[petkow]

Thanks Pitch and Richard! I too had the option of buying at the TPH whilst I was in Madrid a while ago (and there was no queue at the time... I went just before closing time) however since I can get it for 'free' online I thought there was little point getting it there. I forgot to ask the question I mentioned above though (about Tarjeta 2).

Pitch, I know you were trying to help me... and I thanked you for that and wished you luck. I only tried to point out a few of your comments that I felt were unsubstantiated. I just felt you may end up misleading other users on these. I am sorry if you have taken offence at me. The most important factor is as I said in my initial post, I am fully aware that it is a €6 minimum monthly useage (and not a charge) and that it does not only apply to contracts as you pointed out! However, as Richard pointed out if I am not there for longer periods then that €6 does become a charge and eats away any credit I have. This was the problem I was adressing and hence the motivation for the first post!


As a further aside... just in case anyone is interested: As an EU citizen, you do not need to have a Spanish residence to get a NIE. You can actually apply for one at any Spanish embassy in the world. The process takes about 3 months. Though this may sound ironic, the reason for this is that you need a NIE even if you want to buy a property in Spain. After all, you cannot have 'residency' until you have bought the property. You also need a NIE to open a Spanish bank account which is handy if you want to transfer money into Spain in the first place. To apply for one at an embassy, you need only your passport (not any housing documents).