Before visiting Spain, it’s wise to purchase an eSIM data plan for your phone as relying on the international data option on your home plan can be very expensive – and the service usually isn’t very good.
Your best option is to buy a prepaid eSIM in Spain that is designed to work on Spain’s local data networks. Fortunately, setting up a data plan on your phone is fairly easy these days.
In this guide, I’ll cover how to find the best eSIM for Spain so you can get consistent, high-speed mobile data without spending a lot of money.
Why should you avoid international data option in your plan?
Your current mobile service likely includes an international data plan option but it is usually expensive and the service is often slow, inconsistent and has limited data allowances.
T-Mobile is an example. Many of their plans come with free unlimited international data, but you only get 2GB of data speed… which can make it difficult to load Google Maps or even email.
Or there AT&T International Day Ticket Which costs $10 a day. They also have the AT&T Passport plan which is a monthly plan that is either $70 a month for 2GB of data or $140 a month for 6GB of data. Then they charge an exorbitant additional fee of $30 per GB. This is basically a rip off.
These “international data plans” cost more than 5 times the cost of purchasing a Spanish eSIM data plan – for example, eSIM data plans from orange or HolaFly It will cost you about $2-3 per day.
For more in-depth information, check out The Savvy Backpacker’s guide on How to use smartphones and data plans in Europe smart backpack Guide to using eSIM data plans in Europe.
Compare the best eSIM data plans in Spain
There are four main mobile phone operators in Spain:Movistar, Vodafone, orangeand yoigoUnfortunately, most of the data plans offered by these Spanish carriers are aimed at locals, so they’re only really good if you live in Spain (or if you’re visiting for at least a month). Furthermore, many carriers don’t offer eSIM plans yet, so they may not be an option.
For tourists, the best option is to purchase a prepaid eSIM data plan in Spain that is designed for short-term visitors. These plans are more convenient for tourists because you won’t have to mess around with long-term contacts, registration, etc.
In this guide, I’ll focus on “tourist-friendly” eSIM plans.
Each eSIM data plan listed below is slightly different, so pay attention to the details of each plan — here are the most important things to consider:
- Data allowance: Most plans give you a set amount of mobile data (i.e. 5GB, 10GB, 30GB, etc.), but other plans give you unlimited data over a set period of time (5 days, 15 days, 30 days, etc.).
- Plan length: eSIM data plans can be valid for anywhere from about 5 days to 90 days. It depends on your plan, so this is something to consider when choosing a plan.
- Mobile hotspot tethering: Most eSIM plans don’t let you use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
- Voice calls and SMS: Most eSIM plans are data-only, meaning the plan doesn’t include voice calls or SMS. This isn’t a big deal since you won’t be calling people anyway.
- Note: You can still use iMessage to text between iPhones but you can’t text between iPhones and Android phones. Or you can download WhatsApp to text over data (which most Europeans do).
Orange Holiday Europe eSIM (50GB): $59.90
- price: $59.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 50 GB
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 28 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used anywhere in Europe.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
If you need a large amount of mobile data, consider the new version. Orange Holiday Europe 50GB eSIM Data Plan It’s an enhanced version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM. It comes with 50GB of data and is valid for 28 days (compared to 14 days with the Orange Holiday Europe plan). This eSIM also comes with a bunch of features you don’t find on other plans—including international voice calls and texting (it gives you a real French phone number that works anywhere in Europe).
The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also lets you use your phone as a mobile hotspot so you can take advantage of that extra data allowance. Orange is also one of the largest mobile phone companies in Europe, so you’ll always get great coverage and fast data speeds.
HOLAFLY SPAIN ESIM: Prices start at $34.00
New eSIM Provider HolaFly Holafly is another great option for visitors to Spain who want more flexibility as Holafly gives you unlimited data and their plans range from 5 to 90 days. However, Holafly may throttle your data if you overuse data, but this shouldn’t be an issue for most typical data users.
HolaFly It sells Spain-specific plans and Europe-wide data plans. Holafly is not an actual mobile operator but leases bandwidth from a local Spanish mobile operator (Movistar Spain), so it will likely get lower priority on Wind Tre’s network during peak times.
I also like that Holafly plans come in 5- to 90-day periods — so you don’t have to over- or under-purchase for your own trip.
Holafly does not allow data tethering in most cases, so you won’t be able to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
Plan specifications:
- Unlimited Data Rates (Check) HolaFly For details)
- 10 days: $34
- 15 days: $47
- 20 days: $54
- 30 days: $64
- 60 days: $84
- 90 days: $99
- Service speed: 5G/4G/LTE
- Call Coverage: 60 minutes credit to make calls from all over Europe except Iceland, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Ukraine and Turkey. Comes with an Austrian phone number.
- Short message: no one
- Link: no
- Data service works everywhere in the EU
I have had a great experience using Holafly on previous trips to Europe and you can read: Holafly eSIM Review For a more in-depth look.
Bouygues My European eSIM Card: $44.90
Bouygues is another major French telecom company, and they recently launched their own prepaid eSIM data plan to compete with Orange Holiday Europe’s popular eSIM plan. I used a Bouygues prepaid SIM card on a previous trip to Europe, so I’m glad they’re finally offering eSIM.
There’s a lot to like about the Bouygues My European eSIM plan—especially since it comes standard with 30GB of data and unlimited calls/texts within Europe. I also like that the Bouygues eSIM plan is valid for 30 days, so it’s a great option for longer trips.
- price: $44.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 30 GB
- Data binding: Allowed
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and international calling credit
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and international SMS credit
- Credit validity: 30 days
- Phone number: This eSIM comes with a French phone number.
- CoverageAnywhere within the European Union (except Switzerland)
Orange Holiday Europe ESIM Card: $49.90
- price: $49.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 20GB (Orange often upgrades the plan to 30GB of data)
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used in Spain.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
For visitors to Spain, Orange Holiday Europe eSIM Card The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM is the best full-featured eSIM plan available because it comes with a number of features you won’t find on other plans—including international voice calls and texting (it gives you a real French phone number that works anywhere in Europe). The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also lets you use your phone as a mobile hotspot (again, this isn’t common on other plans).
with Orange Holiday in Europe With an eSIM, you get 20GB of data, but Orange sometimes runs a special offer where they give you an extra 10GB. But even 20GB should be enough for most users. Orange is also one of the largest mobile phone companies in Europe, so you’ll always get great coverage and fast data speeds.
The potential downside to the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan is that it’s only valid for 14 days once activated, so it’s not great for longer visits (but you can always buy a second plan).
I have used the Orange Holiday Europe plan while travelling across Europe and it has worked well. Read Orange Holiday Europe Review To hear more.
Orange Holiday Zen Ice Cream: $29.90
- price: $29.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 8GB (sometimes they give you 15GB of data)
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 30 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 200 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used in Spain.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
the Orange Holiday Zen eSIM Card This service is a mini version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan and is a good option for people who are travelling through Spain and don’t need a lot of data. This service comes with 8GB of data and fewer minutes and texts, otherwise it’s the same as the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan.
Most users will use more than 8GB of data during a two-week trip, but light data users could easily use less than 8GB of data during a typical 10-14 day trip.
More tips on using your mobile phone in Spain
I have already written several articles about usage. Smartphones and Data Plans in Europe And also tips for Buy SIM cards to visit Europe But here are some additional useful tips about using your phone in Spain.
Get a portable battery charger
Traveling with your phone will drain your batteries quickly, so I highly recommend using a portable battery. I use Anker PowerCore 10000 Because it is small and reasonably priced but there are multiple options.
Take steps to reduce mobile data usage.
Data can be expensive and it’s very easy to consume a lot of data without even knowing it because many apps use data in the background. Facebook, email, Instagram, Snapchat… all of these apps are constantly using data throughout the day without you even knowing it. So it’s important to know how to limit your data usage.
Use airplane mode and block data for specific apps.
I’ll put my phone in airplane mode because that disables all data (but GPS still works in airplane mode). You can also go into settings and disable data access for each app individually. I’ll go into settings and turn off everything except things like Google Maps or others that I’ll use frequently – that way when I turn airplane mode off, I’ll only be using apps that will use data. Then I’ll turn airplane mode back on when I’m done.
Download offline maps
Google Maps lets you download entire city maps so they can be used offline. As an added bonus, GPS doesn’t use data, so Google Maps works fairly well offline (but not all functions work). Here’s a good example: YouTube video That explains everything.
Additional Spain Travel Tips from The Savvy Backpacker
Check out more of my favorite articles to help you plan your trip to Spain and the rest of Europe:
James Vess is the founder of The Savvy Backpacker and author of The Savvy Backpacker’s Guide to Europe on a Budget. He has been blogging about budget travel in Europe since 2010.
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