Best SIM card for Tenerife: tourist SIM, eSIM, Spanish prepaid or roaming?

For EU visitors, the best option is often their own SIM: Tenerife is in the EU, so roaming costs nothing extra within fair use. UK visitors should check their network, as several charge a daily fee. A local prepaid SIM or eSIM is best if you need a Spanish number, more data or hotspot data.

Operator and eSIM-app prices come from their own websites as of October 2026 and change often. A1 prices are at the time of writing; current prices are always in the SIM shop.

Yes. Tenerife is part of Spain, and the Canary Islands are an EU outermost region, so SIMs from any EU country work here under Roam Like at Home. So do SIMs from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and since 1 January 2026 from Moldova and Ukraine.

Roam Like at Home means your usual minutes, texts and data cost nothing extra. The EU also expects the same quality as at home where technically possible, including 5G if your plan has it. The rules run until 2032.

Two limits matter in practice:

• Fair use. Your operator can review your roaming over 4 months. If you spent more time abroad than at home and used your phone more abroad, it can warn you. You then have 14 days before surcharges can apply.
• Caps on unlimited or very cheap plans. The roaming data allowance must be at least twice your monthly price before VAT divided by a regulated wholesale price per GB. Austria's regulator RTR gives an example: a plan costing €10 before VAT allows 10 ÷ 1.10 × 2 = at least 18.18 GB in other EU countries.

Roam Like at Home covers land-based networks only, not ships, planes or satellite connections, so check which network your phone joins on an inter-island ferry. More detail: roaming in the Canary Islands.

It depends on your network and plan. Roam Like at Home only covers SIMs from EU and EEA countries (plus Moldova and Ukraine), so UK operators set their own terms. As of October 2026:

• O2 includes roaming in its Europe Zone, which lists Spain and the Canary Islands, at no extra cost up to 25 GB; its Pay As You Go SIMs include EU roaming too.
• Vodafone charges £2.75 a day in Europe, Spain included, on Pay Monthly plans started on or after 11 August 2021, unless the plan includes roaming. European roaming passes cost £16 for 8 days or £21 for 15 days, and a 25 GB fair-use limit applies to roaming data.
• Three lists the Canary Islands as a Go Roam in Europe destination. Pay Monthly customers pay £2 or £2.75 a day there, depending on when they joined or upgraded, and can use up to 12 GB of their allowance a month.

At £2.75 a day, using your phone on all 14 days of a two-week holiday costs £38.50, or £21 with Vodafone's 15-day pass. A1's Tourist 100 costs €20 for 28 days with 100 GB plus a Spanish number.

It can be the cheapest local option if you stay a few weeks. As of October 2026, Orange Prepago 10 costs €10 for 28 days with 80 GB (60 GB plus 20 GB of promotional data), and Vodafone Prepago S costs €10 for 28 days with 90 GB and up to 15 GB of EU roaming. Orange also sells tourist plans with unlimited data in Spain: Holiday Mini at €25 for 15 days and Holiday Maxi at €35 for 28 days.

• ID is mandatory. Ley 25/2007 obliges operators to keep a register with the name, nationality and ID document number of every prepaid buyer, so bring your passport or ID card.
• Where to buy. In an operator store or on the operator's website. Vodafone sells Prepago S as an instant eSIM, and Orange lists Holiday Maxi as available on eSIM.
• Cycles. Standard plans run for 28 days at a time, which suits long stays.

The trade-off is logistics: you find a store or complete the operator's sign-up yourself, and plans, promotions and extras differ between operators.

Travel eSIMs from apps such as Airalo and Holafly are convenient: you buy and install them at home and they connect when you land, which suits short, data-only trips.

• Usually no Spanish number. Holafly says its eSIMs are data-only, with no local number for calls or SMS. Airalo says many of its eSIMs only include data; plans marked "Data, Voice & Text" include calls and texts.
• Hotspot limits. Holafly's unlimited Spain eSIM lets you share up to 1 GB a day as a hotspot (7 GB on a 7-day plan).
• Prices. As of October 2026, Airalo lists unlimited Spain eSIMs from €10.50 for 3 days and €22.00 for 7 days. Holafly lists US$24.50 for 7 days and US$66.50 for 30 days.

Any eSIM needs a compatible, unlocked phone. Apple supports eSIM on iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later, and says that to use two carriers your carrier must unlock your iPhone, or both plans must come from the same carrier. Google says every Pixel 4 and later works with eSIM. Not sure? Read does my phone support eSIM? and how to install an eSIM in Spain.

With a data-only eSIM you can keep your home SIM on for calls and texts, but your home network may still charge roaming for them.

EU visitor on a short stay

Start with your own SIM: a week or two of maps, WhatsApp and social media usually costs nothing extra. On an unlimited or very cheap plan, check the roaming data cap. Buy a local SIM only if you need more than that cap, a Spanish number or lots of hotspot data.

UK visitor

Check your network's Europe terms before you fly. On O2 you may need nothing else. On a plan with a daily charge, compare the total with your network's passes and with a Spanish prepaid SIM or eSIM, which adds a Spanish number and often more data. An eSIM for Tenerife ordered online lets you keep your UK SIM in the phone.

Family sharing a hotspot

One phone with a big allowance can serve the family's tablets and phones. Check hotspot rules first: A1's Tourist 250 (250 GB, €35) allows tethering, while some travel eSIMs cap sharing.

Long stay or remote worker

If you spend months in Tenerife and use your phone more here than at home, your home operator can warn you after its 4-month review and then add surcharges. A Spanish line avoids that for data. For heavy use, A1's Tourist 300 gives 300 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps, with hotspot allowed for 30 days. For several months, also compare operator plans that run in 28-day cycles.

Phone without eSIM

Choose a physical SIM. A1's triple-cut card fits nano, micro and standard trays and costs the same as the eSIM. Make sure the phone is unlocked (not tied to your home network) before you buy. Landing without data? Compare Tenerife airport SIM options.

A1 Computers is a family-run phone and computer repair shop at Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Av. de los Pueblos 20, 38660 Costa Adeje that also sells tourist SIMs and eSIMs. They are Spanish prepaid plans on the Orange network, with a Spanish number, no contract and hotspot allowed. Prices at the time of writing, IGIC included:

• Tourist 100: €20 for 28 days. 100 GB in Spain, 18 GB of EU roaming, 300 minutes (Spain and EU), unlimited texts in Spain.
• Tourist 250: €35 for 30 days. 250 GB, 32 GB of EU roaming, unlimited calls in Spain plus 800 minutes to the EU, unlimited texts.
• Tourist 300: €45 for 30 days. 300 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps; 35 GB of EU roaming, unlimited calls in Spain plus 800 minutes to the EU, unlimited texts.

Ordering. Choose eSIM or SIM card in the SIM shop; both cost the same. Upload a photo of your passport, national ID card from any country, DNI or NIE. For an eSIM, our team checks the ID by hand and emails the QR code. For a SIM card, collect it at Local 4 within 48 hours with the same original ID.

Hours. Online orders: Mon–Sat 10:45–21:00, Sun 10:45–13:30, Tenerife time (the same as the UK). Shop: Mon–Sat 10:45–21:30, Sun 10:45–14:00. Staff speak English and Spanish. Call 922 71 35 82 or 600 340 340, WhatsApp 641 780 077, or get directions to Local 4.

Refunds. Full refund before activation. A €5 handling fee applies if the ID is invalid or a SIM card isn't collected within 48 hours. No refund after activation unless the service is faulty; see the SIM refund terms. The shop is rated 4.7 out of 5 from 467 Google reviews (August 2026).