What is the best burner phone (brand) to purchase when I arrive in Italy? Should I buy text, voice, and data, or just text and voice? Navigation is not necessary but would be nice. Any other Italy cell phone advice?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
"What is the best burner phone (brand) to purchase when I arrive in Italy?"
If you're just looking for a cheap phone to use only for your time in Italy, I don't think it matters what brand you buy. Just get the cheapest one that has the features you want. Or, buy an quad band unlocked phone here in the US before you leave. This has two advantages: you can learn the phone before you get there, and you can keep it and use it on any future trips (or, if you never need it again, sell it to another traveler).
"Should I buy text, voice, and data, or just text and voice?"
That's up to you. What do you anticipate using the phone for? Calls or texts to your travel partners? Calls or texts home to the US? Calls to Italian phones? Remember that while checking your e-mail occasionally uses only a bit of data, things like navigation or sending pictures use a lot of data.
"Any other Italy cell phone advice?"
Read Rick's cell phone tutorial (starting with the grey box on the right side of the page): http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/cell-phone-europe
TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) has a great deal called TIM Welcome. For €30 you get a SIM, 200 minutes for domestic or international calls, 2 GB of data (4G speed where available), and €5 of credit for texts or more calls. That's just for the SIM and the service; you would still have to buy or bring a phone. If you don't need data, you can get a SIM for €20 with €15 of credit.
Who is your current carrier, and what is you current cell phone model? You can probably use the phone and/or the plan in Europe, and it may be the easiest and cheapest way, depending on how (and how much) you will using the phone in Italy.
Posted by
Cincinnati, OH, USA
768 posts
Gordon:
It sounds like you're planning to use the phone for more than just talking ("text, voice, and data, or just text and voice"). My wife and I purchased a basic phone with pre-paid minutes in Munich last year at the train station for next to nothing, used it for keeping in touch with people we were meeting along the way over the next two weeks. We didn’t use nearly all the minutes we paid for, so when we go back this year we'll charge it up and use it again—and if need be purchase more time. I'd suggest "go cheap" unless you're going to use it for more than talking.