In today’s interconnected world, staying connected while abroad has become increasingly important, allowing us to share our adventures, stay in touch with loved ones, and access essential information. One of the key aspects of maintaining this connectivity is obtaining a local SIM card in Gran Canaria. A local SIM card not only helps you stay connected at a fraction of the cost but also opens the door to seamless communication and access to data services. In this post, we share personal recommendations from community members.
There are basically three “true” network carriers with national coverage (Movistar, Vodafone, Orange) and a number of established virtual providers (Lobster, Lowi, Simyo, Digi, Lycamovil, Lebara) using their networks.
You can buy their PAYG SIM cards almost everywhere in Spain including the Canaries with just your passport. You might need to enable roaming or have a minimum credit, but in general, all EU SIMs should offer some free roaming throughout the entire EU (not Europe, i.e. excl UK, Switzerland, and so on.)
Lobster
Lobster is great, I used it for 2 years, no problem at all. Now I switched to Vodafone (prepaid sim as well) No contracts! €10 per four weeks for 50GB.
Some people prefer Lobster (€10,99 for 75GB), for their English customer service. All the other providers have similar offers where you usually get a data package and free calls to Spanish numbers for 30 days for a fixed price.
Pepephone
I’m happy with pepephone, and it works in the USA better than my wife’s Movistar phone (less expensive and better coverage).
Movistar
I am loving Movistar prepago which comes with unlimited Spanish calls, and 200 or 400min of calls to many countries including Brazil, Taiwan etc.
Movistar has some offers with unlimited data. And one prepaid offer with 80GB for €15 per four weeks. I bought a prepaid SIM with my passport. You can buy the SIM in any Movistar shop, there are a lot around.
Vodafone
I bought my sim card there at Vodafone in CC Las Arenas. I pay €15 a month and get 100GB You can also buy more GB in the app or website (for example, €3 for chat apps only, etc).
I use Vodafone ‘Iimitada Max’ and I am quite happy with it. I used about 200GB last month, without any issues. But it is a subscription and you need both a NIE and a Spanish bank account, so depending on your situation, it might not be suitable.
Digi
I’m happy with Digi. Unlimited 1gb/s sync for €20 + mobile contract for €15 – unlimited, too!
Digi prepaid (prepago) for €25 without limit. You don’t need NIE to buy it.
Yoigo
I use Yoigo, happy enough with them. But you need a Spanish NIE. You can use a passport, but you get much less choice and possibly not unlimited data.
I found Yoigo. €10 for 10GB of data for one month.
Lebara
Lebara has 40GB for €10.
Lycamobile
I’m using Lycamobile prepaid, 150GB for €20 a month with OK speeds. You just need to show your passport for it, no NIE or Spanish bank account needed.
Orange
If you want to get a SIM without a NIE, just go to a shop with your passport. The Orange shop in CC Las Arenas is quite accustomed to selling to tourists, but I think any shop there can easily sell a SIM to you even if you don’t speak Spanish.
