wikiloc app, IMHO. It is a free download for Android or iPhone.
• Google Maps - Maps.me easily gets you to the edge of town, but Google Maps literally tells you, in English, how to arrive at an urban address, like a hotel, bus station, or shop. This is key if you have never been to a place before. When you are cold, wet, tired and in pain, it is a lifesaver!
• Eltiempo.es - The most comprehensive weather source I found for small Spanish villages and hamlets, along the Camino Madrid and Frances.
• Misas.org - Locates Catholic Masses anywhere in Spain, using the province and town. It links to the maps apps on your phone as well.
• ALSA - the national bus carrier who provides most inter-city bus support
• Rome2Rio - a hugely powerful app. Tell it any places on earth you want to travel from and to, and it will come back with car, bus, taxi, train, and plane solutions, including hybrid solutions involving multiple types of travel. I was amazed, it worked even along the Camino in Spain.
• Messages - the native Apple iOS text application

I hope this all helps someone...

My original plan was to use T-Mobile for data/phone access, but I had an issue with being able to log in online, and after over 2 weeks they still couldn't fix it. I finally cancelled service with them and will have to find another means of phone/data. Their customer service has a lot to be desired.

 

[Rajy62]

Is there somewhere near either the train station or the airport in Madrid where you can buy a sim card? Thanks!

You can buy those prepaid sim cards at any mobile phone accessory stores in Spain. They are everywhere. If you need a data plan, perhaps better to find a mobile phone carrier like Movistar, Vodafone etc.

 

[Michael Bird]

Last September I purchased an Orange sim (not pronounced orange) once I crossed into Spain for 15 Euro and I got an insane amount of minutes as they only charge 18 cents euro per call anywhere in Spain which we used to make the periodic reservations when getting closer to Santiago. It came with 3 gigs of data. But you have to ensure that your iPhone is truly unlocked and take the little key to remove the chip. It was also helpful that we had a Spanish speaking person in our group to get the so called special of the month. Additionally, most albergues have reasonable WIFI but its cheap insurance if you need to make a call.

 

[ktchnofdngr]

Last September I purchased an Orange sim (not pronounced orange) once I crossed into Spain for 15 Euro and I got an insane amount of minutes as they only charge 18 cents euro per call anywhere in Spain which we used to make the periodic reservations when getting closer to Santiago. It came with 3 gigs of data. But you have to ensure that your iPhone is truly unlocked and take the little key to remove the chip. It was also helpful that we had a Spanish speaking person in our group to get the so called special of the month. Additionally, most albergues have reasonable WIFI but its cheap insurance if you need to make a call.

Will it work for an android phone as well? I actually need it more for the data than for calling--I'm teaching online as I walk this summer.

 

[Bajaracer]

Will it work for an android phone as well? I actually need it more for the data than for calling--I'm teaching online as I walk this summer.

Yes, it applies to Android as well, make sure your device is UNLOCKED well before you leave, otherwise you'll have to wait till you get to wifi.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Spain

 

[ktchnofdngr]

Yes, it applies to Android as well, make sure your device is UNLOCKED well before you leave, otherwise you'll have to wait till you get to wifi.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Spain

I bought it unlocked, as I use a discount carrier. That shouldn't be a problem. :-D

 

[Bajaracer]

I bought it unlocked, as I use a discount carrier. That shouldn't be a problem. :-D

You're all set then, just buy the SIM of your choice. The Vodafone Tourist SIM is a bargain at €15 with 1.5GB if data and 60mins for calls to the US, and automatically renews the next month provided you top off another €15 on the account, this can be done at most tabac stores or other convenience stores.

 

[ktchnofdngr]

You're all set then, just buy the SIM of your choice. The Vodafone Tourist SIM is a bargain at €15 with 1.5GB if data and 60mins for calls to the US, and automatically renews the next month provided you top off another €15 on the account, this can be done at most tabac stores or other convenience stores.

That sounds about perfect for me. Do you know if it will auto renew if you use all of your data? I'm actually teaching a class online while I'm walking, and being able to answer emails/grade is my most urgent issue, especially on days when I'm at an Albergue that doesn't have connectivity.

Thanks for the info!
Ruth

 

[Bajaracer]

That sounds about perfect for me. Do you know if it will auto renew if you use all of your data? I'm actually teaching a class online while I'm walking, and being able to answer emails/grade is my most urgent issue, especially on days when I'm at an Albergue that doesn't have connectivity.

Thanks for the info!
Ruth

Buy more data as needed.

Tourist SIM: International Smartphone Edit
Their new voice and data SIM card is called International Smartphone and sold for 15 € containing 1.5 GB data up to 4G/LTE and 60 minutes domestic and international calls to 35 countries valid for a month. This pack is valid for 30 days. It renews automatically, if you have enough credit. In this case unused voice or data will roll over. When used beyond the limit, speed is throttled to 32 kbps, data use outside of package charged with a daily fee of 2 € for 200 MB. You can change to this plan by typing *565#