The first ten minutes after landing set the tone for the whole trip. You want your driver on WhatsApp, Maps open and the restaurant confirmed — not a hunt for wifi.

Most of our guests arrive in Madrid or Málaga with a phone full of plans: the driver's number, the table at 22:00, the guest list at the club, a villa check-in code. All of it depends on one thing working the moment the aircraft door opens — mobile data.

A travel eSIM is the simplest way to guarantee that. No plastic card, no kiosk at arrivals, no roaming bill waiting for you at home. You buy it online, install it before you fly and it switches on when your phone connects to a Spanish network.

What a travel eSIM actually is

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. A travel eSIM adds a second, data-only line next to your usual number. Your normal SIM stays where it is, so calls, SMS and your WhatsApp account keep working exactly as at home; the eSIM simply carries the internet traffic while you are in Spain.

  • Your number does not change. WhatsApp, iMessage and banking codes still arrive on your usual line.
  • Prices are fixed in advance. You know what you pay before you leave — no surprises on the bill.
  • It works from the jet bridge. No queue at a phone shop, no passport photocopy, no Spanish-language setup.

Who needs one in Spain

If your phone contract is from another EU country, "roam like at home" usually covers you in Spain. Everyone else should check carefully: visitors from the UK, the United States, the Gulf, Switzerland, Russia, China and most of Latin America are typically charged daily roaming fees, and those add up fast on a week of Maps, Uber, Instagram stories and video calls.

Choosing a plan for Madrid or Marbella

We use and recommend Gigapass eSIM for Spain. It runs on Orange, one of Spain's main networks, with 5G in Madrid, Marbella, Puerto Banús and along the Costa del Sol. Two formats are available:

  • Unlimited data — from €9 for 3 days, the easiest choice for a Madrid weekend, a Real Madrid match or an F1 trip.
  • Pay per GB — 1 to 20 GB packs, ideal for longer stays in a Marbella villa where you live on the house wifi and only need data on the move.

Hotspot (data sharing) is included, so one plan can keep a laptop or a partner's phone online, and the eSIM is rechargeable: if you extend your stay you top up from your phone without installing anything new.

Rosebud tip: use the code GIGAPASS10 for 10% off your first eSIM.

How to install it before you fly

  1. Check that your phone supports eSIM (almost every iPhone since the XS and most recent Android flagships do).
  2. Buy the plan on getgigapass.com and scan the QR code you receive, ideally at home on wifi. Installing does not consume days.
  3. When you land, select the Gigapass line for mobile data and switch on data roaming for that line. That's it.

The plan only starts counting at your first connection in Spain, so you can install it a week before the trip without losing a day.

Our concierge tips

  • Install the eSIM the night before you fly, not at the gate — QR codes are easier on home wifi.
  • Keep your main line for calls and WhatsApp, and turn its data off so you never pay roaming by accident.
  • For a group or a family, one unlimited plan with hotspot is often cheaper than a card per person.
  • Save your driver's and our concierge's WhatsApp numbers before departure; with data on landing, everything else is one message away.
Land connected, and let us take care of the rest: driver at arrivals, the table, the box, the yacht.

Plan your arrival in Spain

Driver, table and guest list ready before you land.