Getting a SIM Chip for My Phone in Italy

To find out if the phone is unlocked, borrow a SIM from someone who is on AT&T or T-Mobile in the US (these companies use SIM cards, while Verizon and Sprint don't). The SIM is under the battery. When you put it in and turn the phone back on:
1. If it boots up normally and says "searching for network" (whether or not it finds a network), the phone is unlocked. 2. If it almost immediately asks for a "SIM PIN 2" and refuses to go any further, it is locked. There are places to get phones unlocked in the US as well as in Europe; Google using your model number and the word "unlock" for details. Once your phone is unlocked, it can take any SIM from any carrier. To find out more about Italian cell phone plans, use the Italy page of Prepaid GSM dot net. If you still have questions, go to their Italy Forum. Discussions there can get very technical, but the people who hang out there are real experts, so you should be able to get all your questions answered. I don't remember seeing any phone stores in Varenna, so I would want to get a SIM before arriving there. I don't know about Malpensa airport, but again, someone either here or on Prepaid GSM should be able to help.

Thanks Harold and Roberto. BTW, Roberto, I got my codice fiscale. Thanks for the tip. Now, for the rest of my questions: What kind of airtime plan should I purchase and also what might it cost? Any info on that?

Debby, Testing your phone with a SIM card from AT&T or T-Mobile may work, but that will depend on whether the phone you bought is a quad-band model. If it doesn't have the two North American frequency bands, it won't work until you arrive in Europe. What brand and model phone is it? A SIM purchased on an Italian network will provide the best rates in Italy, however the rates for calling back to the U.S. may depend on the specifics of the plan you choose. TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) is one of the more popular networks, with good coverage throughout the country. Rather than look for a SIM card at MXP, you might wait until you reach Milano Centrale (as you're going to Varenna, you have to go there first). I believe there's a Mediaworld store there, which might have SIM cards (but I'm not absolutely sure). Another option you might consider would be to purchase a SIM from one of the travel phone companies such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial, Mobal, TruPhone or others. That would provide you with a working phone as soon as you step off the plane, with post-paid billing (calls charged to a credit card) so no need to top-up. At least one of the above firms is presently offering SIM cards for $0. Given the annoyances of a Codice Fiscale, Passports, filling out forms, topping-up and menus which may be in Italian, this is an option to consider. Happy travels!

No special plans. It's prepaid minutes. You'll purchase minutes that will be loaded on your sim card (min. 5 euro). As you use it, the balance on your sim card goes down. I don't recall the rate/minute to call within Italy on my vodafone, but it's really cheap for calls within Italy. Once you are low on minutes, just purchase more at any store displaying the provider logo (in my case vodafone). even for calling back to the US it is cheaper for me to use my Italian cellphone than using my US based phone. For example AT&T charges me $1.29/min for roaming charges for calling a US number from Italy. If I buy their international calling plan, the roaming charge goes down to $0.99 (I think). If I call the US with my Italian vodafone the charge (just long distance charges, no roaming charges) is approximately 50 Eurocents/min (about US$0.65), i.e. cheaper than my US based AT&T even with the International plan (which is an additional $5 or something I don't remember extra per month). Just go ahead and get an Italian number, you'll save I bet. Remember though that you must buy some minutes in your sim card at least once a year. If you don't load minutes for over 12 months the number is cancelled and the next year you'll need another SIM card if you go back. So if you plan to re-use it, and you don't go back within a year, buy some minutes online. I've never done it because I usually go within 12 months. But one my SIM cards got canceled because I forgot. No biggies, got a new one the next year.

A couple of clarifications to the posts above. Roberto: Phones sold in France are locked, so each country in Europe is different. Ken: Yes, a two band European phone will not work in North America. But, if it's unlocked, it will boot up normally, then say "searching for network" endlessly before not finding one. If it's locked, it won't boot up, but will almost immediately ask for the SIM PIN 2 code, and go no further before this code is entered. Hence my advice on how to determine if it is locked. Debby: I used the Wind "Senza Scatto" plan, with a special plan that lowered the rates for calls to the US. I learned about this plan from the Prepaid GSM site reference above. I had to text something to a special number (free text), and got a substantial discount on international calls. I had to use Google Translate to get the offer on the web site into English, then printed this out and took it with me so I would know what to do. If I hadn't been able to get Wind, I was going to use TIM or Vodafone (I can't use 3, because it requires a 3G phone which I didn't have). You want a "prepaid" or "gas tank" plan, where you put on credit, then spend it down. When your balance is low and you need to make more calls, you refill the "tank" (refill cards are sold all over, in various denominations). You may need to find an English speaker to learn how to use the refill card (at least for Wind, directions were only in Italian). Also, before you leave the store where you bought the SIM, find out how to check your balance, and program this into the phone.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. The phone I purchased was a Sony Ericsson Walkman Spiro. I don't know if it works in the US (haven't tried it yet with a US SIM card but will do so soon). The instructions are all in German. I will be taking an Acer Netbook with me to Italy, and will probably use Skype to make calls to US. So, having international capability is not absolutely necessary. If it's better just to buy an Italy phone plan, then that's probably our solution. It would be handy to have a phone that can be used while on a train to confirm hotel rooms, make reservations, etc.

Found a deal for foreign tourists in Italy on Vodafone. It's called Italy Pack. No mention of a need for the codice fiscale. http://www.areaprivati.vodafone.it/190/trilogy/jsp/programView.do?contentKeyP=59075&pageTypeId=9894&channelId=-1073874975&programId=1073755052&tk=9607%2Cc&ty_skip_md=true&ty_key=pri_italy_pack Italian only. Use Google translate if you can't understand. You can purchase Italy Pack at airports and Vodafone One shops in the following cities: Firenze, Roma, Napoli, Milano, Venezia, Perugia, Bologna, Verona, Trieste, Pesaro, Urbino, Padova, Como.

I unlocked my AT&T GSM phone before going to Italy last April. After buying a SIM card in Florence, my card wouldn't work. Unfortunately, the phone company help line went through an "automated attendant", and it only spoke Italian. I gave up and did all my communications thru the hotels' WiFi by email. I didn't miss the cell phone or smart phone one bit. It is not a necessity of life. The only time I really needed a phone was to get our agriturismo host to pick us up at the train station, and we called him on a pay phone.