Italy SIM cards

Sarah, The FIRST THING to check with your "older unlocked GSM phones" is whether they are quad-band models. If they don't have the two European frequency bands, they'll essentially be "boat anchors" for the duration of your trip. Be sure also to check the Phone Chargers to ensure they're designed for "world operation". To answer your question, YES, I have had experience with SIM cards from one of the "travel phone firms" that I often mention here. I used it for the first time on my trip last year, and everything worked well. I recently renewed the plan for my trip this year. I'll be evaluating this particular service again this year, but I'm confident it will work well. The "travel SIM" that I'm using is based on a phone number from the U.K. It works well with my calling patterns, which are primarily text messaging with occasional voice calls either in Europe or back home. I chose a "Europe" plan as I usually travel in a number of different countries, and the rates are consistent regardless of where I travel. I believe the same firms also offers an "Italy" plan, it that's all you're interested in. Happy travels!

Thanks Ken. Yes they are quad band. I used it in France last year without problem. I have always bought the SIM when arriving in France but thought I might consider getting it ahead of time for Italy. We primarily will use them to call each other (there will be 3 of us), make reservations and call the US or receive calls only for emergencies. Will rely on WiFi and my iPOD touch for emails.

Not sure you can order in advance as they will need to see your passport. TIM, Wind, Vodaphone and other stores are pretty ubiquitous. The whole process takes about 5 mins or less.

My only frustration with local SIM cards is that the instructions, of course, are in the local language. In France I routinely have to politely ask the person I buy the card from or the extra (top off) minutes to listen and set up the phone for me. I recently saw an ad for what is called an international SIM with instructions in English. Anyone with any experience with that? I wish I were multilingual, but unfortunately am not!

Not sure with all the providers, but often you can get English instructions at the store. Orange has this in France. Vodafone's Italian website has an English version with instructions on how to top up. http://www.vodafone.it/engl/living/how_to_top_up.html If you can't buy a SIM in advance, this might be the way to go.

Sarah, One point to add..... When I ordered my SIM card from the travel phone firm, it was delivered VERY quickly (almost overnight) via Courier. The "travel phone firms" typically have an "800" number, so it wouldn't hurt to give them a call to see whether their products will work for you. One point to note with the "travel SIM's" is that many of those operate on a "postpaid basis", which means the calls are charged to a credit card. I prefer that system as I don't have to worry about running out of minutes in the middle of a call, or having to "top up". However, there's a slight risk with that type of system in that if the phone is lost or stolen, the user will be responsible for the charges until the loss is reported. I usually guard my phone well, so that's an acceptable risk. I can send you a PM with the name of the firm I used, if you're interested. Cheers!

We just arrived in Milan on 7 June with this problem. We went to a tobacco shop near the hotel, and the owner (who didn't speak english, and me with little italiano...) directed us to a local phone store to buy the sim card. All I had to do was show her that I needed a sim card (take out the battery and indicate the sim card slot. Not a problem, she understood immediately.) The phone store had a guy who spoke english. The sim card was 10 euros, and included 5 euros of talk time at 0.12 per min, or 40 minutes. We added another 5 euros of talk time so we would have 80 minutes. I worried that this would be a hassle, but it was not. I guess the prepaid firms that send you a sim card rely on people who worry about this. Easy breezy.

Thanks all. Very helpful.

I use a Passport Plus SIM card that I order online from Telestial. It is good in many countries; no need to buy one for each country. Instructions are in English and refilling is easy by phone.

If you are just going to Italy it is much cheaper to buy a SIM card in country than to buy an international SIM card before you go. There are TIM, Wind and Vodafone stores in all cities.

Thanks all. We arrive in venice on Sunday late afternoon. Hope that isn't a problem.