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PAYG SIM for occasional use?

PAYG SIM for occasional use?

Old Mar 15th 2017, 12:33 pm
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 15th 2017, 1:36 pm
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Default Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

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Old Mar 15th 2017, 1:40 pm
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 15th 2017, 2:47 pm
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 15th 2017, 4:24 pm
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Default Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?

Originally Posted by brithat
@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.
Here is a comprehensive list of the deals available :
https://www.kelisto.es/telefonia-mov...e-prepago-3001
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Old Mar 15th 2017, 8:16 pm
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Default 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
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Old Mar 15th 2017, 8:38 pm
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 16th 2017, 8:29 am
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Default Re: PAYG SIM for occasional use?

We use these .... https://www.hitsmobile.es/en/tarifas/prepago?tgId=6
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Old Mar 16th 2017, 8:54 am
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 16th 2017, 11:42 am
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Default 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.
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Old Mar 16th 2017, 10:53 pm
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Default 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.
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