ALL THINGS SPAIN

Guide for Expats in Spain    Before Moving to Spain    Housing in Spain    Jobs in Spain    Banking in Spain    Health Care in Spain    Communications in Spain    Legal Issues in Spain    Learning the Language in Spain   Guide for traveling in Spain    Accommodation in Spain    Transportation in Spain    Safety in Spain    Health Care for Tourists in Spain    Emergency Numbers in Spain    Other Useful Info    Where to Buy Spanish Products    Books on Spain   More on Communications    Home Phone    Cell Phone/Mobile Phone    Internet    Mail      See also: Madrid Restaurant Menus	How to make cheap international phone calls in Spain To make an international call from Spain, you must dial 00 + the country code (e.g., to dial a number in the U.S.: 00-1-555-555-5555).   If you don’t have an international calling plan on your home phone, you can make cheap international calls from Spain using international phone cards, locutorios, VoIP, or discount dial numbers.   Tarjeta telefónica internacional (international calling card) Where to buy: kiosks, locutorios, alimentación stores, post office Tell the seller where you plan to call most often (e.g., United States, Europe, Australia), because there are a number of different cards available. A phone card that gives you 300 minutes of calling time to Ecuador may give you only 100 minutes of phone time to the United States. Check the fine print: Is there a charge to establish a call? If so, make sure the people you’re calling are expecting your call – or you may waste 1/4 of your credit on a call that doesn’t get answered. Most international phone cards in Spain come with at least three access numbers: a free (gratis) number to call from fixed lines, a free (gratis) number to call from cell phones, and a local access number. You get the most minutes of calling time if you use the local access number; however, you have to pay for the local call. If you call the local access number from your mobile phone or home phone, you’ll be charged the local calling minutes but not the international portion. So if you have a home phone with free national calls in Spain, you can call the local number at no charge. (I’ve noticed, however, that when I do this, the line suddenly breaks up 30 minutes into the call.) If you can’t call the local number, go for the free number from a pay phone – and if you put in a few centimos, you’ll get some extra minutes. The worst deal is the free cell phone access number. It’s free because you’re not charged the local minutes to your cell phone, but the rate you’re charged for the international call is very high. I’ve had phone cards that give you 300 minutes to the U.S. if you call the local access number and only 18 minutes if you call the free cell number. Check the expiration date of the calling card – most expire 30 to 90 days after your first call.   Locutorios and cybercafés (Internet cafes) Most locutorios have individual phone booths set up to make local or international calls. A meter on the wall or on the phone tells you how much you owe. The rates tend to be as good or better than calling cards. The disadvantage is that they can be very noisy places (most have Internet access as well, so there are lots of kids playing games), and you have very little privacy. In addition to phone booths and Internet access, most locutorios also sell phone cards and provide photocopying, printing, and money transfer services.     VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Providers include: iConnectHere, lingo, Packet8, Skype, Vonage What you need: headphones and microphone or VoIP-enabled phone (e.g., one that connects to your computer with a USB cable). Most VoIP providers give you cheap rates when making international calls over the net and/or free calls when speaking to someone using the same service (e.g., Skype to Skype). For example, if I call my parents’ home phone in the U.S. from my Skype account (anywhere in the world), it costs less than 2¢ a minute. If I call them on their Skype account, it’s free. Many locutorios now have Skype or Vonage on the desktop of their computers, and some provide headphones, video cameras, etc. Of course, you have very little privacy, since you’re in a public place, but it is one of the cheapest options for speaking with someone overseas. Some VoIP providers let you purchase a “local” number. For example, if you move to Spain from San Francisco, you can purchase a number with a San Francisco area code. Any calls to that number come to you through your Internet VoIP account, but the person calling you is charged as if they are calling San Francisco. That way, your friends and family back home are only charged for local calls. Another option is GoogleTalk. You need a Gmail account and then need to download the application to your computer. This functions like VoIP, but can only be used to speak to other GoogleTalk users. In other words, you can’t use it to call someone’s home phone. One advantage of GoogleTalk is that you can leave voicemails for other users – they appear as mp3 files in their Gmail inbox.   Discount dialing numbers Providers include: DialAbroad (and many others, just search online) What you need: a home phone, office phone, or other fixed line. What you do: dial an access number followed by the number you are calling. The charges are applied to your phone bill. Check the fine print: You may be charged a connection fee for each call you make. This is a good option if you’ve got a home phone and it’s too late to go out and get a phone card (assuming you don’t have VoIP), or if you don’t want a limit to how long you can talk. The downside is that it’s easy to lose track of your spending.   Add to del.icio.us | Digg this   home phone -- cell phone/mobile phone -- internet -- mail
	© Copyright allthingsspain.net 2008 ~ privacy policy ~ contact ~ site map