Saving money on phone calls in Spain

For clarification the special numbers that begin with 9 are as follows:

• 900 – Free for caller
• 901 – Cost shared between caller and recipient.
• 902 – Used by companies in order to reduce the cost for the caller. The rate is set between the price of a local and national call and is the same for all callers regardless of location.
• 905 – Premium services eg for voting on TV shows. Rates differ depending on the number that comes after the first three digits: Numbers 905-4xx-xxx are more expensive than numbers 905-1xx-xxx. Rates must be published when these numbers are displayed.

So if you have a flat rate for your phone (home or mobile), first of all avoid 905 numbers and make sure that everyone in your household knows that they shouldn’t be used.

Then take into account that 901 and 902 numbers aren’t included in flat rate contracts. Landline rates in 2012 for these numbers are as follows:

• 901: Connection 0.0416€, then 0.0336€ per minute
• 902: Connection 0.0833€, then 0.0673€ per minute

Note: Some exceptions to these rates exist

Any number that begins with either of these three figures actually has a “normal” number associated, where you can get exactly the same information or services, it’s just a matter of getting that number. On the internet there are quite a few sites that have been set up where you can input a 901 or 902 number and the normal number will be shown such as on www.nmn900.com. However, beware if you are looking for the number for a bank or similar where, upon calling, you will be giving out any type of personal information – these websites are not official and any type of scam could be behind them. The best idea is to use the 901/902 number once and request that the company gives you their normal number and take note of the number to use in the future.

Take into account that many of the companies you’ll be calling on a 901/902 number will keep you waiting as you go through their infuriating automated lists and chronic taste in music, all the time while your phone bill is increasing. A call to one of these numbers from your mobile can be up to 15 times more expensive than from a landline. Avoiding using special numbers from both your home phone and mobile can add up to a big saving every month.

The information in this article was supplied by Javier Valero. Javier is an Expense Reduction Analyst based in Madrid, Spain. If you have a small business in Spain and would like to know whether you could save on your everyday expenditure, for a free initial assessment get in touch by e-mail: .