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Sim card for use in Madeira

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John_Mc

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Dec 26, 2021 9:24 pm

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Hi,

My wife and I will be visiting Madeira for 3 weeks in March. We both have unlocked U.S iPhones. We would like to swap out our existing sim cards for ones we can use while we are in Madeira. The sims should include 10-20gb of data with unlimited local calls and texts.

There are some available here in the U.S from Amazon including one for the Three (3) network. I’m not concerned about being able to make international calls back to the U.S while we are there. Can anyone recommend a good sim card that would work well in Madeira. If we can’t purchase it in the U.S before we leave, we have a 4-stop over in Lisbon airport if there are any retailers there we could use.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

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Antonio_F

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Dec 27, 2021 8:30 pm

(@antonio_f)

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Most cell plans in Portugal have 3 to 10 GB of internet, and usually on a 24 months contract.

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John_Mc

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Dec 28, 2021 4:57 am

Reply to

Antonio_F

@antonio_f Thanks, but what I'm looking for is just a prepaid sim card I can use for 3 weeks. I'm sure there is something like that.

Antonio_F

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Dec 28, 2021 1:59 pm

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John_Mc

@john_mc Yes, there prepaid sims you can use, but not with that much internet. And even some might say "unlimited calls and SMS", but the small letters will say 3000 or 5000 minutes/SMS.

You might want take a look at https://www.lycamobile.pt/en/bundles/.

John_Mc

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Dec 29, 2021 1:50 am

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Antonio_F

@antonio_f Thanks Antonio.

Lowellmk

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Feb 08, 2022 3:13 pm

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John_Mc

@john_mc

Hey John -

I have a suggestion that might help, it worked for me last September.

There is a Vodafone kiosk on the bottom floor, right side (as you are facing the road) of the Lisbon airport. There, you can buy a short-term SIM that will meet your requirements. I don't know about Vodafone's coverage map in Madeira... you may want to check.

For about 15 Euros, I was able to get a SIM card with about the same plan that you are looking for. Also, they configured the card for me while I watched. They spoke English and were fast and helpful.

Hope this helps.

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John_Mc

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Feb 08, 2022 3:23 pm

(@john_mc)

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Hi L,

Thanks a lot for the information. I did see the Vodafone Travellers SIM card on their website and that looks like it would be perfect.

According to the website, there are two stores at the airport, one in the arrivals hall and the other in the departures hall. I'll be flying in from the US and after a 4 hour layover, flying on to Madeira. I assume that is considered a transit, so after landing I would expect to be directed to the departure hall without going to arrivals. So my question would be, is the Vodafone store in the departures area outside or inside security?

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Cheers,

John

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Lowellmk

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Feb 08, 2022 5:20 pm

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John_Mc

@john_mc

Hey John! I only noticed the Vodafone store outside of the security perimeter near the exit. You may want to look at the Air Port website.....I seem to remember that they have a listing of all of the retail outlets and their locations. By the way, you may be surprised at all of the "shopping" opportunities in that airport.

On a different note, where will you be staying in Madeira and for how long? My wife and I will be going to Portugal and plan on spending about 6 months on the island. Any tips for long-term rentals?

Thanks.

Lowellmk

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Feb 08, 2022 5:23 pm

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Lowellmk

Here is the link to the Airport - all of the retail shops can be found there

https://www.aeroportolisboa.pt/en/lis/home

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John_Mc

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Topic starter

Feb 08, 2022 5:35 pm

(@john_mc)

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Thanks for the link. For some reason, the site doesn't list either Vodafone store. Maybe the shops they list are permanent whereas the Vodafone stores are like kiosks - who knows!?

We'll be visiting Madeira for three weeks and will be staying in two different Airbnbs. There is a big selection there. As far as long-term rentals are concerned, the best site I've found so far is flatio.com.

Thanks again for your help.

John

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Lowellmk

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Feb 08, 2022 9:11 pm

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John_Mc

@john_mc

I had to work for it but it looks like the there are 2 Vodafone stores but they are outside of the security area! I just checked the Madeira airport and it does not have a Vodafone store. But there are at least 3 Vodafone stores in Funchal:

Hope that helps

John_Mc

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Feb 10, 2022 1:03 am

Reply to

Lowellmk

@lowellmk Thank you very much for doing this research!. I appreciate you finding out that the two Vodafone locations at the airport are outside security. I will just have to wait and get the SIMs at one of the Vodafone stores the day after we arrive in Funchal.

Cheers!

Posts: 78

Lowellmk

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Feb 08, 2022 5:51 pm

(@lowellmk)

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Great!

Please let me know how you like the island!

I can't wait to go.

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Sim card for use in Madeira

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