cell phone use via wifi in Italy?

We have never paid for a wifi plan and you don't need to it if all you going to use is the free internet hot spots. The only reason to pay for a plan is if you intend to use your phone for calls or internet access out side of hot spots.

We have ATT and do not sign up for their international plan. My husband uses free wifi on his iPhone, no problem. Just make SURE you know how to turn data "off" and keep it off, or you will get a nasty surprise. At least now they notify you by test if your inadvertent data usage approaches $100.

Our daughter has Verizon and she does buy a data/phone package when she travels, so she can use it when wifi is not available.

photos,

The roaming plans purchased from your home carrier will provide access via the 3G/4G cellular networks, but not Wi-Fi in most cases, as that's provided (and paid for) by individual hotels, restaurants and other businesses in the places you'll be visiting. Wi-Fi is free in many hotels, but you'll need to register and be given a password. In places like fast food restaurants, you may have to order something to be given time-limited Wi-Fi access. Many high-end hotels charge for Wi-Fi, while budget hotels usually provide this with the cost of the room (somewhat ironic!).

I've found that the quality and speed of Wi-Fi varies from one location to another. In some cases this works well, in other cases it only works in some parts of the hotel.

After experiencing less-than-great wi-fi in some hotel rooms, I began including something like "need room with good wi-fi access" in my room requests. It can't hurt, and the folks assigning rooms know where the routers are located. Sometimes the problem is that the hotel is packed to the gills, and there's not much you can do about that except try a nearby café instead.

If you don't plan to talk on your phone, you do not need anything except the wifi you can access over there. When you board your plane in the US, turn cellular data off (just in case), turn wifi back on and leave it airplane mode. You can send iMessages over wifi and use messaging apps like whatsapp to text others. We have Verizon and I used their international plan on our last trip. It worked well but I still turned cellular data off most of the time just so we wouldn't inadvertently run up big data charges.

Dont' get the plan, you don't need it. At $1.00 a minute, and not enough data, you'll end up paying a lot more than the $30 for the month. Like others have said, use the free wi-fi at the hotel... I use imessage and Facetime to call home at night from the hotel.

I don't find that I need my phone during the day at all.

I always use the app Tango which allows me to make calls and text whenever I'm on WiFi. Last summer I got the international plan with Verizon for like $30 and didn't even use it, but it's useful incase of an emergency. I think that plan for for data usage when not on WiFi? I don't ever use my phone unless I get WiFi, which is virtually everywhere in Rome. You won't have a hard time finding WiFi if you need it.

Italy has anti-terrorism laws strictly regulating access to WIFI. Although most larger cities have municipal city-wide WIFI, anonymous access generally isn't allowed. To access the free municipal WIFI, one generally needs to SMS text the provider to get an access code. This alone is a good enough reason to get a cheap pay-as-you-go local SIM card for your smart phone or tablet.

Although hotels, and some tourist-oriented restaurants have free WIFI, you generally need credentials provided by the establishment. I found the free WIFI provided by hotels to be extremely unreliable and slow - you get what you pay for. Another reason to purchase a local SIM card.

Finally, if you have a local SIM with a healthy data allotment, using google maps on the fly is great for finding sights and planning transportation.

BTW - if you decide to go the WIFI only route, just leave you phone in airplane mode after you land. You can still turn WIFI on and off but you won't be surprised by a huge phone bill when you get home.

How do I get a local sim card?

Enter a phone store or electronic store and purchase one.

Vodafone and Tim (the two largest mobile phone providers in Italy) offer a plan designed for foreign tourists (Vodafone Holiday and Tim Welcome, respectively). Vodafone's plan offers a SIM card with 2Gb of data+300 outgoing voice minutes worldwide+300 SMS texts outgoing worldwide+5€ for other purchases or upgrades for a total of 30€ for a month. Incoming calls and texts are always free.
TIM's plan is similar but I've never used it.

Be aware that you will need an unlocked phone to insert a local SIM. If your phone was purchased through AT&T or Verizon, it may be eligible for unlocking if you had it for over 2 years. Call your provider and inquire if your device is eligible for unlocking. If so they will give you a code to use when you insert another SIM card.