Buying a travel SIM card is the best way to get internet connection during your holiday in Seville. Nowadays, being online while traveling has become a vital necessity to check maps, book a restaurant or get your boarding pass.
Wi-Fi is common in Spain and you’ll usually find it in hotels and rental properties, as well as many coffee shops and restaurants.
But, if you want to be online everywhere you go, the cheapest way to stay connected when traveling around the world is to buy a travel SIM card.
It’s much more cost-efficient than adding an international plan through your carrier back home.
Get your travel SIM card online in 2 minutes!
Pro tip: Download your eSIM the day before you travel. The best time to activate your plan is while you’re still at home and can connect to your internet. Then when you land, it’s as simple as switching on your eSIM line.
What is the best travel SIM card for Seville?
Back in the day, the first thing to do when landing in a new country was going to a telecom shop and picking up a local SIM card.
Now there’s a much easier, cheaper, and more convenient solution – getting an Airalo eSIM.
What is an eSIM card?
An eSIM card is a digital SIM that lets you activate a cellular plan without having to insert a physical SIM card into your phone.
The “e” in eSIM stands for “embedded”, which means that it’s embedded directly into your phone, rather than a physical SIM that you have to switch in and out.
What is Airalo?
Airalo offers local, regional, and global eSIMs. Local ones cover one country, regional eSIMs cover a region of the world (like Europe or Latin America), and the Global eSIM covers 190+ countries around the world.
So, when traveling to Seville, all you need is an Airalo eSIM for Spain.
There are various eSIMs with differing amounts of data and lengths of validity. Plus, you can always easily top up your eSIM if you need a bit more data.
What are the advantages of using an Airalo eSIM card?
- You don’t need to continue swapping SIM cards to access your banking app or receive other daily messages and codes.
- You can keep your original SIM card in your phone and still use your Whatsapp, iMessage apps, and receive texts from friends and family back home (using your same mobile number).
- If you run out of data, you can top up anywhere, anytime, by purchasing another Airalo eSIM data pack online. It means you don’t need to track down one of those small phone shops or kiosks in Seville. Furthermore, you can avoid the stress of trying to top up more credit using a local SIM that sends you messages in Spanish. If you’ve ever been there, you know what I’m talking about…
- Each time you buy an Airalo eSIM or top up your eSIM, you get rewarded with credits.
What are the disadvantages of using an Airalo eSIM card?
The main downside is that it works only if your phone supports it.
Here’s a list of phones that support this technology.
One other important thing to check is that your device is unlocked by your carrier. Many carriers lock devices that are on a monthly payment plan.
If you have an iOS device (like an iPhone), you can go to Settings > General > About. Scroll down a bit and you should see “Carrier Lock” – if it says No SIM restrictions, you’re good to go!
Another disadvantage to Airalo is that most of their eSIMs only support data, not regular phone calls or traditional text messaging.
They also don’t come with a phone number. However, you can use the data from an Airalo eSIM to use apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime or iMessage for calling and texting.
Finally, this eSIM does not allow you to share data or use a hotspot with other devices.
How to buy your travel SIM card
Go online. Buy an Airalo eSIM. Press a few buttons. Done.
This is how easy nowadays you can get internet abroad. The best part being that it works in almost every country around the world, plus you can continue using your mobile number.
How to start using your travel SIM card
First of all, make sure that your phone supports eSIM.
If it does support eSIM, then follow these steps:
- Go to www.airalo.com or download the Airalo app (available on iOS and Android).
- Create an account and buy yourself an eSIM (e.g. an internet data pack for Spain).
- Connect this eSIM with your phone by scanning a QR code.
- Activate data roaming for your eSIM.
- Start using the internet!
How to set up your eSIM card with your phone
There is nothing complicated about the setup either.
QR code installation
If you purchased your Airalo eSIM card on another device than your phone, follow these steps.
- Download the Airalo app if you haven’t done so yet.
- Open camera on your phone.
- Scan the QR code you see in your Airalo account.
- Name your eSIM (so you can remember what is what).
- Set your regular physical SIM as standard SIM, and your Airalo eSIM as the SIM for internet, and you’re done.
Manual installation
If you purchased your Airalo eSIM card on your phone, follow these steps.
- Download the Airalo app if you haven’t done so yet.
- Click the Manual Installation button and you’ll see your SM-DP+Address and Activation Code. These are the 2 things you’ll need to install your new eSIM on your phone.
- Copy the SM-DP+Address first.
- Open the Settings app and tap on the Cellular option at the top of the screen.
- Look towards the center of the screen and tap the Add Cellular Plan button.
- Tap the Enter Details Manually button at the bottom of the screen.
- Paste the SM-DP+Address in the top line of the screen.
- Switch back to the Airalo app and copy the Activation Code and paste it into the second line.
- Leave the Confirmation Code blank and tap the Next button at the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Now, your phone will now walk you through the eSIM setup process. It will ask which of your SIMs you’d like to use for talk and text and which you’d like to use for data. You can change this at any time in the Cellular screen of the Settings app.
- You’re all set!
What happens when you reach your data limit?
Internet just stops working.
Then you can either top up your eSIM or buy a new one.
In some situations top ups aren’t available, and then the only option is to buy a new eSIM. If that’s the case I recommend you to remove the old eSIM first, or to name the new one differently, to avoid any possible future confusions.
How to recharge your travel SIM card
Recharging your Airalo eSIM is super easy.
However, only rechargeable eSIMs can be topped up. So check whether the eSIM is rechargeable or not under the “Additional information” tab before you purchase it.
After your purchase, you can find the “Top up” option available for rechargeable eSIMs under the “My eSIMs” tab.
- Log into your Airalo account. Make sure you are logged in to the same account that you used for purchasing the eSIM you wish to top up.
- Go to My eSIMS.
- Tap “Top up” on the eSIM you wish to add a new package.
Does the eSIM card work in other European countries?
Remember that Airalo has 3 types of eSIMs:
- Local eSIMs allow you to get coverage in one of the 190+ countries that Airalo covers. This is your best choice if you’re only visiting one country on your trip (e.g. you’re only traveling to Seville or several destinations in Spain).
- Regional eSIMs give coverage for entire regions and continents. If you’re on a multicountry trip within the same region, this is the eSIM for you. For example, the Eurolink regional eSIM covers 39 countries in Europe. There are also regional eSIMs for Africa, Asia. Latin America and the Caribbean Islands.
- The Global eSIM gives coverage for 87 countries, ranging from 1-20 GB and 7-180 days of validity. If you’re planning a multicountry trip in multiple regions of the world, consider getting a Global eSIM.
So if you plan to travel to other European countries apart from Spain, just get an Airalo regional eSIM.