We're landing in Madrid mid-March and driving to Salamanca via Segovia; can anyone tell me where to buy a SIM card along the way? Also I was told there isn't a roaming charge in Europe but what about long distance calls which most of mine will be?
We're touring Spain & Portugal and our Condo have asked us to call for our time of arrival so someone can be there to give us the keys.
Thank you,
Jean
Who is your current carrier in the USA?
Hi Jean,
I currently live in London, and have some experience with SIM cards. Here's what I've learned so far. First, you need to be sure that the phone you are going to use is unlocked. Most U.S. carriers will only unlock the phone if you own it outright. Since many people lease iPhones from their carriers now, this is an important thing to check. You can always use an older phone you might have laying around if you don't own your current one outright.
The next thing you'll need to do is have your carrier unlock your phone. This allows you to use another carrier's SIM card. Usually this is done by calling your carrier. Check with your carrier for how to do this part.
Next, you can buy SIM cards in lots of different places. You can get them at the airport when you land, but they are pretty expensive there. You can get them at almost any gift shop in many cities in Europe. Maybe someone who has done this in Spain can fill in the information on where to buy them there.
In London, you can get a SIM that has at least 5GB of data and unlimited calls/texts for less than $25 USD. I'm assuming prices are similar in Spain. The calling/texting ONLY applies to the country in which you buy the SIM. BUT what is nice is that you can surf the web in pretty much every country in Europe. Again, check the actual SIM you're buying and make sure you get one with that kind of deal. Then, all you have to do is download WhatsApp, make sure your friends and family have it, and you can call/message until you run out of data! This also works on Facebook Messenger and iMessages. It uses the data, not the cellular services, so you use up for GB of data.
Since you need to call when you get there, you might want to buy a SIM online and have it shipped to you so that you can swap it out on the plane. Then it should be ready to go. Otherwise, buy one at the airport. It'll be a bit more expensive, but it is SO NICE to have the ability to call people.
If the SIM plan you get in Spain doesn't support cheap inter-EU calls, you can always use Google Hangouts or Skype to make cheap calls to other countries. Put $10 CAD of credit on either one first. Any remaining credit expires after six months of non-use; I have an old Skype credit I nurse twice a year by making a call for about 5 cents just to keep it, because I rarely use it otherwise.
Hi Dave; my current provider is Rogers in Canada and my iPhone is unlocked (Canadian Gov. declared Dec. 1/17 that phone companies must unlock phones of their customers at no charge)!
Hi dredman; this is the info I was hoping for. I was told there isn't any roaming charges in Europe but if I get a SIM card in Spain & call within Portugal or make a call to Spain, will I have long distance charges?
Thanks for this information!
Jean
Hi Andrew, our emails crossed sent... I guess I'm looking for an inter-EU SIM...did consider putting money on Skype but would prefer to have a usable SIM...
Thanks,
Jean
Jean, you can do both: get the SIM so you can have data all over EU...and get Skype or Google Hangouts if for some reason the SIM can't make cheap calls within the EU. Just ask when you buy the SIM. At worst, an extra $10 for calls. You can use Skype/Google Hangouts to make calls while on WiFi or with the SIM's mobile data.
Good idea...thanks Andrew!
J
" I was told there isn't any roaming charges in Europe but if I get a SIM card in Spain & call within Portugal or make a call to Spain, will I have long distance charges?"
First, there are no more roaming charges in the EU; this is not the same as Europe. If you take an EU SIM to a non-EU country such as Norway or Switzerland, charges can change - a little or a lot.
Second, what "no roaming" means is that when you take a SIM out of its country of origin but still in the EU, your charges don't change. So, if you take your Spanish SIM to Portugal, it will cost the same as using it in Spain.
However, long distance or international calling are not the same as roaming. So, you have to check the terms of the particular package you buy to see what it would cost to call Portugal from Spain. Again, this will not change when you move to Portugal, as your phone remains a "bubble" of the country of the SIM. In other words, when you have a Spanish SIM in your phone, you keep your Spanish phone number and rate terms, wherever you go, and whichever local phone network you are accessing.
Concrete (totally made up) example: Say your Spanish SIM, while in Spain, charges €0.10 per minute for calls within Spain, €0.15 per minute to calls to other EU countries, €0.20 per minute to call Switzerland, and €1 per minute for calls to Canada. That's what you'll pay when you take that Spanish SIM to Portugal, England, or any other EU country (that's what "no roaming surcharges" means). But, if you take that phone to Switzerland, the prices can/will change.
Real story of what I mean: a few years ago, a friend of mine had a UK SIM with good rates within England and the EU (something like £0.10 per minute) and cheap rates to the US (£0.06 per minute). He took it to Turkey, and on my advice looked into costs of using it there. OUCH - £1.50 per minute! Again, an EU SIM roaming outside the EU is not regulated, so carriers "make up their losses" (as they see it) by doing this.
So Harold; should I buy a Spain SIM card to use in Spain and a Portuguese card to use in Portugal? We'll be two weeks in each country...maybe put 10Euros on each?
Thanks,
Jean
No - you won't save any money by buying a different SIM in each country. That's what "no roaming fees" means. Using a Spanish SIM in Portugal now costs the same as using a Spanish SIM in Spain.
Just use your Spanish SIM in both countries. If you run out of credit, and are not able to refill the SIM in a different country, which is a common issue, then you can buy a new SIM.
I was just saying that long distance is not the same as roaming. How much a long-distance call will cost is dependent on the terms of your particular carrier. You have to check when you buy the SIM exactly what the cost will be, for exactly the kinds of calls you will be making. Like in every country, the deals change all the time.
Hi Harold, your information is perfect, thanks for clarifying it!
Jean
Hey Harold I understand they have electronic scanning of your license for their Toll Roads, then send you a bill. Also understand that at some you cannot pay in cash and have to wait for the bill; we won't have a transponder so I assume they'll bill the rental car co. then charge our credit card with that amount (& or add their own amount)???
Do you know of this?
Thanks,
Jean
I don't know what the latest situation is with Portuguese tolls.
You should start a new thread with this question in the Portugal forum, so the people who will know the answer can see it.
Good idea...
Thanks Harold,
Jean
