Best prepaid SIM cards in Spain for tourists and newcomers (an honest guide)

A Spanish prepaid SIM card gives you a local number with data without signing a commitment, without setting up direct-debit billing and without needing a Spanish bank account. It's what we recommend to tourists, Erasmus students, professionals on a work trip, or anyone staying between a week and a few months. This guide compares the real options in the Spanish market, organised by type of use — no marketing and no pretending a single plan is perfect for everyone.

Why a prepaid SIM when you arrive in Spain?

Three reasons a prepaid is usually a better option than roaming with your home operator or international eSIMs for a stay in Spain:

• You get a local number — useful for restaurant bookings, car rentals, banks, apartment rentals, calls to local services (doctors, taxi). Some Spanish apps (Cabify, Glovo, local banking) don't accept international numbers.
• The price per GB is very low. Spain has one of the most competitive mobile markets in Europe: prepaid plans with 20–50 GB run around €10–18/month. Far cheaper than enabling roaming from a non-European operator.
• No commitment or contract. You buy the SIM, use it for as long as you need, and if you don't top it up it deactivates on its own in 1-3 months with no consequences.

What you need to activate it (NIE, passport, address)

Registering a prepaid SIM in Spain legally requires two things:

• A valid ID document: passport (any nationality), EU ID card, NIE or TIE. You do NOT need a NIE if you have a passport: the seller is authorised to register the SIM with your foreign passport.
• A contact address: it can be the hotel, Airbnb, shared flat, a relative's home… it isn't formally verified, but it must exist.

You do NOT need a padrón registration, a Spanish bank account, or proof of an extended stay. Registration is done at the moment of purchase, in the shop, in a few minutes.

eSIM or physical SIM: which to choose for your situation

Both have advantages. Quick decision:

• eSIM — Better if: your phone is compatible (iPhone XS or later, modern Android), you want data the moment you land, you'll use it alongside your home SIM (dual-SIM mode). Buy online, get the QR by email, instant activation. The Spanish prepaid brands that offer eSIM are mainly Lebara and, more recently, others.
• Physical SIM — Better if: your phone is old or not eSIM-compatible (US-imported Galaxy phones, some cheap Androids), you prefer to keep the SIM as a souvenir, you're not in a rush to activate on landing (the airport has WiFi while you head to the shop). More options available — almost every prepaid operator sells it.

The honest options, by type of traveller

Instead of a ranking of the "best operator" (which doesn't exist — it depends on your use), we organise the options by traveller profile. These are the most-used prepaid operators in Spain, with their real strengths:

• Lebara — Vodafone network. Plans with international minutes included to over 50 countries (India, Pakistan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Senegal, Ghana, the Philippines, Poland, Romania…). eSIM available. The dominant option for immigrant communities and for tourists coming from outside the EU.
• Simyo — Orange network. Very cheap prepaid plan for data, rollover data if you don't use it all in a month. Customer service and app in Spanish; limited English support. The favourite of Spaniards looking to save and of EU-resident tourists with compatible banking apps.
• MasMovil prepaid — Own network + Orange. Real 5G, plans with plenty of data (50 GB+) and a competitive price. Good national coverage. Used by long-stay tourists and professionals on a work trip in Spain.
• Vodafone Tourist Pack — A plan specifically for tourists with data + calls, sold at airports and Vodafone offices. Very easy to activate on arrival but more expensive per GB than Lebara or Simyo.
• Orange Mundo — Prepaid plans with an international focus, calls to Latin America and Africa. Good coverage.
• Yoigo prepaid — MasMovil network. Simple and honest plans (no fine print), good for those who want simplicity without studying it.
• DigiMobil — Own network + Movistar. Cheap plans and especially competitive international rates to Eastern Europe. Used heavily by the Romanian, Moldovan and Bulgarian communities resident in Spain — but it also works perfectly for Spanish or foreign tourists who want a low price.

For short stays (1–3 weeks)

If you're coming for a holiday, a conference or a short work trip, look for the simplest thing: a plan with a one-off 5-15 GB bundle + minutes for local calls. No recurrence, no automatic renewals.

Real recommendations: a Lebara prepaid bundle, a MasMovil bundle or a Simyo 5-10 GB bundle. Typical cost: €8–15 for the whole trip. Activation on arrival (physical SIM) or from home before travelling (eSIM).

Alternative: an international eSIM for Spain (not from a local operator) — using MiMobile or similar — gives you instant data by email without having to go to any shop. Ideal if you only need data (not local calls with a Spanish number).

For long stays (1–6 months)

If you're coming for Erasmus, a temporary work assignment, a winter rental, or as a digital nomad, a Spanish prepaid is clearly the best option. You want: a recurring monthly bundle, plenty of data (20+ GB), a fixed Spanish number for admin.

Real recommendations: monthly Simyo or MasMovil prepaid plans with 30–50 GB (€10–18/month); Lebara with data + international minutes if you'll call your country a lot. Automatic monthly renewal as long as you have balance.

For the diaspora: cheap international calls

If you're from outside Europe (Latin America, North Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe) and you'll call your home country a lot, international rates matter. The options that stand out:

• Lebara — the most-used option by the Indian, Pakistani, Moroccan, Senegalese and Filipino communities. Bundles with international minutes included.
• DigiMobil — the favourite of the Romanian, Moldovan and Bulgarian communities. Very cheap calls to Eastern Europe.
• Llamaya Azul — aimed at the Latin American community (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela). International minutes to those destinations at a good price.

Where to buy it right after you arrive

Three options:

1. Physical shops at airports and city centres. Operators have corners at big airports (Madrid Barajas, Barcelona El Prat, Málaga, Mallorca, etc.) and offices in city centres. Convenient but can have a queue at peak times.
2. MiMobile (this website) — we sell Lebara and MasMovil prepaid SIMs with remote activation. It arrives at the address you give in Spain (1-3 business days), or you pick it up at our physical shop in Fuengirola (Málaga). We accept passports from any country. Support in Spanish, English, French, German, Finnish and Swedish — useful if you don't speak Spanish. See SIM cards available at MiMobile.
3. Kiosks / call shops / bazaars. Many sell prepaid SIMs, especially Lebara and DigiMobil. Activation is in person and quick but can cost €5-10 more than buying online because of the seller's commission.