This Orange branch is located less than a 5 minute walk from Plaça de Catalunya and Las Ramblas. It was here that I finally purchased a prepaid SIM card.
If you have an unlocked phone you have an option of installing a local SIM card. This feature allows you to tap into rates that are more favorable than an international data plan at home, especially if you are going to be in a country for an extended period of time. Since I have an iPhone XS, I was able to take advantage of their dual-SIM capability. What I did was converted my physical SIM card in the US to an esim so that I can use prepaid SIM cards abroad.
At the time of travel, the rate presented to me was €30 for 15G data. All I needed was data as all relevant calls would've been made via FaceTime (or waited until I came back to the US). For a 1-week trip to Barcelona I ended up using less than 5G (conversely in my Belgium/Netherlands trip several months later, I ended up using close to 10G over 3 weeks). I used my data mostly on Google Maps but checked e-mails, social media and did Yelp check-ins.
I started purchasing my SIM card via the kiosk located on the front of the store. I almost ended up purchasing a SIM card but issues with my passport didn't allow me to finish my purchase. The staff spoke decent English and they were able to help me complete the purchase and install the SIM card to my phone. I had no further issues with the SIM card and I was able to use as much data as I wanted up to the limit. As long as you don't excessively stream video or download large files data usage was reasonable - 1G/day.
PS: When I checked bank statements it turns out that Orange charged me twice. I was able to call the credit card company and cancel the charge.
PPS: Like everything else in Barcleona, they are closed Sundays. read more