eSIM cards

I bought an eSIM through Saily (recommended by Conde Nast Traveller) for a recent vacation in Paris and Naples. I bought it at home in the US through their web site, and then I activated it upon landing in Paris. It worked fine. I had service everywhere I went, which was mainly built up metropolitan areas.

Has anyone bought an eSIM in the US for later use in Italy?

Yes, this is very easy to do. You can easily buy esim "cards" at the vendor's websites, or even on Ebay, from the US. They aren't really "cards", just a QR code emailed to you, so there is no shipping involved. Most are data-only, but some will provide a local phone number. Some will have an app you can install, that makes it easy to "top-up" if you run out of data, or want to visit another country, and your current esim doesn't include that country. Many vendors will have multi-country esims such as Europe, or Great Britain. I use one for the US, because I needed to be able to access AT&T towers when "up north", and my current cellphone contract is with Tmobile

Opinions vary on this forum, but some of the recommended data only vendors are:

Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Roamless, Ubigi, and Zippy (ebay only)

These vendors will provide data AND a local phone number:

Airhub, aloSIM,

I've used Roamless, Airalo, and Zippy, no problems at all. Some of them even have a free introductory esim (300 mb. for 3 days or so), so you can try it out beforehand.

Generally, the esim will activate automatically when you land in Europe, but it's best to read the website to be sure. In some case there is an activation required using a web address. I sure like not having to waste 1/2 hour at the airport shopping for a physical sim card. And these esims are quite cheap, although some are cheaper than others.

Here's a thread you might not have found here because the name of the esim company I use for Italy, Airalo, is misspelled: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/airlo

I'm about to get a Mamma Mia Airalo esim for the fourth time. For use in a few weeks in Italy --- it won't activate until I get there.

Last year I had a problem activating it (100% my own fault) and the company was very helpful in figuring out the issue (I had been trying to activate the esim from the year before that was still on my phone --- it's a good idea to label the esim with an obvious name for the current trip!)

Will you need to place calls or texts with the eSIM? Most eSIMs only have data. I have used Orange eSIM when traveling in Europe that allows calls and text along with data. With AT&T and Verizon charging outrageous prices for their travel plan do recommend the eSIM route. Vodafone currently has a buy one get one data eSIM

You can only purchase physical SIM cards at the airport (TIM or Vodafone).

Link below has evaluation/recommendations for eSIM along with carrier and prices.

https://www.traveltomtom.net/destinations/europe/italy/best-esim-cards-for-italy

I have used airalo esims twice in Europe. Since I was travelling to several countries I bought one for regional European use. Worked fine. Budget friendly prices. Data only. I used Whats App for some calls as its use is very popular outside of the United States. Many businesses and individuals use it and it is data transmitted.

We've used BNESIM for 2 years (~6 European trips) and have been very happy with them. The nice thing with them is that there's a data plan that doesn't expire, that's what we've done. The first time I loaded the Esim on my phone (pixel 4a) it was a little tricky, but the customer service helped me get it to work. Since then I've helped several family members do the same (mostly pixels, but also iphone which was even easier.) 3gb data for all of Europe is ~7USD. I've topped off a few times, but in total with all those trips, I've spent less than $25 (you can usually find a coupon) and still have a few gb left. So, every time I land in Europe, I just switch to the BNESIM and am ready to go.
I recently switched from Verizon to Google Fi and upgraded to Pixel 9. I decided to leave my first esim on my older phone (they will let you transfer between phones for $1) and buy a new esim for my new phone. I shouldn't really need it because my Fi plan includes international data and text (calls to/from US numbers are free and a small charge for calling international numbers, I think). I only spent $3 for 5gb never expiring data, so even though I shouldn't need it, I'll have it as a cheap insurance in case the Fi network doesn't work as expected. I'm traveling in March so we'll see how this goes.....

sanomh, i also have an esim with a non-expiring Paygo plan. Mine is with Roamless. Same thing, I just put $20 in my "wallet" and money is deducted as I use data. Low prices, and works great. I really like that non-expiring plan. I wish US carriers offered that, instead of a monthly charge.