by | Last updated Nov 3, 2022 | Europe, SIM Cards, Travel Tips
Visiting Europe soon? Make sure to know what to expect when it comes to purchasing a Europe SIM card.
Fortunately, Europe is one of the best places where you can buy a SIM card easily. You should be able to find a cheap SIM card pretty much anywhere in Europe. In fact, most data packages are affordable, which makes the whole thing easier!
In this guide, we’ll explain where to buy a SIM card in Europe in person and online. We’ll also discuss prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs if your mobile supports them.
Before you read this guide, you may wonder if you actually need a SIM card in Europe. If you don’t mind not having Internet, you’ll likely find free Wifi in restaurants, shopping malls, and hotels.
That said, if you need data to get around, call a cab, or translate into a foreign language – you may want to get a SIM card for your travels in Europe.
Note that if you’re European, your mobile phone provider may already offer European coverage. If that’s the case, you won’t need a European SIM card for your adventures.
Europe is enormous, and you’ll find various mobile providers depending on the countries you’re visiting. Most providers have partnerships and offer coverage in multiple countries in Europe.
We recommend using a SIM card from Orange, Vodaphone, or Airalo. (I’ll get back to Airalo later on, so keep reading to learn more!)
That said, depending on your first destination, you might find other providers. For example, in Bulgaria, many small providers offer coverage in other European countries too. You might not find big brands like Orange or Vodafone, but you’ll find others like A1, Vivacom, or Yettel.
So, you don’t have to use a big provider – any provider that offers coverage in Europe should do.
You can either buy a Europe prepaid SIM card in person in some international airports, in mobile provider stores, in a convenience store or online.
Usually, you can expect higher costs and low data offers at the airport, so we don’t recommend buying a SIM card at the airport. That said, you won’t necessarily find SIM card shops in every airport, so it’s essential to keep this in mind.
For this reason, I’d recommend buying a SIM card directly from the mobile provider store. Note that you may need your passport to buy one. Each country has its own rules; you might even need to provide an address.
Although, this means you won’t get data right upon your arrival. So, if you’d rather be connected at all times, you could use an eSIM or purchase a European prepaid SIM card online.
If you wish to have your SIM card ready for your arrival, you could purchase it online or on websites like Amazon.
You’ll find different plans on Amazon. For example, the Orange Holiday Europe Prepaid SIM Card works in more than 30 countries and gives you 20BG of data for 14 days.
But, there are many other options worth considering, so have a look and make sure the countries you’re planning on visiting are listed.
Another option is to purchase a prepaid SIM card on Simify. This works if you live in the United States or Australia. They currently offer 4 different packages.
Get 10% off your first order with our discount code: ABB10.
Finally, the last option is to buy an eSIM plan for Europe.
eSIM is a new concept allowing you to have a virtual SIM card inside your phone. If your mobile phone supports eSIM cards – it’s definitely one of the best options to get data in Europe.
Curious? Learn more about the best eSIM providers.
Airalo offers many eSIM cards worldwide, and they have regional plans for Europe. I’ve now been using Airalo in Europe for several months, and I love its convenience. Read our complete Airalo eSIM review to learn more.
Here’s an overview of the options available in Europe:
The options mentioned above are part of Eurolink and include 39 countries.
Alternatively, if you’re traveling in other countries that are not mentioned on the list, you can try Discover Global, which offers coverage in 87 countries.
Here’s an overview of the options available on Discover Global:
Now, one important thing to note about Airalo is that you’ll need to keep an eye out for the provider in each country. Suppose you ever have trouble connecting to the Internet during your trip. In that case, it might be because you’re connecting automatically to networks, and you need to select a network manually instead.
When you purchase the eSIM, you’ll get access to the list of networks supported in each country.
Alternatively, you could look at your options on Holafly. You can read our Holafly review to learn more about this eSIM store.
I’ve also tried Holafly during my travels in Europe, and it worked fine. Overall, it’s important to note that Holafly is more expensive, but they offer unlimited plans.
The Holafly Europe eSIM works in 32 countries, and they offer the following plans:
Another option worth considering is Nomad. They have a regional eSIM plan for Europe that includes coverage in 35 countries.
Here’s an overview of the plans offered by Nomad:
Finally, you could sign up for BNESIM Europe. They have a regional eSIM plan for Europe that includes coverage in 30 countries.
BNESIM offers monthly plan subscriptions and one-time plans:
You can also get €4 off with my promo code: MELISSA4OFF.
As you can see, it’s pretty easy to get a prepaid SIM card in Europe or even an eSIM for Europe. You’ll be able to stay connected wherever you go in Europe without changing your SIM card.
I believe the eSIM card is the most convenient way to get data in Europe if you wish to have data on your arrival. This way, you won’t need to go to a store to buy a SIM card.
Obviously, you need to make sure your mobile phone supports eSIM first.
Traveling to Europe soon? Read one of the following blog posts:
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