Phone calls to Italy

I always buy a small denomination international telephone card from ie. Longs Drugs etc. It works fine doesn't cost me much and there is no hassles with my long distance service that charges too much anyway. hope this helps.

Are you talking about calling your cell phone in Italy or just native Italian phones? If it's the latter, and the person calling you has a computer, you can also consider Skype. Using the SkypeOut feature, the person calling can call from their computer, using Skype and call Italy for ~2 cents/minute.

Tom,

Could you clarify a few points. First, were you planning on taking your Verizon cell phone to Italy?

I'm assuming that you're referring to family or friends back home calling you when you're in Italy? Skype is certainly one option, but you didn't indicate if you would be travelling with a Laptop?

Using SkypeOut, only the person doing the calling needs the computer. SkypeOut is used to call from a computer to any telephone (land line or cell phone).

I have been using it to speak with a friend who is living in India. Her dialup connection is too slow for her to use Skype to Skype, so I use SkypeOut to call her Indian cell phone there.

I should have been more clear. Was actually referring to family calling me on my cell phone from home. We have verizon for residential service and verizon wireless for cell service. I had heard about international phone cards for use here in the states for use in making overseas calls, but did not know if that is better than simply using the home phone thru Verizon.

Tom

I think that the killer will be the rates for receiving calls on your cell phone.

Ok I saw your update. A over the counter phone card from a major phone company (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc.) works just fine. I have lived in Itlay for 6 years. My parents have always used an AT&T calling card. I think that would be the wisest choice if you're in Italy for a short time.

Tom,

Just to clarify one important point regarding your Cell phone. Verizon phones will NOT work in Europe, unless they are a "dual technology" model such as the Blackberry 8830 or Motorola 840. Verizon uses CDMA technology, which is different than the GSM used in most of the rest of the world.

I understand from other posts here that Verizon has a "loaner" program, so wasn't sure if that's what you were referring to? Be VERY clear on the rates though, as incoming calls are often billed at about US$1.99/minute.

I normally just use roaming with my home carrier (a GSM network) and use text messages to keep in touch, as it's very inexpensive.

Cheers!

Tom, there are 2 expenses you need to keep in mind. The first is the call from the states. You can get cheap rates from most US carriers. The 2nd is the incoming charge on your cell phone in Italy. You are going to pay around $1/min or more if you use a US carrier. There is an easy solution. Buy an italian SIM chip when in Italy, put it in your unlocked cell phone. Incoming calls are free. You just have to make one phone call to the US to tell them your number.

Mike, just to clarify, his Cell plan is with Verizon, and their CDMA phones don't use SIM cards.

I obtained a loaner "global phone" from verizon wireless that is GSM equipped with a sim card. If I purchase an italian sim card, which changes my phone number, am I still on the verizon wireless plan in terms of billing?? How does that work? My concern is being reachable by family w/o breaking the bank.

For a GSM phone, your phone number and billing is based on the SIM card in the phone. Put in an Italian SIM card and you have an Italian phone with an Italian number and billed by the agreement with the Italian phone company that sold you the SIM.

However Verizon also realizes this; that is why the phone they supply you is pretty much guaranteed NOT to be unlocked. It's "global" in the sense that you can make/receive calls in most countries in the world while you have the Verizon-supplied SIM plugged in. And each and every call will be billed by Verizon. However I'd bet the phone will not work if you plug an Italian SIM into it. An unlocked phone will work no matter what SIM you plug into it.

Many people have voted with their pocket and only use carriers that use the GSM network; in the US that would be AT&T and T-mobile. They are required agree to unlock their phones (except the iPhone) after you've had them 90 days. So when I travel abroad I carry my own phone from home, so I can use the phone book I have programmed into it. I plug in an Italian or French or German SIM, I make calls in-country at a MUCH cheaper rate and back to the US at 1/2 the rate the US carrier wants. And all incoming calls are free while I'm in the issuing country. That's too late for you now, but you might want to check with your friends and see if any of them happen to have an unlocked phone they can loan you.

Tom,

Thanks for the additional info - that clarifies your situation.

As Mike indicated, it's very likely that you won't be able to use an Italian SIM in your "loaner" phone as it will be SIM locked. Therefore your only option will be to accept the rates provided by Verizon.

I'd suggest that you strongly emphasize to anyone wanting to call you, that they limit these to only essential and important calls, and keep them short! For exchanging information of a more "routine" nature, choose one or two family members at home who have Cell phones and use text (SMS) as it's quite inexpensive (they can share your messages with the rest of the family).

Also, be sure to stress to anyone wanting to call you, that they check the time! There's nothing more annoying than getting phone calls in Europe at 04:00 because people couldn't be bothered to think about the time zone difference.

Happy travels!

My husband and I went on e-bay and bought an unlocked cell phone and Italian SIMM card. Total for both transactions was about $50. Our family and friends bought very cheap phone cards from CVS Pharmacy. All incoming calls were free on our cell phone, so we were able to talk to people easily the whole month we spent in Italy.

Good luck!