Spain Money Saving Tips and Offers

Ryanair has extended it's sale until midnight tonight, with flights from £3.00 per single (excluding charges).  You will need to be quick as you have less than 12 hours left to get one of these cheap flights.

The list of fees/charges are to be found here.

A cloud of volcanic ash has forced the closure of all UK air space and the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving passengers to choose between a refund or waiting for airports to reopen.

All airlines have been hit by the massive disruption, with most advising customers not to head to terminals at all because of the volume of disrupted passengers.

Most airlines, including British airways, Bmi and easyJet, are offering customers a choice of a refund or a free transfer onto another flight when air services resume.
 
According to the Tranding Standards Institute, passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic dust blown over to the UK from Iceland have the some rights under the Regulation 261/2004 Air Passenger Rights.

They are entitled to a refund or re-routing if the flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours; if re-routing is offered from an alternative location, the airline must cover the cost of transfers.

Passengers on flights delayed by more than two hours are also entitled to meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary, transport between airport and accommodation, two free telephone calls, faxes or emails.

In cases of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ like this, which are beyond the airlines’ control, consumers are not entitled to further compensation, the TSI said.

The TSI said consumers should also check their own travel insurance as they may be entitled to more under their individual policies, or they could get further information from the government website Consumer Direct or by phoning 0845 4040506.

The rules for flights from outside the EU vary, but in most cases you will be offered a later flight and given hotel accommodation if necessary.

For full details of your air travel rights see the Air Transport Users Council website.

Source: The Telegraph

Spanish banks have recently started to offload some of the thousands of repossessed properties that they have on their books.  For those looking for a bargain property, this is definitely one of the best places to look.  Most of the banks will offer 100% mortgages on these properties, which is an added attraction.  All of the banks have set up separate websites for the repossession properties. Here's a list of links to the big banks selling repossessed property.

• Banesto:  http://www.casaktua.com
  
• Cajamar:  http://www.cimenta2.com
  
• BBVA:  http://www.bbvaservicios.com/portal/particulares/atrea.asp
  
• Santander:  http://www.altamirasantander.com
  
• Cam Bank:  http://www.oportunidadescam.es/
  
• Solbank:  http://www.solvia.es/GesPisSolWeb/
  
• La Caixa:  http://www.servihabitat.com/svhPortal
  
• Bankinter:  https://www.bankinter.com/www/es-es/cgi/ebk+inm+home

Just a quick post to say that Lidl in Spain are currently selling decent sized punnets of strawberries for only 0.99€, which is very cheap.  They are really tasty as well.  I guess the low price means that strawberries are in season at the moment in Spain?

Spanish bars are a great way to get a taste of Spanish life and they are usually very cheap.  Spaniards don't tend to go to each others' houses.  Instead, they will meet up in their local bar.  They are generally much better value for money than expat bars, and it is a great way to meet some of the locals.  Even in the small towns, you will see plenty of bars.
In the Spanish bars in my area, I pay around 1.20€ for a tubo, and tapas is from between 0.50€ and 1.00€, which makes it a really cheap way to eat and drink!  If you are lucky enough to live in Jaen, Almeria or Granada, the tapas is free.
I love going to my local for a few tubos (1/2 a pint of lager) and to watch the football.  In fact, I am off to watch the Barcelona v Arsenal Champion's League match tonight in my local. There should be a decent atmosphere for this one.
Because I am a regular in 2 of the bars in my town and have a bit of a chat with the owners, I will often get a free beer after I have bought four or five tubos, which is a nice touch I think.  So give your local Spanish bar a try.  You may be pleasantly surprised and you might end up getting the odd free beer!

El Corte Inglés the chain of Spanish department stores has a sale on at the moment.  The sale is called 8 días de oro which translates in English to 8 days of gold.  The sale runs from 3rd to 18th April 2010, which is more than 8 days isn't it?  The sale includes:

• LCD TVs
• Washers
• Laptops
• Fridge freezers
• Bikes
• Dysons
• Men's clothes
• Women's clothes

The whole range of sale products can be found on the el Corte Ingles website.