Phones in Italy

A good starting point is Rick's article on this topic, found here by clicking on Travel Tips at the top of the page, then looking at the Communicating Section for the article titled Mobile Phones in Europe

Thanks Michael. That's informative, but I'm still a little confused. According to the ATT website my phone should work in Italy (I think) but I'll be charged a higher per minute rate. That seems to be the standard feature that comes with all ATT contracts. Or, I can sign up for some feature that gives me a lower per-minute rate but costs about $6.00 per month. Since I only want to check in briefly once every few days, maybe once a week, I think I can just stick with what I have. I don't plan on receiving any calls while in Italy. I didn't not understand at all what Rick Steves was saying about "unlocking" my phone or switching out "SIM Cards". Here's hoping that doesn't apply to me anyway. :-(

Thank you all for your kind help!! My phone isn't that old, it's just very, very basic. (I guess I just haven't caught up with the 21st century yet ;-) I looked up my phone on ATT's website and it looks like it will work on all four frequencies. And if I'm looking at it right, ATT will charge me $1.39 per minute on calls to/from Italy on my current deal. Which isn't so bad, I guess. Then again, I have nothing to compare it to. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I don't have to worry about incoming calls. Nobody calls me much at all. I use maybe 20 minutes of my 450 minute limit every month. I told you I was a bit behind the times! :)

Some phones allow you to "unlock" them which basically means that if you switch out the SIM card in the phone, you could use a different cell phone company for your phone calls, this generally means a different phone number as well. For example, in the US if you unlock certain AT&T phones, you could get a T-Mobile SIM card and use the T-Mobile system for your phone calls instead of AT&T. Some phones do not allow you to unlock them and others can be unlocked, but may involve a little work to unlock them. Changing the SIM card often means your phone is using a different phone number so that may not be the easiest solution for you. If you are just going to be checking back every so often, the AT&T international plan may be just fine for your situation. If you think you will be checking in more, you may want to see if your hotels have computer or wifi access and think about checking in with emails as well. e-Mail can be easier to use for just regular check-ins because of time zone differences. Many people also use the international calling cards which can also be a good deal.

A cheap way for you to call home is to buy an international phone card when you are in Italy. The RS book with tell you how ask for one in Italian.

AT & T works just fine in Europe. I've used my phone in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France and England with no problem.
First few trips I had a Nokia flip phone, and have used my Iphone for the last 5 years. you will see it roam to the nearest tower, and the name of the service can change frequently, so don't worry. That being said, you should call AT &T or check thier website with your model of phone to see what charges you might expect for using your phone. If you decide to not take your phone, just visit a Tabbacci and purchase a phone card. That being said, it's hard to find a pay phone now a days...but you can use your hotel room phone. you might consider just using email. most hotels have a computer you can use in their lobby, or find an internet cafe (harder to find recently) I understand you want a phone for emergencies....so do bring what you own.

Max, As your phone is "pretty old", the first thing you'll need to do is verify that it has all four frequency bands. Europe uses the 900/1800 MHz bands. If that's the case, your phone will work in Europe. What type of handset are you using? The next question to answer is whether you want to roam with AT&T or use a different SIM / Plan? AT&T offers roaming plans which will reduce the costs somewhat, and for occasional calls that might be the best option. You'll keep your home number, so anyone calling you (housesitter) simply dials your local number as usual. However, one caveat to mention. If you get frequent calls on your Cell at all hours, you'll need to specify in the strictest terms that you ONLY want essential calls while you're travelling. There's nothing more annoying than being awoken at 03:00 by some moron that couldn't be bothered to check a @#$% clock! If you plan to use either an Italian SIM or a SIM from one of the travel phone firms (Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial or Mobal), you'll need to get your phone unlocked. Check with AT&T on how to accomplish that. For occasional calls and calls back to the U.S., I'm not sure there will be much of a cost advantage in using another SIM. The LEAST expensive way to keep in touch is via text messages. Outgoing texts are often ~60¢ and incoming FREE. That's also a convenient method for dealing with the time difference. The sending & receiving parties can each answer at a time that's convenient to them. If you decide to travel with your phone, BE SURE to check the Phone Charger, to ensure it's designed for operation at 220 VAC. You WILL need a Plug Adapter in any case. The Euro style has two round pins. Check the Magellans website for details. Happy travels!

Max, to add to Ken's good suggestions, you might want to unconditionally forward all your incoming calls to voicemail if you think others may call you while you are on your trip. Doing so will keep you from being awakened in the middle of the night at least. You should still get the voicemail notification icon on your phone. You can still make outgoing calls. (I recommend forwarding all calls to a google voice number so that google will send you a text message with a rough transcription of any voicemails left, but you may not be up for this level of complication.) To see if you have the 900/1800 frequencies you'll need for Europe, look up your phone online. I like phonescoop.com for this type of information. Feel free to send me a private message if you need more help.

Max, I have a "old-style" but quad-band Nokia phone on ATT that I used last summer in Italy. We signed up for the $6.00 package which reduced the costs of calls to 0.99 per minute. They will pro-rate this fee for the days used, so we actually only paid $3.00 for 2 weeks. We did not need to use the phone much and this seemed like the simplest and cheapest way to get phone service in Italy for our purposes. The phone worked fine. And yes, I did get one call in the middle of the night from someone who didn't know I was in Italy. Next time I'll just turn it off at night.

I have an AT&T plan and do not have a smart phone either. My LG phone has worked just fine everywhere in Europe I've been (from 2004-2010): Italy, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, France, Monaco and Spain. I do have the international plan, which reduces the call/text cost somewhat, but it works just fine regardless. I keep it turned off unless I need to use it, and just let people know not to call unless it's urgent. I don't think you need to worry about unlocking your phone and swapping SIM cards just for a trip. My son did that last year, as he was studying in Italy for 6 weeks and needed to use his phone a lot, but I've never felt the need for just a vacation..as I only use it sparingly to check in at home.