Phone and data use in Italy

Verizon has international roaming plans - anywhere from $25/month for a tiny amount of data or $10/day for unlimited use of your home plan, charged only on the days you use it. That's $140 for the trip assuming you use it every day - and the easiest. I'd never be able to live with the 100MB of data their monthly plan offers, but I guess some do if they usually use WiFi.

Verizon phones aren't locked (in almost every case, but Verizon has announced they will start locking future phones), so you should be able to buy a SIM in Italy after you arrive. Most people seem to prefer TIM or Vodafone SIMs for about 30 to 40 Euros. Know that with an Italian SIM you won't have your Verizon number anymore - you'll have an Italian phone number until you put your Verizon SIM back. (Some people want the Italian number.)

Do you mean "Google Voice" (for voice calls) or "Google Translate" (for translating language, written and spoken)? You can use a Google Voice phone number in Europe - receive text messages with the Google Voice app and make/receive calls with the Google Hangouts app - but you can't receive Google Voice incoming calls on an Italian phone number (except if you use Hangouts).

If you mean "Google Translate," then yes it does need WiFi or mobile data from a SIM card.

Seems like buying a sim card would be the best way to go. Any advice on where to purchase that? I was enquiring about the google translate app. So it will need wifi to work! Thank you.

You can use Google Translate without data if you download the language before you leave home.

I've found that Verizon's Travel Pass ($10/day for the days that you use it) works well. Stick to wifi in the hotels and download maps ahead of time. That means little chance that you'll need data when you're away from free wifi UNLESS you're lost or find yourself in some unpredictable situation. And if that happens, $10/day - again ONLY for days used - is a good deal.

just like here, there are cell phone stores on nearly every block in every town in Italy. I chose Vodafone last time I was in Italy; I got the Holiday plan for 30 Euros and it was more minutes (300), texts (300) and data (2 gb) than I needed in 7 weeks. Good deal, and they put in the SIM and activated it for me in the store. This is the link to the Vodafone offer. I'm sure TIM is fine too.

You can use Google Translate without data if you download the language before you leave home.

Good to know!

I've found that Verizon's Travel Pass ($10/day for the days that you use it) works well. Stick to wifi in the hotels and download maps ahead of time. That means little chance that you'll need data when you're away from free wifi UNLESS you're lost or find yourself in some unpredictable situation.

I need data constantly when I travel - for Google Maps navigation for walking and by public transportation. I can't download that info ahead of time - Google Maps "offline" works only for driving directions. This is the #1 most useful feature of my smart phone - has saved me hours of time not needing to pre-plan public transportation or having to navigate with paper maps, and it allows a certain spontaneity I used to be more fearful of.

And if that happens, $10/day - again ONLY for days used - is a good deal.

I don't have Verizon, but I would use it every day for the reason stated above.

If your phone is unlocked, you can get a tourist SIM card for €30. The top two suppliers in Italy are TIM and Vodafone. Their plans are slightly different with TIM giving you 4 gigs of data vs. 2 gigs from Vodafone. Here’s a link to the TIM for Visitors card. if you are flying into FCO, you can get the card at the TIM store in terminal 3. Last November I purchased the voucher on line and redeemed it at FCO. Because of the voucher, they knew exactly what I wanted and the transaction took less than 20 minutes. Painless. TIM’s service was great for the 3+ weeks I was there.

Google Translate offline:

https://support.google.com/translate/answer/6142473?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en

We always buy an Italian Sim card from TIM at the airport when we arrive.
Our Australian phones are unlocked and we transfer the Italian SIM with data option to it.
The Italian SIM cards only last 28 or 30 days and there is no way to extend them.
If you are travelling for longer or need the use of the Italian SIM until the last day then you will need to think of something else.
We always travel for 5 weeks so the SIM runs out before the end of our trip. Usually by then we are in the city from where we will exit Italy and so do not need the telephone as our accommodation will have already been booked in advance and we would let our host know that we do not have telephone contact and make arrangements for arrival well ahead of time.

Just make sure you back up your phone before leaving home and double check it is 'unlocked' with your carrier prior to purchasing an Italian SIM card.

I just returned from Italy and here's my experience:

Like you I sought advice hear on the forum (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/smartphone-and-sim-card). I bought a 'TIM for Visitors' voucher online before leaving. Cost was €30 for 28 days, 4GB data, 300 minutes talk. The plan details seem to change frequently. I found the Vodaphone offers a little confusing but they might have a better deal so I would check them out. As some have mentioned, the phone stores are everywhere, especially TIM shops. I would stick with a shop though in the airport or train station as I figure they are likely to get the most traffic for changing SIMs.

Some people who have had this also had text capability, I did not. Ways around that are to use another app but I didn't bother and it didn't hinder me much. With the talk time I could call the US without any additional cost, or I also called within Italy. As others have noted, you will have an Italian phone number, so calls from the US to you will be international.

I went to the TIM store in Termini train station in Rome and presented the voucher They knew what to do right away. (Note: When you go into the store get a ticket from the machine to get service). You will need to present your passport just like checking into hotels. It took less than 10 minutes for them to do the paperwork and install the the new SIM card, that was about it. Also, I have an S8 phone so I made sure to bring the little pin key to open the SIM access, your phone may be different.

I had all my apps, e-mail, everything the same except for the Italian phone number and I could not text (though strangely I received text messages from Verizon and TIM). Also, every time I restarted the phone Verizon sent me a notification about the SIM card which I ignored.

I used the phone everywhere for navigating, looking up web info, buying tickets, etc., etc. I did connect to wifi in my hotel and often where it was offered, as it is in most establishments it seemed. In 2+ weeks I used 1.3 GB data and very little talk time.

I found coverage to be good overall in the cities and towns everywhere. I visited Rome, Volterra, Lucca, was in the Cinque Terra, Florence, Siena and Venice. I did find inside buildings I would lose coverage often, especially in Florence, but wifi was usually available. When I landed back in the US I swapped my Verizon card back in and immediately had my old service.

So there you have it. I was very happy with the service I got and it was extremely less expensive than Verizon's unserious plans for traveling. Again, I would compare the Vodaphone plan.

I just returned from Italy this past Saturday. On previous trips to Europe I have purchased a local SIM card with mixed results. Cost wise they were pretty inexpensive but I always had issues getting iMessage to work on my iPhone and it was a pain to provide a new phone nummber to those I'd be contacting.

This trip I opted to use the AT&T $10/day plan to use my phone and plan as I would use in the U.S. This worked seamlessly for both myself and my wife. No new phone number, no swapping SIM cards and I was able to use my unlimited data just as I would at home. Worked perfectly for us.

The cost of this would add up over a longer trip, but for our 8 nights it was reasonable and a very small percentage of our overall trip cost.

I always enroll in Verizon's Travel Pass for $10/day when in Europe, but my trips are usually 10 days or less. However, as Andrew pointed out, if you do not use any data or make cell calls on a particular day (and exclusively use wifi), there is no charge. What I like about the Travel Pass program is that you keep your U.S. phone number and your data plan is the same (as if you never left the U.S.). So, when you factor in the cost of the trip (typically $1000s), a $100 expense to have the cell service and data as if you were in the U.S. is really a minor cost and is extremely convenient when you are out and about. Others may consider this cost comparatively expensive, so if you are looking to save some bucks, then there are less expensive routes as suggested by others.

Robert, Verizon's Travel Pass works flawlessly for us too. I consider it a minor expense compared to the thousands we are spending for travel. We do however take longer trips and simply alternate our days. We use my phone one day and my spouse's phone the next! A 20 day trip costs us $200 total and we can have our pet sitter, house sitter, relatives et al use the same phone number.

I use the Verizon $10 a day plan in Europe, including Italy. Wi-Fi is so ubiquitous that I only have to use the plan a couple of times during a trip.

I hope you have a great trip!

We have Verizon phones capable of being used internationally without any additional hardware. One of our phones is a Samsung smart phone (not sure which one) and the other is an older flip phone. But the capabilities of your phone(s) may be different than ours.

At any rate, anyone who needs us simply calls our regular number and the Verizon system finds us anywhere and connects the call. If we need to call back to the U.S. we simply highlight the number in our contact list, hit send, and the call goes straight through without any special instructions.

All costs are charged to our phones. We've never uses a "plan" -- just paid the going rate as we use them rarely when overseas.

We've found that simply calling Verizon's regular number or going into a brick and mortar location leaves a lot to be desired -- ask the same question of three people and you'll get four answers. However, Verizon has a dedicated Global Customer Service Department. They have always been very knowledgeable, helpful, and they will know the ins, outs, and capabilities of your phones. Give them a call and see if they can help. Number is 1-800-711-8300.