You know you should have a Spanish phone number when Spaniards arrive late and do not warn you !

Just landed in Madrid ? The first thing you need is a Spanish mobile phone number to make friends, find a flat and start your new Spanish life.

Go for the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solution for now

As you have just arrived, you should not commit to a 18-month plan – the minimum time you have to commit in Spain to have a mobile phone contract. Your new lifestyle means also you do not exactly know what kind of consumption you will have.

Go for the “Pay As You Go” solution for now, see how it goes and upgrade to the most adapted 18-month plan as soon as your consumption pattern is stable.

Please note: all prices on all sites for mobile phones and in this article are without VAT (18%).

The New Kid on The Block: Tuenti

Forget the big guys: Movistar, Vodafone and Orange. Go for Tuenti.
Simply put, the big guys are 2 to 3 times more expensive than this contender: The “Big Guys” charge 8-25 cents vs 3 cents with Tuenti.

Oh, and Tuenti no requires minimum consumption, and they have also the cheapest PAYG data plan: 1 GB for 6 €.

And you can order via internet, have it delivered at home, and manage everything via a website in English. That’s why I recommend Tuenti.

To sum up in one image, here is Tuenti’s offer you cannot refuse:

Tuenti – simple, no commitment, great prices

In plain english:

• 3 cents a minute, 15 cents for call establishment.
• 6 € for 1 GB, 15 € for 3 GB
• No minimum consumption, no requirements,

Just order the sim card alone, or with a mobile phone, from their site and you will receive at home a few days later – easy.

If you don’t have any address, you can go to one of their shops in Madrid (it’s Movistar shops in fact), and get a sim in no time.

Disclosure: I have no interest in Tuenti, apart from making sure my readers and my clients get the best deal in Madrid !

By the way, quality is roughly the same since Tuenti uses the best network: the one from incumbent and formely public company Movistar.

If you know more or less how many minutes, calls and sms you are going to spend, then go there and enter the information to get the best deal automatically: http://www.doctorsim.com.

The Big Guys have interesting deals for 18 months plans, with all included internet and calls, especially when you combine with having internet with the same provider.

For now, go for PAYG with Tuenti, and when your bill stabilizes, shop around for the best all-in-one package with mobile, landline and internet.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to send me an email.

Yours Madridly,
+Pierre-Alban Waters

PS: this article was updated with the new tuenti offer.