Cell Phone

I have the same phone and service. My husband called Cingular/ATT and he asked them to unlock it for International a couple weeks before we left. We didn't have to do anything else to use my phone as is. We used my phone last September in Italy at the cost of $1.29 a minute roaming charge. My husband said it was every minute we spent on it. We called home twice. (didn't speak too long, but found out how things were at home because we both have aging parents). We used it to call our hotel in Venice to get better directions when we got lost looking for it. We used in CT to call our hotel for their van to pick us up. My husband carried hiking the CT in case of emergency. We also gave our number to my sister for emergency contact if necessary.

Scott, as you surmised you need to get ATT to give you an unlock code. Then if you buy a SIM in Italy it works; the phone has an Italian number and is for all intents and purposes an Italian phone. My experience was that the official shop of the major carriers wouldn't sell me a SIM w/o a "codice fiscale" issued by the Italian gov't. Others report different experiences. However I was able to buy a SIM in a reseller store, much like we have here in the US.

Scott,

I'm assuming your Cinqular phone is on a PAYG basis, rather than a contract plan? If you're on a contract, you might consider just using roaming for short voice calls or text messages, as it's a much easier solution. AT&T can explain the options and costs. If you use roaming, you won't have to worry about getting the phone unlocked.

Another option would be to unlock your Phone and use a "travel SIM" such as those provided by Cellular Abroad and others. Check their website for current rates.

Good luck and happy travels!

Hi Mike. What do I look for to find a resale store? Is that like a tabac? Any idea how much a sim card might cost in Rome? Are these the cards with minutes that never expire? Do you know if there is a sim card that will work for both France and Italy?

Kay, in Italy there are stores that have a sign in the window that say TIM or WIND (2 of the big carriers). Seeing as how you're in Berkeley, its kinda like when you see all the stores in SF near Union Square that sell all kinds of electronics (phones, cameras, etc). They're not hard to find; but of course you could try your luck first at one of the official carrier stores.

My SIM card cost 10E and came with 5E airtime, which isn't much. The beauty, though, is that you can recharge them with a scratch-off card that has a code that you can buy at any tabac (or SIM card seller). I had the person where i bought the SIM put another 10E on just to get me started. The SIM expires in around a year unless you add time to it. So if you want to keep that same number either go annually to Italy, or loan the chip to a friend who is going and have them add time.

Going to another country is roaming, but those rates have come down recently. Try google to find the rates.

One more thing; if you're worried about finding a store or just want to save time, you can buy a SIM here before you go. However the companies selling them collect a hefty fee for the convenience. One common rate you can find with google is $39 for a card that only comes with that same 5E airtime (about $7).

Also watch out for some of the international calling cards (and some SIMs) for sale; they are for services that are "callback". You go to some phone, dial their number, hang up. They call you back, then you place your call. That doesn't sound too convenient to me.

BTW I found more info on roaming. "As of August 2007, there is a cap on roaming rates within the European Union: a maximum 0.49 Euro for making a call and 0.24 Euro for receiving one, plus tax. The plan is called "EuroTariff" and must be offered by all cell phone providers in the EU." from http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/cell_phones_roaming.htm

buying an Italian SIM is much cheaper for local (italy) and long distance (back to the US calls). Buy the SIM at the company stores. See www.prepaidgsm.net for names and costs for Italian (or any other country) cards. For SIM, you go into company store, show passport, pay money, they put card in and verify it is working and tell you your phone number. You walk out.

Recharges can be done at any tobacco shop - everywhere.

PM me if you have any questions. I did it and will do it again.

Call ATT and talk to them. Verify that you have Interational roaming, and request that they unlock the phone. The unlock process can take a few days for them to process, but you will get a code and instructions for the unlock. Unlocking is not required to use the roaming feature, and roaming may be just as easy for a few calls, but if you find yourself needing the phone more, you can get a SIM card.