SIM cards in Europe

bill, It would help to have some details about your present cell phones. I'm assuming you're using a quad-band GSM model with either Rogers, Telus or Bell? If that's the case, you could consider roaming with your home network, which can be quite cost effective for occasional calls. However, if you're using a Smartphone, you'll need to be VERY careful with the issue of data roaming as the costs can be HUGE! You don't "need" one card for each country, although you could do that. That's a bit of a cumbersome method as the number changes each time you change SIM cards, and topping-up can be an issue once you leave the country where the card was purchased. Also, in order for that to work your handset MUST be unlocked. You could also use a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal or EuroBuzz. Most of those use U.K.-based numbers but will work in all the countries you're visiting and provide consistent rates. Cheers!

Ken, many thanks for your input. I should have thought about phone details. It's a Samsung Galaxy S11 lte. smartphone and yes the data charges are the reason it is now unlocked. I will definitely look into those you mentioned. Do you know if an O2 card purchased in Germany will operate in, and can be topped up in Italy?

bill, A SIM card purchased in Germany will be useable in Italy, but the costs may be slightly higher since you'll be "roaming". I don't know whether it's possible to buy PAYG plans in Germany that include data, or how easy it will be to top-up in other countries. Hopefully one of the others can answer those questions. I've been using a "travel SIM for the last few years (which has a U.K. number), so I've never bought cards in Europe. With the service I use, cost is very reasonable for basic calls and text, but a bit pricey when data is included. Cheers!

I have an Italian phone when I travel to Europe, but roaming while in Germany (I often fly via Frankfurt or Munich) can be quite expensive, especially data. I don't know where you will stay the longest, but I suggest limiting data roaming to the home country of the SIM card you buy.

OneSim card always works for us without a hitch. I have an unlocked Galaxy Exhibit and their sim worked fine for us in Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.