Sorry for the posting - I have searched this board and read various postings on similar topics, but I'm moving to Madrid in a few months and will need a cell phone while I'm there. If all goes according to plan, I'll be there 1-2 years. I lived in Spain before, and used Amena, and bought the re-charge cards to add money to my account, which was then subtracted based on a per-minute charge each time I made/received a call.

However, that was 3 years ago. Is the whole pay-as-you-go thing still the same in Spain, or do they also have 12-month contracts as they do in the states, where you have, for example, 400 minutes to use each month, and if you go over, then they charge you. ?

In your opinion, if I'm going to be in Spain for a year, is a contract a better option b/c you pay less per minute, or is the difference between contract and pay-as-you-go not that much?

also -- last question (i promise). I can't use my US cell phone since I use Verizon and they're not GSM (like cingular or T-mobile). If I were to buy an unlocked GSM phone here in the US, can I simply purchase a SIM card/phone number in Spain (Amena, MoviStar, are there other carriers?) and be good to go, or do those carriers make you buy THEIR phones to use THEIR cellular service??

Thanks for the tips/advice/recs. I really really REALLY appreciate it.