Phone use and eSim for Italy

My wife and I never use data overseas unless we’re on WiFi. We seldom make phone calls. We communicate with those back home via text (free overseas) via WhatsApp, Zoom, FaceTime, or FB messenger when on WiFi. We have a GPS if we’re on a trip with a rental car and I always download Google maps for offline use so no data is needed. If you’re one of those people glued to your phone no matter where you’re at, or actually working while on vacation, then you might want to buy data or get a plan. It’s a personal choice dependent on how you use your phone.

don't buy international plans from your carrier in the usa. i got the $10/day international plan from verizon and only used it on the first day. i purchased a local sim card for euro twenty as soon as i could. 5 gigs of data and unlimited voice and text for 30 days. renewal costs euro 10 for another 5 gigs for the next 30 days. just walk into a legit tim or vodaphone store, show your passport and fill out a form. i avoided going into generic mobil phone stores. i used google maps extensively to walk around and while on public transportation. Instant translator apps were handy too. make sure your phone is unlocked if you go the local sim route. good luck on your trip.

I switched to T-Mobile years ago because I was tired of being gouged by AT&T. With the TMobile plans (Magenta or Magenta Max) using your phone in Europe is like using it in the US. Unlimited Data, unlimited SMS text, etc. anywhere in the world. After we switched, never looked back at AT&T.

https://www.t-mobile.com/travel-abroad-with-simple-global.

I also buy a local SIM card for my iPad when I get there, which costs only 20euro or so for a month, because I like to use my iPad. If you have an unlocked phone you can also buy a local SIM card. I also do that if I want to have an Italian number for my friends and family in Italy. But it’s not necessary if your friends and family are in the US.

I’ve traveled to Europe and Asia without an international data plan and it definitely can be done, but these days, I prefer to have data. I got tired of standing outside a McDonald’s or an H&M using their wifi! Also I find it is so much easier to buy train tickets on the train company apps (Trenitalia for Italy) than using the machines at the station or the ticket counters. If you have an old unlocked mobile phone (or can borrow one from a friend), you can get a SIM card for that phone and use it as a hotspot for everyone you’re traveling with. Another option is to rent a hotspot or buy something like a Skyroam - the data packages are quite reasonable once you have the device and it can be used all over the world!

The $15 per day is AT&T’s International Day Pass. The Passport plan is $70 for 2GB for up to 30 days. I used to get a local SIM card and at times had a second phone but AT&T’s prices, while still high, have come down enough that the convenience outweighs the hassle for me. AT&T’s plans used to only provide 300MG so they are much improved. It is worth it for me to have my phone work (almost) exactly as it does at home and know that everyone can easily reach me in emergencies. You do tend to use more data when traveling so I still look for WiFi and download Google maps.

Just to clarify, your post mentions an eSIM. Do you mean the electronic SIM instead of an actual physical SIM card? I have been through the process of activating an eSIM on a U.S. carrier (T-Mobile) but I'm not sure how easy it is to do so on a foreign carrier. The eSIM is essentially the serial number that you'd get off the physical SIM card, but instead it is hard wired into your phone. I had to call T-Mobile to get the number connected to my phone number on my account.

Slipping in a physical SIM card? Yeah, that's no problem and should be very easy on most any unlocked phone these days. An eSIM on an Italian phone company might be another story, but I just don't know.

By-the-way, the nice feature of using an eSIM on current phones is most of them support running two phone numbers on one phone. Now that my "regular" number is done through an eSIM, I could also put in a physical SIM on a pay as you go foreign account and use both when traveling.

Oh, and I do agree with the recommendation about getting a local SIM over there. You'll likely have better rates.

I reread your post and realized I had not replied to your question, which was whether you really would need to use data on your trip? I think the answer depends upon how much you use data at home, day-to-day. If you feel comfortable going without your phone, then you do not need to worry about it, especially if the trip is not that long. Personally, however, I have used my phone while traveling to make traveling easier, for everything from navigating to checking in on flights.

Just returned from out trip. We used the Airalo app to buy 100gb of data for $11. Way more than we needed but the price is key. Easy to use with the eSim feature on the latest iPhones.