phone use in Italy

We got the international plan from ATT (like $5.95 a month) and then our calls were 99 cents a minute. Worked fine for us, but you MUST be sure you know how to turn of the data or you'll get a horrible bill. You can use wifi where that is available.

Linda, It would help to have some idea what type of phone you're using. You'll only be able to use it in Europe if it's a quad-band model, with the two European frequency bands. The easiest solution for occasional calls would be to sign up for an AT&T Travel Pack. I believe you can cancel it when you return home. While it's a bit pricey, for occasional calls and texts, that's usually the simplest solution. If your phone is unlocked, you could purchase a SIM card when you arrive in Italy, but I believe they need "registration" and Passport information now to sign up for those. If you have an unlocked phone, you could also use it with a "travel SIM" purchased here, which will provide cheaper rates than AT&T. Happy travels!

Your AT&T iPhone will work in Italy (@Ken: all AT&T iPhones, going back to the very first one, are quad band). However, it will cost a lot, even with an AT&T International plan to reduce the cost of calls to "only" $0.99 to send or receive. If you're going to be there a month, the best solution is for you to get an Italian phone, on a prepaid plan (no contract). This way, outgoing calls will be around $0.25 per minute, and incoming calls are free. Even with the cost of buying a phone, over the course of a month you will almost certainly come out ahead. You can buy a phone either in the US or in Italy. If you buy it in the US, you must make sure it's quad band and unlocked, so it will work with an Italian SIM card and on Italian frequencies. If you buy it in Italy, no worries about these matters. You may also be able to get your iPhone unlocked, so it can use an Italian SIM, but that's not usually easy, particularly for newer models. For more information about Italian cell phone plans, look at Prepaid GSM's Italy Page and Italy Forum. The former has information about the Codice Fiscal (that Ken referred to) you will need to get a SIM card; you will also need your passport. If you have any questions about which plan is best for your needs, ask on their forum, and be aware that discussions there can get VERY technical - don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Thanks to all of you who have responded to the phone in Italy question.
I now have a good idea of what to do.

Linda:
To obtain official Codice Fiscale (Tax ID Code), not the unofficial one calculated by various websites, which is necessary to purchase a SIM card in Italy, you can request it through the local Italian Consulate. You are in Oregon therefore you are under the jurisdiction of the Italian Consulate in San Francisco. Here are the instructions (English after the Italian text) http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/0A00D282-EB4F-4CD4-B91A-564EAC087ECB/0/ISTRUZIONIEMODULOPERLARICHIESTADICODICEFISCALE.pdf

@Harold, "@Ken: all AT&T iPhones, going back to the very first one, are quad band" Given my home location, I've never used AT&T so wasn't aware of that, but I thought it was a relevant point to mention and something the OP should check. My cell network here used to be affiliated with AT&T, and not all of the phones they supplied were quad-band. Cheers!

Ken, You are certainly correct that not all AT&T phones are quad band! Since Linda mentioned that she had an iPhone, I could be certain; with almost any other kind of phone (as we both keep saying on this board), you have to check to be sure.

I took a GSM AT&T phone to Italy with the security code unlocked. After spending $20 for a SIMS card, it wouldn't work. Unfortunately, the automated attendant to their customer service dept. was only in Italian, and I gave up. You can just buy a cheap Tracphone type of Italian phone to use while you're there. I just corresponded by WIFI in hotels and hotspots on my laptop. You could to the same thing with a smaller notebook. It was sure nice to be away from that telephone for 2 weeks.