Spain SIM card options

Movistar is one of the main Spanish telecommunications companies. We had Movistar SIM cards in August/September 2022 and they worked perfectly in the UK, Spain and Scandinavia. Under EU laws you have to be able to use a SIM bought in an EU country in other parts of the EU so Portugal should be fine.

We bought our SIM in Australia before we left and then just activated it once we got to London. It was a travel SIM with a 30 day validity and 20GB data which we found was plenty. Only slight issue is that you will get a lot of text messages in Spanish (we just ignored them) and there might be a 5-10 minute lag when crossing borders when one carrier sends a goodbye text and the next one sends a welcome text.

Movistar, Vodafone, and Orange are the major carriers in Spain—their pre-paid plans/SIMs are usually more or less competitive.

I usually just look for the store of a major carrier nearest to my accommodation, and pop in to buy the sim. Don’t forget your passport.

And yes, the Spanish sim will work in Portugal. It’s required of the companies under EU regulations.

Orange worked well for us. I ended up buying an eSIM online. Orange can also send SIM by mail. Orange has a retail outlet at Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona, if you want to deal with a live body.

Folks, thanks very much for your advice and counsel. I am still researching but you have been very helpful. I suspect I may do as I have in the past and buy my SIM card once I am in Seville from an actual store. Thanks again.

Lobster is a popular cheap Sim.
https://www.lobster.es/

If your phone is new enough, it will handle e-sims so you do not have to mess with a physical sim card. I am considering this for Spain... Anyone have experience with an e-sim? I am looking at https://www.airalo.com/ and it is much cheaper than Orange.

My phone does not support this, it is a US model. I would be interested in your experience with the esim if you care to post. Thanks.

jay, I have used both Orange and Airalo esims.
Orange: https://travel.orange.com/en/offers/spain/
Airalo: https://www.airalo.com/europe-esim

They both work well - which you choose depends on your need. Orange includes a phone number and a couple of other things, in addition to data. Only good 14 days.
Airalo is data only but provides more data and longer time options for less money.
If you do a bit of search here, there is a lot of good information on this topic. Here’s my report from March 2022.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/esim-success

ggr01, I don’t have any experience in Spain (or Europe) in recent years for anything other than eSim. Sorry!

What type of phone did you have please? Was it an international version by chance? Thanks.

I used both Airalo and Orange in the fall.
Orange is talk, text, data, which I prefer.
Made a mistake with my Orange password, got locked out, was prompted to do a reset.
Orange said it would send an email link to do that but I never received it.
Messaging support is tedious because it’s a bot. Went in circles for months.

Airalo worked fine-just data though.

Check out google maps. There are lots of Orange outlets in Seville. You should be able to find one near your accommodations. It is never a bad idea to deal with a warm body. You can always go back to the dealer if ther are any issues. Good luck.

ggr001, me? I have an iPhone 12.

Yes, you. Thanks. I think my Samsung was on the edge of being able to use an esim, but just a bit too old.

I suggest you bring your phone to the nearest cell phone store (physical store) to your hotel. I wouldn't mess with the stores in the airports, while you're trying to manage your luggage and travel information on your phone. Like one of the wise responders above noted, bring your passport. Deal with a real person, they will help you install the card and get you going. Good luck.

I used an Orange eSIM in Paris in December and I was great. Their directions to download and install it were very easy to follow. When our plane landed in Paris I turned off airplane mode and voila! I had a French phone number with plenty of calls/texts/data to get me through 2 weeks. I will add that I also used Orange back in 2019 and when I crossed borders it got wonky. I had to make sure I had the latest updates running.

Latest updates on your phone or eSim updates? By the way, what phone do you have that supported eSims? Thanks.

At this point, I am planning on using airalo esim (data only, no phone number) and use WhatsApp to make phone calls. Just make sure the people you need to call have WhatsApp before you leave. If you allow WhatsApp access to your contacts, it will tell you who has and account, very easy to use. We are traveling in May, so can update you when I get back. In the past I have used local physical sims, which means you have to switch sims and keep track of your US sim for weeks...

There is a Vodafone store in the old town in Seville. Orange and Movistar are nearby. Bring your passport. I got my SIM in Madrid at Puerta del Sol for the first month and extended it another month in Seville. It cost about $24/month. It came with way more data than I could use. It also worked well in Portugal. As others have noted SIM cards in Europe have to work throughout the continent (I don’t know those details).