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Prepaid SIM card for Spain: Where to Buy in 2024?
When you travel to Spain, make sure you have internet connection with a Spain SIM card, prepaid international data SIM from Holafly.
January 1, 2024
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To enjoy your trip to Spain and visit impressive places like the Sagrada Familia Basilica or experience the passion of Spanish soccer firsthand, it is essential to be connected. There are many alternatives to having mobile internet in Spain, but one of the easiest ways for tourists is through a prepaid SIM card. If you don’t know how to buy them here, we will give you all the alternatives available.
Other services, such as international roaming, can be excessively expensive. On the other hand, if you consider Pocket WiFi as an option, you will be surprised how easy it is to lose them and how expensive insurance can be. The latest trend and even more efficient way to stay connected to the internet in Spain is the embedded SIM cards, which you will also learn about what an eSIM is throughout this article.
Virtual SIM card for Spain
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Where can I buy a SIM card for Spain?
We mentioned that with a tourist SIM card for Spain, you could connect to the internet very easily. At the same time, visitors have many alternatives to buy a prepaid SIM card, even before arriving in the country or at one of the major airports. Depending on your plans and needs, you can choose one way or another. All of them have their advantages and opportunities. So to help you make your decision, we will give you as much information as possible about each way.
As a foreigner, you have two great ways to buy a SIM card in order to use your cell phone in Spain or any other country in the world. A third option that you can not miss is the virtual SIM cards. As long as you have a compatible phone, you will be able to use them. So, in summary, the ways you can take are:
- Through online stores, you can buy your prepaid SIM card for Spain before you arrive in the country. These providers will ship the chips directly to your local address.
- In a physical store once you arrive in Spain. The local operators in the country offer some plans and SIM cards accessible to visitors.
The new virtual SIM card technology can buy through online stores. Providers such as Holafly sell these SIM cards with immediate delivery and other advantages.
(You may also be interested in the best SIM card for Portugal)
Buy before you travel
Nowadays, you can buy almost any service through the internet, and SIM cards have also arrived on the web. There are a lot of online stores that offer prepaid SIM cards for Spain within their services. Something that not many people know is that the international SIM card works thanks to the local operators of the country where it will be used. By this, we mean that the SIM card for Spain that you buy in an online store will be connected to a local network when you arrive in the country. For this reason, your coverage and speed will depend on the service of that operator, something you should verify when you buy it.
Not only should you confirm these points, given a large number of offers you will find on the internet, but it is also normal to compare them. You must take into account if the online store offers delivery to your country of origin and how long it may take. Of course, you should also ask about the payment methods they offer and how you will activate them once you arrive.
Another option to consider is the digital SIM card or eSIM that online stores like Holafly offer. This we will see in detail in a section of the article, but we anticipate that they have one of the best choices you can make for your trip to Spain.
Pros of buying a data plan for abroad before traveling
If you decide to purchase a physical SIM card or an eSIM Spain before your trip, you will enjoy some benefits:
- Mobile internet at your hand
One of the great advantages of buying a SIM card for Spain before you arrive is that you will be able to activate it as soon as you arrive. This will ensure that you will always have an internet connection from the very first moment for everything you need.
- Options for tourists
The offers you can find in online stores are more geared towards visitors, so you will have more to choose from. You won’t have to overpay for a service that you won’t use in its entirety.
- Reduce costs
Prepaid SIM card services for Spain will always be less expensive than alternatives such as international Roaming or pocket wifi. Plus, the plans are likely to be tight or close to your days of stay, so you will be paying less for more.
Buy your tourist SIM card in Spain
As we already mentioned, you should expect to arrive in Spain and contract a SIM card for tourists with one of the operators in the country. As of today, companies like Movistar, Orange, and Vodafone have prepaid SIM card options that you can buy. Each of the operators has different offers that you can consider. Keep in mind that even if you are a foreigner, you must go through a SIM card registration if you buy it inside the country. Here are some of the plans of each phone operator
Movistar
This phone company has a presence in other countries around the world and also offers SIM card services for Spain without contracts that tourists can buy. Among its options, there are four plans available, all to be used in 30-day renewal periods. These plans have data packages of 8GB and 30GB at 5G speed, after which you can surf unlimited at reduced speed. There is a third unlimited data plan at 5G speed, but with this, you can only share data up to a maximum of 25GB. The SIM card can be activated once you buy it in the store, or it will be activated automatically seven days after purchase.
Orange
This is one of the best-known phone companies in Europe due to the large presence they have throughout the continent. In the case of Spain, they offer local SIM cards that tourists can purchase with options for various periods of use. Data packages range from 25GB to 100GB at 4G speeds in the 28-day usage options. For the five or fifteen-day usage packages, data is unlimited but comes with usage policies. In all cases, the plans include unlimited calls to local numbers. These SIM cards for Spain are activated with the first recharge you make. The means to recharge are physical stores, from their website, calling their customer service number, using their mobile App, or using their customer service via WhatsApp.
Vodafone
This is a company born in Spain that has expanded to other territories in Europe. For its home country, it offers SIM cards in a Pay-as-you-go format that tourists can buy. Its data packages range from 25GB to 150GB, all to be used within 28 days. You will have unlimited calls to Spanish and Romanian numbers, as well as roaming to the EU, UK and USA. The SIM card purchase process is in Spanish, so you may need help to complete it. You can order the SIM card for free with 24-48 hours delivery in most of Spain, but you will have to activate one of the available plans to be able to use it.
How much does a prepaid SIM card for internet in Spain cost?
So far, we have mentioned all the plans and options that the operators in Spain have for tourists. In any of the cases, you should not forget that you will have to complete a SIM card registration process required by the country. After this process, you can expect to pay between $10 and $45. Of course, the longer the duration and benefits of the plan, the more expensive it will end up being. Another point to take into account is that if your stay is short, it is not convenient to pay for 30 days plans which are the most offered by the operators.
For this reason, if you are looking for an alternative to have internet in Spain more directed to tourists, surely your solution will be the virtual SIM card that we talk about below.
>You might be interested in a SIM Card for Luxembourg<
Holafly eSIM for Spain: a great alternative.
The eSIM Spain card has been the most recent change to the regular SIM card. The novelty is that they are now completely digital, so you don’t have to insert a chip into your phone. This, in addition to making them more practical and convenient for travelers, allows online stores to deliver the eSIM card immediately after you pay. Holafly offers these digital SIM cards for Spain and other destinations around the world within its website. They also provide various payment methods such as debit and credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Unlike some local operators, Holafly also offers information about their services and customer support in more than five languages. After you make the purchase through the website, you will receive an email with a QR code which you will scan with your phone, and you will be ready to set up the eSIM in just minutes. In addition to these features below, we will give you some advantages and disadvantages of virtual SIM cards to better understand them.
Advantages and disadvantages of eSIM
Advantages
- Get an eSIM anywhere in the world
Are you already in Spain and struggling to get data? No matter where you are, you can always buy an eSIM and it will come directly to your cell phone. There is no delivery cost and you don’t have to wait more than a few minutes.
It’s as easy as receiving your QR code, activate it, and you can immediately use your eSIM for Spain. You don’t go through any registration process and you don’t have to wait for a shipment.
- Unlimited data throughout the entire experience
Holafly’s virtual SIM card for Spain features unlimited data on all options. You connect to the Movistar Spain network with the best infrastructure in the country.
- Access to Top Up
The data plans that Holafly offers for Spain and any other destination in the world have the possibility to top up if you need it. To extend your package do not install a new eSIM. Just choose another package for the same destination, and you can activate it instantly.
- Multi-country coverage
If you’re traveling around multiple countries on your vacation, with Holafly’s multi-country virtual eSIMs, you can connect to the internet in any country in Europe. And there are no additional charges when you get a Europe digital data SIM card, Portugal eSIM, or data eSIM for the UK!
- Data sharing availability
If you plan on traveling to Europe and you need to share data, travelers can share up to 500 MB of mobile data while abroad! It is a feature that’s relatively new and changes the rules of the game, as other companies don’t offer this feature while adding unlimited data.
Disadvantages
- Limited compatibility with cell phones
Not all mobile phones can use embedded SIM cards, so it is important to check if yours is compatible. It is a new technology that will be incorporated into the telephone industry. In case you are not sure, you can check Holafly’s list of phones compatible with the service.
How much does an eSIM for Spain cost?
One of the great advantages of virtual SIM cards is their prices. Since they are completely digital, they don’t need extra costs for delivery. If you want to know more about it, here are the prices of Holafly’s eSIM for Spain.
| Days of use | Data Plans | Price (USD) |
| 5 days | Unlimited data | $19 |
| 7 days | Unlimited data | $27 |
| 10 days | Unlimited data | $34 |
| 15 days | Unlimited data | $47 |
| 20 days | Unlimited data | $54 |
| 30 days | Unlimited data | $64 |
| 60 days | Unlimited data | $87 |
| 90 days | Unlimited data | $99 |
Frequently asked questions about SIM card Spain
International roaming and pocket wifi are other options to connect to the internet in Spain, but these are a bit expensive. On the other hand, in different parts of the city, you can find free wifi, but these tend to be unstable and insecure. That is why our recommendation is that you take with you a digital SIM card for Spain, which is more economical, secure, and easy to acquire and use.
You could expect to be charged $7-$15 per MB. However, the price will depend on your local mobile operator and how much data you use during your trip.
If you buy a prepaid SIM card with Vodafone, you must insert your new SIM card in your mobile and dial *138#, then call the key, and a window will appear indicating your number.
With Holafly’s virtual SIM card for Spain you can enjoy excellent internet connectivity with unlimited data on the plan of your choice. These features make it one of the best SIM cards for travelers.
In Spain, you can enjoy 4G LTE and even 5G internet access with Holafly eSIM for Spain. However, the internet speed will depend on the local mobile operator you are connected to and, of course, the area you are in.
