How to obtain sky card for Spain

FREE TO VIEW SKY CARDS

Sky will not supply a card to a person living outside the UK. There are two options for obtaining a "Free to view" sky card. The most expensive and easiest way is to go on the internet and buy one online. The second option is to have a contact in the UKcall up Sky and order one. This contact must supply their UKdetails. Any mention of Spain will result in cancellation of the card. The cards cost £25 and don't have to be renewed annually . Sky will supply 4 to any household in the UK. It does not matter whether the contact in the UKis a sky customer. However if the contact is a sky customer you will need the customer user name and password when activating the card.

You can also go online to http://mysky.sky.com/replacecard/get-a-card. On this page it is assumed you are replacing your existing card therefore be sure to click on "Don't have a viewing card?" as shown below

You can only purchase one card online on this page. If you want extra cards simply go through the procedure once more. The credit or Debit card you use must have an English address

Once you receive the card it has to be activated this can be done on any sky box in the UKby phoning Sky using the telephone number supplied with the card. Alternatively you can activate the card in Spain by inserting it in your sky box and phoning Sky with an English mobile phone. Be sure not to mention Spain and follow the operators instructions.

Once this card is activated it will work in any Sky Box. If you leave your box switched off for any length of time the card will not work when you switch on the box. Simply leave the box turned on and the card will re-activate itself within 48 hours

Subscription Cards

Once again the most expensive but easiest way is to go on the internet and buy one online. Doing it yourself is more complicated than obtaining the FTV card. Firstly you have to have the facility to pay monthly using a credit card with an English address or Bank. Secondly if the address you are using already has a subscription card, Sky will question why you need a second card when you could sign up for multi room where you only pay £10 per month. At this point you have to provide a good answer!

The first step is to go online to http://www.sky.com/shop/new?DCMP=KNC-standard-sky and choose the package you want. All the information required is online

Normally new Sky customers will receive a new box plus the installation of the dish. Your contact has to explain to Sky that you already have a sky box and dish and don't need either the box or the dish. When applying for the card you have to supply the details of your Sky box you will use. You get these details by selecting service on your remote control and then selecting system setup (#4) and then system details (#5) and you will get this screen:

Take a note of these details when contacting Sky.

Once you have received your card you may have to activate the card by phoning Sky with an English mobile phone. Be sure not to mention Spain and follow the operators instructions.

A sky subscription card will only work in the box that the card is married to. If you change boxes you have to phone sky and give them details of your new box. Your contract will say that the box has to be connected to your telephone line for 12 months. Sky doesn't enforce this but does so with multi room cards. Multiroom cards have to be connected to your phone line at all times and are therefore not practical for Spain.

YES, IT IS LEGAL TO WATCH SKY DIGITAL IN SPAIN

There are no restrictions at all on the export or use of a Sky Digibox outside the UK.

When you or anyone else fills in the Sky Digital subscription form you undertake to comply with the following conditions (amongst myriad others):

• Only you may use the Viewing Card that Sky sends you - You can only use the Viewing Card at your address with the Digibox in which it is first used to receive the Service and you must only use it for private viewing purposes, and
• This Contract only applies if you live in the United Kingdom - this has been interpreted as meaning that by passing on the card to someone else for him to use or by using it (as opposed to merely having it which does not appear to breach the contract) elsewhere than at the address specified in the contract you are breaking the terms of the contract. This is not a criminal offence and the contract goes on to say that a breach of the contract will merely result in its cancellation. In other words, the worst that can happen is that the card is turned off.

Just in case you're worried, a large number of Sky subscribers live abroad anyway. You probably know a few of them yourself.