Planning to experience that famous Madrid nightlife? Or maybe you’d prefer to see some of Spain’s world-renowned agritourism? If you’re putting together a Spanish holiday package for yourself or your family, you won’t want to miss out on anything Spain has to offer: museums, tapas, the beautiful Spanish countryside. And of course, you’ll want to stay connected all the while.
If you’re visiting Spain from outside the European Union, then your smartphone will be little more than a very small camera during your stay. That is unless you swap out your SIM card for a new one. Doing this will give your phone access to data while you’re in Spain. But which SIM card should you buy? You have two basic categories: local and international.
Local SIM cards
As long as you provide a valid passport, you can purchase a Spanish SIM card after you arrive. This will give you a Spanish phone number and access to Spanish mobile networks. You’ll get to use your phone like a local Spaniard.
Last year, the E.U. ended (most) roaming charges within its participating countries. So a Spanish SIM card might still be of use to you in other E.U. nations. Read the fine print carefully, though, there are some exceptions to this new rule.
Vodafone and Orange are your main choices if you want a local Spanish SIM card. You’ll want to stick with one of these two major networks rather than shopping around at any of the smaller suppliers. Vodafone and Orange are the easiest to obtain and they’ll give you the best service, so don’t be tempted by any of the very cheap providers.
There are a lot of must-see places to visit in Spain, many of which are remote areas and small, rural villages, so you need to make sure your phone’s going to get the same quality of coverage during a farm stay as it will in Madrid. Coverage through the Vodafone or Orange networks is usually pretty good if you choose the right data packages.
Remember if you buy a local SIM card that you will need to know some Spanish to follow the prompts that show up on your phone. So don’t forget to bring your pocket dictionary! Be sure you buy a large enough data plan for your whole trip, as well. If you run out of data in a rural area you may have trouble tracking down a store that sells the appropriate prepaid data cards.
International SIM cards
Your other choice for staying connected in Spain is to invest in an international SIM card. These cards and the coverage they provide are meant for travelling all over the world. An international SIM card can be used in many different countries, making them the ideal SIM for frequent travellers or those whose travel itineraries take them to different locations. International SIM’s have a few other perks over local SIM’s.
While the initial price of an international SIM is more than most local SIM’s, they save you more money on data in the long run. And a single international SIM is way cheaper than purchasing a separate card for each country you visit (not to mention easier to keep track of).
International SIM’s let you receive calls from back home without massacring anybody’s wallet. If you use a local Spanish SIM, receiving international calls can result in massive long distance charges.
With your international SIM, running out of data isn’t nearly so much of an inconvenience. You won’t have to dash around Spain looking for stores that sell prepaid cards on your network. Instead, all your data is managed on an account, and you can top off online anytime you need.
You can purchase and activate your international SIM before you leave. This means you can hand your new phone number out to everyone before you’re halfway across the world. With a local Spanish SIM, your friends back home would be in the dark until you contacted them.
Many international SIM cards will allow you to purchase additional phone numbers if you need them.
There’s a lot of variety in the quality of international SIM’s so shop around a bit. Be wary of companies with harsh expiration dates or which don’t offer service in very many countries.
BNESIM offers some pretty suave data packages and covers 170 different countries, 64 of which are Internet Home Countries where flat rates apply. Their SIM cards are also multi-format, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally buying a SIM that doesn’t fit your phone.
A good international SIM card can make you feel at home even when you’re abroad. Just make sure you don’t drop your phone while you’re running with all those bulls.
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