Best Unlimited Internet SIM Card In Spain [2022 Guide]

Internet is one of the foremost needs in today’s world. Given that everything is connected to the internet, it helps to have a big yet affordable package which can give you all you need. Mobile internet is a convenient way to have internet with you at all times. Whether you need to work, stay connected with friends and family or simply remain entertained, it helps to have your mobile connected. Read on to see which companies in Spain offer the best packages for unlimited internet.

Quick Overview Of The Best Unlimited Internet SIM Card In Spain

Before you start your research, let this guide be your starting point. In most cases, it is the best and cheapest option to get a local SIM card. There are four big providers in Spain which dominate the market: Movistar, Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo. All of these companies offer generous plans for calling and internet. You should be able to find a package which suits you. The common types of payment include a contract (which is usually for a few months at least), a prepaid SIM card or a pay-as-you-go SIM. Each offers varying degrees of freedom and flexibility, and the kinds of services you can avail also vary for each. Generally, you can easily get free roaming throughout the EU on each network.

If you want the best coverage, Movistar is the best option. Its 4G coverage spreads to most areas and it even offers 5G in the larger cities. They also have the best download speeds. You can find contracts ranging from 15 to 40 euros, and prepaid plans at generous prices too. If you are an expat, Vodafone might be a better option. Their roaming options are cheaper, and their coverage is excellent throughout Europe. You can find great deals online ranging from 15 to 38 euros, and get discounts for up to 6 months.

Orange and Yoigo are also options worth considering. Their internet speeds are decent, yet you can get their packages at cheaper rates than the bigger providers. They are also great for expats considering their customer support in English. Orange’s cheapest plan offers 7GBs of internet and unlimited calls for 15 euros per month only. On the other hand, Yoigo will give you 20GBs and unlimited calls at the same cost!

Which SIM Card Is Best For Internet In Spain?

Finding the best SIM card will involve looking at a number of factors. These can involve network and coverage levels. If a company offers excellent speed data but does not have coverage in all places in the country, you are unlikely to get much done. Similarly, if a provider has extensive coverage but not a very good speed, you will also run into problems.

An additional concern is the cost of such plans. Most of us are working on a tight budget and even smaller expenses can add up to make a bigger sum. There are a number of providers who will offer smaller packages at good costs. However, finding an unlimited plan at a good cost is hard. You will need to explore the options offered by multiple providers to see which meets your data needs while also not being too hard on the pocket.

Which SIM Has Unlimited Data Plan In Spain?

Data in Spain is comparatively cheaper than in other countries. The variety of packages available to you are discussed below.

Movistar

Movistar is active in most Central and South American countries, and its parent company Telefonica is also active in some regions in Europe. It was the former monopolist in the Spanish telecommunications market and still has the largest share. Movistar’s 4G availability is behind only Vodafone’s in Spain, and its coverage is also excellent. Availability specifically refers to the percentage of time that you will be able to access 4G services on your SIM card. It is also the leading provider in terms of 5G availability. 4G coverage just gets a little patchy in the remote areas and 5G is also limited to the big cities. However, that is to be expected to some degree.

While Movistar does not offer a great variety of deals, their plans are in fact generous. Their Contrato Infinito plan which includes unlimited data at maximum speed and unlimited calls costs only 19.98 euros a month. Other offers include the Fusion plans, which range from 58 to 200 euros. The biggest plan includes four mobile connections, more than 80 television channels and unlimited data and calls.

Orange

The Orange brand has operations and provides services in four continents and is often one of the best choices in each country. It is the second largest network in Spain, behind only Movistar. It has the best 4G/LTE coverage in Spain of all the networks. Its 5G availability and coverage is also excellent.

Orange Spain is also offering Holiday prepaid cards for tourists specifically. Its Holiday Pass 5 is for 15 euros only and allows you to use 30 GB at maximum speed and then continue browsing but at a reduced speed. The Holiday Pass 15 is for 25 euros and allows browsing for 60GB at maximum speeds and then onwards at a reduced speed. Another plan which offers unlimited calls and data will cost you slightly higher than other providers at 28.76 euros a month.

Vodafone

Vodafone is a telecommunications company active in 22 countries Europe and Africa. You have probably used its services in your own country in fact! It can be a hit or miss in terms of service, and its quality levels differ from country to country. In Spain, it is the third-largest network.

Its 4G availability is the best in the country while coverage lags behind the other two larger networks. Its 5G availability and reach however, are far behind the others. Its 5G availability is only 4.1% which is behind Orange (9.6%), Movistar (9.9%) and Yoigo (10.6%). Therefore, do not expect to get 5G outside the main cities just yet.

Vodafone offers a lot of deals for data only as well. This is for all your data needs including maps, chatting, streaming music and videos etc. Each plan is valid for 28 days, and you can get a package for each data need separately. For instance, the chat pass costs 2 euros for unlimited data to be used for chatting only (WhatsApp, Line, Telegram etc.). Similarly, the video pass costs 8 euros for 28 days (to be used for YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video etc.). If you want to opt for a plan which allows you to make calls and use data without any restrictions, it will cost you 17 euros monthly.

Yoigo

Yoigo is a telecommunication company active only in Spain, and currently not operating in any other country. It is more recent and smaller than the other operators on this list. Yoigo’s 4G/LTE availability and coverage lag behind the other operators. However, it is winning the 5G coverage and availability race. Yoigo’s plan for unlimited data and calls is the most expensive of the ones mentioned here, costing 33 euros per month.

Holafly

Holafly is a new startup based in Spain. It is not a provider itself, meaning it partners with local providers instead. In Spain, it uses Movistar’s network. Holafly’s prepaid SIM cards start at 19 euros per month only and are targeted towards tourists and people travelling for business. Depending on the number of days you will be needing internet, there are a number of packages you can opt for. The smallest is for 5 days only and costs 19 euros. The largest gives you unlimited data for 90 days at 99 euros.

What Is The Best Prepaid SIM Card In Spain?

All things considered, you will probably be able to get the best rates from Holafly. What is more, their packages cater to data specifically, so you don’t have to pay for other things like calling or SMS which you might not need. On the other hand, if you want extensive coverage and excellent download speeds, you should consider Orange’s packages.

Can You Replace Your Home Internet With An Unlimited SIM Card?

There are several reasons why you might be tempted to use your mobile internet package in place of your Wi-Fi. It does not require any extensive hardware installation and is a great option if your usage is not very high. You can even use it if you are travelling to remote areas or spend a lot of time on the road.

While mobile internet speeds have increased a great deal in the last few years, they have still not been able to catch up with Wi-Fi and the burden of handling multiple devices at the same time. You will usually face some sort of restriction on either the amount of data you can get as part of a plan or the number of people who can use the same connection. Moreover, some activities like gaming might simply take up so much data that it would be impossible for it to remain an affordable option.

Overall, you might only be able to replace your home internet with mobile data if there are only a few people in your home, and no one is a heavy user of the internet. It is also a good option for use during travel and in areas where you will not find a stable Wi-Fi connection. Otherwise it is neither affordable, nor will your provider allow you to connect many people.

How Can You Get Free Internet In Spain?

You might need to connect to a free hotspot in case you do not have the budget, or in emergencies where you have simply run out of data on your own device. There are plenty of ways you can connect to the Wi-Fi for free in Spain. The European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative is a great step in this regard. It encourages free access for citizens to Wi-Fi in public places like parks, libraries, official buildings, museums and squares within all places in Europe. The municipalities can even request bonuses to install the required hardware in places that don’t have access.

Apart from this, there are also a number of other free Wi-Fi options that you will be able to find. If you just landed in the country, you will find a free airport hotspot or a connection at your hotel which you can use to connect to the internet straightaway. A lot of restaurants also offer free Wi-Fi, though this is less likely to be the case with smaller, local eateries.

You must be mindful of the fact that free Wi-Fi might not be the most secure option for you since they do not require any sort of authentication to connect. Therefore, someone intending to hack into the system has plenty of opportunities. So a word of caution: do not use such connections for entering sensitive data like your bank account information. You might also experience that these connections can get a little slow from time to time because most of them are not maintained regularly and there are a large number of people connected to them at any one time.

Conclusion

In recent years, as the need for good quality internet has increased, so has the quality of services offered by providers. Since there are multiple competing providers in the industry, finding a good provider offering decent rates shouldn’t be too hard. While unlimited internet might have costed you a lot up until only a few years ago, you can now find extremely affordable packages for all your needs.