vodafone sim purchase

[batty]

Can anyone tell me where I can purchase a Vodafone sim card in SJPD or any other town . I start in SJPD
I prefer to have a sim rather then a esim

 

[J Willhaus]

I think you will need to wait until you reach Pamplona.

 

[KiwiJohn]

Can anyone tell me where I can purchase a Vodafone sim card in SJPD or any other town . I start in SJPD
I prefer to have a sim rather then a esim

I waited until Pamplona where I visited the Vodafone shop on the C. de García Ximénez, 5, 31002 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

How are you getting to SJPdP?

St. Jean is in France and Vodafone don't operate directly in France (although your Vodafone SIM will work in France if correctly set up for roaming).

That is why people are suggesting that you purchase your SIM card in Pamplona (first major city in Spain when walking the Camino Frances from St. Jean).

If you land in Madrid or another Spanish city on your way to St. Jean then you could buy your SIM in that city.

In general, I always recommend buying a SIM card directly off the network provider and in your case that means buying it directly from Vodafone Spain.

Use Google Maps to find a Vodafone Spain store in Pamplona or what ever other city you are in when you buy your SIM.



My screenshot shows the Vodafone Spain stores closed because I live in Aotearoa New Zealand and our time is shifted by 14 hours (or 10 depending how you count). The stores open at expected times within Spain

 

[DeansFamily]

Never buy your Sim card at an airport when travelling anywhere around the world as you'll always get shafted. We always use Vodafone in Spain and get the prepaid 15 euro Sim that is fair priced with plenty of data for 28 days and is very easy to top up on line or at any tobacco store in Spain. We always buy it at a Vodafone store or independent shop that sells their Sim cards. All you need is a passport and ask them to set it up for you unless you can read Spanish proficiently.

 

[C clearly]

Never buy your Sim card at an airport when travelling anywhere around the world as you'll always get shafted.

Are you talking fraud or simply that you will pay for the convenience? Sometimes that is worth the price.

 

[MaidinBham]

I bought a Vodafone sim card at Madrid Airport 2 weeks ago. The Vodafone rep was walking around right on the other side of the Arrivals Hall. He was only selling the 30 euro plan with 100GB which was not neccessarily what I wanted, but it was convenient so I purchased it with credit card and he set it up. I dont believe there is a Vodafone shop at Madrid Airport. There are shops in Madrid Airport that sell sim cards but they are usually expensive and I think Vodafone has the best plans and best service.
I always mark on my mobile GPS where the Vodafone shops are before my trip. But sometimes it is not convenient to have to find a store, the stores have odd hours, and the Vodafone shops are always packed with customers.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Another vote for getting your SIM card in Spain. Perhaps until then you can get away with your phone's WiFi calling feature (if it has it and your home provider allows it).

 

[HBS60]

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer a physical SIM card over an eSIM?
I’m asking because I’m considering upgrading an older iPhone for a newer one with eSIM capabilities, seems so much more convenient than finding a store to buy a SIM and getting it installed.
What would the downsides of an eSIM might be?

 

[J Willhaus]

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer a physical SIM card over an eSIM?
I’m asking because I’m considering upgrading an older iPhone for a newer one with eSIM capabilities, seems so much more convenient than finding a store to buy a SIM and getting it installed.
What would the downsides of an eSIM might be?

I may be incorrect (and I am sure someone will correct me) but in order to get an eSim with a Spanish phone number you have to physically visit a phone vendor and show your passport. If you don't need a Spanish number and just want data, you can buy an eSim at home and then activate it when you get to Spain.

You won't have text or phone, just data, with the data only eSim. You can use WhatsApp or another option like Viber for phone calls and text. You can shut off your home sim so you won't receive calls or texts that you will be charged for internationally if that is how your provider charges.

You can buy an eSim with a phone number, but would need to visit a store location in Spain to get the phone number. They don't have burner phones like you can buy in the US with a phone number.

 

[MaidinBham]

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer a physical SIM card over an eSIM?
I’m asking because I’m considering upgrading an older iPhone for a newer one with eSIM capabilities, seems so much more convenient than finding a store to buy a SIM and getting it installed.
What would the downsides of an eSIM might be?

I have the iPhone SE (2022) it has 2 SIM card slots, one is a e-SIM and the other is SIM. I use the SIM for travel and the e-SIM has my primary phone # Both cards do the same thing. I have the impression that Vodafone likes to sell prepaid SIM cards versus e-SIM. If you were Spanish or spoke fluent Spainish then its probably easier to get e-SIM and perhaps the whole thing could be done online.
It is nice to have phone service on my camino's because I don't usually book ahead. On the Camino Invierno I had 2-3 advance bookings but when I arrived the properties were closed. I had to make phone call to get entry. I dont speak Spainish very well, so it is a challenge many times. I've found that communicating by email or WhatsApp is a better way to communicate or make bookings. Or use booking. com - only as a last resort, and remember booking.co m doesn't show ALL the availability. Booking.com is a great app and I must say it works seamlessly with my iPhone. Download it to your phone, set up an account
You could find out from your carrier about using a international plan - I have Verizon prepaid and they would charge $10/day. Make sure you know how to use the international plan because it will renew automatically every 24 hours if you dont turn it off.This is expensive and you can get better plans and better coverage using a SIM card.
These are all things you will learn on el camino - but dont be too obsessed about all the little details, let El Camino magic work its little tricks.

 

[HBS60]

Thanks for the replies!
I have an iPhone8 max and originally I was planning to buy a physical SIM card (my phone doesn’t have an eSIM capability). I was with Verizon and didn’t like their international $10/day “plan”, so recently I switched to T-Mobile to a Magenta plan for those aged 55+, since it has unlimited data with 500 premium GBs, free international texting, and $0.25/min talk while abroad. The reason I’m considering upgrading my phone is because I need lots of storage space, mostly for videos I plan to do in the Camino, but also when I get home, as I do record my piano playing a lot and it’s frustrating to having to transfer videos to my aging PC when my phone keeps running out of space. But since the newer iPhones have eSIM, I don’t know if there’s any advantage in using them. I do have WhatsApp so I know I can just call wirelessly.
I’m also a native Spanish speaker, but from a different country, and some of the Spain websites can be hard for me to figure out because I’m not all that familiar with their technical terms and style, but I can certainly manage a conversation fluently. I don’t think I need a Spain phone number, but want to keep my home number so I can receive texts and voicemails from home if needed.
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[David Tallan]

Never buy your Sim card at an airport when travelling anywhere around the world as you'll always get shafted. We always use Vodafone in Spain and get the prepaid 15 euro Sim that is fair priced with plenty of data for 28 days and is very easy to top up on line or at any tobacco store in Spain. We always buy it at a Vodafone store or independent shop that sells their Sim cards. All you need is a passport and ask them to set it up for you unless you can read Spanish proficiently.

Yep. I asked the information desk guy at the airport in Madrid where to get a Vodafone SIM card and he pointed me to someone who was selling the €15 card for €40. Fortunately, I knew better.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

But since the newer iPhones have eSIM, I don’t know if there’s any advantage in using them.

I've looked into this a bit for you (but only a bit since I don't use Apple products*). In the US iPhone 14 models do not have a physical SIM (but do in other countries they do). Generally this isn't a problem but if you want to visit a country that doesn't support installation of eSIMs you are not going to be able to buy a plan there. The eSIM(s) that you do have will work but you need to be careful about roaming and its charges. Look for an international plan in this case.

In Europe it will be easy to get coverage by installing an eSIM but I'm seeing that in China you need a physical SIM. Perhaps this is incorrect but it may be true in other countries that you may wish to visit.

One solution is to buy your new iPhone in a country where you can still get a physical SIM in addition to the eSIM; maybe Canada or the Bahamas.

* I'm not disparaging Apple for technical, political, cost or any other reason. I just haven't used any of their products for 30 years.