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I believe that phones from T Mobile and ATT in the US will work in Spain... but it will be expensive and you need to call them ahead of time to activate it I think....amriwalking9496 said:Can anyone tell me what is the best and cheapest way to phone home to California? Are there phone cards I can purchase? Should I take my cell? I heard US cell phones don't work very well?
Thanks
amriwalking9496 said:Can anyone tell me what is the best and cheapest way to phone home to California? Are there phone cards I can purchase? Should I take my cell? I heard US cell phones don't work very well?
Thanks
frescotours said:This is my favorite card. You can use this link to buy them online and call as soon as you hit the ground: http://www.spainsim.com/vodmovicallcards.htm
This specific one allows you to call the States and Canada for a couple hours - only 6 euros!
Hope this helps!
Spain does not have as many hot spots as France. Getting the password is tricky. Many bars do not know their password, or are reluctant to give it out. Most have not changed their original password from the long and impossible one to something more user friendly that the bartender could memorize. Hot spots were frequent in France, while actual computers were rare. Exactly the opposite was true in Spain. I don't know why; maybe someone else does.Good luck finding a hotspot on the camino
ffp13 said:Good luck finding a hotspot on the camino,
ivar said:This might be interesting too if you are traveling to various countries (I have not tried it):
http://www.maxroam.com/Home.aspx?cur=EUR
Saludos,
Ivar
International calling from payphones in Spain
The blue payphones of the national telephone company of Spain are widely available in cities and towns across Spain. It is possible to make international calls from these payphones in Spain; however, if you choose this method you are stuck with the international calling rates of Spain’s national phone company which are not the most competitive. The advantage of using payphones to make international calls from Spain is that these payphones accept credit cards in addition to phone cards and coins. Be aware that although the payphones in Spain may look the same and can all be used for making international calls, using a payphone in a restaurant for international calls will incur a higher charge than using a pay phone on the street for international calls in Spain. The phone card you need to buy to make international calls from payphones in Spain is available from any newsagent or post office in Spain. Phone cards for international calls from payphones in Spain can be bought in denominations of 6 or 12 Euros.
International call centers in Spain
The recent influx of immigrants to Spain has brought about a growth in the number of international call shops in most major towns and cities in Spain. Simply ask how much the cost per minute is of your destination and you’ll be directed to a booth from where you make the international call from Spain. Afterwards you pay only for the cost of the international call.
International calling cards in Spain
There are a number of international calling cards available in Spain from private call service providers that are cheaper than using the national phone company of Spain. These cards are available at many newsagents throughout Spain. The type of international calling card you’ll want depends on the country you are calling; different international calling cards are cheaper for different countries.
International dialing codes in Spain
If you want to make an international call to Spain then the international dialing code for Spain is 00 34 followed by the entire number. If you are making an international call from Spain then press 00 and wait for the new ring tone before proceeding with the full international dialing code of your destination followed by the phone number.
falcon269 said:Public phones may be an option, but to me, they looked like they were disappearing except in bars, restaurants, and hotels:
I had no idea of how to contact any Spanish emergency services while I was there.
Lydia Gillen said:Arn,
If I am using an Irish mobile phone would I need to put in 0034 before those two emergency numbers that you have quoted.
I know that to many this may seem a stupid question and indicates my lack of technology. I feel like a dinosaur reading this thread. I know you are all speaking English but I understand so little of it.
Lydia
If you put +34 in front of a spanish number while in spain (using a spanish number) , the call will go through anyway.. but it is not necessary to add it.Tia Valeria said:In the UK if we put +44 for UK calls unneccessarily it doesn't matter. Am I right that if we use a non-Spanish mobile then we will need the +34. We used it last year for landlines, and probably for mobiles too - did the system just ignore it, like +44 here?
I wholeheartedly agree! We walked SJPdP to SC earlier this year. I used my (non-phone) iTouch for Skype calls to the States AND local calls in Spain. It was my email server, music, weather report, and uploaded my photos (over 2300) into the "cloud" for safe keeping and distribution. There were very few days that I didn't have free wifi. If a bar/cafe had a password they were happy to share it with a paying customer, which often was me just ordering a mineral water.As an addendum to the Skype suggestion: While I know that many have advised leaving electronic devices home (for some really good reasons), there just isn't a more useful gizmo than the Ipod Touch. ....
I believe that phones from T Mobile and ATT in the US will work in Spain... but it will be expensive and you need to call them ahead of time to activate it I think....
If you have an ATT or T Mobile (GSM) phone you could bring it and buys a Spanish sim card (that would give you a Spanish phone number that you can use to call + receive calls. Receiving calls are free for you..). Remember you need to get a adapter for charging it.. RadioShack should have it.
Have a look at these posts for some more info:
equipment-questions/topic6991.html
el-camino-frances/topic6420.html
Greetings from Santiago,
Ivar
El Corte Ingles in Madrid or Pamplona would be your best bet.I understand you can purchase SIM cards in both Madrid and Pamplona - is the shop in one of these places easier to get to than the other?
You may be required to have a photocopy of your ID (eg passport) to get the tarjeta dorada and it might be kept by the renfe office. We plan to take photocopies with us next year.Lennyh1,
It is very straight forward to get a senior discount card at madrid barajas airport. Just drop by the renfe office at the airport and in no time you will get your discount card (tarjeta dorada).
.....................
Buen camino and good luck.
Hello tia,You may be required to have a photocopy of your ID (eg passport) to get the tarjeta dorada and it might be kept by the renfe office. We plan to take photocopies with us next year.
That is good news for the RENFE train. We flagged this up because after RENFE took over the FEVE, early thi syear, we had to have the photocopied ID and they kept it. If we had been trying to buy the tarjeta when buying our train ticket we would have missed the trainHello tia,
I have just bought a ticket yesterday at the renfe office in chamartin station with my tarjeta dorada for madrid to sdc. There was no requirement to have a copy of your id or passport. As far as i can remember when i bought my targeta dorada last year there was no requirement either to have a copy to ne kept by the renfe office.
Hello lenny and dianne,Thanks Piogaw,
Our hotel is very near Puerta del Sol so not too far from a
attocha, correct?
Hello tia,That is good news for the RENFE train. We flagged this up because after RENFE took over the FEVE, early thi syear, we had to have the photocopied ID and they kept it. If we had been trying to buy the tarjeta when buying our train ticket we would have missed the train. Maybe they are relaxing the rules again. That would be good for next year.
Nancy,Hi Gray, the first place you will come to where you can acquire a Spanish SIM will be Pamplona. There are shops for several prominent carriers, with Orange and Vodafone being the most likely to have an English speaker on-hand. I used Orange and was satisfied with them, although at times I had trouble sending text messages.
The prepaid plan I had charged 9 cents a minute for calls within Spain, with a 15 cent connection fee for each call. A month later one of my clients got a different deal - one cent a minute, still with the 15 cent connection fee, and one euro per week service charge. Another friend got a plan that allowed calls to the US for one cent a minute, 15 cent connection fee. I think you can start out with for as little as 10 euros.
As you can see, plans change, sometimes monthly, and you can ask at the store what the best offer is for your needs.
Brenda, thanks! So exciting that you've got your flight booked! At this time I am planning to be on the Camino only through the middle of June, but I will let you know if that changes.Nancy,
I just booked my flight for the camino and hope to start from sjpp on July 9th for a little slower walk to Pamplona before speeding up....would love to be with a group the first leg...if you have any inquiries for such....
Hi! I am bringing this topic back up again. I am only bringing my IPhone 5 on my Camino this May/June....Verizon is my carrier, so do I go to them for an international calling/text plan or get a SIM card or both? I will want to send a few emails, make a few calls back to the states and text messages as well. Maybe a pic every now and then, but I don't want this to cost me more than the whole Camino!!! Any help on this is welcome...I have read through different threads and the more I read them the more complicated they get and the more confused I get!!!
Thank you ahead of time.
Buen Camino to all forthcoming Pilgrims...
Rosemary
Bajaracer, I have a Sprint iPhone 5s. Do you have any advice? Will I need to have it unlocked? Thank you for your help.
I found the best and cheapest way was to simply use Skype with an iPhone (or iPod). The iPhone was a great device to carry--for photos, e-mails, internet, stored information and phoning. As a back-up if you need it, you can always by a cheap, prepaid phone while in Spain. But with so much internet access, Skype was easy.Can anyone tell me what is the best and cheapest way to phone home to California? Are there phone cards I can purchase? Should I take my cell? I heard US cell phones don't work very well?
Thanks
You must have Sprint unlock your phone for international use. https://community.sprint.com/baw/message/714810
Once unlocked, you can use SIM cards from outside the US.
Thank you for the information. I went round and round and round again with Sprint. I'm still trying to work it out.
Thank you for the information. I went round and round and round again with Sprint. I'm still trying to work it out.
FINALLY got results. My complaint was that I originally had an android phone and was told at the sprint store that I could not change sim card in the phone. So, at their recommendation, I purchased an expensive iPhone 5s (which also required another 2 year contract I might add) so that I could have it unlocked and then use a European sim card. They told me to call customer service to have this done. Customer service stated that, "Per company policy and to prevent fraud" I had to have my phone on my plan for over 90 days before they would unlock it. I'm leaving next week. I was NOT happy. I filed a complaint via their customer service. After explaining to a supervisor that I would not have purchased the phone or signed up for another 2 years had I known that I would STILL not be able to use the phone on my trip, they finally relented and UNLOCKED MY PHONE!!!! That's all I needed. I'm a happy camper now. I still had to go through a lengthy procedure to back up my phone, erase everything on the phone, and then reset it so that the "unlock" would take effect. After all of this, I hope I have no other problems when I go to purchase a sim card. Whew!Any results from Sprint? It's too bad you're getting the runaround from them, threaten to cancel service and they might yield.
Orange offer a SIM that allows calls within Spain for around 9-15 cents per minute (changes monthly it seems) and calls to the US for one cent per minute. One SIM. There is a 15 cent connection charge for all calls. Does that qualify, peregrina2000?I have been told that there is no cheap way to use one phone for both calling within Spain and to the US. Is that not right?
FINALLY got results. My complaint was that I originally had an android phone and was told at the sprint store that I could not change sim card in the phone. So, at their recommendation, I purchased an expensive iPhone 5s (which also required another 2 year contract I might add) so that I could have it unlocked and then use a European sim card. They told me to call customer service to have this done. Customer service stated that, "Per company policy and to prevent fraud" I had to have my phone on my plan for over 90 days before they would unlock it. I'm leaving next week. I was NOT happy. I filed a complaint via their customer service. After explaining to a supervisor that I would not have purchased the phone or signed up for another 2 years had I known that I would STILL not be able to use the phone on my trip, they finally relented and UNLOCKED MY PHONE!!!! That's all I needed. I'm a happy camper now. I still had to go through a lengthy procedure to back up my phone, erase everything on the phone, and then reset it so that the "unlock" would take effect. After all of this, I hope I have no other problems when I go to purchase a sim card. Whew!
Hi, Bajaracer, thanks but when I heard at about second 4 "this process is kind of tricky" I knew it wasn't for me. But it is a great option for people who aren't tech idiots like me.Laurie, what phone carrier do you use and what model of iPhone do you have?
I have an factory unlocked IPhone 5 that I use on T-Mobile, I've used four different SIM cards with no special settings required, just install the activated SIM card from whatever country I'm in and turn it on. (Data might need some special text to activate) All my settings, contacts, apps, etc. all stay the same. The iPhone also detects what country you are calling(no need for a special prefix) Plus I don't have to get familiar with a different phone, I find it a pain to text with a basic cellphone as most other do.
The only special item I need is a EU USB plug.
If possible, unlock the iPhone you already own and just swap SIM cards as you travel to each country.
Orange offer a SIM that allows calls within Spain for around 9-15 cents per minute (changes monthly it seems) and calls to the US for one cent per minute. One SIM. There is a 15 cent connection charge for all calls. Does that qualify, peregrina2000?
Orange change their offering monthly , so the current plan may be slightly different.
Hi, Bajaracer, thanks but when I heard at about second 4 "this process is kind of tricky" I knew it wasn't for me. But it is a great option for people who aren't tech idiots like me.
Nancy, thanks, if I didn't need the wifi to skype with my parents, I would definitely go this way in order to carry just one phone. But I am coming slowly to the realization that if I am going to rely on wifi I will need to bring my iphone. And if i can't change SIM cards because I am an idiot, then I will just need to stick with my original two-phone pain in the butt plan. But maybe these great suggestions will help others. Thanks a lot, Laurie
Thank you so much for posting this. I was wondering if it's possible to buy a prepaid phone once in Spain to make calls within Spain, but this may be a great option.I didn't use my T-Mobile; instead I rented a cell phone from National Geographic's Cellular Abroad:
http://www.cellularabroad.com/
I used it to call home (California) and to make calls within Spain. Incoming calls were free. Battery charger included. It's probably not the cheapest way, but it was less complicated for me.
Hope this helps,
ra
Thank you for posting this information. It's very helpful.For the low-tech peregrinos, here's what I have done on multiple occasions.
I bought a cell phone in 2000 for 25 E that came with 25E of phone time. Each year when I go back, I just get a new card, new phone number, and it works fine. I use that as an emergency back-up as well as for calling ahead in Spain to reserve places when that seems like a good idea.
For regular calls to the US, I either use the locutorios (I agree with mlcamino that the rates are usually very good) or buy a prepaid card that requires you to punch in numbers. There is a wide range in cards, the one I found to give the most minutes was Eurocity. (Some of these cards have daily fees, per call fees, etc, and it's hard to read the fine print -- the cards are always available at tabacalera shops, and the people working there usually have an opinion about the best cards for your particular calling destination).
If you use a phone card to call internationally, you will also find that you get a much better rate if you call from a private fixed landline. I have often found that small pension owners will trust me to use their phone and call home with the card. Another good option is the green and blue pay phones you find on the bar in many cafes -- not on the wall, these are regular phone units on the bar itself. That is a pay phone that is really a land line for the bar owner, I think, but whatever the set-up it certainly gives you much better rates.
Laurie
Is it difficult to find internet cafes?Disappearing, out of order, no one knows how to make them work. Cell phones wiped them out.
Smart phones and free wi-fi are wiping out internet cafe's. We poor pilgrims need to adapt.
Is it difficult to find internet cafes?
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