<p>My niece is going to Spain for two weeks. She has a quad-band, unlocked GSM cell phone, and now she wants to buy a sim card for Spain.</p>
<p>Apparently there are many, many, many websites selling sim cards. You have an upfront cost to buy the card (for which they pre-load the card with a specified lesser monetary calling credit in Euros) and then tell you the per-minute calling rate to the US from Spain. The pre-loaded credit and per-minute rates vary considerably, and my niece is overwhelmed at the number of companies she will have to compare to get the best value. </p>
<p>Has anyone here recently done any research on which sim card is the best bargain for Spain? Just thought I’d give it a shot to see if I could save her some time.</p>
<p>I will just say my $.02
I bought a quad band cell for D for INdia.
She wasn’t able to get it unlocked before she left, but had the instructions.
WHen she got there, supposedly none of the sim cards available fit.
She bought a phone and sim card for about $50.
( I had paid almost $200 for the other phone, I guess we sell it on ebay)</p>
<p>There is no need to purchase the card in the United States. Purchasing a SIM card in Spain is extremely easy and there will be plenty of stores. There will be little difference between the prepaid plans. The card will come in a box and most stores will be happy to install and show how to use the features. A good place to buy is at El Corte Ingles, a large department store, but there will be plenty of other choices. Recharging the card will also be very easy.</p>
<p>To call the United States, your niece should also check the prepaid cards that use regular phones. The cost per minute is ridiculously cheap. And last but not least, since most students carry a laptop and WiFi is available almost everywhere, installing a VOIP such as Skype is a wonderful solution for the talkative. Check SkypeIn and Out before leaving. </p>
<p>I would use the local SIM card to make calls WITHIN the country and receive emergency calls from the United States. Please be aware that the calls received are usually free, but that the calls to European cell phones (the SIM card in Europe) carry a surcharge. Using a US Cell phone (with US Service) in Europe is usually a recipe for disaster (price wise) and should be avoided at all cost.</p>
<p>Telestial might be a bit more than other companies, but they are well know and reliable. I think the make sim brands are vodafone, moviestar and orange. Assuming your niece is in a city, any sim will work just fine; go with the one that has the best rate. </p>
<p>To reload the sim, your niece will just need to go into a shop and buy a card with more minutes and she will enter the card number into the phone. It really is quit simple.</p>
<p>Oh, sometimes the instruction on the voice mail are only in Spanish, so if she doesn’t speak Spanish, she might need help setting up voice mail.</p>
<p>The best SIM card is from Lebara Spain. Rates back to the US are under a dime. I got a couple from [Cellular</a> Abroad - International Cell Phone Rentals and SIM Cards](<a href=“http://www.cellularabroad.com%5DCellular”>http://www.cellularabroad.com) and they worked like a charm. You need to make sure that your phone is unlocked and has the 900/1800 GSM bands. Ask your carrier for the unlock code. Otherwise, you will need to buy or rent a phone/</p>
<p>A prepaid global SIM card is for those who is thinking of using his mobile overseas and do not want to pay the huge roaming charges by taking their GSM mobile along with them. Now, you can buy the SIM card before you leave home and also rent the GSM mobile that will work all over the world.
[SIM</a> Card for Spain](<a href=“http://www.holidayphone.com/payg-prepaid-sim-card-spain.html]SIM”>Holidayphone.com)</p>
<p>We are going through the same process right now… except for Italy. My son has an Android and got the unlock code from ATT tonight. He thinks he can get a simcard in Italy. For calling us he will use Google Voice… at least that’s the plan. :)</p>