# Switch Mobile Provider in Spain (2026): Keep Your Number in One Business Day

> How to switch mobile operator in Spain and keep your number, as of October 2026: ask the new operator, the number moves within one business day of the agreed date, and you can still port it for at least one month after cancelling (Ley 11/2022).

Updated: October 2026 · By Jules · URL: https://www.how-to-spain.com/telecom/switch-mobile-provider

To switch mobile operator in Spain, you ask the **new operator** for a **portabilidad**. Under **Ley 11/2022**, your number must be active with it **within one business day** of the date you agreed, and your old contract **ends automatically**. If you have already cancelled, you can still port the number for **at least one month**. Operators do not charge for a port, the research reports. As of October 2026, the cheapest confirmed plan to move to is Digi 25 GB at **EUR 5 a month**.

## What Does the Law Say About Switching?

These five rules were read in the text of Ley 11/2022, General de Telecomunicaciones, arts. 67 and 70, in the BOE.

Number portability and contract rules, Ley 11/2022, read in the BOE, October 2026.
| Topic | Rule | Legal basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| How fast the number moves | Your number must be activated with the new operator within one business day of the date you agreed with it. If the port fails, the old operator must restore your service until it succeeds, and you may not be left without service for more than one business day. | [Ley 11/2022, art. 70.3](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-10757) |
| Who runs the switch | You ask the new (receiving) operator; it runs the process. You cannot be switched without your explicit consent, and your contract with the old operator ends automatically when the switch is complete. | [Ley 11/2022, art. 70.5](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-10757) |
| Keeping the number after cancelling | If you end a contract, you keep the right to take your number to a new operator for at least one month after the termination date, unless you give that right up. | [Ley 11/2022, art. 70.2](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-10757) |
| Prepaid credit left over | On a prepaid line, the old operator must refund any remaining credit if you ask. It may charge a fee only if the contract says so, and the fee must match its real cost. | [Ley 11/2022, art. 70.7](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-10757) |
| Longest contract term | A consumer telecoms contract may not run longer than 24 months. After an automatic renewal you can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice, paying only for the service during the notice period. | [Ley 11/2022, art. 67.7](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-10757) |

## What Do Operators Do in Practice?

The points below are **operator practice, not law**: they are not in the Ley 11/2022 text read above. The research reports them from a secondary source, a [law summary on operadoreslowcost.es](https://operadoreslowcost.es/guias/nueva-ley-portabilidad-movil/) that still cites the repealed Ley 9/2014. Confirm them with your new operator before you rely on them.

- Operators do not charge for a port, as the research reports it.
- Most operators let you cancel a port until 14:00 on the working day before the switch.
- Spain has no PAC-style switching code: the new operator checks your identity.

## How Do You Switch, Step by Step?

- **Pick the new plan.** The [table below](#plans) lists 10 plans with prices confirmed on the operator's own page in October 2026. Check whether it renews every 28 days or by calendar month.
- **Keep your old line active.** You do not need to cancel it yourself: the old contract ends automatically when the switch is complete (art. 70.5).
- **Ask the new operator for a portabilidad.** The receiving operator runs the process, not the old one (art. 70.5). Have your ID ready: the research reports that a **DNI, NIE or passport** is accepted. For a contract-style plan, the research also reports that a Spanish IBAN is expected for direct debit.
- **Give your consent and agree the date.** You cannot be switched without your explicit consent (art. 70.5), and the one-business-day clock runs from the date you agree with the new operator (art. 70.3).
- **Change your mind in time if you need to.** The research reports, from a secondary source, that most operators let you cancel a port until 14:00 on the working day before the switch.
- **Switch day.** Your number must be active with the new operator within one business day of the agreed date. If the port fails, the old operator must restore your service until it succeeds, and you may not be left without service for more than one business day (art. 70.3).
- **On prepaid, ask for your credit back.** The old operator must refund remaining prepaid credit if you ask (art. 70.7).

Already cancelled the old line? You keep the right to port the number for **at least one month** after the termination date, unless you gave that right up (art. 70.2).

## What Changes When You Leave a 28-Day Prepaid Plan?

Spanish prepaid plans from Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo and Lobster renew every 28 days, not every month: that is 13 payments a year, so a EUR 10 plan costs EUR 130 a year, not EUR 120. Contract-style plans with no minimum term (Digi, Lowi, O2, Pepephone, Simyo) bill by calendar month.

### Worked example: same network, monthly billing

You are on Movistar Prepago Plus at EUR 10 every 28 days (60 GB) and move to O2 Movil 50 GB at EUR 7 a month (50 GB). Both run on the Movistar network.

- Movistar Prepago Plus: EUR 10 x 13 payments = **EUR 130 a year**
- O2 Movil 50 GB: EUR 7 x 12 payments = **EUR 84 a year**
- Difference: EUR 130 - EUR 84 = **EUR 46 a year less**, for 10 GB less data per cycle.

Prices confirmed on each operator's own page, October 2026. Any prepaid credit left on the old line can be refunded on request (Ley 11/2022, art. 70.7).

## Which Plans Can You Move To?

Every price was confirmed on the operator's own page on 25 October 2026, sorted by yearly cost. Host networks are the research's mapping (B).
| Plan | Price per cycle | Data | Network | Per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Digi 25 GB](https://www.digimobil.es/movil/) | EUR 5 a month | 25 GB | Own antennas plus Movistar | EUR 60 (12 payments) |
| [O2 Movil 50 GB](https://o2online.es/movil/) | EUR 7 a month | 50 GB | Movistar | EUR 84 (12 payments) |
| [Simyo 50 GB](https://www.simyo.es/tarifas-movil.html) | EUR 7.50 a month | 50 GB | Orange | EUR 90 (12 payments) |
| [Lowi 50 GB](https://www.lowi.es/tarifas-movil/) | EUR 8 a month | 50 GB | Vodafone | EUR 96 (12 payments) |
| [Movistar Prepago Plus](https://www.movistar.es/tarifas-moviles/prepago) | EUR 10 every 28 days | 60 GB | Movistar | EUR 130 (13 payments) |
| [Vodafone Prepago S](https://www.vodafone.es/c/particulares/es/productos-y-servicios/movil/prepago-y-recargas/tarifas-de-prepago/) | EUR 10 every 28 days | 90 GB | Vodafone | EUR 130 (13 payments) |
| [Orange Prepago 10](https://www.orange.es/tarifas/movil/prepago) | EUR 10 every 28 days | 80 GB | Orange | EUR 130 (13 payments) |
| [Yoigo Prepago](https://www.yoigo.com/tarifas-tarjeta) | EUR 10 every 28 days | 25 GB | Orange | EUR 130 (13 payments) |
| [Lobster 200 GB](https://www.lobster.es/es/combo-movil-fibra/) | EUR 12.99 every 28 days | 200 GB | Movistar | EUR 168.87 (13 payments) |
| [Pepephone Movil 150 GB](https://www.pepephone.com/tarifas-moviles) | EUR 15 a month | 150 GB | Orange | EUR 180 (12 payments) |
Not sure whether to stay on prepaid? See [prepaid vs postpaid in Spain](/telecom/prepaid-vs-postpaid), or the full list on [SIM cards in Spain](/telecom/sim-cards).

## Change log

Updated 26 October 2026

- 2026-10-26 Published: switching mobile operator and keeping your number, with the rules read in Ley 11/2022 (one business day, one month after cancelling).

## What Should You Read Next?

[### SIM Cards in Spain Every confirmed prepaid and no-term plan.](/telecom/sim-cards)[### Prepaid vs Postpaid in Spain 28-day cycles and what a year really costs.](/telecom/prepaid-vs-postpaid)[### eSIM vs SIM in Spain When a local line beats a travel eSIM.](/telecom/esim-vs-sim)[### Best Mobile Network in Spain Movistar, Vodafone and Orange compared.](/telecom/best-mobile-network)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long does portability take in Spain?

Under Ley 11/2022, art. 70.3, your number must be active with the new operator within one business day of the date you agreed with it. If the port fails, the old operator must restore your service until it succeeds, and you may not be left without service for more than one business day (October 2026).

### Do I keep my number after cancelling?

Yes, for a while. Ley 11/2022, art. 70.2, gives you the right to take your number to a new operator for at least one month after the termination date, unless you give that right up.

### Does it cost anything to switch mobile operator in Spain?

The law text read does not set a price, but the research reports, from a secondary law summary, that operators do not charge for a port.

### What happens to my prepaid credit when I switch?

Ley 11/2022, art. 70.7, says the old operator must refund any remaining prepaid credit if you ask. It may charge a fee only if the contract says so, and the fee must match its real cost.

---

Source: https://www.how-to-spain.com/telecom/switch-mobile-provider
Last updated: Updated: October 2026
Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.