Best Sim Cards For Europe (Top Options For Tourists)

Is A Sim Card Essential When Traveling to Europe?

Is a sim card essential when traveling in Europe, yes and no, and here is why.

You can get by while traveling in Europe without a local sim card as you will be able to jump onto a free WiFi connection in most places. Airports, trains, restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops, you name it, most of them will give you a free WiFi connection.

But, living on WiFi only is a bit of a pain if I am honest. Things like using Google Maps on the move and ordering an Uber in the street will not be possible plus, constantly asking for WiFi passwords will get annoying.

Also, staying connected with loved ones will be inconsistent, and walking home at night without any way of communicating can be a safety concern.

You always have the option of data roaming on your sim card from home, but the fees that come with this are extortionate and is way more affordable to buy the best Europe sim card for you.

Overall, it is worth buying a sim card for Europe in my eyes. Being connected will make your trip a lot smoother, easier, and safer all for not that much cash.

Things to Know Before Buying A Sim Card in Europe

Is Your Phone Unlocked?

Your phone needs to be unlocked from your mobile phone provider back home in order to work with other sim cards.

If you bought your phone yourself it will already be unlocked but if you got it for free in the monthly contract through your provider, chances are it is locked to said provider.

To unlock your phone, just call your provider and request they unlock it, it should only take a few minutes.

Are You Using A GSM Phone?

You might not know this but phones can use either GSM or CDMA technology to stay connected to a network, and a GSM sim card will not work in a CDMA phone, and vice versa.

Pretty much everywhere in the world uses GSM including Europe whereas the United States and Canada use both GSM and CDMA.

If you are from North America and you use either Sprint or Verizon, you may have a CDMA phone and it will not work with any sim cards for Europe.

The only solution to using all the sim cards in Europe is to buy an affordable unlocked phone for your trip.

You Will Get A New Phone Number

When you insert your new sim card for Europe, you will be using the number that comes with that sim card, meaning your home number will not work. This means you can not receive calls or SMS’ on your usual number.

The only way around this is to have a dual sim phone or to use apps such as Whatsapp or Facetime for calls and SMS’ that work over data only.

Another issue this can present is when you need to authorize things like payments and transfers that use your home number for authentication. You will have to put your home sim in your phone to get the authentication message.

How to Buy A Sim Card in Europe

Buying A Sim Card Before Traveling to Europe

If you want to be connected as soon as you land in Europe then buying a sim card online is a good option.

The sim card will be sent to your door and all you need to do is insert it into your phone when you land. Once installed, you will have a connection and all the data, calls, and SMS’ that come with it.

This is a much more convenient option than buying a sim card in Europe at the airport or at a store. You do not have to queue, register, pick a plan, etc, it is all done for you.

Buying A Sim Card in Europe

Buying a sim card once you land in Europe involves finding a store, registering, and activating your sim card.

You won’t be able to be connected as soon as you land and will have to depend on airport WiFi, or other connections until you get your hands on a sim card.

However, you will be able to get a much better deal in most cases by buying a sim card on the ground as these offers are not available online.

How Much Does A Sim Card in Europe Cost?

The actual physical sim card is free in most of Europe and once you have it, you simply add a plan. The cost of the plan and what it includes depends on the provider and the country you are in but is usually very affordable.

If we look at EE UK prepaid sim cards (the ones I use in Europe), for just £30 ($37) you get 125 GB of data plus unlimited calls and texts within Europe for 30 days, what a deal!

You should be able to find similar deals to this in most countries in Europe.

How to Activate & Top Up Your European Sim Card

If you have bought a prepaid sim, it will already be activated. If you bought your sim card in a shop, then the staff should have already activated it too.

But, if you do need to activate your sim, simply call the customer service department and request activation or go online and follow the instructions.

Topping up your sim card is super easy and can be done via a credit card on your phone or online. Simply call the automated top-up service number for the provider and follow the instructions, or go online and top-up via the provider’s website.

Free Data Roaming in Europe

Almost all European sim cards allow you to use your data freely in all European countries. This means if you fly from the UK to France, to Switzerland, to Portugal, and end up in Spain, you can use the same sim card and the data, calls, and SMS pack that come with it in all the countries.

Managing Your Mobile Data in Europe

If you are on a budget and want to conserve your data in Europe there are some clever ways of doing so. Here are some tips:

• Download where you are traveling in Google Maps on WiFi for offline use
• Keep your phone in airplane mode when you are not using it
• Only use apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Netflix on WiFi
• Connect to free WiFi when you can

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a different sim card for every country in Europe?

No, you only need one sim card for every country in Europe as your data, calls, and SMS’ are valid in most EU countries

Can I get unlimited data in Europe?

Yes, you can get unlimited data in Europe but it is hard to come by on physical sim cards and your best bet is to use an eSim with Holafly. You can find the best eSim for Europe here.