What an Orange prepaid line buys
At the time of checking, Orange Romania listed a 5 euro credit option with 250 GB of national data for 28 days and a 6 euro credit option with unlimited national data for 30 days. Orange labels the latter as available at 5G+ speeds. These are the operator's published allowances, rather than a promise of a particular speed at a given address. Both options also include calls and texts, which may matter if a Romanian booking or contact asks for a local number.
The large data figures should not obscure the geographic restriction. Orange explicitly labels both the 5 and 6 euro options as lacking roaming access. A traveller crossing into Hungary, Bulgaria or another neighbouring country cannot assume that either Romanian bundle will follow them. Its separate 9 euro credit option, available through My Orange when checked, listed a 17 GB allowance for European Economic Area roaming; compare the precise current terms before buying it for a multi-country journey.
Buying a Romanian SIM or eSIM
Orange's guidance addressed specifically to visitors says its eSIM is available for PrePay as well as subscriptions. It tells people with compatible devices to visit an Orange Shop to discuss activation. That is a reason to allow time for a shop visit rather than assuming that every visitor can complete a local eSIM purchase entirely from an airport queue or a foreign home connection. Orange does not set out a universal visitor document list on that help page; ask the shop what identification it needs for the exact prepaid product.
A physical Orange prepaid card with 5 euro credit can also be bought through the operator's online shop, according to another Orange help page. Online ordering may be convenient if a delivery address is available, but an arrival-day visitor should check delivery and activation details rather than treating an online listing as an immediate digital SIM. For a trip that starts outside Bucharest, plan the first connection before leaving the airport or railway station, since finding a shop later can interrupt navigation.
Check the route, not just the city
Romania's regulator ANCOM runs Aisemnal, a signal map based on its measurement campaigns. Its English report says the map covers localities, national and county roads, and separate views of the mobile operators' 2G, 3G and 4G signals. The map also identifies places where a neighbouring country's signal may dominate. That is particularly relevant to a Romanian prepaid option which has no roaming: an automatic network switch near a border can behave differently from staying on the chosen Romanian network.
ANCOM's update says the platform includes a Bucharest metro voice-signal map and the possibility of viewing earlier years. This is a more focused check than treating a national population-coverage figure as proof of data service inside a tunnel or on a mountain road. The regulator's figures describe measured mobile voice coverage, so they do not guarantee an uninterrupted 5G data session on a particular train, road or underground platform. Save maps and essential travel details offline for a route through remote areas.
What the regulator's coverage numbers mean
ANCOM reported that its 2024 measurement campaign found mobile voice coverage of 98.6 per cent of the population for Digi Romania, 98.2 per cent for Orange, and 98.1 per cent each for Telekom Mobile and Vodafone. Those are ANCOM's measured population figures, not a ranking of mobile data performance. The difference between a populated town and a winding road in the Carpathians is precisely why a traveller should inspect the location-based map alongside any headline percentage.
The regulator also says the map displays the Bucharest metro and potential involuntary roaming zones. It can therefore help with two quite different decisions: whether an operator has signal along a specific journey, and whether a border itinerary could unexpectedly see a foreign network. Its underlying campaign and the live network may differ, so check the date of the map layer and retain an offline alternative for essential tickets or directions.
Using a home EU line in Romania
Romania is within the European Union's Roam Like at Home area. For an eligible line from another EU or EEA country that includes roaming, the European Commission says calls, texts and data during a periodic visit are charged or deducted as at home. An unlimited or very cheap domestic data plan can still carry a fair-use limit abroad, which the home operator must explain. Check that allowance before deciding a separate data plan is necessary.
The EU rule concerns the home line's eligible roaming service; it does not turn every Romanian prepaid bundle into a roaming product. Orange's national-only options illustrate the distinction. The Commission also warns that a phone on a ship or plane may connect to a non-terrestrial system outside the regulated terrestrial roaming caps. For a journey extending into the Black Sea, check the network name and the home operator's shipboard terms before leaving mobile data enabled.
Keeping a prepaid line working
Orange says prepaid credit can be added online by bank card without signing into an account, through My Orange, or by using a scratch card or voucher bought in its shops, partner outlets and supermarkets. That range matters when a visitor uses up a bundle away from a large city: online payment needs a working connection, while a voucher can be bought in person. Record the local number and keep the top-up method accessible before the remaining data reaches zero.
The operator's help page also describes phone-based voucher redemption and checking benefits through its own account tools. Top-up credit and a bundle are not necessarily the same thing, so verify which option is active and its expiry rather than assuming a payment immediately restores the same data allowance. Orange's published prepaid page lists the validity of the 5 euro and 6 euro options separately; a longer visit may require another purchase even if the phone still shows signal.
Set up the phone before arrival
Apple says an iPhone using another carrier's travel eSIM must be unlocked; Settings, General, About shows No SIM Restrictions beside Carrier Lock when it is. Supported iPhones can keep a home number active alongside a travel eSIM, while the user selects the line supplying mobile data. Download the eSIM over a reliable connection before departure if the product allows it, and confirm when its validity period actually begins. Keeping the home line active can preserve access to calls or verification texts, but roaming charges on that line remain possible.
The EU's emergency guidance identifies 112 as the free emergency number throughout the Union, including Romania. A data-only eSIM provides an internet connection, but its product description may not include ordinary mobile voice calling or a phone number; do not assume it is the line to use for an emergency voice call. Keep a working voice-capable line and note the number 112. If the trip starts with a local Orange shop visit, have the phone's eSIM compatibility checked there before relying on that route.
Networks our Romania plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Romania, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Digi RomaniaLTE
- Digi.Mobil5G
- Orange5G
- ORANGE5G
- Orange Romania S.A.5G
- Telekom5G
- TELEKOM5G
- Telekom Romania Mobile Communications4G
- Vodafone5G
- Vodafone Romania S.A.4G