Now that the good weather is approaching, many Spaniards travel abroad. If we move outside the limits of the European Union, we must be especially careful with Morocco and Andorra. Data and calls can escalate in price to exorbitant amounts that can reach hundreds and thousands of euros if we are not careful.
The basic thing to avoid unwanted shocks is to disable data roaming so that the mobile does not automatically connect to the network. To be completely sure, also remove the APN in the device settings. In case we forget, most operators usually set a data consumption limit, and notify us before arriving. In any case, if you travel to a border area, such as the Pyrenees, it is best to disable data roaming to avoid silly confusion.
Roaming rates for Andorra and Morocco
If we simply want to activate roaming, the first thing is to contact the operator. In case you use a prepaid card, roaming will be activated automatically. As for the rates, for the main operators they are the following:
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Movistar: 9 euros for 3Gb per day. Calls to Spain for 1.82 euros per minute (+1.21 call establishment).
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Orange: with the “Everywhere” bonus you have access to 100MB for 7 euros and receive calls for 30 minutes for 7 euros.
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Vodafone: Vodafone asks you for alternatives. We can choose between the Mini Contract Rate (20 minutes per day of calls and 2GB of mobile data per day) or the World Travel Rate (2Gb of daily data and unlimited calls for 15 euros per day).
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Jazztel: 12.1 euros per MB. If you call Spain it will cost you 2.11 euros (+1.81 euros for call establishment).
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Yoigo: has the peculiarity of being able to make calls for a cost of 1.09 euros per minute (+43.56 cents per establishment). As for the data, they cost 10.89 euros per MB. Data is expensive, but calls are very cheap.
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MásMovil: you can call Spain for 1,815 euros per minute (+1,815 call establishment). Without a doubt, it offers one of the cheapest rates, for 6.05 euros per MB.
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Lowi: its roaming is just 6.05 euros per MB and 1.69 euros per minute (+1.21 euros per establishment) if you call Spain.
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Amena: connecting to the internet is very expensive through roaming, since they will charge us 500kb for 6.05 euros. Calls cost 1.69 euros per minute.
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Pepephone: they are related to Yoigo, so they offer a similar deal. Making calls is priced at 2.54 euros per minute (+0.44 establishment) and connecting to the internet, 10.89 euros.
Avoid paying roaming
If we do not want to activate roaming and continue to have an Internet connection, we have the following alternatives. With all of them, except the last one, we must pay a cost, so it is up to us to analyze if it is worth it or if it is easier to activate roaming.
data SIM cards
They provide us with a limited amount of mobile data at a fixed price. You just have to insert the SIM into your mobile. You can buy it in Spain or buy it abroad. In Morocco we recommend buying it in safe areas, such as airports or specialized stores.
eSIM
eSIMs are virtual SIM cards, which means you don’t have to buy anything physical. To do this you must have a mobile with the ability to link the eSIM card. To activate it you need an Internet connection to match your data.
pocket-wifi
A Pocket Wifi is a portable router that gives you access to the Internet. They are not usually very powerful, since they have been outdated; in fact, the best ones use 4G at most. These pocket Wifi are usually rented for the duration of the stay to return them before leaving. In Andorra it is very common to use them.
Free WIFI
The traditional method if we do not want to spend any money is to remove the data and activate the Wifi. This way we will connect to Wifi sites, whether in stations, restaurants or where we stay. More and more Wi-Fi zones are being implemented locally, although of course, it depends on where you travel.
