Can anyone help I am staying in spain for 3 weeks and will be making quite a lot of mobile to mobile & landline calls. Last year I had over £20 credit on my mobile, it went in no time and I couldn't find anywhere that could top it up resulting in having to use puplic phones ANY IDEAS?

You could always get a spanish pay as you go sim card and use that, that'll be cheaper than roaming with your UK one. Your phone needs to be unlocked though.

Failing that see if Orange have any roaming agreements with any of the spanish mobile operators, movistar, vodafone-e etc and see if you can reduced cost calls by signing onto an international tariff before you go.

As for being able to top up in spain, i had no problems topping my O2 mobile up in spain a couple of years ago by going to the usual top up line and doing it via debit/credit card.

If you use a UK sim they charge you for receiving calls also.
You can buy a basic nokia phone pack here in Vodafone or most other shops for around 50€ including 24€ worth of calls, they can be topped up in most phone shops and supermarkets etc.

Orange are a Spanish operator. They took over Amena a year or so ago.

They dont let you roam for free though, and I dont know if a Spanish sim will work in a UK phone unless its unlocked ?

Make sure the phones unlocked. when you get to spain buy a spanish sim card. you will need your passport. Roaming tariffs on pay as you go suck and you get charged for everything.

I am with o2 my phone is unlocked and this year I bought a Spanish Vodaphone sim card whilst in Spain so did my daughter so that we could contact each other. Last year I bought a Spanish sim but it was Movistar and I didn't realise at the time but it expired in 6 months because I didn't use it after my holiday so I lost the remaining credit. Vodaphone lasts for 12 months.

I bought the basic nokia phone, had a good deal the phone cost 59E plus 20E free calls, but if I put 50E credit on in the first month I recieved 100 mins free. In those first few months here had a lot of phone calls to make so it was well worth it, was with amena but now Orange good thing is I don't loose credit if it's not used, firend of mine always moaning that they loose there unused credit.

Thanks jdr that seems like a good idea espicially as we will be going to Spain more regular checking on the house build.