Spain By Telephone

Prepaid phone cards are a common and relatively inexpensive means of calling abroad. Each one comes with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and a toll-free access number. You call the access number and then follow the directions for dialing your PIN. To purchase prepaid phone cards, check online for the best rates; www.callingcards.com is a good place to start. Online providers generally send your access number and PIN via email, with no actual “card” involved. Another option is to purchase a calling card, linked to a major national telecommunications service in your home country. Calls are billed collect or to your account. Placing a collect call through an international operator can be expensive, but may be necessary in case of an emergency. You can frequently call collect without a company’s calling card just by calling its access number and following the instructions.

Placing International Calls. Dial:
1. Your International dialing prefix. From Australia, dial 0011; Canada or the US, 011; Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, or the UK, 00.
2. The country code of the country you want to call. To call Australia, dial 61; Canada or the US, 1; Ireland, 353; New Zealand, 64; the UK, 44; Spain, 34; Portugal, 351; Morocco, 212.
3. The city/area code. Let’s Go lists the city/area codes for cities and towns in opposite the city or town name, next to a }, as well as in every phone number. If the first digit is a zero (e.g., 020 for London), omit the zero when calling from abroad (e.g., dial 20 from Canada to reach London).
4. The local number.

Calling Within Spain And Portugal

The simplest way to call within the country is to use a coin-operated phone. Prepaid phone cards (available at newspaper kiosks and tobacco stores), which carry a certain amount of phone time depending on the card’s denomination, may be more convenient, and usually save time and money in the long run. Phone rates typically tend to be highest in the morning, lower in the evening, and lowest on Sunday and late at night.

Cellular Phones

Gsm Phones. Having a GSM phone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re good to go when you travel abroad. The majority of GSM phones sold in the United States operate on a different frequency (1900) than international phones (900/1800) and will not work abroad. Tri-band phones work on all three frequencies (900/1800/1900) and will operate through out most of the world. Additionally, some GSM phones are SIM-locked and will only accept SIM cards from a single carrier. You’ll need a SIM-unlocked phone to use a SIM card from a local carrier when you travel.

Some tourists find that the availability and usefulness of cell phones in Spain and Portugal make them worth their moderate cost. Telefónica Movistar (www.movistar.com) and Vodafone (www.vodafone.com) sell relatively inexpensive cell phones to travelers. The international standard for cell phones is Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). You will need a GSM-compatible phone and a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, a country-specific, thumbnail-sized chip that gives you a local phone number and plugs you into the local network. Many SIM cards are prepaid, and incoming calls are frequently free. You can buy additional cards or vouchers (usually available at convenience stores) to “top up” your phone. For more information on GSM phones, check out www.telestial.com, www.orange.co.uk, www.roadpost.com, or www.planetomni.com. Companies like Cellular Abroad (www.cellularabroad.com) rent cell phones that work in a variety of destinations around the world.

Time Differences

Spain is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), while Portugal operates at GMT. Both countries observe Daylight Saving Time. The following table realtes Spain and Portugal’s capitals to other localities at noon GMT.