Vodafone Spain's prepaid plans, on SIM or eSIM
Vodafone Spain's prepaid pages list all-in-one plans with a Spanish phone number, available on SIM or eSIM, each lasting 28 days at 5G speed. At the time of checking, Prepago S cost 10 euros with 90 GB, 500 minutes and 15 GB of roaming in the EU and UK, Prepago M cost 15 euros with 270 GB, 2,000 minutes and 23 GB of roaming in the EU, UK and the USA, Prepago L cost 20 euros with 330 GB and Prepago XL cost 30 euros with 380 GB. The pages mention an extra 30 GB on all plans, a promotion that may have ended, and say that unused gigabytes can accumulate.
The same pages describe a separate data-only eSIM for travellers to Spain and the EU, bought online in under a minute and activated on arrival, for the days you need. They say the prepaid SIM card is free and is posted to the address you give within 24 to 48 hours, or 48 to 72 hours for Ceuta, Melilla and the smaller Canary Islands, so a card ordered online would not suit a short stay. They do not say what identification is needed for a prepaid line, so ask the operator before you rely on a Spanish number. A visitor who only needs data can compare the data-only product with a foreign eSIM.
Roam like at home, and who it excludes
The European Commission says its Roam Like At Home rule applies automatically in the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova, so a phone on a home EU plan is charged as at home in Spain. The page does not single out the Canary Islands, so ask your operator if the islands are covered by your plan. It says the rule does not apply in the United Kingdom, though some operators have kept the benefit, so visitors from the UK should ask their operator about charges in Spain.
The Commission adds that operators should aim for the same quality abroad, including 5G where possible, and that travellers should get a text reminding them of 112 and the alternative ways to reach emergency services. If your plan has a fair-use limit, it may cap data after a number of days abroad, so check it before a long stay.
ES-Alert: a loud warning to phones in the area
The Canarian emergency service says Spain has built the ES-Alert platform for the EU-Alert requirement, based on cell broadcast, which sends messages immediately to all terminals within the coverage area of the antennas that are activated. Messages are headed Alerta de Protección Civil, or Alerta presidencial depending on device settings, and the page says the sound is set to maximum volume and cannot be configured, with a vibration alert as well. Civil protection authorities can use it to give instructions to people in an area affected by an emergency, and the government carries out periodic tests.
For a visitor, that means a sudden loud alarm is likely to be an official message and should be read at once. The page says tourists can receive the alert on their mobile phones if they are properly configured in their home country, and that the configuration is the same across the EU. It says ES-Alert is added to other channels, such as evacuation bulletins, social media, loudspeakers and the 112 Canarias app.
The 112 Canarias app, and a live example of an alert
The free 112 Canarias app improves contact with the emergency number by making a call that sends your GPS position or, if you cannot speak, a no-voice alert that sends your position with icons for the type of emergency and a text chat that also allows photos. It also lets you receive notices of notable emergencies, alerts and self-protection advice, and can be set to send your medical data or text a contact. The page recommends keeping GPS on.
On 2 October 2026 the service's homepage reported that the Canarian government had ended its rain alert for the north and east of La Palma from 11:00 that day, under its plan for adverse weather. That shows how alerts are declared and lifted, and it is a snapshot, so check the page for current notices.
Schengen entry, wildfire risk and mountain rescue
The UK Foreign Office says UK visitors do not need a visa for the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It adds that the new Entry/Exit System may ask for fingerprints and a photo on your first entry, at no cost, so you should allow extra time. Rules differ by nationality, so check the Spanish authorities for your own passport.
It says wildfires happen often in Spain, including on the islands, during the summer months, that causing one is a criminal offence even if unintentional and that you should report fires on 112. It also lists Tenerife among places where altitude sickness may be a risk, and gives 112 and 062, the Civil Guard, for mountain rescue.
Island hopping, and keeping tickets on your phone
The Canary Islands tourist board says the archipelago has 8 airports connecting all the islands, with flights under an hour and frequent departures, and lists Binter and Canaryfly among the airlines. It says boats between the islands are usually cheaper and lists Armas, Fred Olsen and Líneas Romero among the operators.
Keep boarding passes and bookings on your phone, and screenshot them in case your signal drops at a port. We found no official island-by-island coverage statement for the operators, so a trip to a remote spot such as the mountains of El Hierro or La Gomera is worth planning with offline maps.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office lists 112 for ambulance, fire and police in Spain, with 062 for the Civil Guard in mountain emergencies. The Canarian service runs the 112 call centre and its app. Our Canary Islands plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Canary Islands plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Canary Islands, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- 2degrees5G
- 35G
- A15G
- A1 MK4G
- A1 Srbija4G
- Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC)4G
- Africell5G
- Airtel5G
- AIS5G
- Alands Mobiltelefon4G
- Algerie Telecom Mobile (ATM)4G
- ALOU (CV MOVEL)4G
- Altice Dominicana5G
- AT&T Mexico5G
- Atlantique Telecom Togo4G
- Bakcell5G
- Be Aliv4G
- beeline4G
- Beeline4G
- Belize Telemedia4G
- Bell5G
- BH Mobile4G
- Bouygues Telecom5G
- Cable & Wireless5G
- Cable & Wireless Panama5G
- CelcomDigi5G
- Cellcard4G
- Cellcom Israel5G
- Cellfie Mobile5G
- Celtel Niger (Airtel)4G
- China Mobile5G
- China Telecom4G
- China Unicom5G
- Chunghwa5G
- Claro5G
- Claro Argentina4G
- Claro CR4G
- CLARO GSM4G
- CLARO URUGUAY4G
- CSL5G
- CTM5G
- Digicel4G
- Digicel (BVI) Limited4G
- Digicel Antilles Francaises Guyane (French West In4G
- Digicel Aruba4G
- Digicel Curacao4G
- Digicel Guyana4G
- Digicel Jamaica5G
- DNA4G
- Drei5G
- DST Communications5G
- Du5G
- Econet4G
- EE5G
- Entel Peru5G
- epic5G
- Epic5G
- ERONET4G
- Ethio Telecom5G
- Faroese Telecom5G
- FLOW (LLA)4G
- Free Caraibe4G
- Free Mobile5G
- Gabon Telecom4G
- Geocell Ltd5G
- Gibtelecom5G
- Glo Mobile4G
- Globe Telecom5G
- GrameenPhone4G
- Hi3G5G
- Hot Mobile5G
- Hutchison Telecom4G
- ICE Norge AS5G
- ILIAD5G
- Integra Technologies Group4G
- IPKO5G
- Irancell4G
- JT5G
- KDDI5G
- KPN5G
- KT5G
- KYIVSTAR4G
- Liberty5G
- LIBERTY4G
- lifecell4G
- LTC (Laos Telecommunications)5G
- m:tel4G
- Maxis5G
- MegaFon5G
- MEO5G
- Meteor5G
- MIC 2 (touch)4G
- MobiCom4G
- Mobily5G
- Mobitel5G
- Moldcell4G
- Monaco Telecom5G
- Movistar4G
- MOVISTAR5G
- Movistar Chile4G
- Movistar Mexico4G
- MTEL5G
- MTML4G
- MTN4G
- MTS4G
- my.t cellplus5G
- Ncell4G
- NetCom5G
- NOS5G
- Nova5G
- Nuuday5G
- O25G
- O2 Germany5G
- Omantel5G
- One NZ5G
- Ooredoo5G
- Optus5G
- Orange5G
- Orange Bissau4G
- Orange Caraibe4G
- Orange France5G
- Orange Guinee4G
- Orange Liberia4G
- Orange Mali4G
- Orange Moldova4G
- Orange Reunion5G
- P4 Play5G
- Pelephone5G
- Polkomtel5G
- PrimeTel4G
- Proximus5G
- Reliance Jio India Andhra Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Assam4G
- Reliance Jio India Bihar4G
- Reliance Jio India Delhi4G
- Reliance Jio India Gujarat4G
- Reliance Jio India Haryana4G
- Reliance Jio India Himachal Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Karnataka4G
- Reliance Jio India Kerala4G
- Reliance Jio India Kolkata4G
- Reliance Jio India Madhya Pradesh4G
- Reliance Jio India Maharashtra4G
- Reliance Jio India North East4G
- Reliance Jio India Orissa4G
- Reliance Jio India Punjab4G
- Reliance Jio India Rajasthan4G
- Reliance Jio India Tamil Nadu4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (East)4G
- Reliance Jio India Uttar Pradesh (West)4G
- Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited4G
- Reliance Jio West Bengal4G
- Rogers5G
- Salt5G
- Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra (STA)5G
- SFR5G
- Siminn5G
- Singapore4G
- SingTel5G
- SK Telecom5G
- Smart4G
- SMART5G
- SoftBank5G
- SONATEL4G
- Spacetel - MTN4G
- Spark5G
- stc5G
- STC5G
- Sunrise5G
- Sure4G
- Swazi MTN4G
- T-Mobile USA5G
- Taiwan Mobile5G
- Tango5G
- Tcell4G
- TELCEL4G
- Telcell N.V.4G
- Telcell St Maarten4G
- TELE Greenland4G
- Tele25G
- Tele2 Latvia5G
- Telecel4G
- Telecom Liechtenstein5G
- Telefonica Moviles Espana5G
- Telekom5G
- Telekom.me4G
- Telemach5G
- Telemovil4G
- Telenor5G
- Telenor Norge5G
- Telenor Pakistan4G
- Telia5G
- Telia FI5G
- Telia Finland5G
- Telkomsel5G
- Telus5G
- Tigo4G
- TIGO4G
- TIGO GUATEMALA5G
- TIGO Paraguay4G
- Tikiphone (Vini)5G
- TIM5G
- TIM Brasil5G
- True Move H5G
- Turk Telekom5G
- Ucell5G
- Umniah4G
- Unitel4G
- US Cellular5G
- UTS NV.4G
- Velcom4G
- Verizon5G
- Viettel5G
- VINAPHONE4G
- Viva Armenia5G
- Vivo5G
- Vodacom4G
- Vodafone5G
- VODAFONE5G
- Vodafone Ghana4G
- Wind Tre5G
- Yettel5G
- ZAIN5G
- Zain IRAQ4G
- Zain JO5G