confusion over mobile phone options

Mother,

As your Sprint phone is an "old iPhone", it may not even work in Europe. Which model iPhone is it? It's quite possible that it uses CDMA technology with is not compatible with the GSM networks used in Europe and much of the rest of the world. Even if the phone used a SIM card and was technically capable of operation in Europe, it would still have to be "unlocked".

If you only plan to use the phone for calls, your easiest options would be.....

• Buy an inexpensive PAYG phone when you arrive in Italy.
• Buy a phone from one of the travel phone firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal or EuroBuzz.

Spend $10 to get credit with skype. Skype does not use cell carriers, it uses wifi. So if you want to make calls while driving down the road, this isn't the way to go. But if your need is only to make calls from your hotel or any other place that provides free wifi it will work. Since both your phones have wifi (assuming they are both smartphones) then once you download the app either works with skype. It costs 2.3 cents/minute and the $10 credit never expires until you use it up. And you can test it out here before you travel so you know how to make it work, something you can't do if you plan on buying a new phone or SIM card once in Europe.

There are some drawbacks. The skype site can be confusing since they offer subscriptions that automatically charge you every month as well as the pay-as-you-go plan I suggested above. Voice quality isn't the greatest, but its decent. A bigger drawback is you don't have a number people can call you at when you use the pay-as-you-go plan. You download their app onto your device, every time you use their app you get a different number. I don't find that to be a problem, some may.

Depending on what type of Tablet you're using, you could also look at Viber which provides the capability for text messages and phone calls using Wi-Fi. I haven't tried it yet for voice calls, but use it frequently on my iPhone for text messages and it works well (and more importantly, texts sent via Wi-Fi don't cost anything).

Another possible option to check out is renting phones from your provider. We rented phones from Verizon a few years ago traveling in Eastern Europe, when we didn't have phones that would work. It served our purpose of being able to be in touch with each other, and to make a few calls home. My husband even got a call from work while in St.Mary's Basilica in Krakow. It was fairly straightforward to set up--I called, and they sent the phones by mail with set-up instructions, and a phone number for help.

Take your phone into a tmobile store and ask them about possibly unlocking the phone to work on their network. If this is possible, you'll be able to use unlimited data and text messaging, and you can use Skype's app for making phone calls. You can sign up for 1 month of service with no contract.

If they can't unlock your phone, as someone mentioned above, you might be able to rent one or find an inexpensive but similar model online that is compatible with Tmobile's network.

In your shoes I would buy a cheap phone on Amazon.
Make sure it's a:
UNLOCKED QUADBAND GSM
Europe uses different band widths therefore you must be sure it's a quad band.
Europe uses the GSM technology (used for example by AT&T in the U.S.)
And of course it has to be unlocked so that you can insert a SIM card from any carrier.
Once you are in Italy, go to any mobile phone store or authorized dealer and buy the cheapest SIM card. Explain you need only voice and SMS (text messages).
The store will insert it in your phone for you and explain how to retrieve voice messages or see how much money you have left in your phone.
Italy's major mobile phone providers are:
TIM, Vodafone, Wind, 3.

I bought a TIM SIM when I arrived in Verona several weeks ago. it included 500 minutes. I used an unlocked phone I had bought in Spain. . I find having an Italian cell very useful for checking reservations etc. the TIM clerk also had a phone for 79 EU that included the 500 minute SIM, not a bad deal.
But I also use a service called Enjoy prepaid.com which I have used for years when in Europe and in Mexico. The service provides local NOT toll free numbers in each country which means I am only paying for the local call. I bought 35.00 USD of enjoy prepaid.com and have not used up the time for my last 2 trips....and this by calling anyone I want to talk to in the United States , this is talking to my husband and friends on an almost daily basis for as long as 30 minutes or more.
Skype is ok , I suppose but in my experience, if the wifi is not strong and consistent, can be frustration .
For me, nothing beats the convenience of just dialing and talking!
Link here https://www.enjoyprepaid.com/

Thank you everyone! I think we know what we should do. As always, the forum is great!

I want to second the recommendation for TMobile. Without discussion of how good or bad their coverage is in the US, I took my TMobile phone to Europe in March and it worked perfectly. Unlimited txt, unlimited data for no extra charge. I have an Android so calls were free if I had Wifi. Even regular calls were only something like $.06/minute. It was also a huge benefit for the kids as they were able to post photos to Facebook and txt their friends about our adventures as it happened.

It really helped as we used google maps extensively when driving and walking around to help get our bearings. No need to rent a GPS with the car. Also, no need to purchase a prepaid SIM and worry about compatibility. The ability to look up reviews for restaurants while you stand outside was priceless (we learned the hard way).

If you travel frequently to Europe from the US, (to me) the convenience and cost of TMobile is hard to beat.