phone contact within italy

Jack, a Italian SIM card will work in your phone; if it is an"unlocked" GSM phone. I did this on my last trip to Italy, but there was one problem; understanding the darn Italian commands. (I bought one for calls and texting, only) There are also companies that will sell you a "universal" SIM card, that you can install here, and use all over the EU, etc. The rates are not that excesive. And yes, a prepaid phone can be a good deal. You did not say who you use here in the States. If you have AT&T they offer great lo-cost plans for the EU. (well the texting plan, but then the prices go up! from there) Using data is where you can get into big trouble. If you buy a plan here from your carrier you need to ensure that you do not go over the limit, or you can come home with thousands of $$$ in bills; and that is not hard to do! Skype works really well when you have a good wi-fi conection. I used Skype on both my unlocked IPhone and netbook on my last trip.

My SIM card wouldn't work in Italy on my GSM unlocked phone, and the automated attendant phone line is only in Italian. I gave up. I communicated with home by email through WiFi at my hotels.
It sure was nice not having to talk to anyone on the cell phone. Now that's a real vacation.

A few years ago I bought a TIM phone in Italy for €29. It came with ten minutes and I bought more whenever I needed them. Calling and texting only. I paid less tha €1 per minute for calls to the US. I still use it in Italy so I consider it a bargain.

jack, To begin with, which model of iPhone are you using and which cell network are you with? The answers to those questions will determine your best course of action. Cheers!

All good points First I have an Apple I phone 4s with ATT. Second ATT no longer has any great EU rate plans.They start at 60.00 for 60 min and offer sight discounts as you go higher in minutes( As I remember, you have to go to 250.00 to get to .75 or slightly lower per minute) Sounds like the sim card has problems too. Have no problem communicating with the US( SKYPE or Email) Its within Italy ( w/o Wi/Fi) Im trying to get a grip on
Jack

jack, Your AT&T iPhone 4S will work in Europe, but unless your phone is "unlocked", you won't be able to to use other SIM cards in it. You'll have to check with AT&T regarding their policy on unlocking. For phone use within Italy, using a PAYG SIM card with an Italian network will provide the cheapest rates. However, to obtain a SIM card, non-residents must now have a Codice Fiscale and you'll have to present your Passport to register (AFAIK). An easier solution would be to use a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms, such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial, Mobal, EuroBuzz, One Sim or Max Roam. You'll have to check their respective websites for costs and other details. They typically use U.K.-based numbers and have post-paid billing (calls charged to a credit card), so no worries about having to top-up. While their rates are slightly higher than local SIM's, it's often an easier solution. You'll need to be VERY CAREFUL with data roaming as the costs can be HUGE. Unless you want to pay for internet access, you'll need to disable Cellular Data and Cellular Roaming switches in the "Settings" menu. That will still allow you to use voice and text. Cheers!

Ken- I purchased an international SIM for my unlocked iPhone 4S from Mobal. The only problem with that is that Mobal says they don't support data usage on their SIM, so they couldn't/wouldn't give me any information on how to change the settings to configure cellular data access. Maybe one of the other companies you mentioned would provide that information, but Mobal won't. I'm in a very similar situation as Ken. I'm headed to Italy, but I have an unlocked iPhone 4S. The SIM that Mobal sent me will work fine for voice using their UK phone number and PAYG rates, but I also want data.

@Bill, Some of the travel phone firms that I frequently mention WILL provide data, but it's not cheap. For example, one firm offers 100 MB of data at $99 for trips up to 30 days. If data is used sparingly, that's often an adequate amount. The bottom line is that there will be a higher cost for data access, and since there's a limit, it's important to keep that in mind when surfing the net as over charges are usually billed at about $8 / MB. I travelled with an unlocked iPhone 4S last year for the first time and chose to pay for data. It worked reasonably well, although the costs were slightly higher than planned. Travelling with a Smart Phone is somewhat a "work in progress" so I'll be fine tuning my methods this year. Cheers!