I bought a pre-paid mobile phone last summer through Telefonica where you just bought cards to recharge it. I am going back this summer and I was wondering if my phone is still good if I just go and recharge it? Also a friend of mine gave me her prepaid phone from two years ago, can I use that even though I don't have the code or whatever (I never needed the code to my own phone so I wouldn't see why it would be a problem)?

All SIM cards have expire if you don't use them for a certain time. Cell phone companies do it to "encourage" people to make calls and spend money instead of charging their prepaid cards with some money and let them unused for a long time.

Once your SIM card is expired, you also loose the phone number it had. Therefore, I guess your card won't work when you come to Spain (you can try it anyway). The only thing you can do is buy a new SIM card which will give you a new number. The same applies to the other cell phone you are talking about. Just check whether it is locked to work just with one operator. If that is the case, you could get it unlocked in many places (now there are offers starting from 8 euros depending on the phone model). An unlocked cell phone should work in every country that use the GSM technology, not only in Spain.

Rubia, the two year old phone your friend gave you, the card expired a year ago. As for the phone itself.. if she didn't buy a transformer to charge the battery in the states, chances are the phone itself is ok, but you'll have to buy a new battery for it. I killed a phone that way. I went several months without charging it, when I got to spain it did charge again after a couple of hours of blinking out... but then I left again, didn't charge it, and this time.. not so lucky. The phone I had at the time was pretty crappy at the time, and it was better to just buy a new phone- so that's what I did.

The phone you had from last summer: here's the scoop. As long as there was still money on the card, its good for one year. After not putting any additional money on the card after 9 months it will not allow you to make any calls- although you'll still be able to receive them. They give you 3 more months after the 9 to put additional funds on the card to 'recharge' it and you'll be able to make calls also- your phone will be fine. However, if the 12 months expire and you haven't put any more funds on it- say goodbye to the number- it won't work anymore- back to purchasing a new card! (which I also had to do! as after one of my trips I didn't have any money at all on it, and it forces it to expire within the 9 month limit! )

I vacationed in Barcelona last Feb with my trusted, unlocked, tri-band GSM phone which I also use at home here in the States. In Barcelona, I decided to buy a prepaid SIM card from Vodafone. There was a 4-digit code that came with the SIM card. When you first turn on the phone and it connects to the network, it will ask for this 4-digit code before you can use it. Without this code, the SIM card is unusable. So there is a possibility that your friend's phone may require a code which you should get form him/her.

As for the SIM card itself, I was told by Vodafone that the number would never expire but that the minutes I had needed to be used within 6 months. In other words, the minutes would expire but NOT the number. By the way, I chose to get the SIM card from Vodafone because they did not have a so-called "activation fee". I paid 30Euros for it and I got 30 Euros worth of calls. Another carrier, Movistar, was charging 50Euros for the SIM but you only go 30Euros worth of calls, thus a 20Euro activation fee. In either case, you could get a "recharge" card from any news stand.

I think a lot of this probably depends on the carrier and I have never dealt with Telefonica so I'm not sure but I was certainly happy with the service and the deal I got with Vodafone in Barcelona.

In your case, you probably just have to take it with you and try it out. Have you ever considered buying an unlocked tri-band GSM phone. I have one and I have NOT regretted it. When I go to a destination in Europe and Asia, I just get a local SIM card and I'm in business. Besides, when I come back home, I just plug-in my local AT&T card and away I go.

Good Luck.

I have a Movistar SIM card that I bought last summer, 2003. I used it again in November (end of month). At that time I was told the *minutes* would expire in January 2004, but with my limited Spanish comprehension then (and almost nil conversational skills, hence I didn't ask for clarification) I don't know if they also meant the phone number itself would expire. I'm heading back to Spain in 1,5 weeks and hoping I can just recharge my SIM.

Does anyone know how long a Movistar pre-paid SIM stays "active" between uses? I know, I could just go and find out, but I want to be more prepared.

Thanks,
...Syd

Since I was the one who started this topic, I will let you know what happened with my phone... I have Amena, but I assume it is the same with Movistar. I have had my phone for three years and I have charged it at least once a year (almost 12 months between each charge) and it still works. I think you need to charge it once a year. Hope that helps!