Where to buy a sim card with data?

[ydan]

Starting my Camino Frances next week.

Where can I buy a prepaid sim card with data? I'm starting at SJPdP. Do they sell Spanish sim cards there?

 

[VNwalking]

I would like to know this too; I have an unlocked phone and a pre-paid plan that does not allow overseas roaming. I am assuming that it will not be possible/easy until Pamplona?
Edit: I just found this online (From a UK paper travel column):
"Spanish prepaid (prepago) prices are usually quoted without VAT, currently 21 per cent. The Orange (orange.es) Ballena bundle costs €12 (£9.90) for 1 Gb of data plus 1,000 texts, and calls on the plan are charged at €0.01 (1p) per minute. Ballena is valid for 30 days."

"Vodafone (vodafone.es) has the SMART 12 package, with 1 Gb of internet, 60 texts and an hour of talktime. It costs €14.52 (£11.97) including VAT and is also valid for 30 days."

 

[mspath]

No Spanish sim cards in French SJPdP! Pamplona shops will have them.

 

[ydan]

Yeah I think it is more reassuring to have a phone with a functioning simcard when crossing the pyrenees

 

[naplesdon]

There is another current thread (sim's card) about simcards, you might want to take a look at it. You will be throwing your money away if you buy minutes in France just to get a simcard to cross the Pyrenees. Either that or you will be walking around Spain using a phone with roaming charges. It's your choice.

 

[C clearly]

If your Canadian plan will work at roaming rates for emergency use, you could wait until Pamplona to get a Spanish card.

 

[SYates]

Yeah I think it is more reassuring to have a phone with a functioning simcard when crossing the pyrenees

If you take yours from home, you have a functioning SIM card for emergency uses already. Then buy a Spanish one in Pamplona. Buen Camino! SY

 

[SYates]

Does Ivar still offer Sim cards to be sent to you before you start?

It doesn't seem so: http://www.santiagodecompostela.me/collections/all
SY

 

[mspath]

If you take yours from home, you have a functioning SIM card for emergency uses already. Then buy a Spanish one in Pamplona. Buen Camino! SY

Remember that the emergency telephone number throughout Europe is 112. The switchboard responders speak most common languages and will transfer your call to the local authorities.

 

[evanlow]

Ydan, will you be in Spain first before SJPDP?

If your goal is a "SIM with data" than you really have to get one in Spain. They are everywhere, in any big supermarket or even train station. I got mine last Oct from the Atocha station.... small little mobile kiosk that sells mainly some phones and phone covers. It was an Orange card that I paid only 20 Euros which includes 2GB data and 5 Euros of talk time.

Don't get a SIM card from France as the data roaming will eat the data provision dry in a matter of Megs.

 

[weradln]

FWIW I ordered online from simcardspain.es an Orange Ballena prepaid data sim card with 10 euros on it for 29.95 euros several weeks ago. No doubt a price premium for the sim card but is supposed to be ready to use so don't have to wait till Pampalona for cell service. Hasn't arrived yet and have no idea what it will actually require to activate it. Time will tell!

 

[neverlost4good]

What does VAT stand for?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

What does VAT stand for?

Value Added Tax. It is like a national sales tax.

 

[neverlost4good]

Thanks!

 

[jenny hall]

wow so much to think about I have a week in France before I arrive in SJPdP so maybe I will need a French sim and then a Spanish one so I can keep in touch with my family ?????

 

[evanlow]

Jenny, if you are not walking in France, the likelihood you have Wi-Fi where you are staying is very high, and if not still easier to find.

SIM with data tend to be the best option when walking as you will be tired after the day's walk, no Wi-Fi in the albergue, etc. That's where the data SIM comes in.

There may not be a need to spend for a SIM card with only a few days of utilization. Think vacation mode, and for the Camino, trekking mode.

 

[t2andreo]

What does VAT stand for?

Also, remember that VAT is always added to the posted price for an item. It is built into the price advertised for the item. It is NOT added at the check-out as in North America. So, while it "appears" you are not paying sales tax when you buy stuff in Europe, a closer review of the receipt will show a breakdown of what you paid how much VAT on.

That is also why prices seem so much higher in Europe...they ARE. You first have to knock about 20 - 21 percent on average off the top, then do the exchange rate computation to arrive at an near-equivalent price in your local currency, without tax. The difference at that point would be a more accurate comparison of the cost of the comparable item without taxes.

Personally, I prefer the European system to that in Canada and the US. Here, you always have that "surprise" at the check-out, as the price you thought you owed is not the final price. In Canada and in an increasing number of US jurisdictions, you will have a local or city sales tax, plus a state imposed tax added at the check-out. In Canada, it is a provincial tax and a national sales tax.

In Europe, they cut to the chase, everyone who consumes pays, and the government sorts it all out. Yes it is more expensive, but I find it easier on a day to day basis.

I hope this helps.

 

[jmcarp]

FWIW I ordered online from simcardspain.es an Orange Ballena prepaid data sim card with 10 euros on it for 29.95 euros several weeks ago. No doubt a price premium for the sim card but is supposed to be ready to use so don't have to wait till Pampalona for cell service. Hasn't arrived yet and have no idea what it will actually require to activate it. Time will tell!

When I ordered a SIM card for Spain from a stateside vendor, I had to submit a scan of the first page from my passport beforehand in order to make the card operable as soon as I hit the ground in Spain. It took at least a week to get confirmation, so if that's the case for you, be sure to factor that time into your departure schedule. Otherwise, you may have to find an Orange store once you get to Spain and have them do the necessary registration rigamorole there before you can actually use the card.

 

[t2andreo]

When I ordered a SIM card for Spain from a stateside vendor, I had to submit a scan of the first page from my passport beforehand in order to make the card operable as soon as I hit the ground in Spain. It took at least a week to get confirmation, so if that's the case for you, be sure to factor that time into your departure schedule. Otherwise, you may have to find an Orange store once you get to Spain and have them do the necessary registration rigamorole there before you can actually use the card.

JM, the reason for this practice, which has spread almost universally, is to made it more difficult (but never impossible) for criminals and terrorists to obtain "burner phones." These are cheap, prepaid phones they can use once or twice in the planning or commission of a criminal act then discard with no tracing worries. You see this featured in adventure thrillers on TV and in the cinema regularly. But having worked in the intelligence and law enforcement community, I can tell you it is an effective strategy. And the use of burner phones is a standard practice among both the good and bad buys... You have to use a phone twice to determine even the semblance of a pattern. Hence, if you use the new phone one time to make a very important call, then discard the phone, you have not left a trail that can be eaily followed.

Interestingly enough, over the past several months, Pakistan (of all places) has upped the ante. To buy any mobile phone there, in addition to identity documents, you must submit to being fingerprinted. Of course, and as one might expect, this is not sitting well with some of the local low-life element.

I just thought it might useful to understand why everyone is being hassled...

 

[jmcarp]

JM, the reason for this practice, which has spread almost universally, is to made it more difficult (but never impossible) for criminals and terrorists to obtain "burner phones." ...
I just thought it might useful to understand why everyone is being hassled...

Yes, I know that's the reason -- I just didn't want to get into a long description of it and drag it out because I'm not sure I could have explained it as accurately as you have, plus my info on the topic was second- or third-hand. Thanks for the factual data, and I hope it helps others to understand why, when they buy a SIM card outside Spain, they have to go through the (minor) hassle of getting it registered and activated. It does take a bit of time, so that has to be considered; i.e., don't make it a last-minute purchase the day before boarding the plane.
Jim

 

[t2andreo]

di nada...

 

[naplesdon]

Sooner or later the five finger or ten finger identification will become mandatory, I have to do it every time I renew my visa in France and more and more you see the finger print scanners at the immigration booths. It's the same with the microchips that are being attached to the face of all credit cards. The more the security the better as far as I am concerned, sorry to you libertarians.

 

[Former member 19626]

I am curious. How much does a Spanish SIM cost, purchased in Spain, with lots of Data included, say 5GB....10GB.....20GB?
My plan is to use my phone as I do at home with location services on and internet access on all the time.
PS: I'll also bring a backup battery.

 

[Bajaracer]

I am curious. How much does a Spanish SIM cost, purchased in Spain, with lots of Data included, say 5GB....10GB.....20GB?
My plan is to use my phone as I do at home with location services on and internet access on all the time.
PS: I'll also bring a backup battery.

Way cheaper than what you spend in Canada, make sure it is unlocked first.
http://www.lebara.es/passes/internet
https://www.tuenti.com/movil

 

[Former member 19626]

Thanks....yes cheaper...a lot cheaper

 

[Bajaracer]

Thanks....yes cheaper...a lot cheaper

Do Canadian mobile phone companies still charge a fee to unlock your phones even if the phone is out of contract?

 

[Former member 19626]

They won't unlock if still under contract. They charge $50C if out of contract. They will waive this fee if you ask nicely, maybe.....maybe not.

 

[Bajaracer]

They won't unlock if still under contract. They charge $50C if out of contract. They will waive this fee if you ask nicely, maybe.....maybe not.

What a bunch of crooks! They want you to pay $50C on top of the full price that you paid over the life of a contract? You'd be better off buying a factory unlocked device up front and not have to pay them the unlock fees down the road.
I'll never ever buy a carrier locked phone again.

 

[neverlost4good]

I just paid off my AT&T phone, and boy did they fight me on this. They wanted me to upgrade, or sign a contract, or wait! "Wait...don't leave us! " was their attitude. The store rep said that I couldn't unlock my phone and that I should just buy their international plan (she didn't know what she was talking about). I had her call someone, and with the speaker on, they said that if I paid it off...I owned it. I have a loose plan, and am not tied to a contract. So I know what you mean. Amazon offers an unlocked phone linked to their magic (I was tempted), but Ivar's new app doesn't work on that phone, so I'm taking my iPhone 5s.

To make it short: I own my phone today. It is unlocked and ready for my SIM card in the Madrid airport, in 39 days. Yipee!

 

[Bajaracer]

I just paid off my AT&T phone, and boy did they fight me on this. They wanted me to upgrade, or sign a contract, or wait! "Wait...don't leave us! " was their attitude. The store rep said that I couldn't unlock my phone and that I should just buy their international plan (she didn't know what she was talking about). I had her call someone, and with the speaker on, they said that if I paid it off...I owned it. I have a loose plan, and am not tied to a contract. So I know what you mean. Amazon offers an unlocked phone linked to their magic (I was tempted), but Ivar's new app doesn't work on that phone, so I'm taking my iPhone 5s.

To make it short: I own my phone today. It is unlocked and ready for my SIM card in the Madrid airport, in 39 days. Yipee!

Just make sure you complete the unlock instructions that AT&T emailed you to the letter.

 

[jpn321]

Under new rules, Canadian carriers are required to unlock phones if requested (and for $50 ,of course) after 90 days of any contract. I just got my new iPhone 6 in November so am planning to test that this week and take it with me on Camino.

 

[Former member 19626]

Under new rules, Canadian carriers are required to unlock phones if requested (and for $50 ,of course) after 90 days of any contract. I just got my new iPhone 6 in November so am planning to test that this week and take it with me on Camino.

I believe they are required to unlock only if your phone is paid off....

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/t15.htm

 

[jpn321]

Thanks but if you look at the 3rd line in that list of rules it states "after 90 days". I will get back to you once I test that rule tomorrow

 

[aname4me]

Unlocking your phone.....

If your provider is a CDMA (like Verizon, Sprint) you are out of luck.
CDMA phones do not have a Sim Card.
Too bad. So sad.

If your provider is GSM (T-Mobile, AT&T) you have a chance.
GSM phones do have a Sim Card.

Note: Some provides have now switching from CDMA to GSM (therefore have both)

With any luck, you can unlock your phone by typing in a “secret” number into the key pad.
Go to eBay, search for your phone, plus the words... unlock code.
With any luck, you can buy the code for $5 or $10, and do it your self.

But, if you bought a “good” phone it may require to be hooked up to something to complete this.
You can try to “send it away”, or pay your provider.

If you (heaven for bid) have a smart phone.
You are too much of a “cash cow” to be let go, without a fight.
Just like your phone, things are a lot more complicated.

Read this for more detail......
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-unlock-cell-phone.htm

 

[Former member 19626]

Thanks but if you look at the 3rd line in that list of rules it states "after 90 days". I will get back to you once I test that rule tomorrow

Please do...I am interested. I am with Bell Mobility

 

[Bajaracer]

Unlocking your phone.....

If your provider is a CDMA (like Verizon, Sprint) you are out of luck.
CDMA phones do not have a Sim Card.
Too bad. So sad.

If your provider is GSM (T-Mobile, AT&T) you have a chance.
GSM phones do have a Sim Card.

Note: Some provides have now switching from CDMA to GSM (therefore have both)

With any luck, you can unlock your phone by typing in a “secret” number into the key pad.
Go to eBay, search for your phone, plus the words... unlock code.
With any luck, you can buy the code for $5 or $10, and do it your self.

But, if you bought a “good” phone it may require to be hooked up to something to complete this.
You can try to “send it away”, or pay your provider.

If you (heaven for bid) have a smart phone.
You are too much of a “cash cow” to be let go, without a fight.
Just like your phone, things are a lot more complicated.

Read this for more detail......
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-unlock-cell-phone.htm

Not true about Verizon and Sprint, their newer 4G/LTE (iPhone 5 and newer) phones do have GSM capability and have SIM card slots and can use SIM cards abroad, Sprint can unlock your device, you just have to contact them.
http://www.sprint.com/legal/unlocking_policy.html

Verizon 4G/LTE phones are truly unlocked, you might not get LTE, but you will at least get 3G.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/aboutus/commitment/safety-security/device-unlocking-policy.html

I do have experience with installing Telcel Mexico SIM cards in Verizon iPhone 5, 5C, and 5S with no issues and had no issues on a Sprint iPhone 5C that was unlocked by Sprint.

 

[Wolfdog]

We bought a sim card for my wifes Verizon iphone 5 at the airport in Barcelona when we arrived. It was 20-30 Euro, had data and minutes on a plan that lasted 30 days. We added some minutes when the month was over for 10 more Euro. I think we will buy a Spanish burner phone next time and use our iphones for wifi, which was nearly everywhere along the way. Buen Camino, Pete

 

[jmcarp]

I picked up a used iPhone 3GS/32gb in a thrift shop for $5. It was locked to AT&T, so I put an AT&T pay-as-you-go SIM card in it temporarily to satisfy the AT&T 6 month wait period for an unlock code, then I went to iTunes and followed a very simple procedure to unlock it for free.

Previous generation unlocked iPhones and Android phones are relatively cheap on ebay if you don't demand the latest and greatest technology. I just checked ebay, and they have several unlocked iPhone 3Gs for around $50 to $60, unlocked iPhone 4/4S for around $125 to $150, and unlocked iPhone 5/5S for $250 or less. For Android fans, I saw several Samsung Galaxy S4's for $200 or less. (As always when buying on ebay, check the vendors' ratings.) Note: iPhones are best if they are "factory unlocked. Some internet vendors offer "jail break" unlocking, which is not the same thing. Also, make sure that whatever GSM phone you have is a "world phone" which works on the European frequencies. These will be rated as "4-band" phones. And older phones (like the iPhone 3-series) may only work for 3G, which means slower data rates than the newer 4G/LTE phones.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Thanks to all for some really useful information

 

[Con Palos]

Bought a TravelSIM at local PO in Australia and I use my unlocked iPhone you need to set up in Australia it will work in Spain and France.
Just make sure you chose data as well
I top up $25 a time and use flight mode on phone to stop leakage and wifi where ever available.
Great for back up gps etc

Buen Camino all