Hi,
My name is Laura and I will be coming to Madrid for a year to study at UAM. I see here that you rent cell phones Jeremy, but what about buying one for a longer stay? I've looked at the telefonica website, however my Spanish is still a little rough around the edges and I got quite confused. Any advice would be appreciated. I'd also like to find the cheapest rate for calling to Canada.
Thanks

Hi Laura, welcome to the group.

Oh... you must mean the BEST cell phone rental service in all of Spain at www.onspanishtime.com/web , man is it gooood to be the webmaster here

As far as I know Telef�nica does not have cell phone purhase info on its website but I could be wrong. They have a few stores arounf Madrid and then there are the millions of distributors for Movistar (Telef�nica), Vodafone (used ot be Airtel) and Amena throughout Spain.

I find that the best place to buy cell phones is at Alcampo ( www.alcampo.es ) once you are here. On their website, click the "TIENDAS" button and then on "busca tu hiper" and choose Madrid on the map that appears to see a list of store locations.

The "VAGUADA" store (in the "Vaguada" mall) almost always has the best prices and you can get there easily by Metro or Bus (Metro line #9 to "Barrio del Pilar" is the easiest way to go).

There are always better deals in summertime (usually starting around July 5th) where they (the cell carriers, Movistar, VOdafone and Amena) entice you to buy by giving you loads of free calling credit with the phone purchase.

One last note, I recommend Movistar for the best coverage and Vodafone is a close second but Amena coverage bites!

Saludos & happy calling,
jer...

If Amena doesn't own its own network, and just rents it from either Telef�nica (Movistar) or Vodafone (former Airtel), why on Earth is it not covering all areas covered by the other companies?
My personal pick is Vodafone, but Movistar is rather more popular, so if you are going to call to lots of friends in Spain, you'd probably be saving getting a Movistar.
Jer,... it's time to think about long term rentals!!!

Thanks for the advice!

Your welcome Laura

Max... did I say that Amena did not have its own network? I do not remember saying that

Amena does have its own network as do Movistar and Vodafone but the Amena network is very weak compared to the other 2.

Also, Movistar is by far the best network and although Vodafone is trying to improve their's, they have LONG way to go. Calls are a bit (very little) cheaper with Vodafone but it is not worth it in my opinion. Just try to get a humna voice on the "123" customer service support # and you will change to Movistar in a second! It is very easy to get a human being to help you at Movistar while the "interactive" system of Vodafone makes it next to impossible

Saludos,
jer...

p.d. As for long term rentals, it is not worth it for the renter nor for me since they would pay much more than it would cost to buy a phone if they rented for more than a month or 6 weeks and I lose money if I had to lower the price to the point where it would be worthwhile for them. I rent a phone for $35/week , I own 75 phones & they are ALL out until July 14th So, while I have rented for a few months to clients who insisted on renting (even after I told them, as I do on my website, that it would be chaeper to buy), I prefer rentals under a month long since they are the most profitable.

As mentioned elsewhere, I plan to rent from you for this San Sebastian gig. I arrive Aug.30 and depart(both to/from Madrid)Sept 23. That's 24 days, so three weeks plus... Can you give me a quote? Guarantee full useage in San Sebastian?

Can't seem to find "Chips and Tips" online at any rate...

Hey Sue, HA! "Chips & Tips" sounds liks a British restaurant where they would give you tips on sightseeing and such. Hey, not a bad concept if you think about it.

Anyway, send me an e-mail around early August and remind me of the rental. You will of course be given the whopping multimadrid fan discount (don't ask how much but it will be big)

Saludos,
jer...

Or that "Chips and Tips" could be: fries and sirloin tips....maybe I should have written my email in ENGLISH????

Jejejeje, can't leave joke opportunities wide open like that around me can ya

Saludos,
jer...

HI Jer! Am set to leave for Madrid September 15. Just wanted to know about the cell phone situation there. I currently have a NOKIA 3210 and I use a local carrier here in the Philippines. I was wondering if my phone can be used there and if it's possible to just subscribe to any of the local carriers without having to purchase a new phone? This would save me a great deal