eSIM for Iceland

Your options for mobile data in Iceland

Iceland is not in the EU but it is part of the European Economic Area, so EU and EEA SIM holders are generally covered by Roam like at Home rules there, subject to their provider's fair use policy. Visitors from the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia and Asia often are not, and roaming charges in Iceland can add up quickly on a data-heavy road trip. Check your own provider's terms before travelling.

How much data a trip to Iceland uses

Self-drive trips are the norm in Iceland, so navigation and checking conditions run all day. Add photo and video uploads of waterfalls, glaciers and black sand beaches, and usage can be higher than on a city break. The figures below are rough estimates for planning, not exact measurements.

• Navigation with the map open: roughly 5 to 10 MB an hour, more with frequent searches or satellite view.
• Checking road, weather and aurora forecasts: light, often under 50 MB a day, but you will check often.
• Uploading photos to social media or cloud backup: a few MB per photo, and much more for video. Automatic backup of a day's shooting can easily pass 1 GB.
• Video calls home: roughly 500 MB to 1 GB an hour.
• Streaming music on long drives: about 40 to 150 MB an hour, unless you download playlists first.

Install the eSIM before you fly

Most flights to Iceland arrive early in the morning, and you will want to pick up a hire car and go. Installing at home saves time and needs only a Wi-Fi connection. Start by making sure your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked; dialling *#06# shows an EID number on most eSIM phones. Then follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel.

• Name the new line Iceland or Travel so it is easy to tell apart.
• Set the Spidot line for mobile data and keep your home SIM for calls and texts.
• Turn off data roaming on your home SIM if you want to avoid your provider's roaming charges.
• Download offline maps of the whole country, or at least each region on your route.
• Save your booking confirmations, car hire documents and accommodation addresses for offline use.

Arriving at Keflavík Airport

Almost all international flights land at Keflavík, on the Reykjanes peninsula about 50 km from Reykjavík. Some visitors arrive instead by the car ferry from Denmark into Seyðisfjörður in the east. Either way, the first steps are short.

• Turn off flight mode after landing.
• Turn on data roaming for the Spidot line; the data roaming guide shows where it is on each phone.
• Give the phone a minute to find a network, and restart it once if nothing happens.
• Open a map to check data works before you leave the terminal or the car hire car park.

Coverage: Reykjavík, the Ring Road and remote areas

Iceland is large and very thinly populated. Most people live in and around Reykjavík, with smaller towns such as Akureyri, Selfoss, Egilsstaðir, Höfn, Ísafjörður and Vík spread around the coast. In the capital area and in towns you can expect a normal mobile signal. Between them, coverage follows the main roads and settled areas, and there are stretches where it weakens or disappears, especially in deep fjords, behind mountains and in the interior.

Your eSIM uses local partner networks; for this plan they are Vodafone. The phone chooses automatically as you drive, so there is usually nothing to change.

Safety apps and websites worth having

Iceland's weather and roads are the main hazards for visitors, and the official information sources are good. Keep your data plan for these before anything else.

• SafeTravel (safetravel.is): alerts, travel plans and safety advice, run by the Icelandic search and rescue association.
• The 112 Iceland app: lets you send your location to the emergency services and check in during a trip.
• Road conditions (umferdin.is): live road status, closures and weather along the roads, including which F-roads are open.
• The Icelandic Met Office (vedur.is): weather forecasts and warnings, and an aurora forecast that shows cloud cover.
• The emergency number in Iceland is 112.

Ferries, tours and day trips

Several ferries form part of popular itineraries. Herjólfur sails from Landeyjahöfn on the south coast to the Westman Islands. The Baldur ferry crosses Breiðafjörður between Snæfellsnes and the Westfjords, stopping at the island of Flatey. Smaller ferries serve islands such as Hrísey and Grímsey in the north. Signal at sea and on small islands varies, so check sailing times and weather in advance and keep the booking confirmation offline.

On glacier walks, ice cave visits, whale watching trips and highland bus tours, guides usually carry their own communications. You may lose signal for part of the trip; a downloaded playlist or podcast is a good companion on long bus transfers.

Sharing data in the car and using public Wi-Fi

On a road trip it is common for one phone to act as a hotspot for everyone in the car. Turn on Personal Hotspot (iPhone) or Mobile Hotspot (Android) and connect the other devices. Remember that each connected device adds its own usage, and laptops in particular may start large background downloads; switch off automatic updates and cloud sync while tethered.

Many hotels, guesthouses, cafés and some buses offer free Wi-Fi. It is useful for big downloads, but it is shared with other people.

• Use mobile data rather than public Wi-Fi for banking and payments.
• Confirm the network name with staff before connecting.
• Avoid entering passwords on pages that are not secure (no https).
• Turn off auto-join for open networks so your phone does not connect to unknown hotspots.

Payments and practical tips

Iceland is one of the most card-friendly countries in the world. Visitors can usually travel for a week without touching cash, paying by card or phone almost everywhere, including small cafés, campsites and swimming pools.

• Currency: the Icelandic króna. Contactless card and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere.
• Fuel: many petrol stations are unstaffed, especially outside towns. The pumps take cards and usually ask for a PIN, so know your card PIN before you leave home.
• Daylight: summer brings very long days and winter very short ones. Plan driving times and battery charging around this.
• Battery: cold drains batteries quickly. Keep the phone in an inside pocket and carry a car charger and a power bank.
• Parking: many popular sites charge for parking through an app or a machine, so it helps to have data when you arrive.

Combining Iceland with other countries

Iceland is a common stopover on flights between North America and Europe, and many travellers combine it with Scandinavia, the UK or the continent. If you will be in several countries, a Europe plan covers 36 countries with one eSIM, so you do not need to install a new one at each stop. Check the country list on the plan page to make sure Iceland and every other stop are included. For a trip that continues to Norway, Denmark or the United Kingdom, compare a regional plan with separate single-country plans.

Keeping track of your data on the road

On long drives it is easy to use more data than you expect, especially with photo backup and a car full of phones on one hotspot. You can check how much data is left whenever you like and add more data to the same eSIM if you need it. To save data, set photo backup to Wi-Fi only, download maps and music in the evening at your guesthouse, and turn off autoplay in social apps.

If data stops working, check that data roaming is on for the Spidot line and restart the phone. For anything else, email support@spidot.com with the email address you used to order.