Telephones cards in Europe

Telephone cards and SIM cards are two different things.

• Telephone cards are cards where you type a number into any phone (but usually used on public telephones) and it charges the call to the card. These are old fashioned technology.
• SIM cards are the cards you put in a mobile phone which provide the connection with the service provider.

I assume you mean the latter. The SIM card is associated with a service provider. The card defines which service provider you use, and your telephone number. A SIM card may be "pre-paid" (you need to top up credit when you run low) or post-paid (they send you a bill).

A SIM card sold in Spain, Italy and Belgium will come from a service provider in whichever country you buy it, it will have a phone number from that country and be governed by the consumer laws of that country. But, the EU has harmonised many laws, and cracked down on "roaming charges" (charges for using a phone in a different country).
Expect to be able to use the same card in all EU countries. You will pay roaming charges to make calls in a different country, but this should be no more than 50% above the normal charge. Your SIM card will keep its original number, including country code, wherever you are. People ringing you will still need to call you using the country code for the SIM card's home country, even if they are only a few metres away.

Hi Chris,
Thanks so much. A very clear presentation.

A couple of questions, though. So, if I buy a SIM in Spain, I can use it in Italy and Belgium, just have to pay more for making calls in Italy or Belgium. Is that right? Can I "top up" in Italy a SIM I bought in Spain?

"So, if I buy a SIM in Spain, I can use it in Italy and Belgium, just have to pay more for making calls in Italy or Belgium. Is that right?"

Yes, although you should check before leaving the store that your account is set up for this, as well as what the rates will be (it's called "roaming within the EU"). Sometimes you can get a special plan that will lower your rates, get you more minutes or MB of data, etc - again, just as in the US, the deals change all the time, so ask at the store for the latest info.

"Can I "top up" in Italy a SIM I bought in Spain?"

That's the catch. You can't do it in stores, only online. And topping up online is hit or miss. A friend with T-Mobile UK (now EE) was only able to do it with Amex, not Mastercard or Visa. And I tried to do it with a French SIM from Mobiho, but was unable to make it work. So, you have to check. If you are not able to top it up, you'll have to buy a new SIM when it runs out.

juancho, If you have a Spanish SIM card, you can use it in other countries. It remains, telephonically speaking, in a bubble of Spanish territory. You pay a bit more, that is all. Always dial the full number wherever you are ( + [country code] [area code] [number]), then you are sure it is not ambiguous. People dialling you still have to dial the same and pay the same ( + 34 (code for Spain) [area code] [number] ). They pay the standard amount, you pay a surcharge for diverting the call from Spain to where you are.

Whether you can top it up depends on the service provider. Try and get one which has a website where you can add credit using a credit card (assuming you have a prepaid card), then you can add credit wherever you are.

P.S. SIM cards come in different sizes. Make sure the shop gives you the correct size for your phone.

One company offering SIM cards in many countries in Europe (I am not recommending, just one name I can remember as an example): http://www.lycamobile.es/en/
Click on 'Rates', then 'Travelling Abroad / Roaming'.

Chris,

Thank you again. Have you ever written instructions for "how to troubleshoot to solve X or Y problem on your computer", or the like? You use language of extraordinary clarity and for 6th-grade comprehension level, just what I need! Juancho

Which carrier do you have? With T-Mobile, your phone just works. Cross a border and you get a "welcome to ..." message. No need to bother with SIM cards.

Be aware that in some countries you can only top up a SIM card if you have a credit card from that same country. For example, I had a Lebara SIM card in France but the website would not let me top it up--I had to go to a convenience store to do it in person. This has to do with security measures and that foreign credit cards are sometimes hacked.