SIM card for Italy, Portugal, Spain & London

Kate, If you purchase a SIM from either WIND or TIM, it should work fine in the other countries, as they will have "roaming partners" outside of Italy. However, I don't know how easy it will be, or what the procedure is for topping-up outside of Italy. One thing to keep in mind is that when you use an Italian SIM outside of Italy, you'll be roaming and therefore the rates will be higher (ie: your minutes will be depleted more quickly). The roaming rates for providers in Europe have been "capped" by the E.U., so they're not much higher. Another option you could consider would be to use a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, EuroBuzz, Call In Europe, Telestial or Mobal. Many of those use U.K.-based numbers and have post-paid billing (calls charged to a credit card). With these firms, rates are consistent throughout most countries in Europe. One advantage of these is that travellers have a working phone as soon as they step off the plane, and don't have to go looking for a cell shop. Check their respective websites for details and prices. I plan on using one of these firms for my trip this year, although I'll likely be travelling with an iPhone this time so will need data as well. Happy travels!

Thanks Ken - I appreciate your suggestions. :) I'll take a look...I'm not overly concerned about the cost of roaming in Europe - more just the convenience of getting the SIM and keeping it working so I don't have to change my # if it runs out and can't be topped up. I'll definitely take a look at the options you suggested. Cheers,
Kate

Kate, Not having to change numbers is one reason why I've been using a "travel SIM" for the last few years. Having to notify my contacts of a new number each time I change SIM's is NOT something I want to do.

According to prepaidgsm.net, WIND will roam in the EU, at a rate of 0.42 EUR per minute. They also list a bewildering range of options to reduce rates for certain services (like paying 5 euros to get cheaper outgoing calls within the EU). Here's the link (scroll down for International Roaming): http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italia/wind.php The people who hang out on PrepaidGSM are real experts in this kind of thing. If you have more questions, check out their Italy Forum: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/italy/ The WIND site (you'll need Google Translate): http://www.wind.it/it/privati/index.phtml

I didn't answer your other question. In my experience, you can only buy top up cards in the country in question. So, a top up card for a Vodafone Italy SIM cannot be bought in England, even though they also have Vodafone in England (different branches of the company). So, you have to make sure you can get the website to work for topping up (not always easy). Or you have to anticipate your needs, and buy top ups before you leave Italy. If you want to anticipate for future trips, a friend of mine has a T-Mobile UK SIM, that he has used for several years, all over Europe. One reason he keeps it is that, since its website is in English, he has been able to top up, and to figure out their latest special offers, without difficulty. Another is that, unlike some SIM's that require topping up frequently to stay active, he can keep it active by sending a text a few times a year. So, you may want to consider picking up a UK SIM while you're there, to have for future travel (the UK is a very competitive market for mobile phones, so SIM's are usually free - again check prepaidgsm.net for details).

I'm not the friend Harold referred to, but his description of using a T-Mobile U.K. SIM is exactly what I have been doing for 6 years or so. Here's how I add credit: I buy a top-up voucher off ebay U.K. The seller emails me the code I need and I just key it into the phone or call the customer service line. I think I could key in the code online, too. I used this technique to add credit when I was in Germany last year. Never had to even step foot in the U.K. It is possible, I suppose, to buy the code online. Some companies will sell codes over the Internet. The advantage of T-Mobile U.K., of course, is that everything is in English.

Orange also has coverage in those countries. The SIM card is cheap and can be topped up in many shops, markets, etc.