Buy or rent a prepaid phone

Have you asked your carrier about an international plan for calling & data? Might be easier to set that up with them before you go vs a whole new phone...?

I bought a phone from walmart.com for something like $17, and then I got a vodaphone sim when I arrived at my first city. I only needed it for texting my apartment hosts or calling them, it was easier (and cheaper) for me than doing an international plan on my phone. Since you know about phone locking, you should know enough to find an unlocked phone online should you decide to go that route. Mine is so small and cute!

Thank you. I use a tracfone prepaid, My phone would have to be unlocked and I don't have that option.

Once I arrive I go to a local phone store and purchase the least expensive phone and a prepaid plan. I've done this in the UK and Sweden. I didn't consider it expensive. The other journeys I just used wifi. Easiest for me as the store will set the phone up for me. I don't have to think.

Hi Katherine,
If I buy an unlocked gsm phone here. Do I still need to buy a SIM card and a prepaid minutes card?

Hi Wray,
That is what I would like to do however I've had 2 people tell me they never saw a phone store in Venice.

I just googled "phone stores in Venice, Italy" and came up with at least 8 locations, including both Vodaphone and TIM stores on the Strada Nova.

Yes, if you buy an unlocked phone, you have to buy a SIM card and phone package. Which package you buy will determine how much data, calls, and texts are included, and the cost (for instance, how much per minute to call the US, or are 200 minutes included with the package?).

When I was in Venice in 2010, there were many places to recharge a SIM, but only a few to buy the SIM. I was directed to a store near the Rialto which worked fine.

The three main providers in Italy are Wind, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) and Vodaphone. Vodaphone and TIM have special plans specifically designed for visitors. The best plan for you will be determined by your needs. Are you looking to make calls within Italy, calls back to the US, or other calls? Will you be sending texts? (Receiving calls and texts, with an Italian SIM while you are in Italy, is free). How much data will you need?

Andrew H has posted about an inexpensive Android phone (around 100 USD) you can buy in the US that will work in Europe. I don't have time to find it now, but if he doesn't see this, I'll try to post it later.

Yeah, the phone Harold was thinking of was the Moto E4 that I used in Europe (and use at home). You can get them new from B&H for about $130 USD, but this is last year's phone that is being closed out - will soon be discontinued soon as newer phones replace it. But you can also get it on eBay for less than $99 for a "new" one (no packaging perhaps). There are several versions of the Moto E4; you want the one that is the "fully unlocked" version (model XT1768). It's a pretty nice budget phone - not designed to have 20 apps open at once but works fine for my daily needs at home or when I travel. Battery life is decent. The biggest downside is the camera - a bit slow.

If you don't need a smart phone, you should be able to find lots of cheap unlocked flip phones on eBay. Get one that is not only GSM compatible but also "quad band" - otherwise, it may not have the frequencies required to work in Europe.

Yes, you will need to buy a SIM card for any unlocked phone you buy in the US. I'd go with TIM or Vodafone myself.

jmauldinuu,
Thanks so much for this info. Google says the Strada Nova is a 20 minute walk from the Carlton hotel on the grand canal. I will keep googling to see if there are closer stores.

If you have an unlocked/quad band phone, yes, you will have to buy a sim and add credit to it, any of those stores the previous folks have found would be able to assist you with doing both. Usually the initial SIM card has a bit of money on it already, so you would only need to get more if you ran out of that. You won’t have trouble finding a phone store, and you’re hotel could probably tell you the closest. As long as you have found your first lodging, you probably won’t need a phone immediately, so don’t fret about finding one first thing either.

scooby, when I googled "phone store in Venice, Italy" the google result gave me not only a list of websites and links, but first a map of Venice with the stores on it. By clicking on that map, it will open and you can see where the stores are located. Vodaphone and TIM, by my research, are some of the most reliable, but the WIND store might also work well. Good luck! And by the way: The Strada Nova is the main walking street between the train station and almost to the Rialto Bridge. It's a good length of Venice, and there are several phone stores along it (according to the google map).

Thank you all so much for taking the time to post. This will be my first time out of country. Ciao.

Harold and Andrew, I think I might go with Cellularabroad. For $110. I can get a quad band 2 sim phone
I copied what they give from their website., might be helpful for someone else also.
Thank you so much.
If you do not already own an unlocked international cell phone or if you want a dedicated travel phone, we offer several cell phone packages to choose from. All packages include a new cell phone, chargers, worldwide plug adapters and the Talk Abroad Travel SIM with an initial call credit. Each cell phone package has been selected to meet the various needs of international travelers. The Talk Abroad 'Lite' Travel Phone is a basic model for budget-conscious travelers and is our best seller. Other popular handsets are 3G/WiFi enabled Speed, the Samsung Galaxy Europa also with 3G/WiFi, ANDROID 2.2 and touch-screen keyboard, particularly for those who need data, and of course the very popular iPhone4 and iPhone4s.

All phone packages offer identical rates and the same reliable yet affordable calling and data plans with voice in over 200 countries. All phones come with two phone numbers, a US based number and a European number (from the UK) which makes it convenient and affordable for contacts from overseas, particularly Europe, to contact you. Since this is a prepaid solution, there are no contracts to sign or reoccurring bills to pay. Adding talk time is easy. You can use our auto recharge option which automatically tops you up when your account is low. Alternatively, you can speak to a live rep (toll free from the handset from overseas) or enter a quick sequence on your phone to add call credit.

Special European Rates

If you are planning a trip to the EU, your service now includes incredibly low data, voice and SMS rates. Each $29 of credit will give you 120 minutes of outgoing calls within Europe or back to the US or Canada, 120 minutes of incoming calls on the US number, free incoming calls on the UK number, 120 text messages or 120MB of data or a combination thereof.

scooby, Cellular Abroad looks pretty expensive to me for what you get. Why not just buy your own US phone and buy a SIM card when you get there? The Moto E4 I mentioned (a decent Android smart phone) is a far superior phone to what you get (a flip phone?) for $110. You can buy an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 for $79.99 shipped on eBay (it claims to be a new phone) and a SIM in Europe for about 30 euros that will last you easily for 12 days. But a smart phone gives you enormous benefits of a flip phone - e.g. walking maps and directions, web browsing, etc.

Buying a SIM card for an unlocked phone is pretty easy in Italy. Take your phone into a TIM or Vodafone store (bring your passport) and tell them what you need and they'll set it up for you.

Based on your description, it sounds like your Tracphone may be an older CDMA model and those don't use a SIM and won't work in Europe at all.

The cheapest solution would be to buy a local PAYG phone when you arrive in Italy. I don't know whether there are cell shops at VCE, but there will be shops in Venice. Ask your hotel staff for the location of the nearest one. Based on information that's been posted here on the forum by Roberto and others, Vodaphone and TIM have inexpensive phones and plans suited for tourists (I can't recall the details). You'll need to take your Passport when you buy the phone, and you'll have to get the staff at the store to help with the setup, as menus will be in Italian. Be sure you're clear on the method of topping-up the SIM. You may be able to do it online?

If you just want a basic voice & text phone that will operate in Europe, have a look at this - https://personal.iroam.com/international-travel-cellphones.aspx .

You could also buy a travel phone from Amazon or wherever, and just buy the PAYG SIM when you arrive in Italy - https://www.amazon.com/Unlocked-Cell-Phones-Quad-Band/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2407749011%2Cp_n_feature_eleven_browse-bin%3A14674897011 .

Good luck!

Another option would be to purchase a used, unlocked phone here in the states (eBay, Craig’s list) and then all you need is a SIM. Amazon also offers some new basic phones. There’s a Relay Shop on the ground floor, landside at VCE at which you should be able to buy a SIM.

Andrew, how big a hassle is it to buy a SIM card in Italy? I spent about an hour recently in a Costa Rica phone store. I am used to Southeast Asia where they can be bought and re-charged in most any 7-11.

Andrew, how big a hassle is it to buy a SIM card in Italy? I spent about an hour recently in a Costa Rica phone store. I am used to Southeast Asia where they can be bought and re-charged in most any 7-11.

Roger, each country in Europe is different. In Italy, you have to show a passport and have your info recorded to activate a SIM - so generally you just buy the SIM at a mobile store and activate it there while they record your info. The easiest thing to do is go into a TIM or Vodafone store and get one. In other European countries, you can do the same thing you are used to doing in Asia.

You can also buy a SIM online ahead of time from another country like the UK or the Netherlands that doesn't require the passport thing and use free EU roaming (for data, anyway) and use the SIM in Italy as soon as you land and not bother hunting for one. You can find my write-up on the Tech forum from last year about the Dutch Vodafone SIM I bought on ebay. I used it in Italy last year - worked fine, but I didn't need to make calls, just use data. I had Skype credit so I could use Skype for the occasional local call and not need to use my SIM for that.

Lots of great options. Appreciate everyone's replies.