PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

Hi all, hope this is not considered too far "off-topic". We were resident in Spain 2007 to 2012 and then returned to the UK. We now go two or three times a year to visit friends and the kids' Spanish grandparents. For the last five years I have kept my Spanish mobile number going with Vodafone Spain - mostly as a convenience for the people we visit so they don't have to call a UK number. (To make local texts and calls it's cheaper to use a UK SIM than Vodafone Spain!). It is also sometimes useful to have a "local" number for services and websites that don't recognise foreign ones.

But I failed to top-up on my last visit (and vodafone.es won't accept foreign cards) and it seems that Vodafone changed their expiration period from nine months to six - and so it would seem that I have lost that number for ever.

So... is there a PAYG offer that doesn't demand a minimum top-up or whatever? And if it was cheaper than Three's roaming rates to call Spanish lines (while in Spain) that would be useful.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

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Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

I thought roaming charges within Europe were being outlawed from June so you can just use your UK mobile. If I am wrong I am sure I shall be corrected.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

@johnnyone - as per my post, it's already cheaper to use my UK SIM (with Three) than Vodafone Spain. The main purpose of a Spanish number is to allow our Spanish friends and relatives to call us without them worrying about the cost of calling (or texting) a number that begins 0044. Although as everyone seems to be on whatsapp these days I am not 100% sure it's worth bothering with. But if there is a PAYG deal that doesn't require six-monthly top-ups then I probably will.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

Here is a comprehensive list of the deals available :
https://www.kelisto.es/telefonia-mov...e-prepago-3001

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

Remember of course with Three there is a limit-couple of months -for which you can use your phone abroad

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

We use masmovil when we are in Spain. Quite reasonable rates and you can "park" your phone number when you are not in Spain.

- Eric S.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

We use these .... https://www.hitsmobile.es/en/tarifas/prepago?tgId=6

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

It may be that if you top up the phone you won't have lost the number or credit on the phone. I use Eroski mobile they use vodafone. One time i went over the top up time limit, they froze the account and number but when i topped up the number my previous credit was restored and all worked fine, may be worth checking. Usually after say 6 or 9 months number or credit frozen but account only closed after a further 6 months.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

I use Movistar just for banking texts etc.Horrendous prices to make calls,so as you do I use a UK SIM.But you only need to top up 5 euros every six months and any unused credit carried over.I think most mobile companies require you top up at a set interval now.

Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?
 

Thanks for all the replies, and the links which I will look into when I have some time. @bobd22, I am pretty sure the number is lost - the vodafone.es forums seem to have a number of threads where a Vodafone representative states that if the account has expired, it has expired. I may try and get the native speaker to call them and see if anything can be done. But really there's only a handful of people who would need to be told of a new number - if I do get a new number. Maybe after five years as an ex-expat it is time to let go.