Greetings Oracle of knowledge! This humble traveler has conjured up an unlocked quad band GSM phone and wonders where he might find a place to buy a sim card near his hotel in Milan, since time will be short. Do I still need to go to a tabacci shop? Can I go to a cell phone store? How would I look for a cell phone store in Italy on google maps? What is a sim card going for these days? What brand is better (or worse) then the others? Grazie!!
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
TIM is probably as good as any of the newer carriers. That's what we used last time. Here are links to store finders: scroll down for Milano First is for il Telefonino the second for Centro TIM both should have SIMs http://www.privati.tim.it/pr/pr_risultati/1,,,00.html?pag=1&tuttoS=true http://www.privati.tim.it/pr/pr_risultati/1,,,00.html?pag=1&tuttoS=true the last time we were there, you could by a SIM for 10 euro with 10 euro credit on it. Don't know if those prices are still accurate.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Ted, A few points to add.... You'll have to present your Passport to "register" your SIM card. Also, it would be a good idea to get everything set up prior to leaving the shop, as the Menus, etc. will be in Italian. You also need to obtain information on where to top-up. An alternative would be to purchase a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms, and that way you'd be ready to go as soon as you arrive. These often use a post-paid system with calls charged to a credit card, so no concerns about topping-up or running out of minutes in the middle of a call (however, DON'T lose the phone as you'd likely be charged for calls until you reported the loss). If you need further information on these, post another note. Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
@Ron, Are you sure they are not both the same? @Ken, I would MUCH rather buy a sim card for 10 Euros and have it limited. Hooking a sim card to my credit card, so my card can get charged? Uhhh......nope. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Oops - the lists do appear to be the same. Actually do a search in the search fields put Milano for Citta and Lombardia for Provincia and you should get all outlets. here is a link to info on TIM in English http://www.privati.tim.it/aree_eng/4/8/tim/0,,71_2,00.html