When traveling in Asia I have found it cheaper to buy data locally and put local SIM card in rather than pay ATT carrier’s prices for coverage. Is this option available in Italy? If so, is this the most economical?
Also what company, where do you purchase them, and what is typical charges?
I've just discovered that AT&T wants more than 50 $ to let me use one of their prepaid SIM cards in US for 30 days, so the good news is that even italian SIMs for tourists are cheaper.
You can enter either a TIM, Vodafone, or Wind store and purchase one of these plans:
DO NOT get a voucher on-line: most re-sellers either do not accept it or ask for more money. Find a brand store and pay in cash.
All the above plans work quite well provided that:
you have an unlocked phone
you understand what's included and what's not: for instance, TIM's plan does not include any text; keep on sending texts and sooner or later you'll run out of the complimentary 5 € of credit and the SIM will stop working.
you wait for the plan to be activated, turn the phone off, wait a couple of minutes and then turn it on. A SIM starts working almost immediately, a plan can take up to 24 hours to be active. Till that moment, turn DATA and ROAMING OFF and DO NOT MAKE CALLS ABROAD. You'd be using the complimentary credit.
You could also buy a plan for locals, or a plan for foreigners living in Italy. Both could actually be cheaper than the tourists' ones.
For example I pay 10 Euro/month for 30 giga, unlimited talking time and 500 texts.
On the other hand, note that these cheap plans are mostly aimed to those who are porting their mobile number to a competing operator. I doubt a new number/customer can pay so little, but you can ask and compare various offers.
This spring I used a TIM card. I bought a voucher beforehand online but was probably unnecessary as Dario inferred. I redeemed it at the TIM shop in Rome's Termini Rail Station. TIM shops are all over, a bit less so with Vodaphone, not familiar with Wind. The TIM shop did the card swap and activation. Passport was required to register. I had a new Italian phone number but I could call home. My plan did not include texting but they change these all the time it seems. Coverage was pretty good except outside of towns. I traveled all over Tuscany, Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terra. Alos, WiFi is ubiquitous everywhere in most all the shops and cafes and restaurants to save on data and for more complete coverage. I sometimes had to rely on it indoors, more so than in the US. Vodaphone no doubt would provide similar service from all I've seen and read. I would go with whatever carrier/plan best suits your need.
