Barcelona – known for its architecture, nightlife & beaches.
It is the second largest city in Spain, behind Madrid (capital city).
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Barcelona would require another blog post (or a dedicated Barcelona blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
So, what SIM cards are available at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport?
You can get a Vodafone Spain SIM card for between 35 EUR (37.40 USD) to 65 EUR (69.50 USD) at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN).
Not too bad for airport SIM cards, honestly… I have seen worse (looking at you, Vienna Airport in Austria).
However, there are ways to not pay these prices and save up to 25 EUR (27.55 USD) on a Spanish SIM card sold at the airport if you follow the steps mentioned in this guide.
You can thank me later 😜.
Original publication: 29th of December 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in Spain
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in Spain.
Spain has four mobile operators and seven Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) offering prepaid services easily accessible to tourists:
- Movistar Spain (España)
- Orange Spain (España)
- Vodafone Spain (España)
- Yoigo
- Digi Mobil Spain (España – Movistar Spain MVNO)
- Lebara Spain (España – Orange Spain & Yoigo/MásMóvil MVNO)
- Llamaya (Yoigo/MásMóvil MVNO)
- Lobster Spain (España Movistar Spain MVNO)
- Lycamobile Spain (España – Yoigo/MásMóvil MVNO)
- MásMóvil Spain (España – Yoigo/MásMóvil MVNO)
- Simyo Spain (España – Orange Spain MVNO)
Sure, there are some online-based MVNOs, but they are not available to tourists.
For more information about Spanish SIM cards, check out my Spain SIM card buying guide.
Alright, back to what Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN)?
At Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, there is one store selling Spanish SIM cards: Vodafone Spain.
The store is located in the main hall of terminal 1.
Terminal 2 mostly serves low-cost carriers, and there was no store selling SIM cards there.
But I was at the airport during COVID times, so things may have changed since.
Because of SIM card registration requirements in Spain, I recommend getting SIM cards from the official stores of the Spanish mobile operators.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
You can get SIM cards from resellers, like grocery stores, but you may have trouble activating them if you cannot read Spanish.
But most modern browsers allow you to translate foreign text into your language, so you should be able to manage.
If you do not want to deal with Spain's SIM card registration requirements, let's say for privacy reasons, you can consider ordering a Europe SIM card from Simify and get it delivered to your home before going to Italy!
Let's go through Vodafone Spain to see what it has to offer us at the airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans does Vodafone Spain Sell at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (+Prices)?
Vodafone Spain sells its plans at inflated prices at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, ranging from 35 EUR to 65 EUR.
I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).
To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the guide were current when I was in Spain – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see Vodafone Spain's current starter packs, check out my Spain SIM card buying guide
Vodafone Spain (Vodafone España) is the third-largest mobile operator in Spain.
However, it has the best 5G NR network performance (which you can try out as a prepaid customer too – and I certainly did for my Vodafone Spain review).
You have this store called Crystal – Audio, video & More – Vodafone selling Vodafone Spain SIM cards in the main hall of terminal 1.
Vodafone Spain sells four SIM cards at the airport, which are regular prepaid plans sold at inflated prices… to an extent.
Below is a photo:
Below is an overview that is much easier to read:
| Price | Plan | Data 1 | Local Minutes | International Minutes 2 | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 EUR | Vodafone M | 20 GB | Unlimited 2 | 800 minutes | 28 days |
| 45 EUR | Vodafone L | 35 GB | Unlimited | 300 minutes | 28 days |
| 55 EUR | Vodafone XL | 45 GB | Unlimited | 300 minutes | 28 days |
| 65 EUR | Vodafone XXL | 55 GB | Unlimited | 300 minutes | 28 days |
1 since I left Spain, Vodafone Spain has increased the data allowances of all these plans (for example, 55 GB of data gives you 150 GB now). Because I am not sure the airport store has processed these changes, I left the allowances in the table above as they were in March 2022. Hopefully, you get more data too!
2 to Argentina (fixed), Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile (fixed), China, Colombia, Costa Rica (fixed), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco (fixed), Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan (200 minutes for M plan), Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico (fixed), Romania, Russia (fixed), Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey (200 minutes), the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay (fixed) & Venezuela (fixed)
The prices do not seem bad based on the allowances you get, right?
In Canada, you get only 4 GB of data when you spend about 40 EUR (55 CAD)… so it could be much worse in Spain 🗿.
But the thing is… these prices are still too high if you do not pay attention.
The plans shown in the photo above are suggested plans, meaning they include add-ons for “your convenience”.
You get unlimited data for about 30+ apps, including Instagram, TikTok & YouTube.
But that is because the store is adding five different add-ons, called Vodafone Pass, on top of your plan: Chat Pass (2 EUR 1), Maps Pass (3 EUR 2), Music Pass (3 EUR 3), Social Pass (3 EUR 4) & Video Pass (8 EUR 5).
1 for Blackberry Messenger, IM Line, Kakao Talk, Line, Telegram, Viber, WeChat & WhatsApp
2 for Endomondo, Google Earth, Google Maps, Here, iCoyote, Runtastic, TomTom, TripAdvisor & Waze
3 for Apple Music, Deezer, Napster, SoundCloud, Spotify & Tidal
4 for AdoptaUnTio, Badoo, eDarling, Facebook, Flickr, Grindr, Instagram, LinkedIn, Meetic, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Tinder, Tumblr & Twitter
5 for Amazon Video, Clan RTVE, Dailymotion, Filmin, Fox News, Fox Sports, HBO, Movistar TV, Netflix, Orange TV, Rakuten, RTVE Móvil, Twitch, Vevo, Vimeo, Vodafone TV Online, YouTube, YouTube Gaming & YouTube Kids
Moreover, they add the international call add-on, costing an extra 5 EUR to the countries I mentioned above.
So if we were to normalize those plans, removing all the add-ons, the plans would look like this instead:
| Price | Plan | Data 1 | Local Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 EUR | Vodafone M | 20 GB | Unlimited 2 | 28 days |
| 20 EUR | Vodafone L | 35 GB | Unlimited | 28 days |
| 30 EUR | Vodafone XL | 45 GB | Unlimited | 28 days |
| 40 EUR | Vodafone XXL | 55 GB | Unlimited | 28 days |
1 +800 minutes to the countries I listed earlier because they are part of Vodafone M – it is not an add-on
So as you see, if you remove the add-ons, the airport store charges you the same as a regular Vodafone store would!
And the salesperson confirmed that you can remove all the add-ons if you want (but you may have to insist if the person helping you is not as honest as the one assisting me, lmao).
With the money you potentially saved on unnecessary add-ons, you can buy me a coffee 😏.
One thing I forgot to ask and confirm is whether these Vodafone Spain airport SIM cards allow for free roaming within the European Union (EU) too.
I am 99% sure they should (as mandates by EU law, but some tourist SIM cards, like in Italy, still prohibit free roaming), but just ask before buying your Vodafone Spain SIM card and heading to another EU nation and be disappointed it does not work there (and let me know when you have the answer!).
Lastly, can you get a Vodafone Spain eSIM at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport? No, you cannot.
While Vodafone Spain does have eSIMs, they are not sold at the airport (because the airport store is run by a reseller, not Vodafone Spain directly).
But if you want to learn about all recommended eSIM options for Spain, which many Phone Travel Wiz can vouch for too, check out my Spain eSIM comparison guide (with one option also offering unlimited data in the country).
Also, be sure to read my Vodafone Spain review if you are interested in getting a Vodafone Spain SIM card.
Should You Get a SIM Card at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN)?
I do recommend getting a SIM card at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport from Vodafone Spain. They are of good value and not overpriced if you ask the store to remove unnecessary add-ons.
What is surprising, for the better, is that the plans advertised at the Vodafone Spain store at the airport are recommended plans – they are not set in stone.
This is unusual for airport SIM cards because they either sell you the most expensive SIM cards or the regular ones with service fees.
The only issue you may experience is that the salesperson does not want to remove the add-ons from you (because that is how they make extra $$$ – especially if you do not use the add-ons).
But store policy does not prevent them from removing the add-ons.
Let's say the salesperson does not want to delete the add-ons – worry not, there are plenty of Vodafone Spain stores throughout Barcelona that will sell you the plans without upselling you.
My Vodafone Spain review also goes over my experience with getting its SIM card.
Spanish SIM Card Reviews
I tried out the SIM cards of the Big Four in Spain.
You should read those reviews.
>>> Movistar Spain Review | Orange Spain Review | Vodafone Spain Review | Yoigo Review <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other European SIM cards.