HereKittyKitty

Hi
can anybody advise what the best option is to keep in contact with the UK whilst on holiday in Spain?
I did buy 0044 pay as you go sim some time ago and seem to remember receiving emails asking me to register or something for Spanish laws?? I ignored these so my sim may not work now.

Am I better to buy another sim and call a UK lanline or mobile, or is hubby better to call me from the UK from his Uk mobile contract?

All I know is when I use my vodafone contract abroad the bill is horrendous!

thanks in advance

poshnbucks

The Spanish sim does not have to be registered until November 2009 they keep giving extension so your 0044 sim should work. I use 0044 to call the UK and its cheap.

Validity
To keep your account active you must top it up at least once every 6 months. If you do not add any calling credit within a 6 month period, your remaining credit will be lost. The credit that you add is valid until the SIM expires and each top you make will ‘refresh’ the SIM validity for the 6 month period. Once the SIM is first activated with a call on arrival in Spain the 5 Euros credit is available. You will receive an additional bonus top up of 5 Euros if you add a further 10 Euros providing this is done within 45 days of first activation. Credit can be easily checked by using a short dial code on the handset.

http://www.0044.co.uk/Spanish-Mobile-Overview.htm

HereKittyKitty

hi thanks for that poshnbucks, do I top up at the supermarkets by buying a card? I have came across the original sim card, so would be a pity to have to buy another.
If I am correct, do I have to go to a vodafone store with passport to have it registered? What other documents would I need?

Nige

You say that you have received emails reminding you to top up. Who were they from? According to the above web site for 0044, topping up is carried out thus :
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Topping Up
To continue to use the Spanish SIM card you must purchase top-up vouchers locally in Spain. Top-Up vouchers can be purchased at many retail outlets and convenience stores, but predominantly through The Phone House Stores with Euros. Vouchers or electronic top ups are available in a wide variety of points of sale (kiosks, tobacconists, money transfer points, El Corte Ingles and Telecor stores), also available in most of the banks ATMs but only with a Spanish bank card. During 2008 Spanish Post Offices will also offer top ups. For Phone House Store locations in Spain click here (External link). Credit levels can be checked by dialing a short code from the mobile while in Spain.
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I am today investigating best deals for Mobile phones and Pay as you Go Tariffs or even Contracts. It is a minefield. One thing I am sure of though. It is always best to be connected to the strongest network and if your provider does not have a strong signal then you don't have a phone. So far I have been happy with the MOVISTAR signal, but Vodafone is also good.
Have never heard of 0044 but see that they resell the Happy Movil product which is one of the smallest Mobile Phone companies in Spain.
I am wondering if the quality of reception - say when you are driving around Spain - is as good as Movistar or Vodafone who have the lion's share of the Mobile market.

hitchw

unlock your phone when before you go to spain and when there get a movistar sim for a spanish number... get your hubby to go into an orange shop in the uk, you can get a special pay as you go sim that gives you cheap calls to spain. cant remember what its called but got one at the beginning of last year gives you calls to spain for about 5p/min...only other way i can think of is agree a time, use an internet cafe and skype....

frigilianafreddy

What is the best PAYG deal in SPain? We have two phones and until now have been on Vodafone. We hardly use the phones so my wife had an off peak tariff, and i have a "speak for 90 minutes pay for one minute" tariff. We could also link the two vodafone phones so to call each other cost about 3c a minute.

That worked fine. However now when i go the the vodafone.es site the off peak plan also seems now to be "speak for 90 minutes pay for one minute". And the trouble is one minute now seems to cost 44c + connection charge. Thats the same as the all day "speak for 90 minutes pay for one minute" tariff.

So basically each call is costing about 44c plus connection charge. Are there any better deals out there. We basically make just two or three 3 minute calls to spanish mobiles and landlines each week (no calls to UK).

linda Coyle

Hi kittykitty, I bought a sim card in carrefour for 15 euro with 12 euro credit on it, only for an unlocked phone, get it topped up in tobacs shop. I use that for Spanish mobiles, skype for UK numbers and have a vodphone "house" phone for local 966 Spanish numbers.